‘VI has done a bad job @ preserving its identity’– John I. Cline
Preserving the VI’s identity
Responding to a question posed by the talk show host Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline, the Bishop Cline stated that he does not believe the people of the VI have done a good job at preserving their identity.
“We have not told our story. We have not told it to our children and we certainly don’t tell it to the people who come to live among us as to who are we as a people and where we are going as a people. Consequently, because we don’t tell our story properly, then who we are becomes dissolved in this melting pot and then we are left for other people to define us.”
Mr Cline takes the view that the people of the territory are unable to identify who they are as a people because they are still dependent on the United Kingdom.
“…I think the time has come and has long passed where we are confident that we have a sense of identity where we can self-determine who we are going to be and anyone can come among us and identify what is the BVI,” stated John Cline.
The Bishop observed that Jamaicans strongly believe in national pride and they have preserved their sense of identity:
“It’s one of the things that I actually love about Jamaicans, because even though they have been marginalized by the world powers such as International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank, they have retained a sense of identity.”
Mr Cline explained that the territory will lose their sense of identity if they just focus on the things that are “economically viable,” adding that leadership must assist in recapturing the identity of the VI.
“We cannot just focus on financial services. We cannot just focus on tourism.”
‘Where is our state house?’
In response, the talk show host asked, “Where is our state house? Where is the Premier’s house? Where is that place were our people go gather and it’s ours? You know there is the Governor’s House and a whole bunch of stuff happens there but where is our house that makes it stately that has the relics, the artifacts, and the statues of our foreparents…”
Mr Skelton-Cline commented that there is nowhere on the islands that persons can go to know about their history.
Bishop Cline explained that the UK nationals do not go to the Premier if they want to address an issue, they go to Government House because it represents them.
“It (Government House) really and truly doesn’t represent us and we need that place that tells our story so that we can look at and know who fought for us and not wait until every February or Emancipation.
‘Black lives back in white hands’
According to the talk show host, the government spends a lot of money to train and send their people away but important positions are still being filled by British nationals. “The truth of the matter is, what we are doing is reverting to having black lives back in white hands.”
This drew a response from Bishop John Cline, “You cannot look to your oppressor to set you free, it is not in his best interest to have you free.”
He added that during the Premier’s ‘Mid Term Report’ on July 10, 2017, the VI’s history or identity was not mentioned.
“I hear about tourism. I hear about prosperity. I hear about millions of dollars spent but when it comes to the foundational things that made us who we are, it was absent from the dialogue and that I believe is sad. It’s one thing we failed at but something that we can correct,” stated Bishop John I. Cline.
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19 Responses to “‘VI has done a bad job @ preserving its identity’– John I. Cline”
As for government sending "their people away" - you're right; close family and friends. And most of them go away to study the same thing - Business, because everybody wants to be their own boss. Education department to this day has not created a priority list of what the country needs are. I can list several persons who were given scholarship and have changed their major as much as they change their underwear and has not finish but, will still to get another scholarship solely base on who they are and who they for.
Until our “Ministers” stop treating the government like it’s a family business, things won’t change.
These men of the cloths are ever present in the public media promoting their worldly interest and only remembering God when their Sunday sessions come around.
The only identity they should be talking about is the identity of what a christian society should be like and look like and what they are doing to bring that forward to the locals and immigrants alike. Not giving Christianity a bad name mixing God business in their worldly melee.