Anegada Land Committee chair calls for urgent action
After decades of bureaucratic delays, political interference, and inconsistent land policies, the people of Anegada remain deeply connected to their ancestral lands and committed to a self-determined future, according to the final report from the Chairman of the Anegada Land Development Advisory Committee, Darrell Ruan Jr.
Published in the Public Edition 2020–2024, the report reflects on the resilience and determination of Anegadians in the face of systemic challenges and calls for immediate action from government officials and institutions.
Ruan highlighted the committee’s efforts over the past four years to address Anegada’s complex land issues. These include processing 277 land applications, establishing standardized criteria, conducting community education, and advocating for systemic reform. The report also documents both progress made and the persistent barriers that continue to affect land management on the island.
He noted that Anegada now stands at a critical crossroads. One path leads to continued fragmentation of land policy, inconsistent rule enforcement, and the further erosion of Anegadians’ connection to their land—conditions that, he said, perpetuate historical injustices and violate constitutional rights.
The alternative path, which the committee strongly supports, promotes healing, reconciliation, and empowerment. However, it requires bold action from elected leaders, accountability from administrative agencies, and ongoing engagement from the Anegada community.
The report calls on government officials to demonstrate their commitment to justice by implementing key recommendations—most notably, the creation of a Body Corporate for Anegada lands and the expedited processing of outstanding applications.
In addition, the committee urges administrative bodies to reform their operations to ensure transparency, efficiency, and full respect for the land rights of Anegadians. The community itself is also encouraged to remain informed, united, and active in pushing for sustainable land development.
Ruan’s report also appeals to the broader BVI community to stand in solidarity with Anegadians, emphasizing that the principles of fairness, transparency, and respect for rights benefit all citizens.
He concluded by stating that the land issues on Anegada are not just administrative concerns, but matters of justice, dignity, and human rights. How these issues are addressed, he said, will define the future of Anegada and reflect the overall integrity of the territory’s governance.
Ruan reaffirmed a core principle: the land of Anegada belongs, first and foremost, to Anegadians—and it is time for policies, practices, and institutions to fully reflect that truth.
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he is not an Anegadaian he is an American land grabber , who only gets voted in as chairman due to all the americans that come down once a year for family reunion and that is when they set the vote, if it was Anegadadians living on Anegada he wouldn’t even be in the commity that is a fact.
277 land applications for who? There is well under 100 Anegadaians living on Anegada so who are all they applications for? AMERICANS that is why the process is so slow and people living on the island who are on the land cannot get their documents due to greedy land grabbing poeple who do not and have NEVER resided on Anegada but their grand parents did so hey lets give away all the land to people who don’t live here or even want to be here except on holiday once a year!
I find this to be very interesting. So what you are saying is that these people who are applying for lands on Anegada live in the USA, never lived on Anegada, never paid taxes in the BVI nor contributed in any way to the development of Agegada but feel they have rights to the land simply because they grandparents or great grandparent were Anegadian?
That is the case for a lot of them. Some of these people even when they get the land. They turn around and sell the land to white people. Its a money grab for a lot of them. If you aren’t an Anegadian living in the BVI you should not get any land period. They need to put measures in place to make sure these people are actually living here and are from here.
Been hearing for years that the “American Anegadians” are the problem with anegada land distribution.
But as you rightfully said, soon all that land will be sold off.
Anegada will be underwater by 2100 so the only people there will be living on boats.
Better for King Charles to declare all of Anegada above and below sea level as crown land. Then lease the dry crown land in small parcels as follows:
100 yr – Only those born on Anegada
20 yr – Descendants of those born on Anegada
10 yr – Everybody else
All leases are contingent on the ‘land’ becoming seabed that terminates the crown lease.
Is there a legally recognized committee? I wonder who the 277 land applications where for….
Members as of July 14th 2024
Darrell A Ruan Jr. 50 Voted
Gregory Levons Sr. 48 Voted
Chekada O’Neal 49 Voted
Micheal Vanterpool 40 Voted
Sylvia Faulkner 44 Voted
Rondel Smith 43 Voted
Adani Faulkner 37 Voted
Alex Varlack 23 Voted
Previous members were
Wilford Faulkner
Philomena Jno Marie
Are they legally recognized? No! You guys need to go sit down.
I am not sure where you are getting illegality from.
They seem to be properly set up with
Chairman,
Vice Chairman
Secretary,
Vice Secretary,
Treasurer,
Vice Treasurer.
They were all voted for.
They seem to be highly regarded by Melvin Turnbull “I rise today to highlight the work and the efforts of the Anegada Advisory Lands Committee, who have steadfastly assisted their community and the Ministry with the vetting of over a hundred applications. . . The Ministry has worked very closely with the Committee to ensure that the due diligence is performed on all applicants and that the process meets the scrutiny required of us.”
Before I sit down. What is it you are getting at? What is your point?
This is what happens when you fix the rules so that the definition of VIslanders means mostly people who don’t actually live here.
The resident Anegadians should have been granted their land titles decades ago. This is just a scheme to facilitate recolonization.