At-Large system ‘is not working properly’- Hon
One of the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) is to increase the members in the HoA by two At-Large members. This recommendation is part of the 2022-2023 CRC’s Report, whic...
One of the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) is to increase the members in the HoA by two At-Large members. This recommendation is part of the 2022-2023 CRC’s Report, which is currently being debated in the House. In the Virgin Islands, there are 13 elected members of the House of Assembly.
Of the 13 members in the House, nine are elected to represent Territorial District seats while four are elected At-Large. “I want to categorically say this. I’m not in favour of increasing the number of members in the House. Nobody buys more of something if they already have it and they ain’t using it; that’s greed,” he said during his debate contribution on Monday, September 22, 2025, Hon Mather said.
Hon Mather added that he is not the only member of the HoA who has recognised that the current system “is not working properly”, and it is something he has brought up in the HoA many times. They will be begging like me He further questioned the reasoning behind the recommendation to add two more At-Large Members, asking if it is just to get a sixth minister. “We [are] going to say they [are] invading districts, them stepping over into places that they’re not going to be able to have any kind of say in.
They’re going to be like me in here, begging the Premier for some money in the Ministry of Communications and Works to do roads. What are they going to do inside here, Madam Speaker?” He stated that it was not necessary to expand something if it would not be put to use. “Who feels it knows it,” Hon Mather said.
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