Premier rejects claims that BVI politicians are self-serving
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has dismissed claims that elected officials in the Virgin Islands are primarily motivated by self-interest, describing the allegation as a political narrative that does not reflect reality.
Speaking on the Talking Points show recently, Dr Wheatley responded to concerns raised by host Damion Grange, who said public distrust of government had been fuelled by perceptions that politicians were placing their own financial interests ahead of the public’s.
Grange argued that recent salary increases for elected officials, alongside industrial action threats from healthcare workers, had contributed to a perception that “politicians are more concerned about their own wealth than the wealth of the country” and that such concerns could undermine confidence in discussions about self-determination.
Rejecting that characterisation, Premier Wheatley said: “Well, I would say this whole concept that politicians are looking after themselves rather than the people, it’s a political talking point. And that’s really what it is. It doesn’t really reflect reality,” Premier Wheatley stated.
Fair compensation
The Premier said public attention had centred on the recent salary adjustments for elected officials while overlooking their previous remuneration.
“Let’s take a look at what happened to elected officials before that,” Dr Wheatley said.
He noted that elected officials had previously received a salary of $36,000 and that pensions had been calculated on that amount. He argued that all public servants, including elected representatives, should receive fair compensation for the responsibilities they carry.
“And the only thing we ask ourselves for when it comes to anyone’s salaries… is that you’re paid a fair compensation for the work that you do,” he argued.
“So, I’m not sure why elected officials are being focused on alone, because you have a number of persons in the system who are [paid] salaries in excess of what elected officials were making,” Dr Wheatley added. “If you are the Premier, right and if you are at the top of the totem pole, so to speak, you should have a salary which reflects your position.”
Small fraction
In the meantime, the Premier maintained that elected officials had received only a small fraction of the government’s recent public sector salary package.
“This government gave what ended up being a $30 million increase to public officers… elected officials got less than one percent of that,” Wheatley said. “The majority of that went to persons on the lower scale.”
The Premier added that the government had also increased the minimum wage and was pursuing other measures to ease cost-of-living pressures. However, he said such policies had to be implemented cautiously to avoid unintended consequences for businesses and employment.
Premier Wheatley rejected suggestions that the minimum wage should have been raised to an even higher amount. “I can’t afford to do things that recklessly because I understand the impact it would have on small businesses and the cost of living if you put the minimum wage to a way that’s out of whack.”
The government approved its largest-ever salary increase for public officers in 2024 and later announced a phased increase in the territory’s minimum wage as part of broader efforts to improve worker compensation while balancing fiscal sustainability.
Even as he defended the government’s record, Premier Wheatley acknowledged that public confidence remained important. “Persons need to have confidence that you’re looking out for them, but we also have to be fair,” Dr Wheatley added.
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He gone caricom meeting days mow and ent reach st lucia yet so who foolin who
Zero accountability.
Not all but some definitely are!
Or just plain lying?
a lil secret. you wan be rich? get into politics
Is this guy for real, you guys doubled your salary while everyone else suffered and got crumbs
You are so correct, The politicians treat us folks like we are PHEASANTS. They give themselves raises, they don’t pay for gas, they can walk into any place of business and get anything on the house without paying a dime. We the PHEASANTS CANNOT DO THAT. We are tossed the left over crumbs and stale moldy bread.
Don’t forget they always have access to water where they can enjoy a shower before they go to bed, they all have some type of generator be it built in their homes so when the power goes off they can sleep under AC and not swelter in the heat, them and their family can have whatever they want to eat for dinner while the pheasants have to feed their family sodium laced processed can spam, processed horse meat that they call corned beef, can tuna which is dolphin sodium laced ramen noodles and a whole lot more. No wonder so many people here is suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes.
Stop whining and save your shillings to buy your own darn cistern and relying on government H2O!
The ac companies have sales – buy one. Next you going bawl electricity should be free cause we got sunshine and you want free PV panels – gtfoh
@ resident: you mean peasants, as in serfs, surely not pheasants as in birds that are hunted and eaten in some parts of the world, do you not?
Lawd a mussy this premier is totally delusional and the master of gaslighting More than 80% of his ministers are self- serving and he’s the main culprit. Why talk about the unfair salary increase of public servants. You gave yourselves a more than 100% increase and some workers barely got a 25%. Then regardless of qualifications or years of service you started all of them, especially educators at the same level. How can an educator with a Master’s degree and more than 20 years of experience be at the same same salary level with one at entry level or just five years? The sad this is that you refuse to address it because politicians are okay. Your salary and that of your deputy are not the same. Mr. Premier you and your ministers/ other politicians are very selfish and inconsiderate. Stop talking about the unfair raise and do right by public servants. Fix the salary scale to reflect qualifications and years of experience. You rushed to get votes and now referring to it. OAN, when will you pay the remaining increments. Stay home and use your travelling purse to pay what the government owes.
Is so he leading the rest of them like the Pied Piper behind him. Always they have an excuse. the one for culture department before getting elected now saying historians must bring back history. What is the government department for. They have to provide resources to the people who works in these departments. give them adequate equipment and training/ not complaining more than the people on the street about every little issue. Like they not suppose to do any work, only want to bring in consultants for everything while they travel the globe. This is very unbecoming of the BVI state of affairs. It gone too far now.
People without water, bad services, lost opportunities, life too expensive. Many things not done, but the greedy bill passed. Its like pissing on people and calling it rain.
Everyone wants to get into politics in the BVI? So they can get RICH. You get into politics in the BVI be it good or bad you got it made. The raises, the perks and the freebies is endless.
Remember this the same guy that wants to take us into independency
Undoubtedly, it is pellucidly clear that BVI politicians are self-serving, putting self interest over public interest, ie, Greedy Bill, high increase in elected members salary, housing allowance., etc. Meanwhile some civil servants cannot get their increments, retirees cannot get retired pay increases, etc. cost of skyrockets and their is no sense of urgency to bring relief to the long suffering civil servants. Here is a news flash though. Neither government nor opposition has an advantage of putting public interest, human capital, etc., over Public interest.
How is it a political talking point if it’s the majority of the country saying it and not opposition politicians? Bro is in over his head. The job fell in his lap because of the Fahie situation, but aya voted him in officially the following election. Learn from your mistakes B.V.I
Miniumum wage recommendations reduced and reduced again by the Premier.
Minsters wage recommendations increased and increased again for our greedy self serving HOA.
Now he says this. “narrative that does not reflect reality.”
Idiot or liar?
Which is it?
The topic is politicians being self serving in a lot of decisions that they make. In my opinion it is not just salaries. The Premier and Ministers of Government and anybody for that matter should have salaries commensurate with their responsibility. That is not the issue in this case. One just has to look around now that election time is looming and see how self serving politicians actually are. There are special holidays with marches and galas in the Seventh when the Premier has been missing in action for three years plus. Hon. Rymer spends more time in his District than he does at his desk. He spent millions on an economic zone in his District and their is no economy in it while his song would be that his actual portfolio, money cannot be found to fix the roads for three plus years. Now that election is looming, every District is jumping, the roads are being fixed. Increments will be paid, etc, etc. And that is self serving so that one can say I said I would and I did this while the populous have been suffering for such a long time. I can say more, but because you are Representatives with Tertiary Education and the gift of gab, doesn’t mean with are idiots. We can see the forest from the trees. Yes, we can.
NONE BETTER THAN NONE HE A BORN L**R.
I REMEMBER HIM SAYING HE GOING REPELL THE GREEDY BILL IN ITS ENTIRETY ALL A SUDDEN HE SINGING A DIFFERENT SONG.
THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL KEEP THINKING YALL WONT HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THE LIFE YOU LIVE. OLD PEOPLE SAY HAD I HAD KNOWN I WOULDA BEEN BETTER
THIS DUDE CRAZY OR SOMETHING WHEN THE PEOPLE RISE AND SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH STRIKE ON EVERYTHING THEY WILL UNDERSTAND
Sir, it is a no-brainer that this current government is self-serving. 1. There has been money that has passed through this territory that COULD have gotten our country a lot further. We have basically been standing still with no major progression. 2. Projects that have been proposed and some which have started are yet to be completed. 3. The biggest excuse is THING TAKE TIME. 4. People that travel know that there are so many islands that have progressed much further than we have. 5. Tola people ain’t really that dumb. 6. Stop trying to play in our face it’s costing lives lost and continuous hardship. 7. AYO NEED GET VOTE RIGHT OUT. A13MG
He and his colleagues are trying to blame public servants, but he will learn. The worse mistake the bvi ever made was to vote back in this government with this Premier leading.
The voters are the self-serving idiots because they vote based on emotions and short-sighted nonsense. How many times are we going to see and hear the same old stupid complaints? We have 13 elected officials, not SELECTED, ELECTED! We put them there! We put them there knowing that no company would ever give any of them a management job but we put them to run our country, we know them, but we still choose them, then we complain. Who are the self-serving ones? I don’t blame the politicians one bit for gaming the system. Again, look at the elected officials, look at their Resume. Where would they be without politics? They cannot help themselves, but you expect them to help you or the country? Stop blaming elected officials and start voting based on competence and not feelings.
This place is corrupt to the core and everyone profiling like they are so righteous. Your judgement is gonna be real bitter and it lies in the fact that you are so greedy for gain that you have completely over-looked food security.
Master WEATIE , Is saying )> may I give a friendly reminder to you or “whomever” out there ,who wants to try “ah ting on yo BOi ” , ( be sure you know of whom you are speaking to before U DARE . or you could get “phased out ” .
thats easy – BOTH
He is a knock off wannabe politician and always talking about his grandfather’s legacy.
Not by a centermeter, your grand father was a miser when it came to the people’s money. You use and squander our money like there’s no tomorrow. Shame on you!!
Oh yeah, he’s for real / he’s got puff diddy wiggie on the scene now and in control of his mind with his wannabe embelishing theatrics doing ah Lil consulting / meanwhile tekkin ah Lil luxury trip downn the Caribbean , amongst – dem island people – which he will change that name to * OUR CARIBBEAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS * LIKE HE REALLY MEAN IT • ( another one who speaks with ” FORKED TONGUE ” / enjoy the ride , you deserve it / you have demonstrated how crafty you are ~ by doing a number on the once so called experienced veteran politician and a couple of others that were bought in their Quest for power even after a whole set bad mouthing , were humbled by you / so you are really a bviislander genius • a lot of people can see it but can’t believe it ■ watch out for the wigged one / wd already saw what he did tthe fella from the 3RD &,saint Andrew
None of the politicians on the Island don’t have basic common sense. Just a bunch of bush people walking around in the heat on a hot Island in suit and ties. The hot sun fried up their brains that is why all of them is a bunch of worthless flip floppers.They are always plane hopping to different meetings and conferences and can never come back with anything of substance or value to benefit the Island