Smith defends U-turn on Junior Minister post
Junior Minister for Financial Services and Economic Development Lorna Smith has defended her decision to rejoin the Virgin Islands Party-led government months after declining a similar post following her removal as Deputy Premier.
Smith had previously said the junior minister position was “not acceptable” to her when Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley first made the offer last year. However, she said she reconsidered after serious reflection and another invitation from the Premier.
“I did say when I was offered the position of junior minister by the Premier that it was not acceptable to me,” Smith explained on the Talking Points show. “But I have thought long and hard about the matter, and he has asked me again to join the government and to assist the government with the many areas that require my support.”
Her return to government comes amid public scrutiny over why she returned to the government. Premier Wheatley previously suggested that Smith rejected the role of Junior Minister after being dismissed from Cabinet because of the timing of the incident. He cited personal and other issues she was dealing with at the time, including the loss of a close relative.
Addressing this, Smith said she made the decision based on the territory’s urgent needs and her desire to contribute meaningfully. “I believe that at this time, it should be all hands on deck,” Smith asserted.
She also clarified that her areas of responsibility—financial services, trade, and economic development—remained unchanged after her departure, which helped her decide to return. “There are areas in financial services—I might not be the best person in the world to deal with financial services—but I do know a lot about financial services that I could support the government on,” she said.
“Those areas were moving. There was a lot happening in financial services, in trade… and economic development,” she continued. “There was no change to them. And so I sort of, I don’t want to say jumped right back in, but I did.”
Smith noted that despite no longer holding a ministerial post, she had remained engaged in her areas of interest and continued working behind the scenes. “I had my reports and my work that I was doing,” she said.
Smith’s return to government comes at a critical time for the BVI, as the territory navigates mounting economic pressures and ongoing reforms stemming from recommendations in recent governance and criminal justice reports.
“When I decided to run for political office… I did say that I would serve the country to the best of my ability,” Smith said. “And so I will continue to do so for the next however many years.”
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I don’t know why you were there and why we needed a minister to be in charge of Financial Services. There are enough specialists in financial services. Furthermore if Mr. Mathavious was there he wouldn’t need you or consider you for such a role.just admit you miss the role of jet setting and of hobnobbing with the same white people that you all keep talking about and describing them as colonializers.
You were voted at large and you have failed the people miserably as you have only done thing in the interest of you and your family. We need politicians that care about the people
Looking at the confusion and lack of cohesion on the other side do you blame her? She made a political miscalulation and thought she would be able to organize those power hungry selfish individuals and quickly realized why she went over to the NDP in the first place. Her path to where she wants to go lies with VIP …..Vision Integriy Progress
Yes I blame her she said what she was going to do before election when she joined the party and you ask for an appointment she either ignore your request or make some excuse. The only thing she does is look out for her family Lorna doesn’t care for people she called the vip government childish as soon as she won she joined them Fraser Lorna and the vip only care about. Cronies and family the young people can’t find no jobs and if they try to make an appointment to see her she dismisses them.
Your fact checking is short on historical facts. Carry on!
@ Fact check ..boom there it is ogt cooked by the facts.
The At Large voting system and by extension the elected candidates is a big political failure.
These persons don’t come out into the community who elected them unless it is a political party event.
Corna Lady is the reason we have S!0wW@nde and the A$$C!0wn Brigade 2.0. She has caused too much damage in the same of self. That elitist needs to go home eat her oatmeal and take a nap….
She got one of my X last time,next time around if God spare my life , she will not get any from me.
She better go with the VIP because she will not be getting any vote from me either.
she better enjoy it because she won’t get back in again
She shouldn’t be re-elected again.
Keep selling out to the trust company management aka the white folks and think we ain’t notice.
Lawsuit soon come
Look. Bottom line is the family, Mark , Lorna, and E* have to be always in the mix of politics.
You hot your famous racist yello site where you constantly bad mouthing people to satisfy your du ego / and we understand you craving attention , but please stay over there , this is 2025 and you still using different names like -fact check – check yourself ,- xxxx – she don’t need your x , – resident- now you are a psychic like ( csc ) both of you will make a good pair , – sell out – you already sold your soul
To the devil, so hush ,- ha – yeah rite, you would know / and stop using cindy’s name , you are not in her class / all you do is write a whole set of duplicitous
lyrics and then turn around
and blogg to whatever sh*t you
write just to create controversy /
it’s called deception / you criticizes this site , but yet you cannot keep off it and you blogging the most sh* t on it , go back in your cave and play with your WIG
The lady is saying )> this will give the WIGGED canary on the his yello site something to sing about , am a real woman ( what are you ? )
Seems like she is only ever working for herself. Such a shame.
Stay on your yellow and black bumble bee color web site and stop trolling the bloggers, blogging on this site you narcissistic bullying conniving cobra snake. Your cards have been peeped a long time ago. You think you are so damn smart but you are going self destruct on your own. Don’t let that cobra snake slighter up in HOA.
Ms. Lorna, this is not personal nor do I have anything against you. I see some of you heading towards THE POLITICAL SUICIDE DOOR.