Premature: I have not yet decided to return to electoral politics, says Dancia Penn
Dancia Penn
Former legislator and Queen’s Counsel Dancia Penn says she has not yet decided whether to return to electoral politics.
The attorney made that statement after Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) leader, Ronnie Skelton, announced to local media on Friday that Penn was joining the movement as an election candidate.
In a public statement on Monday (December 10), Penn said: “Recent media reports that I am a candidate in the upcoming General Elections are premature.”
The attorney further noted that the Skelton-led PVIM is not the only political suitor that has solicited her to join their respective causes.
“I have been approached by many groups and individuals and have been invited by several political parties, including the Progressive Virgin Islands Movement to re-enter electoral politics.”
She did not specify who these other parties and individuals are nor did she say which of them she would consider, should she return to representational politics.
“I have a deep commitment to the Virgin Islands and our future, particularly in these unprecedented challenging times. I am grateful to the many persons who continue to encourage me to return to electoral politics, and I am giving serious and active consideration to the professional, business, personal and public implications of this critical decision and its timing,” she said.
“I will make a further public announcement in the coming weeks,” Penn added.
At least three other political parties besides the PVIM are expected to present candidates for the next General Election which must happen by April 16 next year. These three other parties are the Myron Walwyn-led National Democratic Party, the Andrew Fahie-led Virgin Islands Party, and the Julian Fraser-led Progressives United.
Below is Penn’s full media statement:
Recent media reports that I am a candidate in the upcoming General Elections are premature.
I have been approached by many groups and individuals and have been invited by several political parties, including The Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) to re-enter electoral politics.
I have a deep commitment to The Virgin Islands and our future, particularly in these unprecedented challenging times. I am grateful to the many persons who continue to encourage me to return to electoral politics, and I am giving serious and active consideration to the professional, business, personal and public implications of this critical decision and its timing. I will make a further public announcement in the coming weeks.
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Dog dead now! Makes no sense she gets involved at this stage.
PVIM…smh my my my. Not even their candidates’ list they could get right. The leader of the party Skelton announced Dancia as a candidate to the media only to hear it is false. So first Pastor M—– lie and now Ronnie lie. They told alll lies at their press conference about why they left NDP because nothing makes sense. Lies, lies and more lies. What you say Mitch “what starts bad cannot end good?”
He never said she was apart of the party. He specifically said he is hoping to get her to be apart of the movment. So stop grasping at straws.
Majority of us don’t want none of them other parties win besides VIP they have Real humble persons who love the country and not pocket hungry like the rest
…..you must be crazy, who is more hungry than Malone?
@say what
YOU!!!
Uh hello.. speak for yourself please and thank you. Ain’t no us here
Now this has got to be the joke of the day, and the butt of the joke is Mr. Skelton
PENN SALLAH PLEASE JOIN A PARTY THAT YOU CAN TRUST
The yellow tabloid spreading rumors about the place “fraser subbed by dancia”
THIS IS A WOMAN OF CLASS. WE CAN TRUST HER
Do not put your hand and neck in the fire for anyone.
The PVIM pulled off a political stunt by trying to tie the good lady hands
You all would be shock when that day reach.
PVIM has only been a party officially for about 6 days now, but they seem to be making nothing but a series of high profile mistakes and blunders. My goodness.
Ohhh My Lourdy!!!! You mean the honorable QC Dancia is NOT running nor sitting with PVIM????? WHAT???? Were we fooled by the Leader of PVIM who made a clear and bold statement that the Honorable Lady was a member and running with them until we all thought that lady is always late and was also late for the launching and he even had to change his candidate from the at large to now the rep for the 4th.
If this man is so blatantly a liar now, what will it be if he should even win his at-large- seat? OMG.. People take heed and keep away from these Power Voulchers. Let us see what the pastors (now 2) going to do. Their actions will speak volumns
We know light and darkness do not agree and only birds of a feather with stick together. If the reason Pastor Mitch gave for leaving NDP is true, let us see what he will do this time with this wide open clear daylight lie from His leader.
Come on pastors mitch and fahie, we expect you 2 to show some class and dignity and do the right thing.
I listened keenly to the exact words that ZBVI news quoted her saying. She said it was premature but she did not say yea or nay, she did not deny or confirm. Your headline to say that she said that she is not a political candidate with PVIM is twisting her words. From what I listened to, she was being strategic knowing that the media will take words and spin em up
Then if she is a member but Ronnie is announcing her candidacy or membership prematurely, then what’s the point of making a radio announcement and all this hoopla. If she is a member, why would it be premature to announce it at the launching of his movement which in my mind is the best place to make the announcement?
I see nothing premature to make the announcement if indeed she is with PVIM. She is either in or out.
She is playing Political Mind Games as always. In my book not a trust worthy candidate, her actions continues to prove just who she is. The question is why are we continuing to disregard her disrespectful. Maya Angelou stated it aptly, If a person continues to show you who they are believe them.
connotation you are talking foolishness. What mind games she could be playing. If you didn’t tell me you going do something and I get up and announce that you going be doing it, that mean you playing a bully. You think is everybody could just drop they life and get up and run just so because you got a name? Nahh, when ayo hate, ayo hate people to the core. What disrespect she showing them. You just fell you should call the shots, but boss, life bigger than you.
Their spin is making me dizzy! Ronnie said AT THE LAUNCH that Dancia is with PVIM, so the question is if he is saying that AT THE LAUNCH, why wasn’t Dancia AT THE LAUNCH! If she didn’t confirm anything then her name should not have been mentioned. If Walwyn did something like that all hell would break loose but we are playing with words now.
It does not appear that she has actually confirmed her candidacy with anyone, but media reports have said that she is running with NDP2. She may be, and she may not be, but she has not told them that she would. Sounds like she has had talks. So its basically not professional for the leader of NDP2 to publicly say that she is with them. Sounds like she got some soul searching to do, but NDP2 playing reverse psychology to force her hand by announcing. Just my assumption of the whole thing.
Ronnie didnt confirm that she was a candidate either. He said he expected her to be with them. Which means he isnt sure yet but hoping she will be. But the headline right after he said that was Dancia Penn confirmed as candidate when she was never confirmed as a candidate.
She probably waiting for the best last minute offer from whomever party still looking for candidates…
That itself is strategy…but not all strategies are honest moves…
PVIM – Politically Vulnerable Incompetent Members
“I asked for a Ministry as a Senior Member of NDP!” – M. Turnbull
“I did not ask for a Ministry under Myron and NDP, I was offered..” – M. Turnbull/PIVM Maestro (1 day later)
“Ok, ok, I did ask for a Ministry and since when is that a bad thing? I think I was right for asking for a Ministry!” – M. Turnbull
“..of course I will take come of the blame for some of the things that went wrong in Government when I was a Minister” – R.W. Skelton (Press Conf)
“I cannot be held accountable for those things that went wrong under the NDP Government when I was a Minister because I was not the leader or Minister of Finance under NDP” – R.W. Skelton (2 days later at the PVIM launch)
“Hon. Dancia Penn-Sallah is with us” – R.W. Skelton (@PVIM Launch)
“I have had discussions with multiple parties including PVIM and I have not yet made a decision about contesting the upcoming elections.” – Dancia Penn-Sallah (days later)
Yes ladies and gentlemen, the party of integrity and accountability ready to serve us and take the BVI to the next level. Or are they? You decide.
lol, oh man. Can they get it together?
Englidh is a funny thing.
Mitch was negotiating a Ministry. Whether he asked or he was asked, the point is he is not wrong to either have asked or accepted if he was asked.
Ronnie specifically said, we expect Hon. Dancia Penn to be joining us.
He had good reason to say that. She attended all the meetings up to this weekend and reconfirmed her commitment to the Party the day after the launch.
There is no breach of integrity or accountability here. The truth is being told at all times. It’s being twisted because the press knows we like mess so they give it to us.
So English is only funny when it comes to PVIM? What about the talk about Walwyn saying you can’t make laws to protect locals? The Ronny slip is fine but stop trying to sugarcoat Mitch ministry debacle. You don’t ask for a Ministry in a party that lost its way and doesn’t have integrity. Bear in mind this was just 5 months ago, what went so wrong in that time?
Love it!
Dancia make up your mind
Didn’t know she is yur child. The woman calls her own shots and no hanky panky to nobody. Say what you want but she no fool
This lady has done her political time. She was tried and tested. I think she should stay on the sideline.
This QC lawyer said the biwater deal was “a deal to good to be true”
The reality is it’s hard for me to see Dancia seeking to align herself with a newbie party with elections 3 months or less away, it’s just too risky.
Ronnie is very close to comitting Political Suicide. I was kind of shock when he stated that Dancia was going to join him. Girlll,you are good where you are. No one is going to mess up their rep with this Blue Wave Political nightmare.
Enough already! Politics in the VI has hit rock bottom; it is bottom dragging. This whole ting is a “Papi” show. Politicians running, skipping, grasshopping…..etc from pillar to post pursuing opportunism. The selfishness, lack of credibility, questionable loyal……etc is sickening.
Here is a news flash. A ticket punched resume is no substitute for sterling performance. A college grad with a 4.0 GPA is not worth much if he/she cannot find his/her out of phone booth. The BVI is a representative dem0cracy and needs elected members who can get things done. Being a paper tiger is no substitute for action, for getting things done. The BVI is trying to fight its way back from the hurricane Irma devastation and needs people that can get things done. lets stop the crap, nonsense…..etc.
BVi politics has entered a new dimension of the unsavoury kind, it appears.
Unfortunately, prospective s who want to be elected candidates into governance and policy making positions had better take your first paragraph very seriously, and come to the people with a genuine platform and hearts.
As, it is believed you have expressed a genuine and wide ranging consensus of the voting majority.
Sadly, our political arena has retrogressed to a hopeless dimension.
For example, when current governance has been so severely strained with notions of corruption, [all be it without concrete proof] financial self gain between sitting legislators. [all be it without concrete proof] and hopeful elected ones, no pay raises or increments dispersion for salaries, private and public that no longer compete with the daily cost of living indexes, six feet deep pot holes from country to town that is daily destroying a necessary investment, no tissue paper in school bathrooms for staff our pupils, and the now pervasive view that no one seeking elected office is genuinely seeking for the honourable position for the purpose of moving the country and peoples’ finances forward, but in fact only their own.
Indeed our politics has sunk to frightening depths of despair and mistrust..
When humans are observed and human sociological and psychological traits, behaviours and intellectual conceptions, true or false, are arrived at, and when such conclusions do not align with the past political expediences, but reflect along the number line in the negative zone, the time has arrived to conclude that the country and its people are in grave danger on all fronts.
Indeed, politics and governance have changed forever in the BVI. How then can we discern the authentic heart and intentions and political sincerity of those we will elect?
Those realities are every prospective voter nightmares.
Only it now appears, by electing officials through a rigorous selective process yet to be enacted will the confidence of the wide electorate be rejuvenated..
Finally, is the current political discourse and imaginations of the public authentic or imagined?
(@realpol )just get to the point and say what you mean from running all over the place my goodness.
These NDP fanboys killing me. The civil war spill onto the blogs now. Just goes to show the true character of human beings. Just a few months ago Ronnie them could do no wrong. If I commented something about him a few months ago these same people would have come for my head now look at them. Tearing each other down, slandering all in the name of dirty politics. The irony is both NDP and former members are all responsible for the bad state of the BVI. We will not forget the overspending, underspending and misuse of our finances. 8 years is enough. NDP has not earned another term. They have not successfully completed your probationary period. We will try somebody else and if they screw up then the cycle continues.
If not the NDP, then who and why? In 2007 we said the same thing and the VIP almost killed the Territory and the same nasty NDP has to revive it. Also I don’t think anyone dislikes Hon. Skelton, some people are just disappointed at the behavior all of a sudden.
Yawn, GTFOH with that crap. We not re-electing any NDP or disgruntled NDP in PVIM clothing.
As they say in St. Kitts: “Muddddoooo.”
As they say in Antigua: “Murrrdderrr.”
Horse a run..but no Rider pan um.