Walwyn’s 'enslaved' claims in poor taste & disrespectful – Wheatley
The charge has been made by commentator and social activist, Natalio Wheatley aka Sowande Uhuru who described the Minister’s remarks during the Emancipation Service held at the Sunday Morning Well as being in poor taste and disrespectful.
“Those children must be set free. Those children must be emancipated. There must be a new dispensation that gives the same rights and responsibilities owed to them as children born of this land,” Hon. Walwyn expressed during the Sunday Morning Well service on August 4, 2013.
“I think it was in poor taste to do that at the Emancipation Service, this should have been something reserved to recognise and celebrate our ancestors’ emancipation from slavery and all of the oppression they went through and had to fight against and persevere against,” Wheatley expressed.
Wheatley argued that Hon. Walwyn was wrong to make claims that the children of expat parents were oppressed and not free as the practice of not granting immediate citizenship at birth was not uncommon around the world.
“I was saying that only thirty out of one hundred and ninety-four countries confer citizenship at birth,” he stated. He added that of these 30 countries, many have considered revoking this privilege. He highlighted Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda as being among these countries.
According to Wheatley, it is absolutely wrong to encourage people in the view that the law was oppressive and that the people were not free. He instead suggested that the Minister should encourage migrants and the children of migrants to make use of an opportunity that has been granted to them in being allowed into the Territory.
“They should make the best use of that opportunity, they should learn as much as they can about the culture and about the history of the people here and seek to integrate themselves into the population and to make a strong contribution to the society,” he said.
Wheatley called the Minister’s call confusing from a political perspective as while he would possibly be able to consolidate one group of voters with his rhetoric, he would equally be alienating another segment, “I don’t think that’s smart politics,” he stated.
Making reference to whether the Minister might enjoy support from his fellow Cabinet Members on such a move, Wheatley said he did not wish to speculate but had previously heard the Deputy Premier Dr the Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering a while ago suggesting that ‘where you are born is not where you are from’.
“I’m not sure what he can do substantially to back up his rhetoric at this moment, in fact I challenge him to back up his rhetoric. I would like to see what it is he’s going to do,” Wheatley said. He added that he did not feel that the words uttered by the Minister would amount to anything other than provocative rhetoric.
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58 Responses to “Walwyn’s 'enslaved' claims in poor taste & disrespectful – Wheatley”
MAYBE HIS KIDS ARE US CITIZEN THATS PROBABLY WHY HE DNT GIVE A RATS @$$. GO ON MYRON FIGHT FOR OUR CHILDREN DEM BORN YA DEM FROM YA.DEM SHUD GET WHATEVER THE COUNTRY HAVE FOR THEM AND NOT WAIT LIKE SOME KINDDA STEP CHILD.
P.S I am a born, raised and educated B.V. Islander...that alone should insist that you take my comment to heart, as nationality seems to be what you see first in a person!
Sowande doesn't have one single idea to move this country forward. Everything is about black power and touting a bunch of bull$h!t he read in a book somewhere. A bright id!ot I consider him to be. Stop picking fights and tell us why we should vote for you next time. Myron will be the highest vote getter next time around at-large remember I said so. Don't worry about him, people are seeing his works. This topic is controversial and I don't agree with Walwyn on it at all!! Sowande all you Edmund and others do is bash bash bash, that's a punk move. Put forward solutions! How do we get the youth born here, schooled here, representing the country but can't 'belong', to respect, love and be patriotic to BVI. That's the point. Do you have anything to add to the debate besides political meandering?
When one is denied the right to belong one is being denied a basic human right (suffrage); the right to vote. Learned as he is, Sowande ought to know that one of the biggest obstacles faced by people of the modern world was the right to vote. This basic right when denied has retarded the growth of many countries. How can we begin to have debates or discussions about self-determination, independence or any kind of status when we are still mired in the vestiges of slavery? I suppose he has a new definition of "Emancipation." One of the pre-requisites of Freedom, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness is the right to vote.
Imagine, we are celebrating our ancestors and we are still basking in our oppression. In fact, I dare say that this kind of mentality shows that we are identifying with the oppressor. I submit to you that there is no greater form of slavery than using the same techniques, mechanisms and mind set as those that visited slavery upon our ancestors. It is time that we display the maturity, skill and intellect of a people that claim to be free. Like it or not, it is those same children born of expat parents in the BVI that are going to have a big say in shaping the political, economic, and cultural landscape of the BVI in years to come. They were born here and one day must be take their rightful place and be recognized along with those who are from parents born here. Whether you like what the Minister said or not, this is going to be one of the hot topics of any debate on self-determination or any such discussion as the BVI forges ahead in the modern era.
[" For the purpose of this CONSTITUTION (of the B.V.I),a PERSON BELONGS to the Virgin Islands if that PERSON-
(a) is Born in the B.V.I and at the TIME of the BIRTH his or her MOTHER or FATHER IS or WAS--
(i) A British Overseas Territories Citizen( or a British Dependent Territories Citizen) By virtue of BIRTH,REGISTRATION, or NATURALIZATION in the Virgin Island(B.V.I) or by Virtue of descent from a father or mother who was BORN in the Virgin Islands"]
Her Majesty-The Queen did NOT Declare in the V.I Constitution,that a CHILD Born in the B.V.I of Expatriate Parents belongs to the B.V.I. If the CHILD BORN HERE but the Parent(s) have NO STATUS for HERE,the CHILD also DOES NOT have Status:Hence,the child does NOT -BELONG to Her Majesty's B.V.I.
That is what Her Majesty's Declaration Directed upon the People of the V.I!
Section 22 of same V.I Constitution,makes Provision for ALL underage CHILDREN residing in the B.V.I,to get Free-Education:
Section 30 of the same V.I Constitution makes Provisions for the well-being of ALL children residing in the B.V.I.
The children in the B.V.I are ALL FREE!Immigration will give them time to stay,but they are FREE!According to Policy Laws,when that child of expat-parents reaches Adult-age 18,that Child can Apply to be RECOGNIZED as BELONGING to the V.I.
So My dear brothers and sisters of the Beautiful Virgin Islands,Let's be Calm and do not Panic.This is not an ETHNIC-Fight between Expats and Citizens.
It's about a Statement by a Public Official!
In the very same V.I Constitution,Her Majesty also declared that we all have""Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of ALL Individuals"".
I say that to say;Let us try to respect each other's VIEWS,without xxx.I love to read the bloggs,which is an indication that the B.V.I is FREE.I am sure by now,the Minister,as a Child of God,in Public Life,May well address the Nation,after Recognizing that Her Majesty's Declaration,to the Citizens/Residents of the B.V.I is FINAL! Only Her Majesty can Amend that Constitution-Law,if the B.V.I people call for such Amendment!
I am confident,that when faced with the Constitutional-law,the minister will retract his previous statements.Give him a chance to reflect,on his Retractable-speech:Long live,Free B.v.I.
I am lost,because the Law is not only a Constitutional-Law it is also a Statutory-Law,enacted by B.V.I Parliament,into Local B.V.I Laws.It is written in the Immigration Law:
So the Immigration Department,is Lawfully, and Legally-Correct,both under the Constitution and under the Immigration and Passport-Ordinance,To make A Policy,advising the Public,That if a child is born in the B.V.I of expat Parentage,That Child Does Not Belong to the B.V.I,therefore, The Mother or Father Must put the Child on their-Time and they Must pay for that time:
Immigration is LAWFULLY-CORRECT!
We as a loving people must put this matter to rest! The Law-is-the-law: Jump high or jump low;it's the Law of the land! Why should there be Civil Disobedience,over a lawfully Instituted-Law?B.V.I people are FREE!
http://bermudasun.bm/Content/OPINION/Christopher-Famous/Article/Our-birthright-should-not-go--up-for-sale/4/1308/69368