Premier mocks Turnbull over recusal from Skelton Cline debate
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has condemned Labour Minister Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull over his recusal from a recent debate in the House of Assembly (HOA), threatening to play a tape which would highlight Turnbull’s inconsistency.
Turnbull recused himself from the debate while pointing out that he was the immediate first cousin of Claude Skelton Cline who lays at the centre of a series of controversial contracts with the then-Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government.
Premier Wheatley’s comments came after Turnbull flagged what was described as a contrast in Dr Wheatley’s criticism of two recent audit reports done by the Auditor General’s Office.
Those reports were the Claude Skelton Cline contracts with the VIP government between 2019-2021 and the contracts for static marine platforms between the VIP government and EZ Shipping.
Auditor General, Sonia Webster, concluded in her report that Skelton Cline’s three contracts, which had a combined cost that was more than $365,000, offered no real value to the then-government and merely served as an employment mechanism for the former government consultant.
Unity Government at an end
Among other things, Premier Wheatley claimed that, with the coalition Government of National Unity (GNU) now coming to an end, its members’ interests are suddenly diverging.
Dr Wheatley argued that Turnbull’s insistence on recusing himself from the debate did not come from the Labour Minister’s close relationship with Skelton Cline, but rather, he contended that the recusal was because of instructions Turnbull allegedly received from Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) Chairman, Ronnie Skelton to ‘not say a word’.
Turnbull later asked that the Premier present evidence of the allegation and said he has been speaking in the HOA on principle.
But Premier Wheatley said during a previous HOA sitting, Turnbull had given Skelton Cline ‘a real tongue lashing’ adding that Turnbull might have even been a little more harsh at that time, than the Premier had been in his recent criticism of Skelton Cline.
“So what is really the difference between then and now, when my good friend, the Honourable Minister, decided to recuse himself from the debate? Has he just discovered that this is his cousin? Did he do a DNA test and some knowledge came to his attention? Premier Wheatley asked.
He continued: “Wasn’t he cousins with the same cousin back when he gave him a tongue lashing? Yes, he was. And don’t force me to play the tape because the tape is right there. We are on YouTube. So don’t force me to play the tape.”
Dr Wheatley then made reference to Turnbull’s previous comments where he declined to yield to former Premier Andrew Fahie as he was making a debate contribution in the HOA in July, 2021.
“Should I say Madam Speaker, that I will not yield? Should I say that? I will not yield? I refuse to yield. Should I? Are we gonna go through this today?”
House Speaker Corine George-Massicote then recessed the HOA before reminding lawmakers of the rules on appropriate behaviour in parliament.
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… or hush yourself
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Matthew 7:5
The Premier is absolutely right. Claude is his first cousin and this man has fleeced off the government since he came back from Detroit. The Holier than God Mitch Turnbull had nothing to say about the audit where his cousin got hundreds of thousands of dollars for doing nothing but now he has strength for everybody else and talking about integrity. The country will find out what kind of person this man is. He is deceitful, power hungry and he loves confusion and all this is wrapped up in a pastor’s robe.
The disunity government
This country need to ditch Mitch. The man is no good. It is because of his power hungry ways that the PVIM and the NDP didn’t join back. He wanted to secure his position first before anything else. Is this someone who loves the BVI? He only care about himself. Power hungry!
Sick and tired of all these emberciles who will vote for any of these lunatics.King Charles pls.hurry to our rescue
The Premier is absolutely correct on this and I remember the HOA sitting where Mitch had Claude for lunch. We all know he won’t say anything now because Claude is now with his uncle Ronnie and PVIM.
Them say willock is running at large.
Mitch is b*d b*d news look what he did to the Labour commissioner
The country needs to ditch the current Premier because he is just like the former. Everyone must agree with him or take a hike. He must have high blood pressure by now.
That’s why some of them get in melee that can be avoided. They do not know a conflict when it’s right in their faces. Mitch had all right to recuse himself from the debate being referred to.
Even if that’s your cousin… Admit that your cousin is a scamp in cahoots with the other scamps in charge at the time and didn’t do nothing for the money. Mitch always outspoken he need to keep the same energy.
One thing with the Premier, he knows how to throw some heavy verbal punches without even raising his voice.
2nd District put him in, 2nd District will take him out!!!!!
The Premier is Behaving like a wannabe dictator.
The circus goes on. UK is getting tired of this s**t.
The Premier behavior is distasteful, and hyporcritcal at best. Two years ago, Hon. Mitch spoke up about the contract giving to Claude, the VIP defended it, along with the Premier, the Audit reports showed that he was right. He spoke about the barge, the audit report shows that he was right.
Premier has lost his way.
To me it is the right thing for him to do…..either way he can’t win. A tongue lashing is different than taking money or sending someone to jail. Most of us here will do the same thing. I am no CSC fan but real is real.
The Premier, and the Entire VIP, brought our country to our knees. No More Years!!!
The Premier has not lost his way. Mitch is a f**king coward and it’s obvious the only reason he didn’t speak on the contract is because Claude is now allegedly backing PVIM with Uncle Ronnie. Sowande was correct in his assertions. If Mitch is about integrity he would speak of $350K wastage by his family member regardless of what he said before. He had a whole lot to say about the barges but nothing to say about Claude’s contract. Shameful!
More kick backs, The corruption is much worse that we can ever imaging..
You cant be serious, he spoke about it two years ago and last year. So whats your point?
Man you all like children now.
Tis man like aryo.
ANGELS IN THE HOLY LAND ) the holy one said , that he will let the lord deal with that , so how come rmthese ( WHATEVER ) are volunteering to take it upon themselves to do what çsc has already said that the lord has got his back / are they more powerfuel , or do they have something to ? hide
is saying )> yeah that was funny , is that the best you got
running you say ? did you mean he and pUmkin will be jogging within the compound of pumpkin’s guest house ~ BALO yep, he will surely look good in his G-string and WIG ?
Read the report on grants from the Education Department and Slow Ones dishing out of multiple monies to whoever he liked whether or not they were being educated or not. Guess whose kids got the most.
Sick and tired of all these imbeciles
who can’t spell “imbeciles “.
Are you saying the public should turn a blind eye to more wrong doings and keep our eyes and mouth shut so you and the VIP can continue wasting the public’s money Mr.Premier?
Oh, please. Like you all trying to look company. PVIM was there last time and CSC was on the side of VIP. He didn’t go near PVIM because he know better.
That is a leader over there running PVIM, not a follower.
And if you want to say his Uncle Ronnie was in NDP when he got the job at Port. Well, all the young men in our country should have a job, a 9 to 5 where they can make an honest day’s wage for an honest day’s work. So that is totally different to paying CSC for work done during the election campaign where he was hired by Carvin, Andrew, Sheep, Sharie, Natalio and Others in the VIP in their personal capacity. We and I will repeat, We, the People, should not pay that bill. And if the people weren’t silly enough to vote in the VIP, they would have had to pay it themselves and not from the public purse.
Ronnie for Premier. Ronnie for Premier. Ronnie for Premier. Proven builder; proven leader; proven manager; proven honest man. What do you want with these rude, disrespectful young people at such a time as this when our country is unrecognisable?
Is the Premier good in his head? Please let us get someone in there with common sense. He don’t see Rankin and Jaspert teaming up what the hell is wrong with Natalio.
Natalio like a lil t*n t*n, no wonder Andrew picked him to be deputy, like a ventriloquist. Do the work of the country
ventriloquist you said ? I sure would love to see him do the MOONWALK * Michael Jackson’s version / not the one CsC mastered ?