Let us not take our democracy for granted- Premier Wheatley
The holiday is being observed against the backdrop of the forced implementation of recommendations that were birthed out of a biased United Kingdom (UK) sponsored Commission of Inquiry (CoI) and the threat of direct rule.
'Overwhelming pronouncement of people's desire for democracy'
Premier Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), in his message to the people on the occasion, said the march was incredibly significant to the Virgin Islands people because it was an overwhelming pronouncement of the people's desire for democracy, for the right to have a voice in their society, to play a leading role in their governance, to become a more autonomous and self-determined people.
He said the march was achieved despite the absence of modern communication options and public transportation.
"1500 people marched on the 24th of November 1949 at a time when the population was under 7000 persons. This means between 20 and 25 percent of the population marched at a time when we had no social media, no ferries, none of the modern conveniences that we have today. They marched because the right to rule their destiny was important to them. Their actions helped us take a giant leap forward for the restoration of the Legislative Council, eventually allowed the people to vote and select representatives who worked on behalf of the people and jump started the development of the modern Virgin Islands."
Premier Wheatley said the people back then became the architects of the Virgin Islands we have today, which remains one of the most successful societies in the world "despite what you may have been told."
He said the Virgin Islands boasts highly educated people, a low crime rate, and polite and hospitable people, who are hardworking and innovative.
VI can be proud of achievements- Premier
According to the Premier, the VI people are not without faults but they have done well to progress the territory and can be proud of their achievements.
Meanwhile, Dr Wheatley said his Unity Government was successful in staving off the threat of direct rule following the release of the Commission of Inquiry report and now the people must have their say in how reform is done in the territory.
He said reform must not be imposed by local or foreign officials.
"Let us not take our democracy for granted. Theodolph Faulkner, Isaac Fonseca, Carlton deCastro and the 1500 worked too hard to claim it. We must not allow our House of Assembly to be taken away. Hope Stevens and the Civic League worked too hard. We must not allow our Cabinet to be taken away. Those who ushered in ministerial government toiled too hard. We must raise up a new generation of leaders who will reform and strengthen our institutions and lead us to our ultimate destination on the road to self-determination," Dr Wheatley stated in his message today, November 28, 2022.
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19 Responses to “Let us not take our democracy for granted- Premier Wheatley”
1) Give us an At Large system that never worked anywhere but they implemented it in the BVI knowing it is a failure but make us accept it without a choice and have us fighting over it to this day hoping we fail.
2) A loan guarantee, not a loan nor a grant, in time of need after the worse hurricane in the world their help to us is a loan guarantee with conditions that were geared to enslave us to take us over while we were vulnerable. While giving other islands grant.
3) Send ships with body bags to help us after Irma thinking the worse for us as usual.
4) Allow the public service under the Governor to fail hoping that the country will fail and then today turn around and blame the elected government for their failure.
5) Help build prisons but never help build schools.
6) Make us feel as if they really care about us and have some of us believing this and now have us, once again, divided so they can have an easier time trying to take us over as we have been made to believe that we can do nothing good and whatever happens to us by them is our fault as we left them no choice.
7) Try to kill our financial services industry and our country by putting the EU and using another order in council as their front and demanding we make beneficial ownership public although the courts now rule in the same position the BVI has been taking but what they want they want, and they are above the law. However, they insist that we must not do what they do but follow the law or they will deal with us.
8) In the middle of the worse pandemic in over 100 years give us a COI while we and our economy were dying where they hired the Commissioner, paid him, called it transparent, used the same staff from their organization to assist the commissioner, used no transparent process in the entire set up and process including the selection of the Commissioner for the COI, get a report saying what they were saying before the COI started(who pays the piper calls the tune), issued an order in council to suspend the constitution if the measures from their apparent pre-authored one man COI is not implemented and call this democracy and good governance while the biggest failure was all the subjects under the governor and police but they get to tell and validate their own story and get to fix their major issues and lack of transparency themselves without consequences. Now, most likely left the country to plan the next move in a time when we are recognizing an important time in our history, but the elites see nothing wrong with this picture. Yes, I agree we have to make some adjustments, but we have done well in the BVI and need to stop letting these people make us think differently because they are worse than us if you examine them, but they can look into us, but we cannot look into them. SMDH.