Following the notable absence of all of the elected House of Assembly Members at the farewell ceremony for former Governor John Rankin on Thursday, questions were raised as to whether it was a unified effort of the officials to boycott the ceremony following Rankin’s latest request for the position of Governor to have more powers.
However, a subsequent statement from the Governor’s Office revealed that the only House of Assembly members to receive invitations to the ceremony as the customary practice were Premier Dr. the Honourable Natalio Wheatley, Opposition Leader Honourable Ronnie Skelton and Attorney General Dawn Smith.
While it was revealed that Skelton’s absence was communicated to the governor in advance of the ceremony, questions remain as to the absence of Premier Wheatley.
The House of Assembly also issued a statement in response to the revelation where Speaker Honourable Corine George-Massicote expressed regret over the lack of inclusivity and emphasized the importance of fostering unity and shared participation in such significant occasions.
Despite her views on being excluded from the invitation list, the Speaker extended well wishes to the departing governor and conveyed a message of goodwill in his future endeavours.