Politicians trying to manipulate JVD and Anegada residents

Commentator Claude Skelton Cline has accused politicians of attempting to manipulate residents of Jost Van Dyke through what he described as political pandering, arguing that the territory’s real challenge lies in the structure of government rather than creating additional electoral districts.

Skelton Cline urged residents of Jost Van Dyke and Anegada to look beyond calls for separate representation in the House of Assembly and instead focus on broader reforms to the machinery of government.

“These politicians are attempting to manipulate you through their political pandering, when in fact we have a far deeper challenge in this country,” Skelton Cline said on his Honestly Speaking radio programme.

The comments come as debate continues over proposals to expand the House of Assembly as part of constitutional reform. Former legislator Mark Vanterpool recently argued that Jost Van Dyke and Anegada should each have their own district representative instead of increasing the number of Territorial At-Large seats.

Government officials, meanwhile, have continued to promote district councils as a better mechanism for addressing the needs of the two sister islands.

Skelton Cline contended that inadequate representation extends beyond the Second and Ninth districts, which include Jost Van Dyke and Anegada, respectively.

“I don’t know of any district in this country that’s receiving adequate, certainly not optimal representation,” he said, arguing that simply adding representatives would not solve the underlying problem.

Instead, he maintained that ministers are burdened with portfolios that have become too large for any individual to manage effectively. Using the Premier’s ministerial responsibilities and those of other government ministers as examples, Skelton Cline argued that the territory has outgrown its current governmental structure.

“The shoe is too small for the foot,” he said. “We are now walking around with 12-inch feet trying to keep forcing them into six-inch shoes.”

According to Skelton Cline, expanding the House of Assembly to create an additional ministry would reduce the workload carried by existing ministers and improve governance across government.

Turning specifically to Anegada, he acknowledged residents’ frustrations over long-standing issues, particularly delays in receiving land deeds, but insisted that creating another representative was not the solution.

“People of Anegada, anybody who’s coming to you, telling you that they’re advocating for you to have your own representation, they are trying to manipulate you. They are engaging in what is called political pandering,” he stated.

Skelton Cline argued that if elected representatives and territorial members had the political will, they could already enact legislative changes to address many of the concerns being raised by residents.