CRC can’t make Belongers eligible for office without residents’ say-so
Chairperson of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), Lisa Penn-Lettsome has advised that her team cannot update the next constitution to make Belongers eligible for elected office without the approval of residents.
Penn-Lettsome made the comment while responding to a resident who asked whether the Commissioners were considering making Belongers eligible for elected office in the next constitution.
She said the public must understand that they are the ones who must make that recommendation to the CRC if they want Belongers to run for office in the territory.
“It’s not for us to tell you what we want, our job is to put together a report with your recommendations. So if you are not happy with that existence term, we would encourage you to submit your comments online at www.yourconstitution.vg,” Penn Lettsome said at a recent public forum held to explain matters relating to the constitutional review process.
According to the BVI constitution, only Virgin Islanders – who have ancestral and cultural ties – can run for office. There have been calls from some sections of society to allow Belongers (those who’ve gained status through residence) to run for office since they contribute to the development of society. However, this has never been adopted in the BVI.
Back in 2019, the Foreign Affairs Committee in the UK House of Commons called for Overseas Territories (OTs) to phase out what has been described as ‘discriminatory elements’ of their Belongership status.
“We will continue to support and encourage consistent and open political engagement on Belongership and its territory-specific equivalents, whilst respecting the fact that Immigration decisions are primarily a matter for OT governments,” the British government had said at the time.
In the meantime, Fourth District Representative Mark Vanterpool has openly advocated for Belongers to run for elected office in the BVI. He said residents have shunned white locals who’ve expressed an interest in running for political office. But he said the BVI’s legislature should be representative of the diverse cultures and backgrounds of the people who contribute to the territory’s development.
She said the public must understand that they are the ones who must make that recommendation to the CRC if they want Belongers to run for office in the territory.
“It’s not for us to tell you what we want, our job is to put together a report with your recommendations. So if you are not happy with that existence term, we would encourage you to submit your comments online at www.yourconstitution.vg,” Penn Lettsome said at a recent public forum held to explain matters relating to the constitutional review process.
According to the BVI constitution, only Virgin Islanders – who have ancestral and cultural ties – can run for office. There have been calls from some sections of society to allow Belongers (those who’ve gained status through residence) to run for office since they contribute to the development of society. However, this has never been adopted in the BVI.
Back in 2019, the Foreign Affairs Committee in the UK House of Commons called for Overseas Territories (OTs) to phase out what has been described as ‘discriminatory elements’ of their Belongership status.
“We will continue to support and encourage consistent and open political engagement on Belongership and its territory-specific equivalents, whilst respecting the fact that Immigration decisions are primarily a matter for OT governments,” the British government had said at the time.
In the meantime, Fourth District Representative Mark Vanterpool has openly advocated for Belongers to run for elected office in the BVI. He said residents have shunned white locals who’ve expressed an interest in running for political office. But he said the BVI’s legislature should be representative of the diverse cultures and backgrounds of the people who contribute to the territory’s development.
