Local Politics
Hon O'Neal pushed education as 'foundation of our resiliency' - Gov Albert Bryan Jr
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - United States Virgin Islands (USVI) Governor Albert Bryan Jr, said Hon Ralph T. O'Neal, OBE understood the value of education in building the resilience of the people, and this he said allowed all of the Virgin Islands to develop and compete on the international front.
'We need to sit back & realise what we lost'- Hon Smith
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - In a moving tribute made in honour of the late first Premier of the Virgin Islands (VI) Hon Ralph T. O'Neal OBE, Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly (HoA), Hon Neville A. Smith aka 'Sheep' called for the territory to put into perspective that it has lost a truly great leader.
'I can't imagine giving two-thirds of my life to the people'- Hon Penn
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Reflecting on the sacrifices and drive of the late Hon Ralph T. O'Neal OBE, Opposition Leader Marlon A. Penn (R8) at a December 3, 2019 special sitting of the House of Assembly (HoA) said he cannot imagine giving the majority of his life to the people in the way Hon O'Neal did for the territory.
Eileene L. Parsons had asked RT O'Neal to betray HL Stoutt! - Hon Fraser
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - During a Special Sitting of the House of Assembly (HoA) in honour of First Premier and Member Emeritus, Hon Ralph T. O'Neal, OBE on December 3, 2019, Opposition Member and veteran legislator Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) said in the aftermath of the 1995 General Elections, Hon O'Neal was asked by Eileene L. Parsons, OBE to betray H. Lavity Stoutt as the then leader of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP).
Skelton-Cline gets new $144K consultancy contract
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - ZBVI radio host Claude O. Skelton-Cline has been given another 12 months of consultancy under the Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) administration through his consultancy firm, Grace Consultants.
Gov't initiating 2020 Constitutional Review of VI - Premier Fahie
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - Following his budget speech announcing that provisions were made in the 2020 Budget for the commissioning of a Constitutional Review in the Virgin Islands (VI), Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Andrew A, Fahie (R1) has now announced that the process will be initiated before the end of November 2019.
Reassignment an 'opportunity' for Jr Ministers to build portfolios - Skelton-Cline
BAUGHERS BAY, Tortola, VI - With the reassignment of the Junior Minister portfolios causing some amount of public controversy, ZBVI 780am Honestly Speaking moderator Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline says the reassignment now provides an opportunity for both ministers to expand their portfolios.
'I don't miss the politics'- Dr Kedrick D. Pickering
BAUGHERS BAY, Tortola, VI - Former Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr Kedrick D. Pickering in his recent appearance on Honestly Speaking, ZBVI 780am said he knew the late Premier, Hon Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE, Member Emeritus, was about to pass.
No singing 'God save the Queen' outside protocols - Skelton-Cline
BAUGHERS BAY, Tortola, VI - Noting that the National Anthem should only be sung or played in the presence of the Queen's Representative, ZBVI 780 'Honestly Speaking' radio show host Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline says it continues to be baffling why 'God Save The Queen' is being sung during assemblies at the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS). This practice, he said, highlights a colonial mindset.
The VI’s 70 year journey on the path of self-determination
E. Benito Wheatley
November 24, 2019 will mark 70 years since the Great March of 1949 in which the people of the [British] Virgin Islands (VI) peacefully marched through Road Town to protest the gross neglect of the British Empire. The march at the time was the largest demonstration ever to take place in the islands and changed the course of VI history.