Premier to critics: If other countries are so better, why not leave BVI?

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley suggested that critics of the BVI economy should return to living elsewhere in the Caribbean and not flock to the BVI’s shores.

During the budget debate wrap-up in the House of Assembly yesterday, Dr Wheatley pushed back against what he described as a “dark and gloomy” portrayal of the territory, asserting that the Virgin Islands remains one of the best places to live and work. He argued that some lawmakers painted an excessively bleak picture of the Virgin Islands during the budget debate. But, Dr Wheatley said such negativity could harm the territory’s reputation internationally. Challenging critics further, he questioned their loyalty, suggesting that those dissatisfied might prefer neighbouring Caribbean islands like St Vincent or Antigua.

“It actually brings me great pain when persons are so unkind to the Virgin Islands in terms of how they speak about it,” the Premier said. “They make it seem like it’s the worst place on the planet.” He continued: “They have all this praise for all the other islands in the Eastern Caribbean and sometimes I ask myself, ‘Why you just don’t move? Why you just don’t go down by Ralph Gonsalves…? Why you don’t go by Gaston Brown?.. wherever else you think is so much better than the Virgin Islands?’”