Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Jul 06, 2025

I Am Afraid Of A 1949 Repeat- Skelton-Cline Begs CoI To Assess BVI Holistically

I Am Afraid Of A 1949 Repeat- Skelton-Cline Begs CoI To Assess BVI Holistically

Claude Skelton-Cline beseeched Commissioner of the ongoing UK-backed Commission of Inquiry (CoI) Sir Gary Hickinbottom to conduct a holistic assessment of the BVI, one that would go beyond the grilling of politicians, public servants and private citizens, before submitting his report and recommendations on findings of the CoI.
Skelton-Cline’s words came moments before he departed from giving evidence to the CoI on Monday, October 4.

He expressed that the current Westminster system does not work for the territory and stated that the BVI should not be viewed in the same context as the UK or another major country.

“We know each other, we live with each other, we have breakfast, lunch and dinner with each other, and so I am afraid based upon what I’ve heard so far that there is an assessment, a judgement being had to kind of make it very murky and almost corruptible, that something must be going on because these people are so close,” he said.

He continued: “That’s the nature of the small footprint we living in and what I am afraid of, that no matter what recommendations you bring, sincere and earnest as they may be, they are going to be plugged into a very system that simply is not going to work."

Skelton-Cline went on to urge, "there must be another road map, another way forward in which we could move but coupled with that, that road map has to come from the people within. It can’t be a road map that is imported because what you will discover is the minutes amount of animosity, resistance that would result, and it need not be that way.”

He then urged Hickinbottom to gather a group of “well-meaning, a cross-section of private citizens to say or provide them with an opportunity for an alternative structurally, because in my ecclesiastical term, there is a structural sin that is this current system.”

“It has been very disconcerting for me to see my brothers and sisters coming here having to nuance their relationships with each other, who is your friend, who is your acquaintances. It's sheer madness it doesn’t work, and it does not speak to where we are and when you take that into the whole because I don’t see anybody winning in the current trajectory, the UK or us.”

In response, the Commissioner said the CoI has been set up in the public interest, and the public interest is the interest of the people of the BVI; “that’s why I am here.”

He added: “My findings will be made on the evidence they will not be made on anything else. My conclusions will be drawn from those findings, and I will make recommendations that I consider firstly to address the problems as I identify them and also they will result in better systems, better results for governance for the people of the BVI."

Sir Gary added, "that is my job; I do not accept the premise of what you just said, which is whatever recommendation I make, that things will be worse when I leave these islands than when I came.”

Skelton-Cline replied that the Commissioner misunderstood what he said and explained what his words meant.

“I am saying that the country will fall back into the same run because it is the same system. The recommendations at its best, becomes just mundane…I want you to hear me and understand outside of what is your remit, there is something bigger happening here in which you, as commissioner can play your role," Skelton-Cline said.

He continued: "It may not be part of your mandate, it may not be what you’ve come for, but I do want to invite you to at least put on a new set of lens in which to see a bigger picture as it relates to the destiny of these islands as which you can play a more positive, impactful role as your recommendations will go to the Governor and then go up to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office."

He then said the BVI was built by its people, and he urged the Commissioner to visit some of the territory’s historical sites and, while there, imagine what it might be for a black man or a black woman in that space.

“To gain an appreciation for where we are now because there’s more here that’s at stake than the recommendations that will come from the CoI. What we are going to see a retrograde move back into our people of this country. I am terribly afraid of a repeat of 1949, and so that’s why I am simply asking,” Skelton-Cline added.

The march in question was led by Isaac Fonseca, Carlton de Castro, and Theodore Faulkner.

This demonstration was what paved the way for political and constitutional growth after the people were not happy about the then political system.

They signed a petition, and the Legislative Council was restored, followed by the first General Elections in 1950.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×