Cline calls for Music Fest boycott
Outspoken clergyman John Cline has urged the public to boycott the upcoming Music Fest organised by the government, criticising the event’s wasteful spending.
The festival, costing taxpayers nearly $700,000, has sparked controversy as Cline accuses the government of fiscal irresponsibility.
During a recent radio interview, Cline expressed concerns about the government’s mismanagement of funds, focusing much of his criticism on Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley’s refusal to disclose financial details of government spending.
Cline accused the Premier of being “out of control” and going “rogue”. “The first thing they need to do is not show up and send a clear message to the Premier that we do not agree with the way you are governing and handling the finances.”
Cline’s concerns escalated following a sitting of the House of Assembly (HOA) where the Premier declined to answer when questioned about financial allocations for past festivals and the contractors involved.
At the time, Dr Wheatley cited a section of the HOA’s standing orders — the rules that govern the HOA — that allows withholding information deemed not in the public’s best interest. According to Bishop Cline, the Premier’s refusal to answer even after the HOA Speaker advised him to signalled a troubling lack of transparency.
“This guy has gone rogue,” Cline commented, suggesting a breakdown in the checks and balances essential to democratic governance. He urged both opposition and government members to be more vocal and assertive in holding the Premier accountable.
Meanwhile, Cline criticised Cabinet’s collective responsibility doctrine, suggesting it has become a shield for inaction among government members afraid of losing their positions.
“We didn’t send you there to represent us, to agree or rubber-stamp everything someone who is not acting responsibly on our behalf is doing,” he argued. “So, you need to stand up.”
Cline pressed for more courageous actions from elected representatives within the government, regardless of whether they had served as ministers or backbenchers.
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Let’s start first by boycotting new life Baptist church and infernate solution
This is a critical problem with the BVI. We often pay too much attention to the messenger rather than the message. It is the core reason why we re-elected a failing government.
Like him or not he is 100%. We need to wake up before it’s too late.
John Cline go sit down. You only ranting cause the government isn’t sponsoring the music festival your family hosting in June. The same family that run music festival into the ground. Let the government have their music festival and your family needs to run theirs or keep it buried.SIMPLE
Let me get this straight. You’re comparing a private function to a GOVERNMENT funded music festival? Apples and oranges much? I am not a JC fanboy, however; he has a valid point. This is misappropriating scarce resources and this entire cabinet should be held accountable and answer the public as to why this money could not be better spent improving roads and infrastructure.
I await your response to that…..
Cline boy hush you rass with you nonsense. If it was you with the contracts you behind wouldn’t have been screaming like a hungry piggy wiggy.
Let others have an opportunity to support their families. They are VIslanders just like you. Unless you claiming to be Guyanese now.
with all that is said and done by this vip administration even this clergyman is saying that this premier has gone Rouge. I think the British should send a team to handle the affairs of this country for a limited period of time .allowing this administration to continue on this path is only going to lead us into the worst case scenario. almost every other Caribbean Island is ahead of the bvi when it comes to infrastructure including health care education roads and much more.we are way behind all our neighbors. premier I am putting it to you that you and your team cannot lead and not fit for purpose at this time.
Well our premier said his music festival will break even or show a profit so we will wait for his financial report when the festival is done , but I would not hold your breath waiting to hear the truth from him.
Does the break even factoring in the preparatory works, and other people to pay for overtime worked and the committee members? Don’t think so
Cline doesn’t need to tell anyone to boycott the Government Music Fest, it will flop on its own. Nobody is flying into BVI for that lineup and not too many residents will be paying top dollar for those mediocre artists. Sad!
Someone’s missing being breastfed.
Go away john you made 2 million during Covid from the house of parliament renting your building at save the seed go back to the states you are bad for nation building in the bvi
Hell yes we going to we music festival you are the wrong messenger
All who want music fes go on is a bunch of drunk and every pan nock. I is a street man and clone is not my friend but he is so right about dis the premiere need to go and take care of his dieing father i wish i could back my f**king vote
All who want music fes go on is a bunch of drunk and every pan nock. I is a street man and clone is not my friend but he is so right about dis the premiere need to go and take care of his.. father i wish i could back my f**king vote
“Strpzz”, you are so correct!
His “‘hood”, is not benefitting from this financial output, so no one should attend!
Should we also boycott, the Cane Garden Bay one too, since, it benefits only one area of the population, and not all of Tortola?
It’s not that that Premier is going rogue!
It’s about that Premier, realizing, that Music Fest should benefit ALL, all, of the population on island, instead of a few rich men and women, in one area of the island!
Continue with this music fest Premier!
And continue, to offer more opportunities, for ALL persons in this country, to make money, REGARDLESS, of whether this line-up is mediocre or not!
Says the co**upted pastor
As a pastor this topic shouldn’t even on your mind. But you can not make up which team you playing for thus you there here.
Focus on God and winning souls into the kingdom of Christ than worrying who should go or not go
He need to shut his mouth and stop looking attention. People stop listening to him long ago. No respect for him whatsoever. Only the congregation of NLP who are fools follows him like blind sheep to the slaughter listens to him. Strupps.
I don’t understand, we here trying to manage our little income to survive and our leader fighting over a music fest instead of fighting on how they can make living in the BVI affordable for everyone
This and the family pastors promote every single thing more than the kingdom of God. See how the Man Upstairw just show we he can open the skies on his when and how he want? This guy and he poker run nephew who say them of the cloth, never tell nobody to repent and warn people Jesus coming back. If bvi had flood all ah we out this afternoon, ain’t got a soul dem rescue from perishing. Refocus or else the big man upstairs going do what UK can’t do and pull us on our knees
Dear John,
If you don’t want to go, just don’t go, but I’ll be there. I’m not a child/your child. You can’t make me stay home.
Just to show we don’t have a financial issue but a budgeting issue. I know hlscc top 5 students can benefit form this in the form of scholarship.
Two hog fighting for the same mud. Watch me work baby
Would be interesting to see if this development will continue behind the complex with our infrastructure now worsen in the past 24 hours. Priority should now me in the best interest of getting us out the mess we are now in and leave stuff that are not urgent. I don’t care ror Cline and his opinión I don’t care for our partyboy pemayor either but I do care about where we are heading to because I on the ship too. Wheb it rain and flood, all of us get impact.
If this music fest go on behind the admin complex, Wheatly should be forced to step down as it would be the 5% needed to his already proven 95% incompetency
All should be boycotting the sitting Government… They are rouge and need to be stopped.