BVI has patriotism challenge — Premier
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said he believes the BVI has a patriotism challenge and has emphasised the need for a structured process to encourage patriotism among residents and those seeking to become permanent residents and Belongers.
“I would venture to say that we do have a challenge in the Virgin Islands right now, as it pertains to patriotism,” Premier Wheatley told the House of Assembly while speaking on the new Immigration bill.
“In some respects, there’s not a process in place even to encourage persons to be patriotic,” he said.
Dr Wheatley stressed that the new bill aims to establish a clear pathway for achieving residency and Belonger status that extends beyond the duration of one’s stay.
The Immigration bill is in response to Recommendation B33 of the Commission of Inquiry (COI), which identified the need for clear and published guidance for considering applications for residency and Belonger status and clarity regarding the length of tenure in the territory for the grant of status.
“We have in this amendment bill, some more extensive and detailed requirements that when one wants to become a resident or wants to become a Belonger, it is not, moving forward, going to be just about the amount of time that you’ve stayed in a place,” he stated.
Dr Wheatley explained that the process should also consider an individual’s contributions to the territory.
“What I would like to know about is ‘what has your contribution been to the territory of the Virgin Islands?” he asked. “Ultimately, what shows how much you love a place is how much you would do for that place that you’re not getting paid for.”
He cited the example of teachers who go beyond their job descriptions, helping students outside school hours and providing for those in need. He argued that this kind of commitment and love for the community should be encouraged.
Previously, obtaining residency status required only an intention to reside and a clean police certificate. Dr Wheatley criticised this as inadequate, noting that under the old rules, persons could qualify by simply applying after entering the territory.
“That is something that we had to fix,” he stated. “So, here in this amendment bill – and I like to refer to it as ‘permanent residence’, just to distinguish between persons who live here and persons who carry the certificate — you have to be here for a minimum 10 years before you qualify for permanent residence.”
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But if your patriotism questions the workings of the government, you will be branded a trouble maker.
Civil Appeal No. 7 of 1994 (The Chief Immigration Officer v Burnett) is relevant. https://vg.vlex.com/vid/the-chief-immigration-officer-794040957
Roger Burnett your case is irrelevant to the topic at hand. You won your case, got your money. Move on.
Boy , you are a waste of nine Months, the mere fact that he won his case, make his comment relevant ,, boy,boy,boy
STFU. The same teachers that come here and get treated like dogs you want extend them service outside the classroom. That is what you call patriotic boy. Using people and holding them down. Just STFU.
Nobody holding nobody down except the US Dollars put into their account every month, small or large. So seems to me the love of money holding you down. Blame nobody else. Because sometimes the grass is greener on the other side but you wouldn’t know. The American Dollars have you all blind like Bathemus. Blame no one but yourself. Some prostituting themselves in a place where they don’t make enough to live in this very expensive country, but they are here anyway and blaming the locals for it.
Well as a local, I would love to live in maybe Dubai for a bit. You notice I said for a bit, because my love for home is stronger than any dollar. I was offered double what I made in America after college but chose to come home and build up my country. You choose US$ over country. How is that working for you? Oh, I know. You are bitter and looking for someone to blame. And the sad part about it is you do have lots of money in your bank accounts but upset that it is not growing as fast as you want it to.
You know why the vast majority of BVI labour is done by expats…..it’s because most of you are dunces. Your expertise is in the narcotics trade and notwithstanding the recent spotlight, it’s been like that for decades. You hear talking about a US dollar that is not even yours. What have the BVI done to contribute to the strength of the US dollar. Lord thank the Lord the day I decided to hop on a plane and say good bye to that place. My life has improved in my home country 1000% to the point BVIslanders now begging me to hook them up.
Yes, thank God for the genius immigrants that do the menial, low income work lol. We don’t need people with attitudes like you. Stay your behind gone.
Me staying gone after riding the BVI for everything it ‘had’ to offer is something we definitely agree on.
I never invested, never spent more than I had to, packed my money in my home country…. Best decision I ever made and would be my advice to other expats.
From my perspective the updeislun folks whose dreams are realized by being employed in these VI as schoolteachers is
a hindrance and detriment to education for the children of their countries or those with parent (s) from their unfortunate countries. In addition to academics,children need to learn social skills and living in a world socially and vastly different from that of
their origin. These children as students are the majority in these schools. The teachers from they and their parents former countries can only
perpetuate their cultural habits. Hence the
children toting ammunitiona weapons along with
assigned school books becomes a norm and expected. Bad behavior and is how they not learn what they should be learning. Then their countries’ policemen are imported to handle and be a presence
Or behavioural modification of the island folks nd their lack of civility. They are who shows up o be a presence whencalled by the school as a result of studentfrequent criminal propensity and outright
criminal behaviour .
The presence of teachers from the islands of the
upper Caribbean reinforces the cultural practices which has caused that region of the Northern Hemisphere to be a proven habitat of low hanging fruits.
Most every factor in these VI is now designed to support an updeuslun culture which locally and internationallly is the failed region in the Northern Hemisphere,socially and economically,
The presence of teachers (and participation)from the upper Caribbean Islands reinforces the cultural practices which has caused that region to be a proven habitat of low bearing fruits.
A social and economic failure without comparison.
These teachers are the only winners but gratitude is a curseword for most from that region., Teachers salary in Jamaica is less than $1000.00 US monthly.
Children continue the losing game of becoming a universal nuisance of criminality and social misfits in other countries as well as their own.
All those politicians who stole or wasted the billions of revenue coming into the Government’s coffers since the 1980s are the ones with the patriotism challenge.
That’s why we have third world infrastructure and poor public education.
Residency questionnaire No 1, Please name of the man in the photograph on the wall to the right of the Premier.
Neither the US, UK or any country within the EU has this sort of discriminatory legislation or policy relating to residency or nationality, the COI taught you nothing.
I not going to lie it’s hard to be patriotic about the bvi in 2024. I born here and my people dem from here and it shouldn’t have nowhere else I love more than here but all I seeing is bvislanders catching hell in their own country financially, crime rising, infrastructure falling apart, and foreigners replacing locals in almost every sector and no leadership with the vision and gusto to do anything about it. What are we so proud of really? The US dollar?
The foreigners are coming here and trying to tell us how to run our business. Non-sense. I agree with you 100 percent on this.
Why should we be patriotic, this place is nothing to be proud of, crime is out of control, the roads are a joke our school system is failing our kids, our society is failing them as well, we are a sinking ship
At Resident… where ever you go in the Caribbean… they have more crime than the virgin Islands. Stop talking s**t behind a blog of p**s.
g.y.m.s, the truth hurts, just because other areas have more crime doesn’t mean we can’t do better
No government achievements nothing but failures so back to the old favorites kicking the expats look what they did to us making our government steal or waste all that money .
Seems self serving: if you criticize me and my government you ain’t patriotic. Wow
Here in the USA whenever BVI Islanders move to the US mainland to New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia and Florida and other US State we are under attack because of our place of birth and our citizenship and our nationality. As BVI Islanders with a British Birth Certificate and a British Passport for The Virgin Islands how do we BVI Islander become full citizens of the United Kingdom? If we BVI Islanders are born in a British Dependent Territory a British Oversea Territory why is it that we are not full citizens of the United Kingdom? Why is it that BVI Islanders do not have a British Passport for the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and British Overseas Territories.
BVI people can get a Btitish Passport. Just have to apply and send the money.
Some people need to understand that their status is earned and not given. And even earned, it can be taken away.
don’t you bVi islanders born in the british virgin islands realize that we are better off as a British Overseas Territory because of the world events and what is going on around the world globally? it is not better to sell the outer islands to private investors to be private islands. the outer islands have no hotels and restaurants and cruise ship piers; virgin gorda peter island and scrub island and necker island and jost van dyke and anegada if these islands are still considered part of the british virgin islands giving what is going on over there with private investment. why not package every island in the british virgin islands has a cruise ship tourist destination to improve the local economy?
F*%k You with your BS. The BVI is a donkey you want to ride until that donkey is too old to ride and then you move on. You seem to forget how expats are treated in the BVI. Address your nepotism, xenophobia and then perhaps you may resort to spewing such garbage.
There’s one way to make people patriotic:
Make this a great territory. Make us proud of our politicians. Make us proud of what we do as a community; make us proud of our natural ecosystems and how well we preserve them, make us proud of our education system, our medical system, our treatment of our elderly and our vulnerable.
Just aim to be a territory going in the direction of decency and kindness and good governance all the time.
Only then will we BVIslanders and those wanna be BVIslanders find it easy to be proud.
Right now is just shame shame shame.
The BVI has:
– an education problem
– a healthcare problem
– an infrastructure problem
– a crime problem
– a corruption problem
– a waste disposal problem
– a leadership problem
Fix all of that (shouldn’t be too difficult, we have a big enough budget) and we have something to be patriotic about. Right now we should only be embarrassed.
We are a third world country.
“STFU. The same teachers that come here and get treated like dogs you want extend them service outside the classroom.”
I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.
But i can confirm the following: This native born who subsequently became a certified and qualified teacher was not treatd as a dog. If that was all he might have been proud.
He was not treated a hog or pig. If that was the case he would hve been elated.
This native, for an entire career,(36+years) was treated as shit, vermin and maggots, as subhuman and carion.
Indeed, native, locals, and family blood lines alike treat me horribly.
He being one of their own was treated very horribly as we do each other 99.9% of the time.
I am sorry for the brothers and sisters from overseas that experience discrimination in my country. I apoligize for you, because i know what the horror i lived for almost forty consecutive years as a professional educator, a very good one at that, and a human being. It was horrific,ugly and Satanic, from your own people..
The cultural and personal pedigree of the psychology of this Territory has much to be desired.
Yet, amongst it all, God had a couple angels in place.
So keep the faith and be strong. We are all God’s children. He will keep watch overr us. I am convinced of that.
We may have a patriotism problem but it is caused by poor leadership. Leadership matters and we are sorely lacking here. You want us to be patriotic then stop running the country like a one man band and acting as if you are an expert in all things. Sadly you may very well be responsible for the feeling many have to ‘country’
I am sorry for the brothers and sisters from overseas that experience discrimination in my country. I apoligize for you, because i know what the horror i lived for almost forty consecutive years as a professional educator, a very good one at that, and a human being. It was horrific,ugly and Satanic, from your own people..
SHOULD BE: FROM YOUR OWN PEOPLE.
can natives and other become patriotic when all of you under Fahie proclaimed to the patriot that was concerned about politicians making government purse the personal bank, that we must “shut our mouth, because those before us did, so we ggoing into do the same.”
Yes, that was the Fahie and his party intentions and they said so in no uncertain terms.
I have no use for COI, theBrits or a take over by them, but i hope they catch sall illegalities and punish them accordingly.
Politics are to serve, help, build and grow the country, not steal it dr!
The Premier is right, the people in charge love themselves and their wallets more than their country
For God Sake, man.
I totally agree, I went through the process now have Belonger status and I honestly appreciate a respect the culture even more. Just like the US, you must swear to bear arms and defend BVI/the crown if needed and not run away. If you do not swear no rights go to where your allegiance lies.
Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow ye shall die. You take nothing with you. I’ll just rest this here.
What does patriotism even mean? If it’s love of country, why have we allowed decades of cronyism and corruption that have led to squandering of the public purse without ever bringing anyone to account? We have poor roads, woeful waste disposal, inadequate warer and electricity supplies, limited medical care, lots of narco-trafficking not to mention bad mouthing outsiders and each other despite the fact that many go t church on Sundays. Whee is patriotism in any of this. Our actions show we collectively don’t really care.
The Premier is wrong. We, born BVIslanders of 5th generation are Patriotic. It’s the traitors living amongst us who are not Patriotic.
$400 million between 30,000 people?
I can think of a few ways to make us all happy, very patriotic and having people crawling over each other for residency… wouldn’t be corruption if we all received now would it?
You see we would rather spend 390 million on wasteful monuments and projects and complain when 3 million is allocated to farmers during COVID, and 6 million to business.
If im not mistaken that is 9million. I believe 12 million was allocated.
Stop the talk about corruption and sign everyone up, equal distribution, every one & every business problem solved.
What end result is a financial advantage over forgein business on the international stage.
MANY MANY businesses world wide are sponsored by their own government and subsidized, farming in the USA is very often granted by USDA and subsidized.
We can not compete and we subsidize none of our own exports & local business except for electricity ect.
When people get a little chunk of government’s yearly waste we gone at each other’s necks instead of the policians to make it fair next round.
Now amid the cry CORRUPTION CORRUPTION CORRUPTION there is no next round for the bottom & middleclass level people. OK.
Big fish/business still getting contracts. See how we screw ourselves…
A primary issue with the BVI is the doublestandards with which the Government (and people) administrate.
This reminds me very much of the unfair double tax placed on the Money Transfer Services. After having paid taxes, they require you to pay some more, just because they can demand it. I wonder if this ever achieved it’s intended purpose? Is less money leaving? Or is the moneys collected used to build the old ppl home?
After doing the required time, paying taxes and staying out of trouble, they say you must now give some more blood for free (SMH).
Where is the blessing in that?