As the world shifts its focus from COVID-19 to racial injustice, particularly towards people of colour, Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie has said he never wishes to see the Virgin Islands become a place where public demonstrations have to take place because of racial inequality.

Calling on persons in the Virgin Islands who may have racial tendencies to immediately start working on themselves to ensure their mindset changes, Premier Fahie said the issue of equality must be a key component in crafting a reformed Constitution for the Territory.


A practical interpretation of what Mr. Fahie said is, in fact, a call for independence

Read it again: "Calling on persons in the Virgin Islands who may have racial tendencies to immediately start working on themselves to ensure that mindset changes" :-)

Do not get involved in racism- Premier

“I would hope that everyone who lives here- that is alleged to be along that way [racist]- would dismiss that. I don’t want to see the BVI become like what I am seeing in America and in other areas of the world, marching because of racism.

“I would say to everyone to not to get involved in it [racism] because I don’t look at anyone in terms of a race. I look in terms of everyone being human being, what comes from your heart.” (Don't be so ingenuous: who cares how you look at things while the subject all over the world is about how white people are looking down at YOU!)

Premier Fahie was at the time responding to the question whether he feels racism exists in the BVI while a guest on “The Big Story” aired on JTV last Friday evening, June 5, 2020.

Equality

Referencing what is currently taking place in the USA, where it is said everyone is equal, Premier Fahie said the USA’s system lacks equality, something that his government would want to see addressed when it moves to constitutional reform.

“When we look at America they say that everyone is equal but they did not make sure that there is equality within the equal and there is a difference.

“We want to show the whole world, not only financial services, not only in new industries in marines and other areas like tourism and other new areas that we will have, that we are someone to emulate we also want to show it in terms of relationships, in terms of respect for each other and we have to make sure that we do that in a mature way.”

Think beyond political party

Premier Fahie said that on the road to ensuring there is equality alongside being equal, the Territory would need to look beyond political parties and focus on the purpose.

“That Constitutional Review that we are coming up with, we have to be able to sit with the UK and say we respect you, we thank you, we are in this together but we are also maturing and there are some areas that the people want and the people have to push this Constitutional Review to make sure we stamp out racism, that we stamp out dictatorship.

Premier Fahie also emphasised that equality must be for everyone including the Governor.

Noting that he strongly believes there needs to be a Ministers’ and public service code, Premier Fahie said: “I firmly believe that in this 21st century there needs to be a Governor’s code because you cannot have an entity operating without some consequences for actions. That is not democracy in the 21st century.”

Governors should come from OTs

This he said is not the Territory of the BVI taking a stance against the UK but rather the BVI looking at things in a mature manner, “And that is not being disrespectful.”

Premier Fahie also noted that the time has come for the UK to allow persons from the Overseas Territories to be governors, “And choose about two or three or five persons from the OT’s and put them in the UK and train them how to become governors and let them become governors in different OT’s but not the one they are from."

Welcome back to school, Mr. Fahie

Ask yourself this simple question: Does the UK accept every BVIslander as a full and equal citizen, or as just as usual, as a second-class citizen?

Do not pretend that racism does not exist in BVI, because, like it or not, racism is the mother and the father of BVI. Either be thankful to the UK that thanks to the racism you are who and what you are; or, if you do not like it and believe that you can be and do much better, call it by its real name, as acknowledging the problem is the preliminary condition to work out a wise and peaceful solution.
I personally believe that BVI needs the UK with its built-in racism, more then UK needs BVI (if at all). I think this not because you are anything less than any white man (my personal belief is that blacks have many more good qualities than whites), but because endemic corruption does not let your people develop an independent economy, strong education, good health and broad prosperity. Not your personal corruption (this I don't know); but your government's traditional corruption (this I do know, as does everyone else).