The business community in the Virgin Islands (VI) has come under fire from outspoken social commentator Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline, calling on them to stop being cowards. Photo: Facebook

Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline opined that the government of the Virgin Islands have been left to dictate what and how things happen in the country for the past four or five decades. Photo: Government of the Virgin Islands

During the July 14, 2026, airing of his show, Honestly Speaking, titled ‘Brace Yourself’, he challenged the business community to step up its game. 

Skelton-Cline has spoken on his show almost weekly about the need for a Trade Commission for proper oversight in the territory. He has gone so far as to blame Junior Minister for Financial Services and Economic Development, Hon Lorna G. Smith, OBE (AL), for allegedly single-handedly dismantling the Trade Commission. 

'Stop being such cowards'

“You got to take a more active role of helping to move this country out of the hands of a government-driven country, particularly in the business sector, by playing your rightful role, stop being such cowards, and stop only looking out for yourselves and your own company,” Skelton-Cline challenged. 

The corporate community in the VI, he added, needs to come together and become the centre for helping to direct “what and how things happen in this country”. 

He opined that this has been left up to the government for the past four or five decades. “That paradigm has to change!”