Special rights coming for ‘Ancestral Virgin Islanders’- HoA Report
The Lisa E. Penn-Lettsome-led Constitutional Review Commission recommended replacing the use of the word "indigenous Virgin Islander" with "Ancestral Virgin Islander". This Ancestral Virgin Islander, according to the Penn-Lettsome report, will include a proposed definition based on ancestral connection over three generations.
The Committee of the Whole House, which will make up the negotiating committee to London, further agreed with the Penn-Lettsome Committee and proposed constitutional amendments to include a distinct constitutional recognition of ‘Ancestral Virgin Islanders.’
New Constitutional Category
Elected Members agreed that the new Constitution should establish a distinct recognition of an “Ancestral Virgin Islander” as a unique category, separate from persons deemed to belong under section 2 and from the constitutional definition of “Virgin Islander” in section 65; and the term “Ancestral Virgin Islander” should refer to any individual who can demonstrate, by official means, direct lineal descent by birth, traced through the maternal or paternal line, from at least one ancestor born in the Virgin Islands on or before 1860.
Members emphasised that recognition as an Ancestral Virgin Islander would not necessarily equate to Belonger status. The Committee further agreed that an Ancestral Virgin Islander should be granted protections based on heritage and historical connection to the Virgin Islands, subject to law, namely, the right to hold land in the Virgin Islands acquired by inheritance or succession on death without having to obtain a Non-Belonger Land Holding Licence.
Furthermore, the right to hold shares in a Virgin Islands corporation acquired by inheritance or succession on death without having to obtain a Non-Belonger Land Holding Licence, in accordance with any law governing the transfer and registration of share, the right to reside in the Virgin Islands without being subject to immigration control, and access to a fast-track process, as prescribed by law, for Belonger status and citizenship.
Rationale for Ancestral protection
Elected Members also agreed that a distinct “Ancestral Virgin Islander” category should be framed as a recognition of heritage and historical connection, while remaining separate from Belonger status. The Committee considered that the protections associated with this category should be limited, clearly defined, and implemented through a constitutional framework supported by legislation that can address proof requirements and operational details.
Why 1860? Does the Opposition Leader support?
The Committee chose 1860 as the threshold date because it corresponds with the earliest reliable church and civil records. The date aims to identify individuals whose ancestral ties to the Virgin Islands are longstanding and well-documented historically.
It is alleged that the Leader of Opposition Hon Myron V Walwyn (R6) is opposed to any protection for Ancestral Virgin Islanders, which is why the Premier and others are saying he should not be part of the negotiating team to London on the new constitution.
'I will continue to hold Pastor Cline in my prayers'- Hon Walwyn
One of the persons who has been publicly stating that Hon Walwyn is opposed to ancestral rights for Virgin Islanders is, talk show host and clergyman, Claude O. Skelton-Cline.
According to Hon Walwyn; however, the Constitutional Report was debated in the House of Assembly "where I clearly articulated my views" on each of the recommendations.
"There were two recommendations that I and Mitch Turnbull differed on with the other House of Assembly members and those are documented in a dissenting report which is attached to the report coming out of the committee stage of the of the examination of the report. You can view those positions for yourself. You will note that none of those concerns had anything to do with Ancestral rights."
Hon Walwyn added, "I will continue to hold Pastor Claude Cline in my prayers because he seems bent on causing confusion and misleading the public. Only God knows what is his objective."
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3 Responses to “Special rights coming for ‘Ancestral Virgin Islanders’- HoA Report”
Sorry but a guy living in Miami all his life who only had a grandpa who was born on Tortola back in the 1800s shouldn't get any special access. These conditions need some reconsidering and it's baffling that an idea that comes from trying to protect the older families who actually live here somehow resulted in this. They need way stronger ties than just a direct line, like someone more recent actually living in the country.