Walwyn: Government Blocks Taxi Licence List
Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn says government members prevented elected representatives from accessing a list of taxi licence recipients during budget committee proceedings, raising concerns about transparency and fairness. The row echoes a May 2024 confrontation when Minister Kye Rymer declined to publish recipient details, citing Standing Order 18.6 and privacy concerns.
Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn has accused the government of deliberately preventing elected members from seeing a list of recent taxi licence recipients, warning that democratic rights are being curtailed under the current administration. Walwyn made the allegation during a heated contribution to the House of Assembly budget debate, saying attempts to obtain the list during the Standing Finance Committee stage were blocked by government members. "It’s a big secret.
The government business is public business. It doesn’t belong to one person," he told the House, adding that a promised consultation policy had not been honoured and that the list was being treated as government property rather than public information. The dispute recalls a May 2024 confrontation in the House when Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn pressed Minister for Communications and Works Kye Rymer to disclose names, addresses and districts of taxi licence recipients.
Rymer declined, citing House of Assembly Standing Order 18.6, which permits a minister to withhold information if its release is considered "contrary to the public interest," and arguing that publishing personal details could be unfair to recipients. Opposition members then challenged whether privacy concerns met the public interest threshold for withholding information.
Some government backbenchers also asked for a clearer legal definition of "public interest" to guide such decisions in future. Walwyn warned that without disclosure the public could not be assured licences were allocated fairly — whether recipients were concentrated in one district, whether long-serving drivers had been overlooked, or whether political considerations played a part.
Taxi licensing is a sensitive local issue: licences affect livelihoods for operators, shaping who can work in the transport sector, and influence service availability for residents and tourists across the territory. Tensions rose during the latest exchange. Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley stood on a point of order, accusing Walwyn of imputing improper motives to government members and urging the debate remain on budgetary matters.
Speaker Corinne Georges Masicotte cautioned the Opposition Leader to avoid assigning motives, after which Walwyn moved on. The matter highlights ongoing questions about transparency in public appointments and the balance between privacy and public interest. For BVI residents and taxi operators seeking clarity, the issue underscores a broader call for clear procedures and publicly available criteria when licences that affect local livelihoods are issued.
Primary source: BVI News