Lead actor behind the NHI Concerned Citizens and Residents Group Natalio D. Wheatley aka Sowande Uhuru blasted a whistle-blower in his action group following the publication of an article which exposed an apparent rift within the group with regards to sending a letter of complaint to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: VINO/File

Some of the members of the NHI Concerned Citizens and Residents Group. From left are Doug Wheatley, Edmund G. Maduro, Winston E. Nibbs aka La Fontey and Natalio D. Wheatley aka Sowande Uhuru. Photo: VINO/File

Reports reaching Virgin Islands News Online were that there seemed to be a serious disagreement among members of the NHI Concerned Citizens and Residents Group regarding a petition that the group intends to send to Buckingham Palace. Photo: Provided

Wheatley was yesterday morning December 16, 2015 speaking as a guest on the International Morning Ride Show on ZROD 103.7 FM hosted by Paul ‘Gadiethz’ Peart during which he discussed a number of points regarding the National Health Insurance (NHI) which comes fully on stream on January 1, 2016.

Registration for NHI began on September 1, 2015. However, there continues to be comments made with regard to the way the NHI is being implemented.

While not blasting Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) directly, Wheatley expressed disappointment that the article came out, which meant someone who was part of the meeting sought to expose the issue.

“I have to say Gadiethz that I am very disappointed in the story. I know VINO has a job to do. Somebody [went] to them with a story and they ran with it. But it is a complete non-story,” he said.

Wheatley added that in every organisation people will sit and have meetings and may have disagreements. He said that it is completely inappropriate and unprofessional to take a disagreement at a private meeting and go and broadcast it all over the media.

“I don’t want to comment on the story because when people come to a meeting they must know that the discussions in that meeting would be [confidential].”

He said that whoever went to VINO with the story needs to understand that it was a totally inappropriate thing to do.

“Certain things should not be aired in public especially when you are dealing with a group,” said Wheatley.

“People would expect that a group has a certain level of sanctity and privacy and that was violated,” he said.

When asked by Peart what was the intention of the group and whether they would be writing the Queen, Wheatley said he was not prepared to comment further on the group and its plans.

Disagreement over where to send letter of protest/petition

Reports reaching Virgin Islands News Online were that there seemed to be a serious disagreement among members of the NHI Concerned Citizens and Residents Group regarding a petition that the group intends to send to Buckingham Palace.
Such is the difference in opinion over the procedure that one member of the group allegedly walked out of a meeting of the group on December 13, 2015.

Information reaching this news site suggested that some members of the group want to send the petition to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), in the hope that it then gets to the Queen while one member in particular believes it should be sent to the Governor John S. Duncan OBE who would then forward it to the Queen.

According to our source, the group was allegedly instructed by the Governor’s Office to send the petition to the FCO, however, one member is adamant that it should go through the Governor, which he believes would be the correct procedure.