'We can’t expect our leaders to lead the fight for decolonisation'- Troy E. Christopher
“We say to ourselves that we like to see our leaders within the Westminster system of government having this discussion, but you must realise that those discussions are not allowed to be had in that type of an open way in a colonial system.
“So those discussions must happen from the people themselves, those of us who understand to organise must organise and come together and dominate the media space with the education. It can’t happen in the colonial system because the colonial system wasn’t designed for that to happen,” Mr Christopher stated on Umoja on ZBVI 780 AM on Thursday, November 28, 2024, when the topic of the programme was ‘The March Continues’.
The VI celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Great March of 1949 on Sunday, November 24, 2024, with a march through Road Town, beginning from the Road Town Bandstand and proceeding to Sir Olva Georges Plaza, along Main Street.
VI’s ‘shortcoming’
“Whenever our leaders begin to talk about these things they going to be attacked. You have to expect that. Our shortcoming is keep saying that our leaders should be the ones who will do that,” Mr Christopher emphasised.
The guest on Umoja said the people must know that the work to achieve decolonisation is theirs and that the leaders can lend support. He gave the example of the famous march Wickham’s Cay march of 1968 led by the late Noel Lloyd and others and noted that then Chief Minister H. Lavity Stoutt supported the demonstrators behind the scenes. “It was important for the movement to come from the people.”
‘The critical mass’ absent- Cromwell Smith
Co-host Mr Cromwell Smith aka Edju En Ka lamented that while some persons continue to speak about decolonisation, the critical mass is not behind the movement.
“I think it is time for us to make a concerted effort to really bring that question and those views to the forefront.”
Co-host Shaina M. Smith-Archer said the Virgin Islands must prepare itself and this must be done through education.
“It’s the same way as a child is sent to school to prepare yourself to become an independent adult because they [the parents] felt at some point you should become responsible for yourselves.”
Smith-Archer said there has been a “blatant absence” of educating the people for the past 20 years about self-determination or options available.
See related article below:
We don’t seem ‘to want that relationship with UK to be severed’- Cromwell Smith
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14 Responses to “'We can’t expect our leaders to lead the fight for decolonisation'- Troy E. Christopher”
You can never win a seat , you just lost your mind supporting these morons talking about independence. Look at all the other OTs , they look better, bigger and more advanced than us , and they still OTs. We have nothing, nothing nothing at all to show for our going somewhere. Shame they n you boy.
It is not carts that pull horses uphill, but instead horses pull carts uphill.
Don't allow political given position to blur your judgement any further, if you desire the eligible voters to consider you as a future political leader of the BVI. Be wise man, be wise and "wise as a serpent, and harmless as a dove."
Simple put, the people of the BVI are not close to ready for independent. Leave this talk alone until such a time, if the UK agrees with us.
Something goes on behind the scenes we dont know. They go in and change up. The people we vote in are scared to tell us they want to clique and fight on their own. Many go in with a strong back and end up selling us out and stagnating. After they stagnate us and themself they become corrupt from lack of progress and patience. What they really lack is courage to be authentic to themself.
The cult following of supporting your government keeps those who are voted in silent. Look at the last premier he was a courageous fighter for the people when he was for them he didnt play safe, and he didnt want a 300million dollar UK backed loan, he would not want a 500million dollar airport, but he doomed us to more stagnation with a dirty trick.
The British didnt pay him enough but to say it was the British that pay and not the Island people he already fell for accepting the condescending lower role of employee to the British and not the people.
The politicians are employees of the British. They want to please Britain. Not an employee of the people or wanting to please the people for their sake.
No one politician wants to be called a rouge and labeled disrespectful. They all go along with actions they do not support and what they do support they are afraid to bring up. All of them end up in a position saying "we are not good enough for England, we have to do better." Infrastructure and big loans. Big waste projects playing it safe. Airport expansion of the airport good old airport. Coming soon come hell or high water.
Afterward the project goes wrong and they are again found to be in the position of saying "we are not good enough for England." Be good enough for the people. If Mather was premier I think we will see progress. He didnt get in from popularity but by hard work.
@Sambo, boi you bring the heat riding on facts. As long as the BiGS is running with it, not giving a rat’s @$$ about social , political, cultural , historical or environmental issues. We are comfortable, willingly, gladly slaughter these things on the altar for the BIGS. However, when things start taking incoming fire and the BIGS sphere is under attack , adversely impacting things, they go #$%, where is government, why it was not doing anything, how it let this happen? All of a sudden driven by self/interest they convenient turn populists. Really!! Dem ms need to take a seat ah two,,2.