Host of Honestly Speaking, Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline, during the September 1, 2026, airing of his show. Photo: Facebook

Leader of the People’s Leadership Movement (PLM) Mark H. Vanterpool, who is one of the biggest critics of the water situation in the Virgin Islands, served as Minister for Communications and Works from 2011 to 2019. Photo: GIS

Claude O. Skelton-Cline reminded that the current water contract with BiWater, now Seven Seas, was negotiated under the National Democratic Party (NDP) government and amended and commissioned by the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government. Photo: NDP/VIP

During the last airing of his show titled ‘State of Emergency Part 2’, on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, he said the current water contract with BiWater, now Seven Seas, was negotiated under the National Democratic Party (NDP) government and amended and commissioned in 2010 by the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government when current Deputy Premier Hon Julian Fraser, RA (R3), was Minister for Communications and Works.

“It started under the VIP government; they got into a local fight with the BVI Investment Club, jacked that from them, took the keys to their Baughers Bay Water Plant. NDP shut down the one in Sea Cows Bay.”

The VI, he reminded, is paying $1.2 million monthly for 2.3 million gallons of water a day from BiWater, adding, “Which they haven’t produced, which we don’t need, which we don’t have the hydraulic facilities for.”

'Pay them no attention'

Skelton-Cline said this is why, when former and current government ministers who held the portfolio previously speak on the water and sewerage issue, they should be paid no attention. 

Former Minister for Communications and Works Mark H. Vanterpool has been one of the loudest critics of the current government’s handling of the water situation across the VI. Mr Vanterpool, however, served as Minister for Communications and Works from 2011 to 2019. 

“Pay them no attention. These people were in charge; they didn’t do it then, didn’t correct it then, didn’t cure it then. They took from our local people and gave to outsiders; now we’re paying out the tooth, the nail, the mouth, the gum, and you still can’t take a bath.”

He added that’s why he is not in favour of any of these former ministers heading back to the House of Assembly and why he is in favour of some of them who are in the HoA to leave. 

“That’s why I am not always in favour of coming on this programme and bashing the young adult government; they just got it. The rest of ya’ll had it for twenty years, and now all of a sudden some lightbulb went on, some new revelation.”

'We’re not getting this thing handled'

Skelton-Cline added that the water crisis in the VI is not getting handled and called on the government of the day to look for assistance from the outside. 

“You have to go and find an entity, some persons, somewhere that you’re going to retain their services to come in here…go [to] China if you have to. I don’t care where you go; we need persons at an infrastructure level, a systemic level, with the requisite skill sets.”

These persons should be brought in alongside locals for the singular purpose of ongoing training and putting the necessary mechanisms in place, he explained. 

“Then a fade away of those people from the outside where our people can take over a proper system, a more efficient system.”