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‘Puppets’! Vanterpool blasts gov’t ministers then retracts

Vanterpool

Fourth District Representative Mark Vanterpool was forced to retract a statement made in the House of Assembly (HOA) yesterday when he branded ministers of the Unity Government as puppets beholden to the United Kingdom (UK) governor. 

Vanterpool was at the time making his contribution to the HOA’s debate on the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report. 

“Look at my government in front of me. Five members of the Cabinet—puppets!” Vanterpool said.

He continued: “Even though you might not like me saying that but it’s the truth. That’s what you are. I am going to speak the truth. They dare not go against the governor because they know what he [will] do or you know what he can do. So, you better lap your tail, you better lap your tail and snuck up. You know the truth. You better do what he says.”

Vanterpool repeatedly claimed that the government was under a dictatorship, with the governor acting as a dictator. 

“People of the Virgin Islands wake up!” Vanterpool urged. “The Virgin Islands is, right now, being run by the governor as a dictator. I’m talking about the governorship, I’m not talking about the individual. He can get upset if he wants to. I don’t have a problem with that but he is operating right now as a dictator.”

At one point, Vanterpool, who previously said he will not be contesting the next elections, equated Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine to the UK’s threat to impose direct rule on the BVI if a framework agreement based on the COI report’s recommendations were not followed. 

Vanterpool suggested that just as Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin made up a reason to invade the Ukraine, so too the UK made up a reason from the COI report to threaten the BVI’s status as a self-governing territory.

Amended motion

In the meantime, Vanterpool attempted to move a motion to change Opposition Leader Julian Fraser’s live motion to commence a debate of the COI report.

In the amendment, Vanterpool pleaded for a delegation to be sent to the UK to remove the main overarching COI recommendation — Recommendation A1 — which advocated for the temporary and partial suspension of the BVI’s constitution and the implementation of UK direct rule through the governor. 

“I want to move a motion to add that this House regrets the recommendation in A1 as was made and wishes to appoint a delegation from this House to go to London as soon as possible to meet with the House of Commons leadership to reverse this order that was made on the Virgin Islands. 

The Fourth District Representative had also proposed that heads of state of CARICOM, the OECS, and members of the United Nations accompany that delegation to help plead the BVI’s case.

Vanterpool, after calling for a brief recess to consult on his motion, returned to retract his suggestion and said the substantive motion brought by Fraser should be left as it was set out originally. 

Retraction

Even as he made an about-turn on his proposed amended motion, Vanterpool also offered another retraction; this time suggesting that he should have never labelled the government as puppets.

“My comments about my good government that I’m part of, [referring to them] as a puppet government, I withdraw those comments because I respect my leadership and all the things that they try to do,” Vanterpool said. 

Several government members, including Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley, later took umbrage to Vanterpool’s derisive label, arguing vehemently that there should be no finger pointing at this stage of the BVI’s journey. 

“I want to thank the member for the Fourth for withdrawing the characterisation of us as puppets because we are not puppets. We are patriots. And I’m going to repeat that. We are are not puppets, we are patriots and we are leading the Virgin Islands through a transition,” the Premier said.

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30 Comments

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  1. Lol says:

    They are all puppets. Them just trying to save face. Patriots my back foot. Give me a break. Them all puppets. Them just happy them have a job.

    Like 24
    Dislike 7
    • Anonymous says:

      That’s BS. Not one member of the government need that job. They get paid lower as a member of government than in their former jobs

      Like 1
      Dislike 4
  2. Calvin says:

    But it’s the truth. They are puppets. Slowande was Andrew’s puppet first and now he is governor’s puppet. Talk the truth Mark. It is the truth. I listened to Slowande speak yesterday and I ama shamed for him. He has been re-colonized.

    Like 7
    Dislike 13
  3. action man says:

    He is speaking the truth

    Like 6
    Dislike 7
  4. Bambi says:

    See them fighting for power cause they know not the hour.

    Like 19
  5. YES TO UK says:

    It sounds to me like this man is going CRAZY with worry, Mark you guys are the reason for the COI and its recommendations. You are right about our now government they are all puppets. You guys don’t want the UK to take over but you just showed the UK why they need to take over. You guys are all about power you can’t win over the UK because the UK is looking out for the people of the BVI, but not you guys you look out for yourselves. You all have shown the UK that you are not going to change.

    Like 39
    Dislike 2
  6. Blah blah says:

    All of them especially Marlon and Mitch are just happy to have a ministerial job to get their benefits. Nobody in the government fighting for the people. A bunch of sheep being led by the Shepherd from the UK.

    Like 10
    Dislike 4
  7. No Faith says:

    Vanterpool…you caused all of this…the COI would not be here had it not been for you and a whole bunch of others just like you!! So now that its in the process of being fixed…you still have a problem with it…

    Like 32
    Dislike 1
  8. @Yes to UK says:

    If you believe the Uk is looking out for the BVI then something wrong with you. If you are a local person that wrote this then something extra wrong with you. You better go find someone who could give you a crash course in history. That’s all I got to say.

    Like 3
    Dislike 25
  9. Resident says:

    As the Constitution hasn’t been suspended, which Mark didn’t seem to realise from the parts of his speech I heard, can the Unity Government please have a debate to explain out what happened to all the billions of revenue the Government received since the md 1980s?

    Then we might know why we have such third world infrastructure and terrible public education.

    Like 26
  10. Muppets puppets says:

    If the Premier could admit that he was given the Register of Interest Bill to bring to the House and the Bill that he envisioned was different from the one he brought then that tell you that they are puppets. Plain and simple.

    Like 5
    Dislike 2
  11. WELL YOU SAID IT BRO says:

    BUT STRANGELY ENOUGH , YOU DID THE HUSTLE AND JOINED THEM , EITHER YOU ARE A BIRD OF THE SAME FEATHER OR YOU ARE GOING SAVE THEM FROM THEMSELVES / BECAUSE ALL THE GUNS / DRUGS / MURDER AND CORRUPTION IS NOT PERPETRATED BY THE UK / SO YOU CAN HOLLER AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE ( WATCH YOUR PRESSURE , LOOKS LIKE YOU AGING OVERNIGHT

    Like 14
    Dislike 2
  12. Remember says:

    Man stop the complaining like a child if you are innocent you have nothing to worry about.

    Like 12
    Dislike 1
  13. Sit down says:

    Did you yell at kids like a dictator when they trash the house or whisper to them like a servant ? Hoa all set a fools played we ppl for decades making family friends rich and the other 25000 ppl poor. The UK is called out these brass and kept them as titular heads so the deflective “colonialism” lies they tell the ppl don’t start a riot. The ppl aren’t educated enough to tell many of these lies as they are, as ppl like he piss the money away and left schools in the dump. Y’all need dictator now as uk shown all elite are crooks, traffickers or both. Ports. Premier. All projects stained of fraud. No water. No sewer. Bad elec. unaffordable grocery. Healthcare for the drs interest. I could go on. Wait there’s a 1000 page doc on all this. So shhh. Bad boy take a time out. Hope you don’t get criminal charge for $50m gone into water by pier.

    Like 14
  14. Margret Thatcher says:

    Is this the same Mark Vanterpool that ran the BVI Ports Authority as a dictator when he was the Minister for Communication and Works?

    Like 12
    Dislike 2
  15. Licker and Sticker says:

    Markie Mark: “Sorry for my moment of honesty, guys. I don’t know what came over me. Just don’t bring up my skeletons. We ok?”

    Markie skills to keep a straight story receding like his hair line

  16. WEW says:

    Starting to become unhinged. A stroke is next.

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
  17. Inaction Man says:

    What I find strange is that Andrew called for a COi on the Pier Park Project and everything is being investigated except the Pier Park Project..

  18. The filibuster says:

    Trying to bore the public into disinterest.

  19. Mouth says:

    This Man need to returned to the LAND of his birth.

    Like 1
    Dislike 1
  20. Rubber Duck says:

    Desperate Dan. Everyday some new rant.

    What is he hiding?

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
  21. TurtleDove says:

    Mark you could have been a hero and help this young government craft good governance rules to follow. But instead you are inhibiting the process. Shame on you.

  22. Licker and Sticker says:

    They might find that cement was sent to ppls personal construction site as opposed to the pier park. They may also find other forms of cronyism and theifery that we can’t even begin to imagine

  23. lol says:

    Puppets have strings muppets have a hand up their rear…it could have been worse.

  24. Sherlock says:

    Leave Action man alone – he have the club by VC to run. Watch the hairline recede more..lol…the spot for Festival 2022

  25. Mark fill the damxxn form. says:

    This is my declaration. Salary $2,900, monthly, apt income $875.00 monthly. Property bank / loan payment $1,300 monthly,.Vehicle loan payment $465.00 monthly..Other income “No” Bank savings a monthly balance of 7 – 8 thousand….Signed- Office worker…How difficult is that. They need to comply fill the damxxn form and stop dodging and hiding and acting like they are really corrupt..

  26. Mestizo says:

    it is yours fault that today we have a set of puppets, I hope this puppets clean the mess you all did.

  27. YES TO UK says:

    @@Yes to UK I feel sorry for people like you your mind is so full of hate you cant think straight, you need a history lesson.

  28. Down island says:

    Down islanders are part of the oecs. Some of us are staying out of that. We do not “belong” Do not call on us Mr. V.

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