Smith gave that justification during an interview with JTV News hours before being sworn in as Deputy Premier on Tuesday, April 25.

“At the end of the day, as I said earlier, the people spoke, they elected six people [from the VIP], and there was the need to form a government with at least seven persons,” Smith explained. “I also made promises to the people to move forward as fast as possible, and as I’ve said before, in their interest.”

The Deputy Premier said she remains passionate about fulfilling her promises to the electorate in a number of areas and highlighted several issues she wants to focus on in moving forward. These include improving the cost of living, minimising crime, and revitalising the territory’s economy.

Independent thinker

Smith, who began her campaign as an independent Territorial At-Large candidate, subsequently joined the National Democratic Party (NDP) platform before emerging as the second-most successful At-Large contestant at the polls with 3,578 votes.

In joining with the NDP, Smith said she had maintained her independence throughout and further emphasised that she felt certain that independent thinking was a trait that the NDP also embraced as well.

But even as she made a special appeal for residents to continue to work with her as a member of government, Smith assured persons that nothing has changed about her sense of independence since forming that new alliance with the VIP.

“Nothing has changed about me. Nothing has changed about my independent thinking. Nothing has changed about my passion to help or to serve the people of the British Virgin Islands,” she stated.