Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline during the November 10, 2026, airing of his show Honestly Speaking on ZBVI 780 AM. Photo: Facebook

Social commentator Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline has called on female voters in the Virgin Islands (VI) to vote wisely in the next general election. Photo: Internet Source

“I want to put us men on notice, and I want to challenge women of this country: you have to face an inconvenient truth: you are more powerful than you have imagined yourself to be.”

Mr Skelton-Cline urged women to decide that they will not make men dictate to them who is weak and who is strong “just because they got a penis”. 

‘No longer support systems that sideline sisters’

Mr Skelton-Cline said Europe has done a better job at putting women in power, getting past the issue. 

“We are still stuck; we are still stuck, we are still stuck in our chauvinist, patriarchal, masochistic ways.”

He said that with the current system, half of the population is being disenfranchised and is used to put men in power every four years, some of whom have been in power already, and marginalising the other half of the population because they are female. 

“They will come to you; they will lie…and make you believe that you have a shared interest. Feed them your chicken wing, take their oxtail, smile at whatever they tell you, but make up your mind that you will no longer support systems that sideline sisters.”

‘Luce in it for the right reasons’

Pastor Skelton-Cline has made no secret of his support for current District 4 Representative, Hon Luce D. Hodge-Smith, saying on past programmes that he will do what it takes to get her re-elected over former legislator and leader of the People’s Leadership Movement (PLM) Mark H. Vanterpool. 

Opining on what he believes is the difference between Hon Hodge-Smith and Mr Vanterpool, he said, “Luce is in it for the right reasons.”

He said the NDP supported the former District 6 Representative (Alvera Muduro-Caines), who was female, and then turned around and grabbed the seat from under her because it was the “weakest link”.

“I’m trying to show you something, and the people who are in it for the right reasons [are] cast aside, sidelined.”