Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

CoI: VI has always been a reactive society - Angelle A. Cameron

CoI: VI has always been a reactive society - Angelle A. Cameron

Former Mrs BVI and ‘My BVI’ talk show host, Angelle A. Cameron has called on Virgin Islanders to stop being reactive, and rather, be proactive towards issues affecting the territory.

Mrs Cameron was at the time speaking at the June 6, 2021, edition of the Honestly Speaking radio show alongside host Claude O. Skelton-Cline and guest Shaina M. Smith-Archer on the topic of the Commission of Inquiry.

CoI & attitudes of Virgin Islanders


Regarding the CoI, Skelton-Cline remarked that one religious leader had told him, “the bee that stings is also the bee that produces honey.”

Referencing the Great March of 1949, he underscored that the CoI could be a work of God, to shake Virgin Islanders who would otherwise not believe the UK does not have their best interest at heart until they see what is next.

Mrs Angelle A. Cameron was at the time speaking at the June 6, 2021, edition of the Honestly Speaking radio show alongside host Claude O. Skelton-Cline.


Does the UK have our best interest?


There have long been sentiments that the UK does not have the best interest of the VI at heart, including due to its attempts to force the VI to have ‘Public Registers’ which could severely hamper the financial services industry, as well as wanting the VI to legalise gay marriages.

The Virgin Islands generates its own revenue and does not rely or receive monies from the UK to meet its annual budgetary commitments.

When Hurricane Irma ravaged the Virgin Islands in September 2017, the UK refused to assist the Virgin Islands with significant financial assistance to aid in its recovery but instead only offered a loan guarantee, while refusing to make adjustments to the Protocols for Effective Financial Management to allow the territory to access significant loans without violating the protocols.

Premier Fahie has refused to sign the loan guarantee unless the adjustments to the protocols are put in writing. There are reports that the UK is upset about the Premier's refusal.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started to seriously impact the Virgin Islands economy in March 2020, the Government of the Virgin Islands made a request to the UK for a grant to help persons made unemployed as a result of stringent measures to fight the virus.

Ex-Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert responded that the VI was capable of financing its own initiative and that it had ‘healthy reserves and the Social Security Board Fund is very robust’. Mr Jaspert had noted too that the United Kingdom was also facing its own challenges due to the impact of the pandemic.

Interestingly, while the UK was unwilling to help the VI financially it was willing to finance a Commission of Inquiry into the VI in the height of the pandemic while its own [UK] government has dodged a CoI into its own management of the pandemic, citing that the pandemic was an inopportune time.

The current UK government has been labelled by its own parliamentarians and press as one of the most corrupt governments. Its Prime Minister and buddy of Mr Jaspert, who was recently given a job by ‘Boris’, continues to be accused of corruption, telling lies and cronyism and investigations have been launched into some of the allegations.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started to seriously impact the Virgin Islands economy in March 2020, the Government of the Virgin Islands made a request to the UK for a grant to help persons made unemployed as a result of stringent measures to fight the virus. Ex-Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert responded that the VI was capable of financing its own initiative and that it had ‘healthy reserves and the Social Security Board Fund is very robust’.


More proactive VI - Ms Cameron


Using the bee analogy, Cameron responded that the VI has several ‘stings’ which has prompted people to move towards change; however, that precursor may not be the best call to action.

“If we aren't careful, we are currently repeating that history. So that stinging, I can believe that because unfortunately or fortunately we have always been a people who don't move unless there has been some upset or sting of sorts.”

According to Ms Cameron, even in 1949 and beyond there was a ‘sting’, and that has always been the precursor for persons to make moves, “I want to get to the point where that's not where we are. That we are proactive and not reactive.”

According to Ms Cameron, as the territory modernises it should not be repeating the same steps of VI’s forefathers, but rather, making new steps that will benefit future generations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
×