Hon. Myron V. Walwyn hints at Independence
The Premier, at the first sitting of the second session of the second House of Assembly held on September 3, 2012, had made an emphatic statement that he will not consider independence. Dr Smith had said “No!” when asked whether government is seeking or would be seeking independence. The question was posed by First District Representative Honourable Andrew A. Fahie.
During his address to the 208 students who recently graduated from the H Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC), Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn had challenged the graduates to start thinking of constitutional advancement.
“At some point in our future our Territory will be looking towards further constitutional advancement. Our history shows that there are steady advancement politically culminating now with our new constitution of 2007. And just as a child matures they would come a time when they would leave the comfort and shelter of one’s parents, and the time will come when we as a Territory here in the Virgin Islands must leave the comfort and shelter of our historical parents and we must have the confidence and competence to take our county forward in the best interest of all,” said Hon. Walwyn.
The Education Minister also told the graduates that the shift in this global economy has placed a new premium on competence and “it is competence at the end of the day that really matters” as he spoke to the task that is ahead of the graduates. “It is competences that would assure the future posterity of these Virgin Islands, we must focus on being competent. Your focus and knowing your craft better than the person sitting next to you or the persons who may be oceans away from you, your focus on being exceptional and practicing excellence in every area of your profession, that is how we build a culture of excellence and a country that is successful.”
“Graduates of the class of 2013, I say to you, looking at the age of the average of all the graduates under this tent, you are the ones that would have to lead the charge,” he also stressed.
The first recorded instance that gives the impression that the NDP government is divided on the subject was at the August 2012 Emancipation Celebration ceremony in Road Town when Minister for Communications and Works and Fourth District representative Honourable Mark H.Vanterpool had called for the Virgin Islands to begin discussions locally that will lead to self-governance, rather than depending on guidance and instructions from the UK.
The Minister had told the public that after 178 years since the declaration of the Emancipation of slavery, the Territory is still not free to determine its own destiny in this day and time of our history.
Fifth District Representative Hon. Delores Christopher had also joined in the chorus of calls for independence in stating that it is an inevitable development in the growth of the Virgin Islands (VI). At the time she was part of a panel on the Speak Out BVI radio programme aired on June 11, 2013.
28 Responses to “Hon. Myron V. Walwyn hints at Independence”
My dear hearts and gentle people, the UK has already made its position crystal clear; Burmuda type of consstitution is not an option, independence is. No rational thinking BVIslander would even remotely consiider discussing such a matter with this bunch off representatives. The only independence to be discussed is how we can become independant of them and the last party.
You mean, like creating an education system to be proud of, fixing and maintaining our roads, finishing and maintaining our hospital, looking after our elderly in a respectful manner, protecting and respecting our environment, maintaining high principles to guard against political and financial corruption, and all those kind of things?
We don't have ANY of that competence here.
Imagine our islands independent and divide these current competence levels by about 100.
You looking at some kind of corrupt, broken, debt-burdened, third world hell hole many times worse than the one we already are.
Hush up on this independence talk. It's just ego talking, not a viable real-life option.
Independence means that the VI has to fend for itself. Many may argue that it is already doing so. Is it? Under the current arrangement, the UK is responsible for defence and external affairs, RVIPF, Civil Service and the Courts; the local government everything else. Yes, it is true that the VI has one of the highest standard of living and quality of life in the region; it also has one of the highest per capita income ($41K). However, it has a dearth of natural resources; it does not produce any strategic natural resources to manufacture anything or trade with other countries for use in their manufacturing industries. It would be risky for a microstate to pursue independence based on income, not on wealth. Typically, resources are needed to earn hard currency to promote and sustain economic growth and economic development.
Moreover, the VI has a service-based economy consisting of tourism and financial services. The tax evasion and tax avoidance assault by the UK and others is creating some uncertainty about the financial services industry. It is important to note that being under the UK umbrella provided the stability for the success of the industry. And this stability may be lost with independence. On the other hand, tourism too has gathering clouds around it; numbers for the past season are down.
Additionally, the VI has a myriad of issues to address before even attempting to stick its toe in the independence waters. It needs to build a diversified and sustainable economy that can weather eternal shocks. It needs to modernized its health care system making it accessible and affordable. It needs to improve its floundering and noncompetitive education and training system, focusing on STEM ( science, technology, engineering, math). It needs to invest in world class physical infrastructure systems { water, sewage, electricity, telecommunication, transportation (roads, airport, sea port)}. It needs to protect and preserve the environment(land, marine, cultural, architectural, archaeological, forest, natural attractions). It need to enhance public safety ( police, fire, national security,disaster preparedness). It needs to build and sustain its social infrastructure. It needs to develop a sustainable energy policy, lessening dependence on fossil fuels.