‘I am not leading the country to independence’- Premier Wheatley
The Premier addressed the matter of independence while on Honestly Speaking on ZBVI 780 AM on October 15, 2024.
“One of the critiques people offer against you and I want to give you a chance to respond is that the matter of independence appears to be a priority of yours, a core value that you hold to. Share with us, if in fact that is your position, and where are you intending to lead us, meaning the country, and how relative to this matter of independence?” host Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline asked.
Colonialism must end- Premier
Dr Wheatley said he was grateful to be given the opportunity to clarify his position, because his “position is that I am not leading the country to independence, so to speak, because it is not something that I can decide for others. It is something collectively that we have to decide for ourselves.”
According to the Premier, the United Nations Charter, which the UK is a signatory to, has set timelines for all nations to be decolonised and it is an obligation for both the VI and the UK to follow through on. He said decolonising means to end the colonial relationship that the VI has with the United Kingdom.
VI has ‘options’
While noting there may be different paths to take on deciding on how the territory moves forward, Premier Wheatley said generally it has to do with having a referendum where persons express their wish to have one of the three options available to it.
“We can be independent but if we don’t want to be independent we don’t have to, we can have a free association with the United Kingdom or we can have a free association with any other independent country that we wish, based on mutually agreeable terms and conditions or we can decide that we want to be absorbed into the United Kingdom in the same way Martinique and Guadeloupe have been absorbed into France.
“Those are the options before and it is up to the people of the Virgin Islands to choose,” Dr Wheatley said, adding that his preference would be independence.
Decolonialisation Commission
Asked if it was his intention during this tenure of his administration to put a process in place that leads to a referendum, Dr Wheatley said the process has already been started, beginning with the Constitutional Review Commission.
“They have taken a look at the issue, because it actually showed up in the Commission of Inquiry Report and recommended a Decolonialisation Commission.” He said that Commission could be responsible for providing education on the issue.
He also said there was a UN visiting Mission on Decolonisation this year and will be producing a report which he believes will be “informative of the next steps moving forward.”
VI ready for ‘self-governance’
It was in March 2022 that International Advisor on Governance and United Nations expert, Dr Carlyle Corbin visited the Virgin Islands and pointed out that while the VI has more preparations to make as it relates to seeking independence from the UK, the territory is already systematically prepared for self-governance.
Dr Corbin said the VI must now explore whether it wishes to proceed to independence and how to proceed, which are all issues to be determined, “but certainly the society is prepared,” he said.
Premier Wheatley also informed that Dr Corbin did point out that a colonial relationship exists between the UK and the VI. According to the Premier having an unelected governor in Cabinet and also being in charge of the public service are examples of colonialism.
“And the power that the United Kingdom has to suspend the constitution if they wanted to et cetera, these things are colonial and the United Nations says these things should not exist. And the United Nations has decades to eradicate colonialism. We come to the dates and we miss the dates. The next date is 2030.
“And if we want to truly abide by what the United Nations has said and what the United Kingdom has signed on to, we have to abolish colonialism,” Dr Wheatley stated on Honestly Speaking.
Education the key
The Premier noted that educating the people on the issues is key.
“But during my administration, I would hope that we would have a sufficient amount of education to be able to make an informed decision about the direction we want to go, if not in the immediate future, in the near future,” Premier Wheatley stated.
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36 Responses to “‘I am not leading the country to independence’- Premier Wheatley”
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The reason we can not be independent is our modern lifestyle... instead of a group effort to hunt around the third largest barrier reef in the world using modern technology and provide for the country all collectively we have a attitude of its there... go do it on your own. Most of if not all the infrastructure, taxes, revenue streams and laws leans on that flaw. We think there is one way to live where money is a resource.
France does not want to give up anything concerning Africa & colonial times not a good example!
It’s seems as this is a family legacy that you and your siblings have been pushing hard to achieve irrespective and irregardless of the consequences and desires of the public.
You ate not good for these BVI’s.
The self-determination options include independence,integration, free association, status quo, etc. I find it interesting that the British Empire was the largest Empire in history, covering approx 25% of the globe on all continents. The mighty British Empire suffered the fate of all empires—-Rise and Fall. The mighty empire has fallen and is just a footnote in history. The Overseas Territories (OT) and Crown -dependencies are last remaining remnants of the once mighty British Empire. Even more interesting is not even a square inch of a former colony has been integrated into the UK. Free Association status similar to the status the Cook Island has with New Zealand, and Marshall Islands, Palau, and Federated States of Micronesia have with the US is a viable option for the VI.
Moreover , Virgin Islanders must be educated on the pros and cons of any political status change for the VI. The Premier spoke about education but action is needed. Action(s) is more important than the words spoken , print written on paper or stored in a computer file, etc. Words in action speak far greater than just the spoken or written words. A referendum should be held but much preparatory work is required. Does the VI has to reinvent the wheel on putting on a referendum??
No. The VI sister OT Bermuda held a referendum on independence on 15 August 1995; a majority of Voters who participated in the referendum voted to maintain the status quo. Similarly, Scotland also held a referendum to secede from Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2014 and pursue independence ; the majority of Scots voted to maintain the status quo.
The rhetoric on this topic has softened recently however the governance reforms following the COI and the UK have been consistently used as a bogeyman and an excuse for internal failings and independence as a panacea. The public remains unconvinced and most of their concerns can be distilled down to an underlying lack of trust with the ruling class of the Virgin Islands over the years.
1. Emergency support from the UK
2. International assistance with Border Security
3. The US as a partner in controlling drug/firearm/people trafficking
4. Use of the US Dollar as the main currency
5. Much of the Financial Sector to the Caymen Islands
6. A lot of the Yacht Charter business currently run by UK Expats
Without big brother keeping an eye on things, corruption would boom, and the economy would totally collapse. I am in no doubt however, a few select people would benefit greatly.
All of the financial sector would leave without the UK.
The financial sector is current 60% of the BVI's GDP.
The BVI Government is dumb. They are not that dumb.
[Let’s as eagles lead, not careen off the cliff as buffaloes do]