Who’s really opposed to the Deputy Governor chairing Cabinet?
This article has been updated.
Talk show host Claude Skelton Cline has named Deputy Premier Julian Fraser, Education Minister Sharie de Castro, and Works Minister Kye Rymer as the government members reportedly objecting to Cabinet meetings chaired by Deputy Governor David Archer.
Governor Daniel Pruce is currently away from the territory, and Archer has been directed to chair Cabinet meetings in his absence.
However, according to Skelton Cline, the ministers have raised objections to Archer’s role, citing constitutional provisions that state Cabinet meetings should be chaired by the Premier or Deputy Premier when the Governor is unavailable.
Education Minister, in the meanwhile, has categorically denied the claims, describing them as “false” and “inaccurate.” She indicated she has not had any absences because of any objections to Archer.
While acknowledging that the ministers may have a constitutional basis for their concerns, Skelton Cline argued that internal disagreements among leaders come at a cost to the territory, especially at a time when unity is critical.
“What we as Virgin Islanders cannot do at this time on our journey, with all the challenges we face, is constantly be seen fighting among ourselves at the expense of not being able to conduct the people’s business at the Cabinet level,” Skelton Cline said.
He further alleged that a recent Cabinet meeting and a sitting of the House of Assembly were impacted by the dispute. Still, he described the issue as minor and urged elected officials to prioritise cooperation.
“If a white person were appointed to be in that post, would you be carrying on the way you are? Here we are unnecessarily fumbling the ball,” he stated.
Skelton Cline also claimed that objections to the Deputy Governor chairing Cabinet meetings began under a previous administration, before Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley took office.
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Interesting, school children said he was getting ready to run on the VIP ticket next election, but they don’t even want him in the Cabinet, what interesting bedfellows.
Free the drew rip West Bank we need our independence no governor should even be in cabinet
West bank is jack in the box now and the dwe have to do All his time before he free u go look a job and stop trying to get drug money plant food
@Voter. What Devils
maybe mika barry?
The Virgin Islands political ruler ship is one of double standards and imperialistic conceit.
If the institution of democracy is designed for the people,why do the people of the territory have the opportunity to elect their head of state by choice?
And, why does an assigned Deputy cannot aspire to the governor ship position?
Just as the late Mr. Elton Georges, Mr. Archer has reached the pinnacle of his career and will ascend no further within the political governance model of this country.. Is that right?
Why can’t a local aspire to the highest office in his land? Is he a child of a lesser God? Do the tenets of democracy not apply to him? Obviously not.
Though there are those who are quiet comfortable with that undemocratic and antiquated political separation of power, there are those who see it as discriminatory.
There is nothing democratic about a political system where the top leader ship is controlled by external foreign entities. The country deserves better in the 21st century.
Hence, the time has come for the territory to look at and begin the process towards a greater ownership of its political existence and future.
The UK has hers. Why cant the Virgin Islands?
this dude can’t even run a lemonade stand much less a cabinet meeting
I’m so sick and tired of you all posting news that is false. It’s funny that you heard that Skelton-Cline says de Castro doesn’t go Cabinet but you didn’t hear him correcting himself and say that she goes 99% of the time. You all just like to drag people name in this little place.
Make Andrew Fahie our governor to compensate him for his lost salaries and opportunities while he is in prison….
David is not to be around … he needs to leave that post
Cabinet meetings are private, I wonder why does Claude Skelton Cline have access to privileged information especially if he is not a member of cabinet? DG sounds like a traitor and has a vendetta.
Section 37 of the Constitution states that when the office of Governor is vacant, or the Governor is absent from the Virgin Islands or unable to perform their functions, the Deputy Governor shall act as Governor and perform the functions of that office during His Majesty’s pleasure.
Section 49(1) addresses who preside over Cabinet meetings. It provides that the Governor shall, so far as practicable, attend and preside over Cabinet meetings. In the absence of the Governor, the Premier shall preside, and if the Premier is absent, the Deputy Premier takes the chair.
Those for the Deputy Governor chairing Cabinet cite Section 37, those against cite Section 49.
Which side is right?
It looks to me like s37 is general and s49(1) is specific, so 49(1) wins for me.
On the question of whether the DG is the right person to run anything, the jury are out…..
I guess we need to make sure that the next Constitution is no rushed so that we do not end up with these ambiguous situations.
Let’s leave it another 10 years and give everyone time to get the next constitution right instead of rushing it which we inevitatbly will do.
This country is tooo small for the bickering, the slander, the hypocrisy, the twisted lies
What kind of Christians are we?
Pastor using religion to hide behind his personal ambitions
Cabinet Ministers using love of country to hide behind racketeering
and corruption and cronyism
Heads of various departments hiding under indifference and lack of empathy to the plight of many
The typical responses in the public sphere:
“ I have not seen your paper work.”
“ I would check your file”
“ Resend the information “
“ This document is missing”
“ You need to complete”
“ Well it is still in the screening process.”
“ You would hear in one weeks time”
“Wait till you hear from us”
I have not seen your file there is nothing I can do”
“ Come back in two weeks time”
One hundred French men cannot be wrong
They don’t careless if you have to repay for the paperwork or
Have to take extra time from work to do the same thing
Do not have time to even check your file
Some files are there with the same information they ask you to go over
Want to ask questions to find ways to deny you support more than help.
The level of inconsideration dished out,
The way people are humiliated and squirm to get a bit of help is alarming. It is getting worse
And i can hear some say well leave i
The majority of those in position should realized we live in a global society whete movement is inevitable.
You know one of the things we can fight is ethno supremacists doctrine, it teaches that we are last and white people comes first, no wonder they live a white governor in opposition to a black governor, it is institutionalized, check the zbvi radio station and it has been so for all the colony UK held over the years, the radio brings white Jesus ideology first thing in the morning, then BBC news and news about the BVI last, do you think if the BVI news was to be broadcast in the UK it would ever come on first? So you see the ethno supremacists doctrine is practice throughout our lifetime as free people, here we hallow for it, this black deputy governor is infantilized by his own black BVI people, when the white governor return it’s going to be viewed as the savior returns.
We must stop this institution of colonialism by broadcasting BVI news first and BBC last and many other doctrine to change as we should stop looking to a white savior in church.
You do realise that the Governor’s boss’s boss is a black dude….. When everything else fails, make the argument about race…..