Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, May 11, 2025

‘I will lead resistance’ against UK threats, coercion of direct rule- Premier Wheatley

‘I will lead resistance’ against UK threats, coercion of direct rule- Premier Wheatley

Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has vehemently rejected the neo-colonialist nature of the relationship with the United Kingdom (UK) and the threat to suspend the constitution and take away democracy from the Virgin Islands (VI).

In a press conference today, October 7, 2022, the Premier lashed out against the concept of direct rule in the 21st century as the need to lead a resistance against forcing reform without the people of the VI and taking power and putting in the hands of those who are not elected.

Suspension of VI Constitution


“Everybody should be worried about the concept of our constitution being suspended because, of course, it's a reality… The Order in Council is there. There was a recommendation from Sir Gary Hickinbottom that our constitution be suspended. The concept has not been completely abandoned, everybody should be concerned about it,” he said.

Dr Wheatley added, “but what we cannot do… we cannot be implementing reforms based on coercion or force, that's something I reject completely. So when I go through this reform process, I'm being true to the process,” he said.

The Premier added that he wants to dialogue with the people of the Virgin Islands, as they see areas that need to be reformed for a long time.

Governor John J. Rankin, CMG on October 4, 2022, raised concerns over slow progress in some areas of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) reforms in the Virgin Islands (VI) under the “Framework for Implementation of the Recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry Report and Other Reforms” (“the Framework document”), being led by the Government of National Unity.

Governor John J. Rankin, CMG on October 4, 2022, raised concerns over slow progress in some areas of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) reforms in the Virgin Islands (VI) under the “Framework for Implementation of the Recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry Report and Other Reforms” (“the Framework document”), being led by the Government of National Unity.


VI people must be involved in the process


Premier Wheatley’s contention; however, is that the people of the VI must also be involved in the reform process and be informed of changes.

“Going through reform for me is not a challenge, is not a problem. I think it's the appropriate thing to do to reform, but we must reform based on what the people want to see, and of course, we have to educate people, we have to allow persons the opportunity to have a dialogue, we have to give them the information and trust them to make the right choice and to communicate that to their representatives,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Premier has spoken out that he remains completely against the concept of direct rule and suspension of the constitution in the VI as a flawed concept; however, he said he doesn’t believe the governor's concerns will lead to suspension of the constitution.

“I don't suspect that anything that has taken place thus far will lead to the suspension of the constitution if I had to give my opinion… but I'm saying even the concept of seeking to suspend our constitution is something I don't agree with and I think that we the people need to stand up and send a message,” Dr Wheatley added.

Resistance against Direct Rule


Dr Wheatley assured that without a doubt he will lead and continue leading the resistance against the flawed concept of suspending the constitution.

"And that's been happening already… there was a recommendation to suspend the Constitution and then we went into action and as you can see, it's not suspended, but that's not enough."

The Premier added, “to be coerced or forced into any type of action is unacceptable and that's something that I also will lead the resistance on,” he added while calling for the voice of the people in the process.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
×