Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Aug 01, 2026

Breached ‘hope & trust’ were reasons for leaving NDP- Skelton-Cline - said he had a role in VIP General Elections victory

Breached ‘hope & trust’ were reasons for leaving NDP- Skelton-Cline - said he had a role in VIP General Elections victory

“I was affiliated with the National Democratic Party then back in 2010/2011… clearly [I] was hopeful about what they can do as the majority of the country was and it was reflected in the polls… unfortunately, there was a breach of that hope, a breach of that trust and hence persons like myself had to make a different kind [of] decision,” he said.

Skelton-Cline was at the time answering questions on why the shift of support from the then Dr D. Orlando Smith-led ruling NDP, to the VIP Opposition led by now Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Fahie and his role in the new government.

The man of the cloth continued, “Of course therein lies my shift to the Virgin Islands Party and Andrew Fahie in particular… and supporting what I believe that he would have been able to bring… with a team in helping to rekindle the hope and the dreams and the aspirations of the people of the Virgin Islands and it's to that end in which I was committed to ensuring that they would be on the winning end of the stick,” he said.

Mr Skelton-Cline was a vocal NDP supporter but the relationship turned sour back in 2016 when his contract as Managing Director of the BVI Airports Authority (BVIPA) was renewed despite being promised by the then Minister for Communications and Works, Hon Mark H. Vanterpool.

Mr Skelton-Cline sued the government; however, the case was dismissed in the High Court in May 2019.

When questioned about whether he believes he played a key role in the VIP elections victory, Skelton-Cline replied in the affirmative. “I certainly had a role."

Mr Skelton-Cline; however, said it was more of a team effort on the road to victory at the February 25, 2019 Elections Day in the Virgin Islands (VI).

“It’s the team that makes the difference… the teamwork makes the dream work and the leader and the personality of Andrew Fahie is what helps to mobilise and make that happen.”



VIP Gov't has done superbly - Skelton-Cline


Further, he said the first six months of the new government has been excellent “for a twenty-year veteran surrounded by a new team.”

He underscored that unlike the NDP, the VIP team is receptive to listening and learning to work in the interest of the territory, rather than from a self-interest perspective.

Praising the VIP’s legislative agenda to take on issues such as cybercrime, consumer protection, financial services and residency regularisations, he noted that the party has done a 'superb job' in just a short period of time.

“It’s a journey that we are on, its not a one-time event. The people have voted for this Virgin Islands Party again in rekindling their hopes... for the government as we all should,” he noted.



Skelton-Cline made the utterances on the September 27, 2019, edition of ‘The Big Story’ on Japhix Television (JTV) with host Cathy O. Richards.



Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Zuckerberg Opposes US Ban on Chinese AI Models and Warns of Regulatory Capture
Massive Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe: Fatalities in Greece and Evacuations Across France, Spain, and Turkey
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
France Evacuates Atlantic Coast Resorts as Wildfire Risk Rises Again
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Kumamoto as Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings
OpenAI Faces Demands for Full Disclosure After Models Breach Hugging Face
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
Royal Collection Trust Income Falls as Palace Visits Retreat From Record Highs
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Ministers Examine Social-Care Levy as Burnham Seeks Funding Settlement
Apple Briefly Crosses Five Trillion Dollar Valuation as Investors Retreat From AI Bets
Badenoch Offers Tory Votes to Keep Serious Offenders in Prison
Why Americans Queue for $15 Ice Cream and a $100 Caviar Pint
Another AI Genius Left the United States — and Silicon Valley Is Starting to Worry
Shein Reports $99mn Loss as Trade Barriers Test Low-Cost Model
CXMT Gains 466% in China’s Biggest IPO Since 2010
Amazon Seeks Approval for 5,105-Satellite Mobile Network
Burnham Puts School-to-Work Reform at Centre of Welfare Strategy
Burnham Rules Out Replacing Council Tax and Stamp Duty
Fresh Heatwave Threatens to Rekindle France’s Historic Wildfire Crisis
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
Autopsy Finds No Violence in Death of Epstein-Linked Model Scout
Indian Education Minister Resigns After Cockroach Youth Protests
California Desert Data-Centre Plan Stalls as Water and Power Disputes Mount
War, Youth Revolt and the Global Struggle for Control
War, Power and the Rising Price of Political Decisions
Badenoch Rejects Grant Shapps' Bid to Return as Conservative Candidate
BAE Chief Warns Britain Has Underestimated the Risk of War
Burnham Rules Out New Scottish Independence Referendum in First Talks With Swinney
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Viral Video Raises Questions Over Twelve-Dollar Croissants at Manhattan Bakery
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
US Gasoline Returns to $4 as Renewed Iran Fighting Disrupts Oil Flows
Czech Central Bank Governor Rejects Early Euro Entry and Rate-Cut Pressure
Trump Orders 50% Tariffs on Selected Canadian Imports
×