While appearing on the Honestly Speaking radio show yesterday, Malone discussed research commissioned by the United Nations, which showed that residents of several overseas territories under the United Kingdom’s (UK) rule are not inclined towards gaining independent status.

“It is said that the UK has felt that whether it is Bermuda, Turks and Caicos, Caymans, BVI, Anguilla, Monserrat; it does not seem as if there’s any appetite by the majority of the population to go that other step,” Malone said.

He added: “They would rather stay as British Overseas Territories, without removing the particular governor as the one who represents the queen and the UK.

The radio show’s host, Claude Skelton Cline then pressed Malone about his thoughts on the conclusions of the research.

“I’m saying if you put it to the vote today, we fail,” Malone replied. “We fail because the governance of our people, by our people… our people don’t trust us to do this.”

‘UK pushing a false narrative’

Malone further said the UK has been peddling a narrative which he said is to blame for the mistrust. The first-term legislator also suggested that there was some complicity on the part of Virgin Islanders in coming to that state.

“So we have a duty today to let our people know that this is a false narrative,” he argued. “We can get ourselves pulled together, we have the gravitas … to go and make it right.”