Minister for Culture Dr. Natalio Wheatley stands firm in his decision to reject the notion shared by some residents, to allow the United Kingdom government to temporarily take over the British Virgin Islands.
Dr. Wheatley made the comment during the Emancipation Day virtual service on Sunday August 1.
The comment follows the on-going Commission of Inquiry which is investigating whether corruption, abuse of office or other serious dishonesty may have taken place amongst public, elected and statutory officials in recent years.
The investigation has so far revealed a number of discrepancies in both the present and past governments, which has resulted in several public criticisms.
Dr. Wheatley urged residents not to be misguided by the COI investigations into thinking the territory require external control to improve good governance in the BVI.
Instead, he said emphasis should be placed on the territory working together, to further develop the existing institutions, while educating the people.
“Among some persons, disillusioned because of what they may perceive to be this society’s weaknesses, an ill-advised sentiment has crept into conversations: “Let Britain take over for a while.” My people, I reject this mentality with every fiber of my being. Let us continue the work of developing our institutions, and educating our people,” he stated.
“Let us use the tools of democracy, including public forums, responsible journalism, protest, debate, and even elections, but let us not surrender to the archaic and colonial tools that the world should have forgotten about long ago, such as takeovers, imposed legislation, and imposed administrators,” he added.
Unequal partnership between UK and BVI
Dr. Wheatley, who is also the deputy premier, spoke to the unfairness of the UK government calling a COI in the BVI when they themselves deferred a similar COI from occurring in the UK.
He said this speaks to an unequal partnership between the two countries.
“In addition to disease and natural disasters, we face threats to our ability to determine our destiny. The United Kingdom launched a commission of inquiry at a time when all our efforts should have been focused on saving lives and delivering progress for the people. The reality that the Prime Minister Johnson rejected calls for a Commission of Inquiry in the United Kingdom while allowing one to be imposed here speaks to the unequal partnership that exists with our administering power,” he stated.
“Any society placed under a microscope will have its flaws and weaknesses exposed, especially a society that has suffered great neglect and exploitation by its colonizer over hundreds of years. The United Kingdom like other societies is not immune to the alleged deficiencies being scrutinized here. The Guardian newspaper, a reputable publication from the United Kingdom published an article titled, “Under Boris Johnson, corruption is taking hold in Britain.” The subtitle reads, “Cronyism is rife, our system of checks and balances is being dismantled, and ordinary people will soon start to suffer.” That is just one article, but similar scathing claims can be made of the United States of America, Russia, China, and all throughout the world,” Dr. Wheatley further explained.