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Most Virgin Islands' residents snub Queen’s Birthday Parade?
The tent erected for the soiree was left largely abandoned, with many empty chairs observed throughout the proceedings.
Uniformed Attendance
Those in attendance were made up largely of members of the VI’s uniformed organisations—attendance, a mandatory requirement on their part.
In attendance also were three lone ‘elected representatives.’ They include Acting Premier, Dr the Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering (R7)—who stated publicly ahead of the event, he would only be there in his official capacity, since as a private citizen, he would have boycotted.
Also present for the June 9, 2018, Queen’s Birthday Parade, was Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) and Education and Culture Minister, Honourable Myron V. Wawlyn (AL)—who is challenging Premier Dr the Honorable D. Orlando Smith (AL), for leadership of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP).
Premier Smith and Health and Social Development Minister, Honourable Ronnie W. Skelton (AL) are both in Asia on official business while the remaining seven, ‘elected members’ of the VI’s House of Assembly, appears to have also snubbed the ceremony.
The colonial event has since been described by some as, ‘nothing out of the ordinary.’
OBE
Several Police Officers were nonetheless honoured—as has been tradition over the years—in addition to former Deputy Governor, Rosalie Adams, being announced as a recipient of the OBE (Order of British Empire).
There had been much talk of a mass ‘boycott’ of the annual celebration of the British Monarch.
It was at the ‘Decision March’ of May 24, 2018 that organiser of that protest demonstration against the UK Government, Bishop John I. Cline, announced that he was boycotting the Queen’s Birthday parade.
The annual event is sponsored from the public purse, according to officials from the Deputy Governor’s Office.
Public Registers
The decision to make mandatory the public registers of beneficial ownership, on British Overseas Territories, was met with close to 5,000 Virgin Islanders taking to the streets in Road Town, Tortola, on May 24, 2018, in a massive protest demonstration—the largest ever in the Territory’s history—against the move by the UK Government.
The demonstration was held in wake of the UK House of Commons and House of Lords supporting the amendment to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, demanding that only Overseas Territories located in the Caribbean operate registers of beneficial ownership.
The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, has since received the Royal Assent and became an Act on May 23, 2018.
The move, according to critics, could essentially kill the VI’s financial services sector, which accounts for 60 cents of every dollar in the economy.
The VI Government says it will only comply when the standard becomes a global one.
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18 Responses to “Most Virgin Islands' residents snub Queen’s Birthday Parade? ”
outside his little circle? No call, no email, no Bonbon candies delivered. What a crumpet.