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VI citizens must guard democracy fought for by ancestors – Dr Wheatley
This is according to Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) in his messages to the people as the territory celebrates the 1949 Great March & Restoration of the Legislative Council Holiday today, Monday, November 27, 2023.
Demanding fundamental human rights
“Many of the rights privileges and comforts that we enjoy and take for granted today would not have been possible were it not for the efforts of the brave men and women who stood up to mighty powers and demanded what are now more widely recognized in modern terms as fundamental human rights.”
He reminded that the movement came over the deplorable standard of living on the islands, poor governance by the administrators, and the social injustice of the day, “They championed the cause that Virgin Islanders deserve to have a greater and more meaningful participation in their own governance, a situation that had been deteriorating to abysmal, since the Legislative Council in the Virgin Islands was shut down in 1901.”
In his message to the people, the premier reminded that as the VI celebrates the return of the legislature and remembers the 1949 Great Match as well as hold up the memory of great leaders, the people must also remember they also remember to carry the vision for future generations, and they must not falter.
“The people of the Virgin Islands, we must be guardians of the democracy that our ancestors fought for, we must not allow it to slip away from us. Let us not forget what Faulkner, Fonseca, de Castro, and 1500 matched for when our democracy is threatened and even in the midst of our negotiations for a new constitution.”
VI people descendants of great heroes - Premier
Dr Wheatley continued, “Let us not drop the baton that was handed to us in an advanced position. At the end of the day, whatever happens, our unique identity, culture, and heritage must be protected, and our people must truly be rendered better off.
On Sunday, 24th November 1949, Theodolph H. Faulkner, Isaac “Glanny” Fonseca, and Carlton deCastro led over 1,500 Virgin Islanders to a march through the streets of Road Town to the Commissioner’s Office, in protest of issues significantly affecting the quality of the lives of Virgin Islanders.
“So, as we celebrate my dear Virgin Islands people, let us celebrate the fact that we are descended from great heroes, people who are gifted with strength, courage, and perseverance. Let us recognize and celebrate all the great things we have achieved as a nation because they chose to stand up. And let us celebrate the confidence that they inspire in us to continue aspiring towards great things,” he reminded.
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21 Responses to “VI citizens must guard democracy fought for by ancestors – Dr Wheatley”
the problems they experienced we are facing now. is what they experienced ....just in this case is local against local
in another article it was quoted - It is our understanding that the Virgin Islands leader Dr Wheatley is expected to leave the Territory on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, and will be at the conference until Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
Really, he using tax payers money and there is no definitive word on when he actually leaving and returning to the territory.
So if he at the conference until the 6 is he returning to the VI or he going somewhere else?
Didn’t he just return from Monaco or new York . what work has he accomplished since from monaco and don’t we have the COI to implement. WTF.
All he doing is making speeches and travelling , nah . They saying the VI must be around the table to do what … not fixing the f^&^&king problems here but in every meeting around the globe …..this is messed up……
you get a high in doing s**t and then pretending these are the issues you want to fix .... you not like them, they were serious folks and you better stop smoking that s**t or else you will end up worse than when you started my bro
Words of praise that tickle the mind of the unwise sound plausible in the ears of those that lack discernment of true intentional motives in play by the VIP Administration lead by the current Premier.
Countries whose Gross National Product extincted trillions of dollars, and whose population is over a billion President may not attend the Dubai Climmit Change, and other factors meetings. They would instead sent a minister of a lower degrees to represent their Country's best interest, but such practices are not the norm in the Selfless minds of our Top political leaders of the BVI, a country with a budget of less than four ($400M) hundred million dollars estimated for the coming year 2024.
How in this world will the youths, and Other demographic survive in these times of hardship when cold-hearted political leaders lavishly spent their with little to show for their unnecessary venturous lust?
Many of our citizens and are riding on their high horses victoriously while the majority suffer under the whiplash of poverty, yet continue charming them with words of hope from the lips, but whose heart are not with them in their suffering, as prices raise and their meager minimum wage stretching to the breaker point.
Who will rise up among us to defend the fatherless, the future generations? The question remains who.
Just in case you have forgotten, remember all humans are charged (accountable for their actions, and something the actions of others under theirs.
Democracy is define as a system in which action is take by, for, and of the people. At one point the “people” talking about was not the descendants of Slaves in the VI. Virgin Islanders had few, if any, basic human rights and freedoms. Commissioner John Augustus Cockburn Cruikshank (1946-1954) did not governed but ruled consistent with Colonialism, ie, racial superiority, exclusionary, special entitlements and privileges, etc. The trailblazers of the Great March of 24 November 1949, ie, Theodolph Faulkner, Glanville Fonseca, Carlton de Castro and the 1500 marchers, acquire some democratic rights and freedoms for Virgin Islanders. However, we got comfortable and didn’t protect the gains, ie, our constitution is under suspension in reserved, hanging over the VI and its people head like the Sword of Damocles. We are doing our forebears an injustice and ungratefulness by not fully taking the baton and pass it on the next generation.
As the Premier noted: “The people of the Virgin Islands, we must be guardians of the democracy that our ancestors fought for, we must not allow it to slip away from us. Let us not forget what Faulkner, Fonseca, de Castro, and 1500 matched for when our democracy is threatened and even in the midst of our negotiations for a new constitution.”
I leave you with this from Sir Winston Churchill: “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last.”
The old doddering peers are there, the cute financial magnates are there, the clever wire pullers are there, the big brewers with bulbous noses are there. All the enemies of progress are there. The weaklings, the sleek, smug, comfortable, selfish individuals. Did the COI not point the same thing out locally.
BVISLANDERS should be challenging the Governor more on a point of Law.
He and his friends are allowed to violate People's rights under the constitution and keep getting away with it.
Get up stand up and stop fighting the wrong people.
If you all are not careful the BVIs will be right back into the times of Pre- 1949.
out of the abundance you will not suffer lack ...........gosh is sooo many...........get help and get it fast please for your own good before you ruin the country your children have to live and grown up in..............
fix the problems that you know wrong ... fix what you hear people saying is wrong....
I sat and listen to someone narrate a story about jetting around the world
I sat and listen to someone say they getting paid for although not here
I sat and listened to someone say they getting money to pay for houses
I sat and I heard everything and was befuffled and then I am told its 'gossip'.
those are some of the madness that going on go fix them.......YOU WILL NOT REST EASY
and you want to talk as though you is freedom fighter GTFOH