Was VI snubbed from meeting with President Obama @ US-CARICOM Summit?
OT shut out
The VI is an Associate Member of CARICOM, along with Anguilla, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos Islands and Cayman Islands.
Government spokeswomen, Director of Communications Arliene T. Penn confirmed to our news room that “no invitation was extended to the British Virgin Islands to attend the referenced meeting”.
She then asked us to contact the CARICOM Secretariat for further questions on this matter.
The Virgin Islands is one of the first non-independent countries to join the Caribbean Community as an Associate Member. It did so on July 2, 1991 under a then Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government.
More confirmation that OTs were snubbed
When our news room, yesterday April 9, 2015 contacted the CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana on whether the Associate Members of CARICOM were invited to the US- CARICOM Jamaican Summit with the US President, we were told by a Mr Leonard Robertson, Adviser, Public Information Unit, “No because none of the Associate Members are Independent and do not participate in foreign relations activities in the Caribbean Community. So none of the Associate Members or Montserrat would have been present at the meeting today.”
The regional leaders met on April 8, 2015 in Caucus, before the meeting with President Obama, with leaders such as Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamala Persad Bissessar, Barbados’ Freundel Stuart, Dominica’s Roosevelt Skerritt, St Kitts and Nevis’ Dr Timothy S. Harris and the host country’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller among others.
NDP weak on Regional issues
The main opposition Virgin Islands Party has continued to lambast the ruling National Democratic Party for its foreign policy failures. It pointed to the fact that the NDP has not been engaged in the Caribbean Community or the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
In a national broadcast last year, VIP Premier in waiting Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) promised that only high level officials from his administration will attend these meetings, including him.
Hon Fraser has also bashed the Smith Administration for allowing the territory to be black-listed by France as well as the NDP Administration’s inability to be respected overseas.
In addition, the international press has continued to write negative articles about the VI, from labelling us as a money laundering jurisdiction to our hostility to press freedom.
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50 Responses to “Was VI snubbed from meeting with President Obama @ US-CARICOM Summit?”
Dr smite will tell him another L*e
What is the big issue? You aint see where the BVI went on the "Pretty Overseas Financial Jurisdiction List" the other day? We went ahead of all of CARICOM. Tell them tek that. We good for some thing. You aint hear what De Dog say, "we just going them places for a short stick ah fire, and as soon as the fun is done, we going back home where we come from.." Tis BVI, BVI we come from. We aint going UK, Australia or South Africa or CARRY-COME OR CARRY-GO.
BVI is a place that dogs ppl who not from here & for what. Today if all non belongers pack up and leave, the country comes crashing down, businesses pull out, banks shut down, apartments empty etc. It will be like a lost forgotten place. Don't get me wrong you know, there are some bad seeds that don't deserve being here and yes they need to be sent out with the quickness i'm on board for that but there are good folks who contribute/have contributed. The same speed ppl from here running to the US for better opportunities it's the same with ppl coming here. Why can't ya'll get it through your thick skulls. Bet if the US decide they don't want BVIslanders in their country & they must leave everybody will cry fowl. It's the same thing. I'm from here and it's like I told my teen daughter just few days ago i'm ashamed sometimes especially when I speak with persons not from here and they tell me how they've been treated by my fellow VIslanders. They often ask me if I sure i'm from Tola, how come I don't act like others so negative towards outsiders & my response is usually I need you & you need me so why fight it. My kids don't dare come around me with the "born here" foolishness cause I will personally sort them out for it. I don't want to hear it period! BVIslanders don't want outsiders being here yet it's those same ppl who become our husbands, wives, bfs, gfs etc. If you so hate them why are you forming relationships with them. SMH, swear something wrong with this place.