'I invite every single one of them' to join Gov't- Premier Wheatley to Opposition
His comments were delivered in a candid exchange with JTV's reporter Ms Cathy O. Richards—during a March 21, 2025 press conference.
“I invite all of them, every single one of them,” Premier Wheatley declared with a clearly ambiguous fervour, suggesting, “...and perhaps maybe they could be the next Minister of State, who knows?”
He denied, however, any ongoing discussions with opposition members about switching allegiance, and specifically when pressed on whether he had extended any proposition to Second District Representative Hon Melvin M. Turnbull.
“No, I haven’t had any discussions with District 2 in recent times but I invite them to come.”
'Tall man from the 6th' welcomed too
Dr Wheatley went on to directly identify several sitting opposition figures directly, as he declared, “I make a passionate appeal for Honourable [Marlon A.] Penn, Honourable Turnbull…. the tall man from the 6th [Hon Myron V. Walwyn]. I appeal for him to come and join."
The Premier even invited the former Opposition Leader, Honourable Ronnie W. Skelton, "a gentleman of great experience, great knowledge. I'm not sure how well he’s being respected where he is, but I would like for him to come and to join with us because we respect his knowledge and experience.”
Ms Richards quickly seized on the implications of the Premier’s statements, pressing him on whether his ultimate goal was to erase parliamentary opposition altogether, “So then you don’t want an opposition?”
"I’ll talk about that later,” Premier Wheatley quipped.
The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government is enjoying an 8-seat majority in the House of Assembly, since two Opposition Members crossed the floor.
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