Special Envoy E. Benito Wheatley has told the United Nations that the relationship between the British Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom is fundamentally unequal, despite the territory's financial independence.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly's Fourth Committee on October 5, Wheatley described the BVI as remaining "under the yoke of colonialism" and called for a clearly defined path to full sovereignty. He said the territory was "left behind" during the independence era of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, when other Caribbean colonies gained self-government.
"Since then, there has been no clearly defined path to full sovereignty," Wheatley told the gathering. "After 1983, the remaining British colonies in the Caribbean were no longer offered Associated Statehood status. The UK eventually declared them British Overseas Territories, but their full decolonisation was never realised."
Wheatley rejected the notion that being a British Overseas Territory is a comfortable arrangement for the BVI. "It is an uneasy relationship," he said, noting that the territory has been financially self-sufficient since 1978 and receives no financial assistance from the UK.
Local leadership has developed and modernised the society, Wheatley continued, yet responsibility for the public service, internal security, courts, external affairs and chairing of Cabinet remains with a British governor appointed from London. This creates inherent tension.
"There will be friction in the relationship as the tension between freedom and control is very real," Wheatley said. He called on the UK and BVI to use ongoing constitutional negotiations to restore a path to full sovereignty by devolving remaining areas of responsibility to the democratically elected government.
Wheatley also commended the CARICOM Reparations Commission for its advocacy on behalf of the BVI, saying the push for total decolonisation is now "not just a matter of self-determination. It is also a matter of reparatory justice."
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