“In the last election, I took the time to throw licks on the then government regarding these same kinds of matters, and in the words of Ronald Reagan… here we go again,” Skelton-Cline said on the January 18, 2022, edition of his radio show.

Calling out the hiring of an expat to head the BVI Airport Authority (BVIAA), Skelton-Cline questioned, ‘You mean to tell me that we don’t have no locals that’s qualified to be the head of the BVI Airports Authority?”

He said poor or no local response to advertised vacancies is no excuse for not finding Virgin Islanders to fill key jobs.

“When you have these key positions in your country, you don’t wait for locals to apply, you do some headhunting. You seek out persons from amongst your own. Make sure they get in the process and have first opportunity to hold the highest post in this country!” he said.

According to the Claude O. Skelton-Cline, the government must be unapologetic in ensuring that Virgin Islanders get hired in key positions, especially ones that have national security implications.

VI keets 'dropping the ball' - Skelton-Cline

He said the hiring of non-locals in key position is a fumble, and further likened the hiring of expats to exporting money out of the county, "how is it we keep dropping this ball over and over again?"

“I love all of our regional brothers and sisters… [but] we don’t have no virgin Islanders? I know we do, I am certain that we do,” he added.

According to the man of the cloth, the government must be unapologetic in ensuring that Virgin Islanders get hired in key positions, especially ones that have national security implications.

“I am disappointed, I am disgusted… I don’t care which government it is, Virgin Islanders should have first right in the Virgin Islands to hold the highest office in the Virgin Islands,” Skelton-Cline said.