Stop blaming UK, let’s rule our own destiny
Former legislator Dr. Kedrick Pickering has urged Virgin Islanders to stop blaming outside forces for the territory’s challenges and instead take responsibility for charting their own destiny, even as he questioned the circumstances surrounding the removal of Acting Police Commissioner Jacqueline Vanterpool.
Speaking at a public demonstration at the Governor’s Office earlier this week, Dr Pickering said there was “something fishy” about Governor Daniel Pruce’s decision to revert Vanterpool to her role as Deputy Commissioner and appoint former Gibraltar Commissioner of Police Richard Ullger as interim commissioner. His comments came amid widespread public outrage over the move, which many residents have described as an affront to local leadership.
“I just read a letter that the governor wrote to Commissioner Vanterpool… If you read between the lines, the question is, what is not being said? Was this a set-up? Was it deliberate?” Dr Pickering told the crowd, drawing applause from supporters who said they felt the decision was unjust.
Still, Dr Pickering cautioned that Virgin Islanders must look beyond the current controversy and understand the broader constitutional issues at play. He reminded residents that the governor’s powers are rooted in the 2007 Virgin Islands Constitution, which dictates that he may consider but is not bound to the advice of local voices.
“Although we had fought hard to ensure that the governor would be bound by the advice of those councils (like the National Security Council), the UK representatives pushed back hard on it and said, he will only be subject to the advice, but doesn’t have to obey the advice. I want you to pay attention to that, because let us not be fooled into thinking the governor did anything outside of his responsibility or the power that is vested in him.”
At the same time, Dr Pickering reminded the community that the ongoing struggles with constitutional imbalance and external control will not change until Virgin Islanders themselves demand greater self-governance, something that he says the UK isn’t against and is absolutely within reach if the people want it.
“I’ve sat in meetings many times, and to be fair, I have never been in any meetings where I sense that the UK wants to hold us under colonialism. I’ve never seen that,” he said. “What I have seen is that they are telling you, as long as you remain under us, you have to do what we say. What that speaks to is that we as a people are the ones who have to make a decision to rule our own destiny.”
As proof that the Virgin Islanders can successfully lead themselves, the former legislator pointed to the steady progress over the past 75 years since the reintroduction of the Legislative Council, citing growth in education, tourism, and financial services. He questioned why, after decades of advancement, there are now efforts to “turn us back.”
But in his final remarks, Dr Pickering pressed for unity and self-determination rather than resentment. While acknowledging the passion behind the protests over the Vanterpool debacle, he challenged the society to channel its dissent into creating a brighter political future for the BVI.
“We have the ability. We have capacity. We have the know-how to take our country forward,” he said. “Whether you believe in self-determination, independence, all of that stuff — these are things that have to be discussed around our dinner tables, the schools, the churches. We’ve got to discuss these things because it is time for us to determine what it is we want for our country,” Dr Pickering said with much passion.
Copyright 2026 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
Pickering miss his rich white friends so bad that he would do and say anything to get re-elected. I guess now he finally understand that the rich, white people were only his friends because he had a ministry that could help him. A leopard does not change it spots. Remember that. I hear now that he got a job from VIP to travel as climate change czar. We all know how he loved to travel first class at the expense of the people. He is expected to run with the VIP in 2027.
BVI people if you all know what good for Ayo, leave Kedrick Pickering right where he is.
He wants to run with a non-confusion/professionally organized political party
Kedrick will run with the VIP as an Atlarge candidate and win hands down…..VIP always vote ALL THE WAY!
I want to know how much he spend on that property out ONB, let me see if I can “afford” a lot.
This man was in government for over 20 years and I can’t think of one single thing that I could say he did except saying that we can’t catch sharks.
No march over the cost of living,food ect you guys are insane
The UK are ready to give the people of the VI what they want and what is in the UN charter.
They just need to hear from the VI people through a referendum. The referendum our current leaders say the VI people are TOO DUMB for.
The UK are ready the UN are ready the people of the VI are ready. HOA13 and P487 are not ready.
Our leaders just can’t face the fact that the people of the VI will not give you what you want which is unfettered access to continuing greedy, corrupted, New Colonial style power.
The VI people want a Nation that works for them not an entitled elite. An elite that has grown since the days of H L Stoutt. Where there is no VIsion the people will perish under the weight of the elites SECRET corruption.
Vigilate
We have the ability. We have the capacity. But, we need the leaders to come forward to take our country forward. The nation for sure can not move forward while we have leaders like those in our HOA13 and a DICTATOR with 487 votes. It cannot move forward with the new wannabees that want to carry forward in that same old way.
All the people who pockets already lined with cash WANT THIS INDEPENDENCE badly lol. The rest of us will suffer greatly face it, especially the older politricktions who don’t care about the future. They care about now.
I makes complete sense to remain friends and to be amicable with the UK and with the British and to work along with the UK and with the British for a safe territory. The blame game does not make sense for both sides of the coin. Do you BVI Islanders want a country without an economy, infrastructure, law enforcement, medical and healthcare services, social services. You are better off building a country with a low crime rate and violence and low drug operations, guns and weapons everywhere. Don’t you BVI Islanders prefer the UK and the British government to continue to make the territory safe for everyone. Blaming each other does not make sense.
I never blamed the UK, I always blamed us. We are the ones stealing from us, we are the ones victimizing us, we have always been the ones, but we are also the ones that can fix things.