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Minister Walwyn gets support for citizenship proposal

- resident believes Minister considers current situation an injustice affecting VI
Douglas Wheatley reasoned, “if you don’t’ want to adhere to the British Nationality Act and you have discussions with the British Government and they don’t give in to the points that you are making about the British Nationality Act, then what can you do? What will you do, short of hoisting your own flag?” Photo: VINO/File
Education Minister Hon. Myron V. Walwyn advocated that all children born in the VI become citizens automatically. Photo: VINO/File
Education Minister Hon. Myron V. Walwyn advocated that all children born in the VI become citizens automatically. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – One resident has expressed strong support for Education Minister, Hon. Myron V. Walwyn’s proposal that all children born in the Virgin Islands (VI) be made automatic citizens.

The resident voiced his opinion during the Speak Out BVI programme aired last evening, July 2, 2013 on a local radio station.

“In my opinion, I want to support that statement very strongly,” he said. “He [Walwyn] is wasting no time to talk about what maybe he considers an injustice… a situation affecting the Territory.”

Host of the programme, Douglas Wheatley, said in his studies over the many years, which included nationality and citizenship, he wrote a fairly lengthy article on the subject several years ago.

Wheatley also reasoned, “if you don’t’ want to adhere to the British Nationality Act and you have discussions with the British Government and they don’t give in to the points that you are making about the British Nationality Act, then what can you do? What will you do, short of hoisting your own flag?”

He added that at this point “If you hoist your own flag, the British Nationality Act will then not apply to you.” He noted that in terms of constitutional law, the British Nationality Act takes precedence over the VI constitution.

He also talked about ‘stateless children’ and said one of the things that upset him about the situation was when women would have to go back to their native islands usually to acquire status for their children born in the VI and were sent back by authorities with claims that the children weren’t born there.

“They would come back and they would talk to the authorities here, telling them that they were sent back from one of the other islands to the BVI to get their various documents,” he said.

The host added that he always thought that the people in the VI immigration office needed to check more thoroughly on the questions made to ensure that the information that the person was giving then was accurate coming from whichever of the other islands they were coming from.

“In many countries,” he added, “you carry the citizenship of your mother… and so if a child is born in the BVI of parents from another island, that child gets the nationality, the citizenship of the mother… so the child is not stateless because [they] have the citizenship or nationality of their mother...”

Wheatley stated that the Minister was obviously against the British Nationality Act and saw it as not helping the situation locally but other persons may have a different point of view in stating that the Act prevents Virgin Islanders from becoming swamped and becoming a minority in their country.

 

29 Responses to “Minister Walwyn gets support for citizenship proposal”

  • BREAKING NEWS (03/07/2013, 08:43) Like (15) Dislike (1) Reply

    It’s so fake that he will set up for people to call in. Poor he, he desperate! The indigenous people does not support that.

  • ooooo (03/07/2013, 08:54) Like (8) Dislike (1) Reply
    why dont myron fly first class to london and see if he could get them to eat that out of the palm of his hands?
  • . (03/07/2013, 08:58) Like (10) Dislike (15) Reply
    This island man only looking out for island people.
  • nonsense (03/07/2013, 09:11) Like (8) Dislike (6) Reply

    If you resides, work,pay taxes or contributes the gross domestic product in anyway for over 20 yrs, you are in a legitimate relationship, common law or not, give birth to a child ,that child should be given immediate citizenship and proper documentation ...so are the the system saying that people should come to the bvi work or should i say slave the better part of they working life and when the start a family they kids are a "refugee" in the country of their birth if u asked me i would say them kids are more bvislanders more than the proposed bvislanders because most of them born in the usa anyways.....sooner than later these "refugees' kids allu trying to create in the bvi after waiting for 20 yrs to get a passport will eventually becomes leaders in the same society and allu this dumb motherF#@ker will still be the minority caz most of y'all are pure $h1t bag and still depends on hand outs ....factz iz factz hate it or not

    • vip (03/07/2013, 09:35) Like (4) Dislike (3) Reply
      I can tell that you is one frustrated ndp from the way you're cussing all those bad words.....It seems contageous because ronnie, myron, mark all cussing now too.
      • . (03/07/2013, 11:31) Like (3) Dislike (11) Reply
        Frustrated ndp my eye. Since when refugee could vote here? This loser is one of those same refugee from elsewhere, some other country that agitated for independence from Britain donkey years ago and now regretting it. We have a saying here: you wear what you buy. You can`t go independent in Antigua, Jamaica or wherever, then come here and get your British passport, having your cake and eating it too.
    • Rorry (03/07/2013, 14:10) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
      Why would you live in a country for so many years and not seek citizenship for yourself but then automatically assume and want it for your children born in the country? The rules are there for everyone to see. Why don't these people look them up before they get pregnant? Why don't they practice safe sex until they can get a stable situation to have these children? We don't make the laws, the UK does because by being a BVIslander are are by extension a British citizen as well. If the kids are "refugees" as you've stated, their parents have made them that, not the BVI. There are few places in the world where you can be born and become an automatic citizen of that country, especially when neither of your parents are from that place.


      Secondly, with all these bad words, I wonder why VINO allowed this comment to be published. Always one for shock value, right VINO?
      • Pls @Rorry (05/07/2013, 01:53) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        U and ur foolish chatter. What do you mean by their parents make them refugees? R u saying that parents should take time early maternity leave so that they can leave born here land to go and have their children in Puerto Rico or the United States like most BV Islanders do so as not to make them refugees right or maybe there should be a clause in the job adverts that says "Incoming residents to the BVI should make sure that they have their lot before coming here. Some crappy comments that you people make all the times boy.
  • ABC (03/07/2013, 10:21) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    This man is a perfect example of a loose canon. Unfortunately Olando appears to be foot and foot behind him on this issue. That is understandable since he has to sleep at night.
  • tretretrete (03/07/2013, 10:47) Like (6) Dislike (53) Reply
    Why are we still debating this? The majority of locals I know do not support this proposal. This proposal is not in the best interest of locals. Indigenous BVIslanders are already the minority. I would only agree with this proposal if the parents have become naturalized and are now legal BVI citizens.

    If you fully well know that if you are not a BVIslander and you have your child here, that that child will not be able to obtain a passport why would you willingly make your child a stateless child???? Then blame the country for your child being stateless. Get Real. Take responsibility for your actions and poor decision making.

    The BVI is not America. We are a small territory and can not afford make everyone an automatic citizen. All these people comparing us to America and are mad becasue a few BVIslanders have gone to America to have their children need to stop with that stupid argument. It is like they vex the US is giving those persons passports and the BVI is not. This is the law of the land and if you do not like it then you should settle some where else that is more to you liking. I can not go into another mans country and disrupt their laws and way of doing things becasue I do not like them or because I think it is unfair to me. However I do have the choice whether or not I can a. live with it or b. not live with it and move on.

    My advice to pregnant expat women is that when you become pregnant before they stop you from traveling you should return to the place of your birth and have your children. It would probably be better to go back home and have your children in a setting around your family who can help and give the support that one needs after giving birth anyway. Please do not put your children through the drama of potentially not having a passport or being a stateless child.
    • LBS (03/07/2013, 11:47) Like (3) Dislike (3) Reply
      Amen and Well Said!
    • i see (04/07/2013, 10:37) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
      Well truth be told i was born here to parents that were 'settled' here which of course gave me no rights to here. But i am very grateful for that situation because one thing they have to give you is a birth certificate. And that birth certificate still allow me to benefit from the schools here at all levels and further still provided a means for me to apply for a scholarship to study overseas in my chosen profession of law. I eventually got my passport which will eventually allow me to get a UK passport...

      But let me tell you if any of them 'Indigenous BVIslanders' were to come infront of me bout i from here is one bruce lee fly kick they will be getting because regardless of WHAT! how you start is how you grow and i start by hearing from all government officials and department go where your mother from and try to get a passport from there. So me? Yes i am from where my mother is from and yes my child will be british but thank god for the loophole that means that i don't ever have to lay down on peebles hospital bed for them to get that right and they too can get take advantage of this lovely system that is here in the BVI and walk away at the end if that's what we choose....After all that is OUR right, the right not to be tied to a place that didn't want us in the first place. Is only who feels it knows it, and i know i will never have to watch my child suffer for citizenship the way i did.
  • Ridiculous (03/07/2013, 11:20) Like (6) Dislike (51) Reply

    My..n go sit down!!! This is something instituted by the UK and rightfully so due to the abuses of the system both past and present. There was at one time (not sure still in effect) the law of if you are here on permit you go back home to born your offspring.

    We are a small island territory and cannot sustain a major influx of emigrants who are hungry for the US dollar! This issue is due to poor management of immigration and labor over the years. What can we expect when the very individuals we elect have children out of wedlock with someone on permit? In situations such as that there will be hypocrisy and unintelligent discretion!

    We as Virgin Islanders really have to be careful and aware as I do not trust this administration due to questionable and uncertain about the validity of some of our elected officials and last but not least spouses of foreign origin who can influence policy. Look at St. Lucia Prime Minister with Trinidadian wife and the subsequent opening of the floodgates for Trinis.

  • nonsense (03/07/2013, 11:38) Like (7) Dislike (1) Reply
    @VIP I am not ndp neither am i vip i am a person of factz you shud try walk in the shoe of a kidz whose parent(s
    0 work build this nation, don't know any of his extended families or more so the culture of their parent(s) all they know in most cases are that they extended family is from which ever country in the universe some might not even be as fortunate to visit them in some cases but you can sit there and support sponsorship of that child and the child future shud depends on birthplace of their Parent(s) extending courtesy to that child saying we accept you caz ur mom was born here so you from here .what about the "rights of a child" as long as a child is born by a person legally residing in that territory that child is a citizen of that territory ....it is legal to build, pay tax do every other thing including being sexually involved but don't get pregnant because your kids would not be accepted ...wat sad day for the bvi .......then just pass it in law saying "only barren ppl allow in the labour force"
  • Forbidden Truth (03/07/2013, 11:49) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply

    "He also talked about ‘stateless children’ and said one of the things that upset him about the situation was when women would have to go back to their native islands usually to acquire status for their children born in the VI and were sent back by authorities with claims that the children weren’t born there"

    D. W this is a lie straight from HELL, all those persons who give birth to children in the VI can get a darn passport from the country of origin of their parents, their constitutions supports and protects those dominicans, trinidadians, santodomingans, kittitians et al who were born in the Virgin Islands. Check the facts and stop supporting hog wash in this overseasTerritory.

  • nonsense (03/07/2013, 13:05) Like (5) Dislike (1) Reply
    @hmmm .....you still in mental slavery you need to emancipate urself ... so you telling me that after working for yrs to develope this place or a company an exparte after getting pregnant should leave early enough when the airline allow them to fly back to their country of birth to give birth to their kids whose dad in most cases resides in the bvi , when in most cases wen u about 6 month pregnant the airline refuse u as a passenger, that wud mean that the person still got about 3 months before normal birth and some more maturnity leave and the last time i checked vacation time don't really exceed 2-3 wk per yr as i said earlier just injected the the legal immigrants you so badly needed for your well being with some kinda medication so they all wud be barren, anyways nice way to promote familylife caz the family will still be separated caz the daddy wud be in the bvi and nuff times is the so called "bvislander" is who fathers the kids unless your intention was to imports wh@#r$ in the labour force so as soon as the decide to start family or get knockup is return to your home of origin you service is no longer needed"my opinion is as long as someone is legal in ur place there are part of the population because the contributes to the national pie so if they are allowed to pay their taxes they are allowed ripe the benefits of their contribution and so are their kids who are conceive and born there ,these exparte adopt the bvi as their home and in most cases more patriotic than alot of ayo...if u guys have a problem, deal with the immigrants dat you accept with open arms and smilling faces when u though u were hiring another "slave" from another island and yes the us dollars is attractive but our pride and willingness to owned it honestly is drives us daily but leave our born and growing "bivislanders" kids out of it..just saying the "slave labour" you seeking is and will always be a very fertile people so accept the cow and the calf.
    pressure us we can deal with it but leave our kids alone they are born here legally caz they parent was here according to the legal requirement
    • tretretrete (03/07/2013, 16:55) Like (3) Dislike (27) Reply
      Like I said it is the law of the land. I do not feel that the BVI is big enough to give out automatic citizenship. I advise those women to a. become legal BVI citizens before they become pregnant, b. if you are dating a local man, marry him before you get pregnant or c. go back home to have your child so that it does not become "stateless", simple as that.

      The law is the law and it was put in place to protect BVIslanders. Go through the channels and become a legal BVI Citizen then have your children here.
      • Law is the Law (05/07/2013, 12:29) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Struuupes @ Hmmmm
        The law is in fact the law but are you really following your own line of foolishness? By the way: a) did you marry before you started having your lot? b) Are you going to rally for the number of months/weeks given for maternity leave be extended in order to facilitate early departure from the job in order to go prepare to drop ones child in their born land ? No just maybe like many other you are one of those heartless BV Islanders who expect people to come here and slave but due to your laws which are really the laws of the land , they just lose their jobs because maternity leave aint extending to facilitate the time off that they will need to travel home to prepare themselves . Good thing that I aint getting more children because even when my child reaches the age to gain citizenship, he/she would still be considered a native of my birth place , supporting my country in every way so that when we decide to leave a place like this conceited BVI we would have no attachment. Only taking the good old US$ that his/her parents came here for and made sure to save that we could go home and build our country that accepted us from the onset. Pls before you even try to respond , I am a very proud citizen of another Caribbean Island who like many others came here to not only build your country , for which you show no appreciation but to also gain a bit of the US legally.
  • --------------- (03/07/2013, 13:30) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
    LETS DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN
  • Kofax (03/07/2013, 14:40) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    @ nonsense; YAAAAAAAwn. next reason ingrate
  • nightly reader (03/07/2013, 21:47) Like (2) Dislike (8) Reply
    I think any child born in any country. s a citizen of that country, I have a friend whose mother and father from two different countries have a child born in bvi and optain a bvi birth cirtificate, isn't he entitled to citizen ship? There are.
    people in the bvi goes to the usvi to give birth and their child becomes a us citizen automaticly? People live, work pay their dews, why can't the child get wat belong to them?
  • D Historian (03/07/2013, 22:38) Like (4) Dislike (6) Reply
    I commend Hon. Myron Walwyn for touching the untouchable topics again. What we all have to consider is the following
    i) how does a person born here feel when he or she has been denied [delayed] citizen ship
    ii)how does such a one feel when citizenship is bestowed on others from the length and breath of U.S. virgin islands and other places who are not born here but gain rights through descent.
    iii) how does such a one feel also when one sees not only your self discriminated against but your parents denied [delayed] in the land of your birth.
    If anyone out there can answer these objectively he/she is wise.
    • . (04/07/2013, 11:15) Like (3) Dislike (17) Reply
      You mus be think laws are created on feelings. How does a BVIslander feel when the place is so full of foreigners their kids can't even get a job when they return from university and instead have to settle in some foreign far away land? How does that same BVIslander feel when after generations of life in the BVI their Grandchildren raise up American and don't even know what fish and fungi is much less eat it.
      • Island Woman (05/07/2013, 19:27) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        well if the kids have bachelor degree them can't work for small salary them can't do dirty work and you parents don't teach them that they can start small and work there way up and work attitude them have that all wrong!!! i have a degree and i from here so i not working for that better i go back the states.......show me the one who will work for $4 an hour who was this minimum wage set to benefit are to attract definitely not one with a degree so who to blame.......i guess its the system right!!!!!!!!!!
        • . (05/07/2013, 23:49) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
          Why should a degreed individual start small and work for $4.00 an hour in their own country while expats with no degree are hired and paid big money, car, housing allowance, etc.?

          Years ago they used to say we were backward, so we went abroad, when we returned they said we were undereducated, so we sent our kids abroad to university. Now when they return with their degree they can't be hired because some Jamaican holding the job they need, hired by some Trini supervisor, and neither one has a degree!

          Time we realized, they just don't want us. They want their own kind. Question is, are we going to let them come here in our country and hire their own kind and shut us out of jobs? So far the answer is a resounding YES. WHAT are we going to do about it?
  • Strange (04/07/2013, 10:41) Like (2) Dislike (32) Reply
    @hmm .....Are you even a human being? person have unbalance cycle so when they think is safe it is actually unsafe and cud get pregnant unintentionally

    and i don't think you are so dumb to suggest abortion caz i will be rude enuff to suggest ur mom shudda abort you so you wouldn't be here talking all this crap right now, you even talking about if a woman dating a bvislander she shud get married ...marriage is a lifetime commitment and it takes a while to develope the trust to make such commitment because the trust is not there, doesnt mean you should not be dating
    If life and relationship was as perfect as you suggestion then every kid born in this island mom and dad would of be together, all we are saying it is not illegal to have sex or give birth and with sex kids are possible so plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz have a heart and doh let the kidz suffer. it is a natural progression when sperm meets egg kids Develope
    for those who using the foolish argument that it is a British law, it certainly is but there a word call "amendment" dats all we are saying change the laws, we outlive this colonial laws
    To those who talkin about our nation goes independent and we want our kidz to get british passport the only thing i see britain giving us here is some Arrogant governors every few yrs we not even good enough to use the currency SENARIO-St.Thomas is a U.S. state uses U.S. currency.... SXM french and dutch uses gliders and U.S. dollars Mainly for tourism purposes..... Tortola British colony uses U.S. dollars it might look simple to some and they may have all kinda reasons but to me it says alot ..we are just and Extention of an empire Who care nothing about us as a people but just see us as assets, It's like and old car park in ur yard you don't drive it so don't really care weather it got flat tires or not but it is urs, it is left in the yard with old rotten tires but it is all gud caz it doesn't affect ur movement unless someone decide to change the tyres and get it running properly you ready to claim ownership dat how Britain sees this beautiful country ...word..
    • . (04/07/2013, 11:25) Like (0) Dislike (29) Reply
      And by the way, OUR mother country Britain gives YOU nothing! Stop saying 'we' and 'us' you are not a BVIslander, you are a guest here so try and behave yourself accordingly.
  • Island Woman (05/07/2013, 19:07) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    how nice it is to know that all the indigenous bvilanders parents and grandparents was from the BVI


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