Mather: No Extra Pay, More Work
In his first public interview since joining the government on December 22, 2025, Hon Stacy R. Mather MBE said he received no additional pay or title for the move — only increased responsibilities. He says he will work with Premier Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley on the RATED programme, agriculture and fisheries, and community empowerment initiatives.
Mather MBE has pushed back against suggestions he joined the Virgin Islands Party-led government for personal gain, saying in a televised interview that his move brought no extra salary or title — only “extra work.” Speaking on JTV Channel 55 with Cathy O. Richards on December 31, 2025, Mather said bluntly: “The decimal point has not moved.
There is no extra zero…there is not a penny more. I do not have a title, I am not a minister, I am not a junior minister, I do not have extra.” He joined the government on December 22, 2025. Mather said his responsibilities will include close collaboration with Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Natalio D.
Wheatley (R7) on the Registration, Apprenticeship, Training, Employment, and Development (RATED) programme. He also identified initiatives in agriculture and fisheries and the development of community programmes aimed at empowering community-based organisations as priorities. The lawmaker framed his move as service-focused rather than careerist. “I don’t want to be a career politician,” he said, reiterating previous statements made in the House of Assembly.
Mather told critics who have interpreted his switch to government as a bid to secure his political future that such assessments are misplaced. “My political future is as long as God wants me to have it. My family wants me to have it, and my people want me to have it. I have it, I accepted that.” He also addressed assertions that his decision was driven by a desire for power.
Mather questioned where that power would be, pointing out that moving from opposition to government did not alter his pay: “If I’m a Member of the Opposition in the House of Assembly, I get one numerator package. If I’m in the government, where I’m doing even more, then why is your paycheck not more?
Because that’s not the way it works.” For residents of the British Virgin Islands, Mather’s statements will be watched for how they translate into concrete action on apprenticeship opportunities, job training, agricultural development and fisheries support — sectors that affect local livelihoods.
His emphasis on community-based organisations suggests future partnerships at the grassroots level, but details and timelines for RATED and other initiatives have yet to be released. Mather’s interview offers an early glimpse into his priorities within the government and sets expectations that his role will be operational and programme-driven rather than titular.
Voters and community groups are likely to look for measurable outcomes as these initiatives move from planning to implementation.
Primary source: VINO