State of the Territory Address delivered ‘nothing new’- Bishop John I. Cline
Mr Cline was responding to the State of the Territory Address presented by Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) at Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park on June 9, 2026.
In his response posted to his Facebook Page on Monday, June 15, 2026, Bishop Cline said this was his “personal view” on the Premier’s address, which he listened to with “unbiased ears as much as possible”.
Keep Moving Forward- a campaign-style slogan
Cline said that while listening to the address titled ‘Keep Moving Forward’, he kept looking for the bright spots that never came.
“What I heard instead was what sounded like a campaign-style slogan- Keep Moving Forward. What I heard was a performance report that was a lack of substance. What I heard was promises without proof. What I heard was rhetoric but no results to back it up.”
The State of the Territory Address, he said, was disconnected from the lives lived and the lived reality of the people of the Virgin Islands.
“The fact that the Premier has to tell the people to keep moving forward suggests that he himself realised that the Territory is either stuck, lost, or both.”
Cline added that while in the past, politicians blamed Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the flood of 2017, COVID-19, and the Commission of Inquiry, which were valid, it is now four years after the last of these events.
“We’ve almost spent about three billion dollars, and we are still stuck; we are not moving forward.”
Address inspired by ‘old plan’
He accused the Premier of drawing inspiration from the National Sustainable Development Plan 2037, which he called an “old plan”.
The National Sustainable Development Plan 2037 was developed with the help of the United Nations (UN) to help move the Virgin Islands in economic, environmental and physical directions in terms of development.
“There was nothing new there. The Premier drew on the last four years of that same development plan. So what I heard was a recycling of words; what I heard was a recycling of promises and a rebranding, but nothing new.”
Cline added, “So the question is, at what point do we move forward? At what point do we move from political rhetoric to tangible results? That’s my question.”
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25 Responses to “State of the Territory Address delivered ‘nothing new’- Bishop John I. Cline”
AS BAD AS THE VIP APPEARS TO THOSE WHO ARE SUPPORTING THE VARIOUS OTHER TABLOID PARTIES, THEY ARE STABLE ENOUGH TO WIN ANOTHER TERM IN OFFICE, MINUS MATER,BRO FRASER AND SIS SMITH. FROM WHAT I SEE RUNNING FOR ELECTION, REPLACING THE VIP WITH ANY OF THEM IS GOING TO BE DETRIMENTAL FOR THE BVI. VIP IS IMPROVING THE ROADS, SEWERAGE SYSTEM, GIVE THE PUBLIC OFFIDERS A MUCH NEEDED PAY INCREASE AND ALL THEIR INCREMENTS, BUILD THE ESHS, WHILE NDP, DID NOTHING BUT STOLE MILLIONS WHILE THEY WERE IN POWER FOR 10 PLUS YEARS. IT'S BEST WE LEAVE THE VIP IN OFFICE MINUS THE ABOVEMENTIONED NAMES. PERSONALLY FOR ME. I CANNOTT SEE MYSELF VOTING NEXT ELECTION.
And let’s not forget that the VIP did not win the last election. We did not vote for the VIP. We did not have confidence in them in 2023 and they have done nothing over the past 3.5 years to gain our confidence now. Their biggest claim to fame is Vibz Kartel and giving Steve Parillon our tax dollars. I’ll give a little credit on the American Airlines deal. Nothing else. One little road took over a year to build after major blunders and cost over runs. Half way paved Fahie Hill. Place still dark dark everywhere. No water. Electricity still high. Greedy bill still in place. Minimum wage not raised. Sewerage still in the road. Derelict boats and cars still everywhere from the 2017 hurricanes. West end ferry terminal still no progress. Road Town ferry terminal still inappropriate. VG and Anegada airports still underdeveloped. Prospect Reef still an eyesore! The docks at the Pier Park still not replaced. Admin Building still abandoned. Road Town has zero developments besides re-routing traffic. Not one of our sporting facilities have been upgraded or built. NHI not revamped. No murder cases solved. Disaster building headquarters still not rebuilt.
Nothing of significance accomplished in almost 8 years! Nothing visionary placed on the table either. This is failed leadership. Whether or not you like John, he is absolutely correct.