CRC can’t make Belongers eligible for office without residents’ say-so
Chairperson of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), Lisa Penn-Lettsome has advised that her team cannot update the next constitution to make Belongers eligible for elected office without the approval of residents.
Penn-Lettsome made the comment while responding to a resident who asked whether the Commissioners were considering making Belongers eligible for elected office in the next constitution.
She said the public must understand that they are the ones who must make that recommendation to the CRC if they want Belongers to run for office in the territory.
“It’s not for us to tell you what we want, our job is to put together a report with your recommendations. So if you are not happy with that existence term, we would encourage you to submit your comments online at www.yourconstitution.vg,” Penn Lettsome said at a recent public forum held to explain matters relating to the constitutional review process.
According to the BVI constitution, only Virgin Islanders – who have ancestral and cultural ties – can run for office. There have been calls from some sections of society to allow Belongers (those who’ve gained status through residence) to run for office since they contribute to the development of society. However, this has never been adopted in the BVI.
Back in 2019, the Foreign Affairs Committee in the UK House of Commons called for Overseas Territories (OTs) to phase out what has been described as ‘discriminatory elements’ of their Belongership status.
“We will continue to support and encourage consistent and open political engagement on Belongership and its territory-specific equivalents, whilst respecting the fact that Immigration decisions are primarily a matter for OT governments,” the British government had said at the time.
In the meantime, Fourth District Representative Mark Vanterpool has openly advocated for Belongers to run for elected office in the BVI. He said residents have shunned white locals who’ve expressed an interest in running for political office. But he said the BVI’s legislature should be representative of the diverse cultures and backgrounds of the people who contribute to the territory’s development.
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VI legislature should and must represent local and only local native belongers, VGordians, Tolians, Anegadians, JVDians, Cooper, Salt and others….making it clear..
They are gradually chipping away at our very sovereignty and existence as a people, culture and race….
As some one wrote yesterday, and truthfully so, “the same people who raped and murdered our fore parents, pillaged and plundered our community to enrich England have now returned to take full control” of our lands and control of our financial industry, control over our people, way of life, and to alter our culture and way of living and dying.
They intend to render us second and third class citizens all over again in our own lands, and are using some of our own minds to do it..
Thus the abnormal, untimely and unneeded trust at this time at reforming the constitution all of a sudden. This must be rejected by all means…
Mrs Lettsome how can any joe blow resident make that decision for the Virgin Islands. Are you mad.
This sounds fishy to me. This is the exact conversation the UK would like so that they can run for office here. People it is time to wake up. Lisa and the others are their hinch men to do their dirty work.
Anonymous.
If the UK or USA had similar laws , you would be s reaming racists at the top of your lungs.
Both have immigrants in the highest offices.
You are the racist.
Speak Mrs Lettsome. If We give them the Rights( especially those who don’t like Us Virgin Islanders) Our Democracy will be out to Sea. We will suffer at the hands of those that we fed.
This is not the UK nor the USA nor do we need to be like them. Kindly migrate to those places.
Such a racist system created and maintained by people who as often as possible play the racism card.
Speak not what you do not know. Insult not others whom you do not know.
That could be a dangerous way to live, think and interact in cyber space.
Meanwhile, improve upon your level of intellect and vibrational existence.
The US and UK can consume or take in other nationals because they have the space, resources and financial programs to do so.
The BVI is a small spec of dirt. It should not be expected to exist and accept standards it cannot afford.
We must look out for ourselves and future generations best interest.
Where were you and those thinking and writing that colonialist, usurpation, come in take over control supremist vile dogma from 1950 and back into the very horrible days of the 40’s, 30’s 20’s and further, when our fore parents were forced to eat, grass, rock stone and drink sea water for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Where were all of you??
A bit xenophobic much! Do you realize that there are BVI descendants (many of whom are not born here) that have achieved political office in many countries? Take NY for example, there have been numerous Caribbean nations descendants whom have served. So why is it that belongers whom pay the same (some more) taxes, educate their children here, invest, build homes and contribute meaningfully; cannot be eligible for elected office?
What is the real risk to the country and nationals?
The real risks are stated in many comments already.
Moreover, the world knows the nature of the w**** Brit, American, European and other when it comes to weilding pure hatred, oppression and disenfranchise for and towards the B*** man…
Hence, to allow the w*** man to run for and gain elected office in the BVI would be equivalent to the Jim Jones massacre of Guyana for the B*** BVIslander..
You pretend, but you can’t make saints out of devils. act is, the w*** man has not an ounce of nothing good in his mind, heart or soul for the B** man. Why do so manyof you pretend that is not true?
needs to end in the BVI. The future constitution must abolish all discrimination. The melting pot of the future BVI islanders would be citizen residents and non-residents who possess a BVI passport. No more belonger status of any sort. Immigration will only deal with non-working and working visitors.
The reciprocity for passports must continue so BVI citizens can obtain UK passports and UK citizens can obtain BVI passports.
you ALL need to shut the hell up. The US has people who were born in the US run for office. No Belonger who have neither mother or father nor grandparents born in the BVI should run to be members of our HOA.
I am sick of you ‘grafted ins’ wanting the same status of those who born here. We give you belongership be thankful. Set of clean goners. Strupes man!
YES GIVE ME ALL THE THUMBS DOWN YOU WANT.IDC!!!!!!
This country had a government for 60 years. Did the UK just bring in a COI like that ?
Why did the COI come in ?
Where is the person who called for the COI resign as an elected official ?
Did slavery put him there ? Wake up
And stop burying your head in the sand
How many times are you going to tell us about our fallen brother? We know and are aware but that does not mean that we must turn over our country to you and others because of one man. You fighting us for calling ourselves indigenous, you fighting us to sit in our HOA,you taking our jobs next you will be fighting us for our drawers and blumers.
Set of evil, covetous people. Carry on. Long run for maga horse.
Who cares what the US and the UK do. Those countries cannot compare to the BVI. One state is larger than the entire BVI.
I agree. Can you imagine if J Brod—rick runs for office in the BVI and wins.
Why not run in their native country and make a change so that those left behind do not have to migrate for a better life.
The Constitution needs to be strict where migration is concerned. Please look at countries like Bermuda and Cayman. Work permits should not be indefinite…
If certain people think they could make a difference in public office, what better place to try than where they have deep roots. Go make those places better.
He was born fight her all you too bloody evil and jealous. That is why the white man have ayo like slaves . Hate to see your own excell . Whey the indigenous one is … in Florida which ankle chain … shut the he** up and get off his back