People think we benefit financially as a UK territory
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has posited that many residents are afraid of changing the BVI’s status as a territory because they fear losing fundamental benefits they believe the country gets from the United Kingdom (UK).
The Premier said efforts need to be made to educate the public on what the BVI currently gets from the UK as this will put people in a better position to discuss the political advancement of the territory.
“Despite what we’ve told persons, some may believe that the UK gives us money or grants and things like that. And what is more likely is that nations that have a lower per capita income will get those big grants and despite our relationship with the United Kingdom government, we won’t get those big grants because of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) rules,” Premier Wheatley said.
He said the public must realise that becoming more independent doesn’t mean the BVI has to discard all the institutions it now enjoys because of its connection with the UK.
“Independence is not the only route, of course. But let’s say you go independent, you can still keep the legal system that you have, you can still keep the privy council as your final court of appeal. Persons need to understand these things because perhaps maybe they feel if there’ll be some fundamental shift that will hurt you in some way and persons need to be properly educated so they can consider next steps,” the Premier said.
Premier Wheatley also encouraged the community to consider the BVI’s state of readiness in comparison to Caribbean nations that severed ties with the United Kingdom in the 1900s. He said he believes the BVI is in a far better situation than those countries were at the time and this may be a good indicator of whether the territory is ready to advance politically.
“Persons must consider whether we are in a lesser state of readiness in 2022 than Jamaica was in 1962 or St Kitts in 1983 or Antigua in 1981. Is our economy stronger than those economies would have been back then? I’m not sure completely but I know we have a thriving financial services sector, a thriving tourism sector. We are considered a middle-income country with a very decent income per capita. Not to say that we don’t have our challenges but are we really that far behind all those other independent countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East at the time when they became independent?” Premier Wheatley said.
The public is divided on the matter of political advancement in the BVI. Some sections believe having the UK as a governing authority helps to keep elected leaders in check while others believe the BVI is fully capable of governing itself and should ditch the UK as a ‘mother country’.
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Now he’s calling the population stupid. When I’m ready to join the circus, I will take lessons from a clown. No diplomacy, no leadership! Blame UK for the unsightly state of your district during your term as minister? What you call the access to UK passports, their excellent health service when you visit UK, their education there, the sense of safety you feel when there knowing that a competent police force is present in the community. These are MORE THAN financial benefits. The BLIND cannot lead those who can see.
Who will pay for our defence and international relations if we become independent – what is clear is that we cannot afford to pay ourselves. We can barely pay for our own police, customs etc never mind thinking about paying for an army, airforce or navy. We can’t even afford to run embassies in other countries – the London office is a huge drain.
This is not his topic area. The basis of comparative analysis alone is seriously flawed. Someone need to take the mic from this man. Mehboy, look like he was better off looking pretty as the photo op minister.
The one underlying feature as to the success of BVI’s economy is that investors like the stability which comes from flying under the British flag. Remove that and lets see if we will still have a decent per capita income.
I do not think his brother wrote this one! His brother has more knowledge on the subject. Haha
They are clawing so desperate for independence to get their paws into the Cookie Jar without any oversight from anyone. As someone has mentioned the power of the UK-passport, Police and if needed Defence, Healthcare benefits, access to Education in the UK and do not forget their assistance in case of any Natural Disasters. He and his cronies can’t even provide us with decent roads, schools, water, celan air, affordable Electricity and Healthcare. Just worried there might be some people and relatives who believe them and vote them all back in.
is the main benefit from the UK’s authority in this colony. Not grants, not scholarships, not loans, etc.
It’s not about the cash they give us.
It’s the rule of law and stability. That’s
worth far more. We are just another
vulnerable pi** pot country waiting for
China otherwise.
Dear Santa,
All I want for Xmas is elections so we could get the rid of this sorry excuse for a Premier.
You can tell that most of you that blogging against the Premier do not check the UK news. More and more of the UK citizens are crying out against their colonial leadership and many groups are crying out against racism, but the UK controls the media so the people’s voices are not being heard loud enough as yet but it soon will. The Uk leads out of fear and to have you do as they say and not as they do. We in the BVI are better than this. The Premier is speaking the truth. Stop thinking just district and start thinking country.
This is the most colonialist remark that I have ever read. The UK did not build the BVI so stop it.
We all know that the only thing the UK gives the BVI, and all OTs are prisons, investigations, and how to have the people fight each other and never believe in their leaders and public officers but only them through their governors. Wake up people.
Please post after research because the UK cannot give themselves what you have posted.
A few words, SECURITY and STABILITY!!!!!! Cash money is not everything Mr. Premier, broaden your scope and stop the bush man mentality man. I understand that at some point the BVI will have to decide where it wants to be with resect to a certain level of self-governance but look around and tell me if you think the people here should really be confident in their Governments to do the right things for the Territory and its people. This is bigger than the UK, it’s about what has happened on the ground, or not happened as a matter of fact. While the UK does not give the BVI grants or aid do not try to fool anyone into thinking that if the BVI pulls away from the UK we will just retain all the benefits of being an overseas Territory, that is FALSE!
We would have got significant financial benefits had we taken the UK loan guarantee after the storm.
Things would have got fixed properly and we would have paid a much lower rate of interest because repayment was guaranteed by the UK, so there would have been no risk premium.
We didn’t take it; and look around, still a third world dust bin, with the Head Coach and ex Director of Ports waiting to be tried; and killings in broad daylight.
The idea of going independent with anything like the current set up is terrifying. How long do you think the Social Security fund would last? It’s been bad enough with the amount of self-governance we have had. All the money since the 1980s has gone missing with almost nothing to show for it.
Look at Haiti. We wouldn’t be far behind them.
Is our economy stronger than those economies would have been back then? I’m not sure completely but I know we have a thriving financial services sector, a thriving tourism sector.
The financial services sector is all about stability. Do you think it will remain the same with an Independent BVI?
Dude! When we gonna get roads that look like it got people live here? The bush hauling you out your vehicle. What’s being done to address the high cost of living in the BVI? When we gonna get a airport that real commercial jets can land at? When government gonna stop having to pay out so much of its money in rent? What rules are in place now to deter the corruption that’s been killing us in the past?…Is like show us YOU can do something before we harp about independence and what others not doing for us.
All who pushing for independence have their United states passports and greencards to fall back on, and their children born america
@To Unbelievable, I speak from self experience, not based on whatever news you looking at or whatever come out my a55. The premier is talking nonsense! Simple fact, nothing to debate here.
BVI already pays for it own security plus the Governors salary etc.
I am no supporter of the Premier, but the record must be set straight. It was since the 1970’s that the BVI informed the UK that they will no longer take any money from them. We have been paying for everything ever since. We are not free loaders.
We need to examine the people who begging for UK money.I prefer we suck salt than to take anything from the UK.
The govanas and their white staff and the rest back in their home work place are posting negative blogs against us and our leaders, trying to put us against each other so we can continue to fight each other and destroy each other so they can try to take over our land without using battleships. Four hundred years later and the more things change the more they stay the same.
well the sea is right there , and it’s free , so yuo can be greedy and drink as much as you can ?
@Tasty is people like you that have no vision that will always see the BVI as baby still sucking milk from it’s mother’s breast unwilling to stand on its own feet. We will forever be house slaves.
The Premier is right 100%. Just look at what the UK chose to be in charge of, Prisons, Law Enforcement, Security. They still look at us like people to be controlled. Why not contribute more to education and training. They quick to donate Covid vaccines how about medication to treat cancer and diabetes etc. things that have been affecting us for decades.
They also have paid bloggers to blog on these types of articles. Subversive tactics they have used successfully in the past.
@ To SMH…. those who have us where we are now didn’t build it either.
This guy is an embarrassing joke, if this is the best we can do for leaders we are a failure…
I would love to know how many persons here have UK passports and how would they feel about giving it up – that’s just one of the benefits that would go with independence.
Is this man merely stupid or is he crazy?? Has he not noted that Turks and Caicos now how one of the worst murder rates in the world? And why? Because of drug running and gangs. So now the UK is sending 2 dozen police detectives to sort them out. If the BVI were independent it would turn into a narco-state in a matter of months. And no help from the UK then. And he’s lying about financial aid from the UK. it offered hundreds of millions in loans after the hurricane at preferential rates. Fahim was too corrupt to take the money because it came with oversight
Given a choice, the BVI passport getting throw way first. This place is an embarrassment. May the world not judge the sensible people in this country based on the misinformed words of the non-leader. Unity government they say yet not a piece of unity on display. Sad.
It’s true the uk didn’t build BVi but it is true
that it would have been much harder
without Britain in charge and we would be
much worse off and vulnerable to the scum
I’m our population that would love to turn
is into a Narco state with no rules.
You so stupid thinking England pay ppl to
blog against us. We are so small 1% of
them know we here. How Area 51 coming?
After reading these uneducated comments about the need for the UK to continue to rule over us, I can now say that now I know how we got enslaved and stayed there for so many years before we finally fought for our freedom. We once again feel that these colonial masters are the reason for our success, and they are the only one who can allow us to sustain it. SMDH!
What a plan! The Uk has mastered throughout their Overseas territories for years and to present day how to organize strategies to always have the people of the OTs not believing in their leaders but rather believe in them through the governors. The governors are always seen by most of the people as a knight in shining armour. Why? They do not have to look for votes. The Constitution allows them to get what they want and do what they want and claim it is in the best interest of the people when it is not and when it goes wrong blame the public officers and the politicians and get away with it. They are above the law and over the police who administer the law with a UK citizen at the head in all OTs. A governor can never act in the best interest of the BVI or any other OT as we are not their boss. They will say otherwise but they can and must only act in the best interest of the UK. These people continue to fool us, so BVI please wake up.
And I concur and endorse his statement. Why remain a child of the Colonized? Start preparing now, because they are also preparing to re-muzzle us. March on, Virgin Islanders, March on now!!
Even if you want to say the UK just want to keep their grip on us and pit us against each other and make it seem like our local leaders not capable of nothing. Bottom line is this country’s affairs and finances have not been handled properly. That is a FACT! Is the UK to blame for that? The premier himself was asking the other day what previous governments did with money even though he is a member of a previous government (but that’s a different story). Everybody just want to sweep the corruption under the rug and continue like nothing happened. Is like he want independence more than he care about good governance and that is scary. To hell with everything so long as nobody can tell us nothing about the incompetence / corruption that has become the norm. Just think about it… Can you imagine what more would have happened if we was independent with man like ‘head coach’ and dem leading us with free reign to do whatever!? With their puppets they choose as ministers who wont speak out even though it have things happening they don’t agree with or know is wrong!? I want the BVI to be able to determine its own future and get independence; But I also want to see the place run properly. Up to now nobody showing us that we actually can have both.
Let me go renew my UK passport because BVI going to Sh*t and bvilanders including the premier either don’t see it or pretending not to see it.
I think the UK are probably sick to the back teeth of grumbling from some piss pot rocks in the Atlantic filled with poorly educated, corrupt and backward thinking locals. At the end of the day, no matter who you put in charge in the BVI they will never be able to make a success of it as they squabble instead of lead! Education levels in the general political circus is so low you could find more intellect under a rock. The BVI needs to realize you are a set of tiny islands with no industrial output, no skills, poor education levels, racist belonger status holders, no culture and no respect from every other island and nation. The BVI is an irrelevant scab to the might of the UK, and you are starting to irritate it so much you may soon be removed to live your dreams of total independence and full collapse to rival Haiti’s lavish standards!
this is great news for the Cayman Islands. More of this talk and an eventual power grab by the cartels that have kept BVI back for so long will surely push the last remnants of the financial services business into Cayman’s arms and with growing poverty and inequality thereafter, the inevitable surge in crime, the tourism can go to other territories.
there is a reason our customers don’t set up shop in St Croix, Antigua and it’s not because BVI food, logistics and client care is better…
The Main benefit of being under the UK is the Financial services / offshore banking. The day we bust off from the UK is the day this whole Industry will cease to exist and then we can really start to value the tourists because our annual budget will be like St Vincent and Grenada’s. Funny how so few of us see this. The economic collapse that will happen with independence will change our way of life forever. That’s is an UNDENIABLE fact that none of em want to talk about