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'UK does not have good history' of meaningful assistance to VI - Skelton-Cline
Governor Jaspert's comments came after the Government of the Virgin Islands made a request for a grant to help persons made unemployed as a result of stringent measures to fight the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), now with three confirmed cases in the territory.
VI Gov't asked UK for assistance
Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) in a statement on Saturday, March 28, 2020, had said Government was trusting that the Governor is able to assist the Territory with accessing these funds to match what the VI was making available to its unemployed population as a result of COVID-19.
The Governor in a statement responded, that while the UK stands with the people, “We [VI] have healthy reserves and the Social Security Board Fund is very robust." "I know, like sister Territories, BVI is proudly self-sufficient, and will be considering every resource to support our people,” Gov Jaspert further noted.
However, according to Skelton-Cline, the UK has never had a history of assisting the territory in any meaningful ways in times of need.
"I keep telling us, don't look to for help to come from anywhere else, be the hope and the help you are looking for," he said on the Thursday, April 2, 2020 edition of his 'Honestly Speaking' show.
'We got to start within... don't look for nobody coming in riding in on a white horse, they ain't coming," he said.
UK backed loans was never in best interest of VI - Skelton-Cline
According to the Man of the Cloth, the Virgin Islands and the situation that it has now found itself in with COVID19, shows that it was never in the best interest of the territory to take the UK backed loans for hurricane rebuilding efforts under a number of stipulations.
"This is a perfect example of why we shouldn't, because right now we would have been in breach of protocol, inability to ultimately pay," he said with a reminder that the Premier Fahie led government was pushing for the measures of the loan guarantee to be laid out in 'black and white.'
"Who saw coronavirus coming? Who saw a global pandemic? we didn't see it... and so, therefore, it is just cause to have these things in black and white, not subjectively, not arbitrarily but reduce them to black and white," Skelton-Cline said.
The Honestly Speaking moderator further lashed out and the UK Government and by extension, the Governor of the Virgin Islands, for never assisting the territory in worthwhile ways.
UK never assisted VI in meaningful ways - Skelton-Cline
"The United Kingdon, on the heels of the floods and the hurricane, did some in-kind, sent some kits, did some stuff, a ship came but proportionately to what it could have done in terms of grand and the redevelopment, did not do it," he underscored.
Skelton-Cline said that a majority of the rebuilding efforts in the territory was done by the people and the private sector of the Virgin Islands even with industries down.
He said over in the UK, their government has approved its own funding to help the country and Governor Jaspert had noted in his statement in response to the VI's plea for assistance, that the United Kingdom is also facing its own challenges due to the impact of the pandemic.
"When you boil this down for what it really is... we have to do what we must do for ourselves, do not look, the UK does not have a good history when it comes to assisting the Virgin Islands in any meaningful way," Skelton-Cline said.
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50 Responses to “'UK does not have good history' of meaningful assistance to VI - Skelton-Cline”
No reason to convince yourself that a landlord would prefer a nonpaying tenant living large in his apartment,using gas,electric and water non gratis. as opposed to an empty apartment. An empty apartment has possibilities,promise,,hope a future. A non paying tenant is simply a heavy load,bleak future,daily stress resulting in a need for medicine and doctor bills.
I feel your pain and like I said the decision to close the borders to all incoming passengers and doing so with only 5 hours notice was an unreasonable and unfair one. The decision may well be considered illegal if you are a BVI Islander or permanent resident as it infringes on the right to freedom of movement. I suggest anyone aggrieved to file a claim with the BVI Government seeking compensation. If not get a good Lawyer.
Closing the borders also resulted in the discontinuation of service from all the commercial airlines and now persons who want to leave cannot leave.You would think that the less people on island the more manageable it would be should there be God forbid transmission of this virus.
I support this Government but I don't support blindly when there is unfairness I will call them out.
The Governor brought nothing to these islands but his young family, good will and a willingness to service in what has turned out to be challenging (to say the least) times!
This is not a time for blaming and finger pointing and negative thoughts or words. This is a time be thankful for the people who are stepping up to this challenge and leading with their hearts and minds. Let’s learn and follow their examples.
God Bless Premier Fahie, the Government, the Governor and his staff, the Medical Community and Food suppliers and all those who are helping make the world work at this unprecedented time.
Moreover, based on the Governors response to the Premier’s request for assistance for workers displaced by the Coronavirus, it is clear that the UK think the VI should look within for community self-help, ie, reserve fund, social security........etc. The VI has been under the UK control either directly or indirectly since 1672. And its help and footprint in the territory is interesting. For example, there is a Her Majesty Prison by no Her Majesty High School. Is the priority lock them up, not educate them?
[" (1) There shall be a Governor of the Virgin Islands who shall be appointed by Her Majesty by Commission under Her Sign Manual and Signet and shall hold office during Her Majesty's PLEASURE"].
I have had the privilege of listening to this Governor, and in my view, he is one of the most passionate diplomat that has ever landed in Her Majesty's Territory of the Virgin Islands.
He loves the BVI and the people of the BVI.
Mr.Cline:-
Don't forget, that the British Virgin Islands [BVI] is a British Overseas Territory [BOT] formerly called British DEPENDENT territory [BDT] defined in the British Nationality Act,1981..
Under our Sovereignity, The BVI is owned by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irelend, with Her Majesty, the Queen as the Monarchy..
Her Majesty, the Queen of Buckingham Palace OWNS the BVI [The BVI belongs to UK, and we the citizens BELONGS to the Virgins Islands, under section 2[2] of the BVI Constitution. That is why we are called BELONGERS and not owners.
The BVI does not have its own sovereignity,sir Cline
So, when a good Governor appointed by Her Majesty, is doing a good job in the BVI for her majesty,we should say thank you governor;because we have had governors in the past,who did not do a good job in the BVI for her majesty.
This Governor means good.Give him a chance to prove his good..
God save the Queen,the governor and the people of the BVI
To help the situation right now, do a loan from Social Security Board as a start up to payout to persons unemployed using the sickness benefit rate and where their employers are paid up. Those not paid up, the Consolidated Fund or the Reserves would have to be used.
Buckle up folks and live lean, the Premier is trying to assist as many persons as he can.
That's very interesting,that a blogger challenged legal team without reading the laws to show that mother-UK did good for its child-BVI and we the children of the BVI.
The blogger who come @ legal team, please be informed that legal team with a modern-day legal background on UK-BVI transitions, would always blogg on the topic at hand,as published by vino.
legal team blooged on the topic that vino published, based on what CLINE said in a free and democratic bvi.
First of all our fore-fathers are long gone from this modern day life [may their souls rest in peace]
They did not leave the BVI as an inheritance to us,because the BVI did not belong to them:
The BVI belongs to the UK!
We must accept the bvi how it is today in modern day society and the role of the UK TODAY.
@ legal team, for you To say that the UK is not doing enough for the BVI,is a clear indication to me and other readers of bloggs on vino,that you may be the only "fore-father" alive in the BVI today.
Recent history of MOTHER-UK doing something good for its BVI-child are as follows:-…
["On 21st May,2002, [almost 18 years ago,in our bvi history] the British Overseas Territories Act was introduced and came into force.That law made by the UK parliament,gave full UK Citizenship to all BVI citizens. [Those alive and those to be born]
That's a mother-UK looking out for her children in the BVI.
With such UK citizenship, BVI students can study in the UK as UK citizens,and can obtain a passport for the [United Kingdom of great Britain and Northern Islands [European Union-passport] with rights to live,study and work in all EU Countries.
On 13th June,2007, [almost 13 years ago] Her Majesty, the Queen in council at Buckingham Palace, approved a new Constitution for the BVI,and in the Explanatory notes of the new BVI Constitution, it states:-…….
[" The new Constitution includes for the first time,a chapter setting out the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual and provisions for their enforcement.
It provides for a GOVERNOR as Her Majesty's representatives in the islands,and a PREMIER and ministers who form a CABINET, together with the attorney general xxxx"]
Before 13th June 2007,we Bvislanders did not even have Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.Her Majesty gave that to us.
We in the BVI,control our own finances,and pay our own taxes to the BVI treasury for our elected representative to run the affairs of the BVIU..We do not pay taxes in UK.we pay taxes in the BVI.
We criticized the NDP Government for misuse of our public funds and we voted them out of office,as a lesson.
The UK does not control our local expenditure.We do:
Now we want to blame UK for our abuse of public spendings and calling on UK to save us?
Where is the savings and the reserves of public funds for wet-days?
Our fore-fathers played their parts, but most of them went overseas to work,and moved on to eternity.[rest in peace]
Mother UK does not have to give us money,but they can help any way.
So,if this Governor is calling on Mother-UK to help its child BVI, because our uncles and aunts [politicians] wasted the money; legal team considered that as a good gesture by the Governor!
It's not the Governor who ripped the substance of the BVI. It is our politicians who misused our public funds.
One love BVI.
That's what legal team blogged about:A good move by the UK-appointed-Governor.
Don't blame UK and the UK-Appointed-Governor,for 8 years of NDP abuse and misuse of PUBLIC FUNDS.
Bishop Cline, think of this when you ask and complain that the people of the UK (higher rate payers who pay more than 50% tax) are not doing enough for you. How much do you pay for your tithes, or your IT business? Are you rich? Do you contribute your fair share to society. Whose backs do you become rich on? We all need to pay more of our share.
So, if someone become a citizen by naturalization etc,we don't accept them as citizens because they were born in a Caribbean country?:
But the BVI Constitution in section 2[2] defines ALL who are citizens of the BVI,hence, who belong to the BVI.
But we bvi-LANDERS, do not want to accept that the BVI is a [British Overseas Territory] with a Governor, [in charge] who must be a British-Born-Citizen appointed by Her Majesty,The Queen. [The Queen is the Monarch]
Tell that to our stedents in our schools..Dont poison their minds with this racist slogan of "ah-born-here NONE-SENSE!
Look at how we treated our fellow UK-Colony Citizens who settled in the BVI having come from other Caribbean countries to live and work here in the BVI. The young generation of BVI-Landers are different, thank God.
We call them [" I-land-man, ex-pa-tri-ate, etc"]
But with our IGNORANCE, and lack of knowledge on British Colonization in the West Indies, we never read the various Constitutions of these down-I-land-countries,to realise that these down-island people were in fact born as ["Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies"] during british colonization of their respective countries.
but they lost that citizenship after their respective countries asked the UK for termination of association with the UK,and they applied for INDEPENDENCE. Every I-Landman born before-1978 or there about was born as a Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies.
If you read many of the constitutions of those Caribbean countries,after independence,that is what you will read in their constitutions:---
[ " CITIZENSHIP- every person, who, having been born in (name of Caribbean country) is immediately before the commencement of this Constitution (their constitution after independence) IS a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies...."]
Many so-called expatriates who settled in the UK-BVI from caribbean countries, were in fact BORN as "Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies".
But we continue to call them expatriates, and we continue to believe that the Governor is not the ruler of the BVI.
Tell the politicians to save our tax-money for when hard-times hit us.
Our mother UK, does not have to maintain us, [grown adult BVI with its own family of politicians because we are working for our own money.
But like any other mother in the physical analogy of parenthood, will help a child who needs a little help.
My point is, ["Don't blame the UK for our excess spending on the cruise village and the High School wall"]
We blamed the NDP, so we vote them ou on 25th February,2019t:
Skelton-Cline,stop misleading the uneducated and vulnerable people in our society.Dont blame the UK-Governor.
Praise him for asking UK to help out,and stop this racism in BVI society.
One love,BVI.