BVI News

I’m not that stupid! Pickering says he won’t run as independent

Former Deputy Premier Dr Kedrick Pickering has argued that party politics has failed the BVI and said the territory has now come to a place where it needs to have more “independent minded thinking people”. 

However he wanted to assure residents that he would not be flying solo on his mission to change the current dynamic.

The former Seventh District Representative said he would not be running for election as an Independent At-Large candidate. 

“I ain’t stupid enough to think that I could do nothing by myself, I’m not that stupid,” Dr Pickering told residents at a political meeting in Virgin Gorda recently. 

He added: “I ain’t trying to do nothing by myself because no one man can rule and do this and do that by himself and I’m not here purely because I’m running for elections.” 

Dr Pickering dismissed assertions that his twenty years spent in office as a legislator should disqualify him from running for office again and that he should give others a chance to represent the territory. 

“It is those exactly twenty years that I spent in the House of Assembly why I’m here this evening. Because I have the necessary experience and knowledge. I have travelled far and wide representing this country,” Dr Pickering said. “So contrary to what people might be saying about those twenty years, those twenty years are exactly what this country needs now.”

The former legislator also argued that he was not engaging with residents for his own personal gain, but was instead only trying to help his country given the fact that he has the requisite knowledge and experience to do the job.

We could be like TCI

Dr Pickering told residents that he wasn’t trying at the time to convince residents to vote for him, suggesting that the time for that would arrive at a later date.

The former Seventh District Representative said he was there to warn residents that the territory’s relationship with the United Kingdom has left it in deep trouble. “I’m here to warn you, to try and get you to understand and appreciate that the United Kingdom is going to suspend our constitution if we allow it,” Dr Pickering said.

He argued that the Turks and Caicos Islands are still recovering from a 2009 suspension of their constitution and said some officials in that territory have been facing charges for years that are yet to be brought before the courts.

General elections are constitutionally due in the BVI sometime before the end of May of next year, but few candidates have so far expressed an intention to run for election. 

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20 Comments

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  1. Don't underestimate yourself! says:

    You are plenty stupid! Oh please. We need some new blood here. We can not keep doing the same thing over and over and expect things to turn out differently.
    Last time I checked, that is the definition of insanity…

    Like 24
    Dislike 6
  2. Oh boy says:

    Oh boy

    Like 12
    Dislike 2
  3. Virgin Islander says:

    Actually I firmly believe that independant is the way to go. Having experienced what we have experienced in the two dominant parties over the years, unless a brand new party with NO OLD FACES is coming then a new credible person is better off running independent. (Free advice to the credible):Run independant and then control the strings for Premier when decision day comes. Think about it before you blog utter nonsense…

    Like 11
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  4. Lb says:

    So he is already mud slinging and calling all independent candidates stupid! At a time when BVI is tired of all political parties. He might be the stupid one.

    Like 17
    Dislike 3
  5. Worst Politician says:

    A colossal failure: the worst politician ever to walk these shores and a key reason why this country has worse infrastructure than even Haiti. Everything this goof touches goes wrong: Brandy Wine-Green Houses- wasted travel- and so on and so forth

    Like 13
    Dislike 3
  6. Mmmmmm says:

    He spent 10 million on the airport and not even a teaspoon of sand was turned. He spent 1.5 Million on brandy wine Bay beach for the dogs to walk. He allowed 6 million dollars worth of green houses to get destroyed in the hurricanes. Not even the common sense to take them down. He ban us from eating shark but didn’t ban them from eating us.

    And he said he is not stupid. Ok! Carry on.

    Like 19
    Dislike 3
  7. My heart hurts says:

    Have all BVI politicians and attorneys ever heard of ‘continuing education’? The TCI 2009? Oh my God! Once again TCI freedom was replaced with corruption and trafficking. Haiti??? The Central trafficking (for everything) hub for the entire Caribbean chain. You need to read and read quick before the reality comes because it is coming. All of your rhetoric has nothing to do with governing NOW. Please stop running around and look right here, along this corridor. Corrupt leaders in TCI?? Better believe it.
    Caribbean people are suffering, and are so uninformed. Caribbean Islanders are not dumb. They are just held hostage while corruption continues in the secret realm of injustice and wrong doing. You want to do right after your 20 years of politics? Then let the people in, in reality. You want to be current? Get out of 1995. You think you can carry on as you do now, today in 2022? Why did the leaders of the Island not think of a computer and some software to account for and regulate any sort of necessary business for the basic infrastructure? Didn’t you say that your were a minister for the 7th District back when?
    What are you thinking at all? I can go on but I will ask God to unveil the truth to you. He will and it is not what you say. Open your heart and throw away all the old rhetoric. The double speak in this one article is quite telling. And using slang will not win any points. It sounds so illiterate for a professional writing an article for the public. It doesn’t help the pleading tone of the article.

  8. Kingfish says:

    I do not recall hearing of sharks eating anyone in the BVI. Please enlighten me and others as to when and where it may have occurred.

    Like 4
    Dislike 1
  9. @LB says:

    Every year people fall for this independent nonsense and we see what happens. This election cycle will be no different. Party candidates will win the election and that’s that. We currently have a coalition that everyone wished for, for so long. Ok, it didn’t happen as a result of elections but it’s what we have now and how is it working for us? All we need are men and women who understand MANAGEMENT and we will be fine!

    Like 7
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  10. View says:

    Anybody who vote for you need licks. You are a failure

    Like 7
    Dislike 2
  11. Party Politics says:

    Whichever way when all 13 gets in whether it’s party or independent they are required not should, required to work together.

  12. Him says:

    Anyone who tells you they’re not that stupid is
    usually that stupid. Otherwise they wouldn’t mention it.

    Like 5
    Dislike 1
  13. Norris Turnbull says:

    There are some who are not fit for leadership if they think they know more than the people that they serve

  14. This saga says:

    Is this what independent is going to look like for the BVI
    -No accountability on the financial state of the country ?
    -Public is kept in the dark … how much we have in reserve ?
    – Decisions made by a handful … this is a multicultural society … no representation for you who are not indigenous?
    -PS are not privy to what goes on in their department
    – Cabinet Secretary hiding public information from AG
    These are the deeper implications of Independence???!
    BVI in a muck

  15. facial expression says:

    Is saying , )> my people , AM HOLLERING OUT at you all , you gotta believe ME , I promise I won’t EVER hurt y’aLL again
    ?

  16. Quietly Watching says:

    I sit and read a lot of bashing on the blogs of our old leaders, but not so much about the young, new ones. We got exactly last election what the blogs are now suggesting that we need except for the leader of Government Business, Mr. Premier.

    I implore every single voter, in the next election, it doesn’t matter whether the candidate is tall, short, fat or cross-eyed. What matters is that they have management skills and understand economics and finance. They should have experience in these areas that we can see and also seems honest and forward thinking. Yes. Sitting in Council in 20 years does not make you qualified to lead in 2023 and beyond. I will be bold enough to say that after H.L. Soutt passed in 1995, we have not built up the legacy he left. We instead maintained for a while and now everything fell through the cracks as our new, young, inexperienced Government can’t even get Public Works to fill a pot hole. So what do we want? Let us ask ourselves. Who do we want?

    I will say this, I will choose Dr. Pickering and Ronnie Skelton any day over Willock and the returning of the young, inexperienced, yet bright, do nothing gang we have in Council at the moment.

    Like 7
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  17. Hmmm says:

    The interesting thing will be if anyone aligns themselves with him. They too would get very little support as this man has had his day. We do not need to keep recycling past failures.

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
  18. Listen says:

    He did *not* say anyone was stupid…just himself!!

  19. Lots of fake people says:

    What I realized in the BVI. People are very nice and pleasant when they don’t have Power, give them power and they changed, they get greedy, selfish, oppressive and with no empathy, no comparison, not Just politicians, all across the board. I came here as a child I’m here more than 30yrs now.. Someone try to convince me, it’s in the genes of the black man, so no matter who you gave power to it’s going be the same results. Refuse to believe that! Having said all that I think we should give Britain the wheel for a two years, try something different..See how it works, our future leaders may learn and when they get the power and the BVI back they be more prudent, compassionate and responsible….

  20. Um says:

    Well, just how stupid are you?

    As I’ve said before, do BVI folks only vote for idiots or do only idiots run for office?

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