Some locals wanted land for indigenous Virgin Islanders only
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said he felt it was right to make land accessible to all Belongers, not just indigenous Virgin Islanders, as some residents had requested during consultations.
Speaking in the House of Assembly recently, Dr Wheatley highlighted the complexities surrounding land distribution and the rights of new Belongers compared to those who came before them.
One of the most contentious issues in the public consultations was defining who qualifies as a Belonger eligible for land grants. Many residents advocated for land to be reserved exclusively for indigenous Virgin Islanders.
Dr Wheatley explained that while the constitution provides land access rights to all Belongers, it is crucial to consider the tenure and integration of individuals into the community when making grants. He noted, “Someone who just became a Belonger yesterday should not be looked at the same way as someone who’s been in the line for a long time.”
The Premier stressed the importance of land as a critical asset for building a sustainable nation. He referenced Malcolm X, stating that land is the basis for independence, and explained that land ownership has always been a cornerstone of Virgin Islanders’ identity and independence.
Dr Wheatley also acknowledged the historical significance of land, arguing that Virgin Islanders, descended from enslaved people, paid for their land through their “blood, sweat, and tears” and that land ownership was a proud achievement that differentiated them from many other post-slavery societies.
To address these concerns, Dr Wheatley stressed the need for specific criteria in the bill to protect the rights of those with ancestral land claims.
“We have to make sure that there is a carve-out in the bill for those persons who have claims to ancestral lands. They just cannot be opened up to whoever may come,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of preserving the land for future generations and preventing arbitrary distribution.
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All this means nothing – you will do what you want to do anyway. Talk here, is all we can do well.
Not even sure how you would describe an indigenous BVIslander simply because under the true definition they’re none left!
You lie. there are lots
Show me an Arawak or Carib.
But it is ours and ayo want to come here and fight us for it
My family bought all the land they have. And some people believe they deserve land for free. SMH
When yo look these ministers give land out to lpovers like what they did with our covid and social security grant
NO WONDER HE WAS ABSENT FROM THE DEBATE
There are no black indigenous BVIslanders.
Go find them
If you believe the lies we were told for history the answer is no. But if you know the truth the answer is yes. The whiteman is not indigenous to Europe either.
I didn’t know the indigenous were still around. Caribs! Arawaks! Where you at?
weren’t the “indigenous” people nomads from South America e.g. they were not permanent? In Columbus journal there are references to Africans trading gold with said “indigenous” people. So to say there are no african “indigenous” people is disingenuous. Those of us that can trace our people back to these islands to the 1800’s have more validity than said nomads.
This is where the problem comes in! If the people say this is what they want, then you do what the people want! You were not elected to do what you want to do, you were elected to do exactly what the people tell you they want to do, whether or not you agree personally! These politicians think that whatever they say is what goes.
Which people are you talking about, voters? All Belongers vote, whether they are newly minted or have Belonged for generations.
done sell the country but want talk piss
There is a lot of prime land been sold and remains undeveloped. This is holding back the economy of the BVI where land is a premium and people are sitting on land and doing nothing with it. Restaurants and other business are squeezed into a small building which is not suitable for their needs but all that is available. So the bigger picture is if you have land and not developing it, then give it back to the government so that it can be developed. This will kick start the economy
Give back land? You mad? Does the term generational wealth mean anything to you?
you must be joking , so someone who becomes a belonger can now get free land, name another country in the world where such luncay exists?
Italy encouraging people
Claim two different things in the same article. You can’t be both!??
This man is a danger to these VI ,it’s people and future.
He is DANGEROUS and a lunatic.
We must do something.
What indigenous Virgin Islanders
“Someone who just became a Belonger yesterday should not be looked at the same way as someone who’s been in the line for a long time.”
Enshrining more discriminatory behaviour in our laws contrary to the Human Rights convention. Hmmm.
well i thought the land belong to the crown
I think, now, is the time to set quotas- in terms of acreage,hectares, etc- that newly minted Belongers, can acquire!
No need for rancor about this!
Let the people decide on a quotient, and make it into law!
Indigenous but that is pure foolishness, why would you listen to people like that from the stone age?
It also sounds racist.
If you are a BELONGER and here for 20 years you should get the same benefits. This is why we get in trouble because of envy, badmind & lack of thinking more than one step ahead.
We dont share out fair but had past governments did that… share the gravy across the board to all Belonger’s and to a lesser extent residents, white black red whoever qualified…
Then the whole territory would be rioting to end the COI or it wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
No one would call it corruption if everyone received system wide, with basic infrastructure in pristine condition.
Note basic infrastrucure, Roads, clean public bathrooms, a library. Not govt favorite… wasteful pretty pretty projects $1m a piece.
If we just did that right… the illegal immigrants would be running for documentation, and skilled workers would stay here 20 years to sip the gravy as part of our family.
Every documented Belonger & resident should be getting XYZ benefits automatically after they qualify. No more cronyism.
Problems solved.
so how much more gullible can ve get.the people of this country grandparents and foreparents fought and bleed for this country and we want a share of what they work for?? is this what you’re saying because you were granted belonger status ??listen people try find a way of getting this government out of office I beg please. this is the worst nonsensical comments are reading about.so they give us belonger status so we need your land now.my God my God why have you allow us to vote for these people. this is the people them land it’s not much land in the first place and now we want equal share. my people wake up .if we manage to buy a piece am happy with that but don’t come here looking to take these people land .wrong government in office. Frazer and roni do something say something. crown lands should only be for indigenous Virgin Islanders.
Im a local. I didn’t earn any belongership I just know right from wrong. You earn your stripes and thats, you are one of us now. If only government did this we would be closer to independence.
If only a few people get naturally ‘it’ will get cut off as the tables flip.
If everyone gets as a unit/ as a territory, everyone will fight for the country & we wont have to worry about the tables flipping on us as a minority.
UK could come and justify give UK people voting rights with how we are being unfair towards nation building.
Im a Kalinago/Carib that born right here on Tortola to Vincentian perants so we Indigenous people still around
here we go, the one with the most rights, the people God inhabited to the region speaks, what you saying now
? See if we have to really look at things the way it should be really looked at we would not like it. The Solution is to live in peace and harmony. Just do the right, that’s all. Multiply the amount of expatriates to the amount of money into work permits, then exemptions get the sum. Then get the sum multiply by the Tax, NHI, and SSS then get the sum. Isn’t that a nice amount that helps carry the weight of the country? Why no fairness must be given to those who contributed, even at a higher percentage (60%)? Not saying that consideration must not be given, but nothing at all? smh
My People, Now you all see why they wanted me and Carvin gone so they could give away our Country.
I am not surprised. I must admit that I am partly to blame for selecting a little Boy to do a Man’s Job.
I am so disappointed that I am feeling more sick about this than my predicament. Shame on my Colleagues especially the two Cousins. Pray my People Pray.
I agree to be careful that you don’t get flooded with people overnight and give them land, Wheatley you have just been to the SIDS conference in Antigua, am sure you notice some placard protest along the conference route, it’s about lands, fragile ecological lands of Barbuda been taken by force while the barbudans experience the same irma category hurricane like BVI where cars and containers were flying, the prime minister plea a facade with them to come shelter Antigua which weren’t hit, then he got the police and army to shoot to kill if they return while he surveyed and divide up the the lands for rich white people and himself, so the barbudans wanted SIDS to know of the mangroves and swamp destroyed by PLH for golf course and rich white people house, with them getting jobs as gardeners and maids, so Wheatley the Malcolm x statement that land is independence I concur with, it is not discriminating to hold the lands for indigenous BVI people, some don’t even know the amount of reclaim lands that forms the cay. And those offshore islands stop selling them to white people to create their own Jim crow enclave, did you not read how Epstein took under age girls to his usvi private island? Pull yourself together and step away from political power cannibalism and allow others to carry the torch or else you will be force to make concession to all new belongers for votes, by giving them lands, allow others to help with the fight, become a pan African.
We should a discriminatory system with 7 tiers:
1. Visitors
2. Work Permit holders
3. Work Permit exempt
4. Residents
5. Belongers
6. Indigenous belongers
7. Members of the HOA, family and friends
control land development. No covenants = Zero land value. Without covenants I can open my heavy equipment repair shop adjacent to your multi million dollar hillside villa.
Also the BVI government can burn all the garbage they want with no regard for the smoke pollution on the adjacent land and downwind of the fires.
Good point and zoning between residential and commercial.
Indigenous meaning descendants of slaves .. born on the plantations of the BVI is established
You know why this problem will go on for donkey years
The indigenous people their descendants too badminded. They do not give their children what they have to help themselves they dead and leave their children to fight and go to court over what they have
Indigenous descendants of slave
Have cousins fighting over lands for years in court relatives dead abd nothing is resolved and the family fighting continued so decedents os slave from other islands marry into the indigenous here and father children with outside people and the fight continue
Meanwhile Europeans , Asians and others are busy achieving under your nose
Badmindnesd have the country in this state
Yall need to stop about the Taino Carib Arawak people are the only indigenous people here. Pure nonsense. Indigenous changes based on the demographic of the core people now inhabiting the land. The core of the current and recent population are descendants of African slaves. Yes there are a handful of Indian descendants still left here but that group is not who populated the BVI. That group is not who bled and fought and died for the BVI to become what it is now. The BVI is not as a result of these Indian people like some other Caribbean countries.
Indigenous does not mean “first”. If so then let’s give the cavemen the title of indigenous as they were even before the Indians.
People throwing around the word “discrimination” when we indigenous locals try to protect OUR lands and territory that our forefathers fought for. But in so doing you expats are actually wanting to discriminate against us by saying that we should give up our birthright!
50 years ago nobody wanted anything to do with the BVI. All of a sudden yall want to have piece of BVI. Why? Because of the sweat, blood, tears and fight of these indigenous people and our forefathers. NOW yall want to come into our house and fight us for our own things?
Somebody born here yesterday should have the same rights as my children who are 7th or 8th generation Virgin Islander? Pure BS Myron and Natalio talking! Stout, Tomah, Skelton, Wheatley, Penn, Lettsome, Chinnery, Maduro and more are the names that are NOW indigenous people of these Virgin Islands. These names can trace their lineage back at least 5 generations. These are the indigenous people based on the current demographic of the inhabitants of the land. The Indians may have been before them and the Cavemen may have been first, but these names s and family and bloodlines are indigenous and should not be tested the same as someone who just migrated here or just born here.
Respect our birthright please!
Right on truth.
MOST REVOLUTIONS THE WORLD OVER HAS BEEN OVER LAND.
When ever it comes down to Black people, their rights and right to exist, there are always those seeking to diminish their worth, rights, value and belongingness.
As a precursor of Homo sapiens, people of African ancestry were here and there from the beginning of Homo sapiens’ existence.
Black people are the founders of all ancient human civilizations. The history of humanity is predominantly history of black people.
Hence, the reason there are no recorded evidence of Black people being here in as precusors to the Carib and Arawak , even though they were, is because they were systematically written out of that history with the advent of colonialism.
However, it is believed that such evidences are still in existence deep in the corridors of the UK, EU and vatican vaults.
Russian documents and proof are in their Archives and they have acknowledged this fact.
Yes Mam/Sir:
Absolutely correct. I am very much aware.
Thanks for sharing that tid. bit of historical fact.
lookup the hull bay skeletons
He’s right
I mean when they get usa rights they the full rights
Is either u are Belongers or u not
Someone who just became a Belonger yesterday should not be looked at the same way as someone who’s been in the line for a long time.”
According to this quote my understanding is that natalio is saying that a just come belonger should not be afforded the same land oppurtunity as a bloodline long time belonger.?? So whats the fuss is about??
Someone who just became a Belonger yesterday should not be looked at the same way as someone who’s been in the line for a long time.”
Yo all read this .. it sounds like he is saying exactly what you guys want??
A just come belonger cant be seen as a long standing belonger?? So whats the issue he is right wait in line.
Make the invester a Belonger today and give them the Crown Land tomorrow. Collect $200 then pass go. Easy work easy money.