A District Council would better serve Jost van Dyke, rather than it having its own representative in the House of Assembly, Premier Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has opined. Photo: VINO/File

Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) during the public engagement on Jost van Dyke on May 28, 2026. Photo: YouTube

The Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom will negotiate a new constitution for the territory later in 2026. Photo: Internet Source

Premier Wheatley was addressing the public engagement session on constitutional negotiations at the Jost van Dyke Methodist Church on Thursday, May 28, 2026, when the question of the Sister Islands having their own elected representatives in the HoA came up. 

He said that while Anegada and Jost van Dyke having separate representatives can happen, it would be “quite irregular”. 

“You’re not going to find in the Constitution any particular constituency in the Constitution. You’re not going to find Long Look; you’re not going to find Road Town; you’re not going to find any of those things in the Constitution. What the Constitution will tell you is that you have nine districts and you have a Boundaries Commission to determine how those districts are.”

The Premier explained that once Jost van Dyke, now part of the Ninth District, belonged to another district. 

“The Constitution will tell you how many districts and how many At-Large and the Constitution will say if you want to redefine your boundaries or add new districts, that has to go to a Boundaries Commission. So whether Jost van Dyke or Anegada gets its own representative is not a matter for the Constitution; it’s a matter for a Boundaries Commission.”

Constitution can provide for more seats in HoA

Premier Wheatley, however, said the Constitution can provide for more seats in Parliament. 

“We decided that we want more seats in the Parliament because the executive has a lot of work to do, and we need an additional minister, and you have to have a certain ratio of Cabinet members to non-Cabinet members in the House.”

He also said a Boundaries Commission can be convened if that is the desire of the people. 

“Maybe we need to do a Boundaries Commission, and you would tell the Commissioners, and I think the Commissioners would take that into account; they would produce a report, the report would go to the House of Assembly, and we would have to do a law, and then it would be done, and then it would come into effect, I think at the next election.”

District Councils would work well 

Premier Wheatley advised that District Councils would be a better fit for the Sister Islands. 

“Some people think you might get some more things solved if you had your own representative in the House of Assembly, and I think the better way in places like Anegada and Jost van Dyke, and this is just my opinion, is to have some form of local government.”

He explained that the council would be elected by the people on Jost van Dyke and that some elements of the island’s governance would fall under its responsibilities. 

The government, he added, would give these District councils money to get things done, and the island, through the council, would run itself. 

“So some things would be run by the Central Government, let’s say it that way, and some responsibilities would go to Jost van Dyke that you do for yourself. I think you might prefer that.”

One of the positions of the negotiating team, he revealed, is the introduction of District Councils. 

“I think District Councils would work particularly well in places like Jost van Dyke and Anegada because of the remoteness…sometimes you feel neglected and forgotten.”