Referendum not necessary for VI to seek independence– Dr Carlyle Corbin
Skelton-Cline was at the time speaking to international advisor on governance and United Nations expert Dr Carlyle Corbin on his Honestly Speaking radio show on March 29, 2022, on the topic of the VI seeking independence from the UK.
While Mr Skelton-Cline, an advocate for independence, has been calling for a referendum of the people on the road to independence, Dr Carlyle Corbin said it is not necessary.
According to Dr Corbin, while the idea of a referendum is not one that is necessary, it would be useful to have a target date and timespan for independence to be determined by the Governments of the day.
Referendum not necessary
Speaking directly about the referendum, Dr Corbin said, “It’s one of the means by which determination can be made,” on the road to independence, but it is not necessary.
However, Dr Corbin noted that if a political party has independence on its platform and goes on to win the elections, then it can be assumed that it is the decision of the people to move towards that direction.
Dr Corbin advised that should the VI decide to seek independence, the UN has the mandate to assist, along with the support of the administering power.
Skelton-Cline responded: "Why do I need to seek from the one that is holding me hostage, seek their permission to be free?" He questioned.
Dr Corbin said the territories themselves making their voices heard with regards to moving towards more self-determination can be a strong determining factor.
Meanwhile, Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) has said in the past that the people of the Virgin Islands will decide when the VI will achieve its independence.
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29 Responses to “Referendum not necessary for VI to seek independence– Dr Carlyle Corbin”
I couldn’t care less what the so called “experts” from where-ever say… if the BVI is going to seek independence, it needs to be done with a clearly stated referendum where the voice and input of the people residing and invested here is sought, accepted and respected. Anything less is a bulldozer attempt to impose the view of the few upon the many.
I find this article and the fact that input was sought in this direction to be an alarming bell-weather for the method that this or future governments may seek to take to achieve short-sighted aims of a politically-driven platform that won’t necessarily spell out for the people the pros, cons and necessary steps to be taken before, during and after the decision is made to “go solo”.
While I am not going to say “never”, it does bother me that we have all of these politicians, consultants, “experts” and opinion-makers saying that its easy, or that we can just adopt the US currency, or that our economy will not be affected in any way… look at BREXIT: They made an emotional decision that they didn’t properly explain to the people, didn’t outline or honestly present the hurdles to be faced, didn’t prepare the people for the growing pains, and are still struggling to deal with. And that is the UK… they are much better connected, have wealthy and powerful alliances and trade partners, and their own currency, defense system, trade market and a vast pool of resources to pull from. They acted in haste and the regular people now are repenting the rushed moves.
So, lets stop pulling the wool over the peoples eyes and playing on their emotions. I may be sick and tired of “mammy and daddy telling me what to do”, what time to be home and how I should live my life, but until I can take proper care of myself and foot my own bills, I should humble myself, stay at home, live under their rules (having respectful dialogue when a conflict arises), work on my financial and living conditions and prepare for the day that I can sustain myself AND a family. That’s responsibility on an individual level and we should adopt no less as a country.
And we as BVIslanders need to pay careful attention to what is going on in our country. The servants have become the masters. The people are powerless and the representatives dictate the direction. They give us pennies every 4 years and steal millions daily. For a country that has been so blessed with a vibrant economy, a high per-capita, and resources to be envied, we have been terribly mismanaged over the years by successive governments. Forget the “party” talk and evaluate the person… ask them hard questions, seek direct and transparent answers, and hold them accountable. This is not 1947, this is 2022… we can easily do fact-checking, due diligence, “play the tape” and verify what we are being told. Don’t just rely on the hand-picked “expert” opinions.
Amateurs built the ark while the “experts” said a flood was impossible… so seek God’s guidance in these matters and lets not “lean on [our] own understanding”. This is not just about us but our children and their children.
I’m done.
Don’t get me started again.
Corbin is from the USVI. I'm wondering why he isn't over there freeing his black people from the big bad Colonial USA.
I agree with your input and refer to the following links which can be found by simply googling his name...
https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/sites/www.un.org.dppa.decolonization/files/2009_6_dp_carlyle_corbin.pdf
https://www.uvi.edu/files/documents/College_of_Liberal_Arts_and_Social_Sciences/social_sciences/OSDCD/Corbin_Self-Determination_for_small_island_territories.pdf
https://medium.com/@juliafayemunoz/dr-carlyle-corbin-making-strides-in-decolonization-403c2146bef1
See more at https://www.google.com/search?q=Dr+Carlyle+Corbin&rlz=1C1GCEB_enVG865VG865&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Lets find out more about these "consultants" and "experts" before we buy their stuff wholesale. Everybody has an agenda these days.
the people must have a say
Many people will rush to help you get in trouble for their profit at your experience, but when you fall, then you are are left to fend alone.
Clearly it can be seen by those of us that value good judgment that Claude Skelton don't care much for the citizens of the British Virgin islands. The things that he mostly vcares about are money, and power.
If you were to follow a wolf, you will becomes wolves food. If you follow snake, your end will be in the snake's belly. If you take advise from CSC, you will be as one in a violent storm being captain by a novice that no not how to read the ship's compass, loss at sea. We are in a violent economic storm at this time in our history, love, faith, unity, proper planning, and good judgment are urgently needed to keep Ship BVI afloat
The current governing dependency model as promoted by Dr. Corbin is already riddled with many democratic deficits, so the VI should not be exacerbating the situation, depriving citizens of democratic rights.
Under the UN charter, the VI people have the unobstructed right to pursue self determination, including independence, free association, integration, etc. The VI is currently listed as a self-governing overseas territory of the UK. However, that s a farce, a mirage, for the special powers, reserved powers and assent ability given to the UK-appointed Governor under the constitution can thwart the will of the duly elected HOA without recourse. This unilateral action is not self-governance; it still ‘rank’ of colonialism.
Even if we are lost we are not blind or illiterate..
VI people let
us bring forward a referendum to deport CSC back to Detroit.
The BVI is constantly ranked in the top 100 of the Global Financial Center Indexes How much of our perceived political stability is inferred from our OT status? And how does going independent affect the perception?
The detractors and agitators that like to drag the BVI through the mud for its financial services will not decrease after independence, more than likely they will increase. For those advocating independence, I need to see a plan for how we can protect the hundreds of millions in revenue that will come under attack.