Alliance Told Of Mather Switch
At-Large Representative Stacy “Budda” Mather says members of his informal Opposition alliance only learned he would join the Dr Natalio Wheatley-led government on the day he announced the move. In a JTV interview Mather said he called three colleagues before the public announcement but did not notify Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn.
At-Large Representative Stacy “Budda” Mather says members of his informal Opposition alliance were only told of his decision to cross the floor on the day he publicly announced it. Speaking in an interview with JTV, Mather confirmed he left the Opposition to join the Dr Natalio Wheatley-led government, a switch that has altered the territory’s political dynamics and sparked renewed questions about unity and leadership within the Opposition.
Before his move, Mather was aligned informally with Second District Representative Melvin “Mitch” Turnbull and Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn. Mather said he called three colleagues — Turnbull, Honourable Ronnie Skelton and Honourable Myron Walwyn — on the morning of his announcement to let them know he would be making a public statement.
He declined to detail the order or content of those conversations but emphasised they were informed prior to the news breaking. Notably omitted from that list was Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn, the only Opposition member who did not receive a courtesy call from Mather.
Asked why, Mather told JTV that his working relationship with Penn had been more focused on district matters, whereas his parliamentary conversations were mainly with Skelton, Turnbull and Walwyn. "When it comes to anything that deals with the district or those kind of things, that's when I have conversations with Honourable Penn," he said.
Mather also explained his frustrations about being in Opposition, saying he had felt constrained when trying to effect change and that his suggestions were often not taken up. He said other Opposition members had expressed similar frustrations over the years and that it was not unusual for government members to approach Opposition figures about crossing the floor.
The switch has left residents and political observers asking how the remaining Opposition members will reorganise and whether there will be a challenge to Walwyn’s leadership. Some in the community welcome fresh alignments; others see Walwyn as an effective critic of government policy and worry about reduced scrutiny.
For BVI residents, the immediate implications are political rather than administrative: a shift in benches can affect parliamentary debates, committee compositions and the tone of oversight. Mather’s decision underscores ongoing tensions inside Opposition ranks and raises questions about cohesion, strategy and how remaining members will hold the government to account going forward.
Primary source: BVI News