'Disrespectful' to tell Belongers they can't vote in independence referendum- Walwyn
The Opposition rebel also took a swing at commentator Claude O. Skelton-Cline, who has said Belongers should have no say in a referendum for independence.
"Nation-building is an essential part of independence and further self-determination. We can't move forward as a people, leaving half of our people behind. And that is something that we have to confront," Hon Walwyn stated during the continuation of the Ninth Sitting of the Second Session of the Fifth House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands on Monday, September 22, 2025.
The opposition leader said the Virgin Islands is a very diverse community, and can’t move forward by leaving half of the people behind.
'So disrespectful'
When referring to the referendum, he said: "I hear even people on the radio, Madam Speaker, so disrespectful, telling Belongers who have been here, that if we have a referendum, they would not be able to vote in a referendum.’’
He further exclaimed, "How dare you? How dare you?"
The Opposition Leader referred to the time his mother and father came to the Virgin Islands, stating, "My father and my mother came here in 1963 of blessed memory. 1963. That's 60 years ago. If my father were alive, you're gonna tell my father if we are having a referendum that he can't vote on the referendum, and he'd been here for nearly 70 years, you're drunk? No. No. No."
Hon Walwyn emphasised the need to confront some of these things.
"They're harsh things, but you have to confront them if you're going to move forward. However, we confront them, we confront them, but to confront them, we must."
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30 Responses to “'Disrespectful' to tell Belongers they can't vote in independence referendum- Walwyn ”
Let them decide who gets to decide.
Although I think they already did and it is the people of the VI not Natalio and the Wheatley Gang.
The UN should say. It is them that P487 keeps quoting all the time. Only if it suits his agenda of course. Not gay rights or human rights and other stuff.
But here he goes trying to score political points while ruling up his expat base!
But guess wha. Dem ain’t telling you all. If they get through with independence there will be no such thing as native Bvislander. EVERYONE I repeat EVERYONE who has belonger status now will have the VERY SAME INDISTINGUISHABLE RIGHTS AS BVISLANDERS as if their forefathers toiled and preserved this land for them.
Now let that sink in. Think about the horrible plight of anyone with prior native heritage when Walwyn, his compadres, Asians and whoever else assume ALL top middle and bottom government roles, political seats and open access.
And thank me later !
I know a person who have interest in people and not one self !
The discrimination by some of ayo Moomoo’s is reaching an all time low just because some b@tty riders want to hold on to power until they expire - at any cost! GTFOH
If your maternal or paternal ancestral lineage can be traced back to the time of enslaved Africans, your ancestors would be regarded as the longest-inhabiting existing people of these lands, whether termed ancestral or indigenous (a term that remains undefined 'to date' in the VI Constitution). Not surprising, as the significance of the African race is often disregarded by Western authorities and terminology. As a result, we frequently find ourselves needing to assert our importance against those who aim to undermine, redefine, steal, or eradicate it as a means of claiming ownership through unscrupulous methods. It seems that a more contemporary systematic effort has been orchestrated by Western rule to erase the Afro-inhabitants birthright of these lands from the constitution. It would be fitting to criticize the failure of your leaders to demand acknowledgment of our identity in such a crucial document, however, their adherence to the status quo reflects the generational mental deficiency of worth and the moral decay resulting from prolonged colonization of a people group.
Nevertheless, if there is no God as many assert, the administration of justice throughout history against the evils of mankind would not consistently prevail. As "Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony" - for historical events often reveal ironic twists of fate, where outcomes contradict expectations, and actions produce unintended consequences that diverge from the original plans of malice.