Section 86 of the Constitution was invoked by the Governor, calling the 4th House of Assembly back into session on Monday, April 17th, 2023. The unprecedented and history-making move saw all Members back in the House to ‘fix’ an error made during the Fast Tracking and Regularisation, Andrew Fahie-led initiative of 2019. 

To fix the error, an emergency Bill was introduced to pass through the House, but not without debate by the sitting Members. The Honourable Marlon Penn, who sat as the Opposition Leader in 2019 when the Fast Track initiative came to the House, rose to remind the VIP Leadership and the listening public tuned in to the Session that the issues and concerns highlighted by the Auditor General in the Report, were the same concerns raised by Members of the House and public when the initiative first came to the House back in 2019. He spoke about the many major mistakes that were made by the Administration that had to be corrected, as well as the destruction of our many institutions over the past four years by the said VIP Administration.  His words resounded throughout the Territory as he bemoaned the attacks on Civil Servants and the Attorney General Chambers by Deputy Premier Kye Rhymer and, by extension, the Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley and the VIrgin Islands Party. “Leaders do not throw their teams under the bus.” The Honourable Member chided. 

It was a confusing but solemn and reflective time across the Territory as persons tuned in to understand what had gone wrong and if just a Bill was used as a broad brush was the answer to the 688 persons whose legal status needed to be fixed. 

Elections are afoot in the Territory, with early Polling on Thursday, April 20th and General Elections on Monday, April 24th, 2023.