NDP Should Apologise
Political commentator Claude Skelton Cline has urged the National Democratic Party to apologise to former leaders — including Dr D Orlando Smith, Dr Kedrick Pickering and Ronnie W Skelton — as the party prepares for a convention and leadership contest. He warned that unresolved internal divisions since the party's 2019 defeat must be addressed before the NDP can present itself as a credible alternative to voters.
Political commentator Claude Skelton Cline has called on the National Democratic Party (NDP) to apologise to several of its former leaders as the party seeks to reorganise ahead of the next general election. Speaking on his Honestly Speaking radio programme, Skelton Cline said the party must confront past grievances and reconcile with senior figures if it hopes to rebuild its base.
He named former Premier Dr D Orlando Smith, Dr Kedrick Pickering and Ronnie W Skelton as those who deserve apologies for how they were treated within the party. "The first thing the NDP needs to do is to apologise to Dr D Orlando Smith, ask his forgiveness, and reconcile with him for the unceremonious way in which they sent him home back in 2019/2018," Skelton Cline said.
He added that similar apologies should be extended to Dr Pickering, whom he said was pushed until he ran as an independent, and to Ronald W. Skelton, who he accused the party of repeatedly mistreating. Skelton Cline argued that unresolved internal conflicts have been a major factor in the NDP's struggles since losing office in the 2019 general election. "I don’t know how you build a house with those pillars, and then you knock those pillars out from under the house, and then act surprised why the house hasn’t stood since 2018," he said, warning that breached relationships among elected members make it difficult for the public to believe the party is united.
The comments come as the NDP prepares for a planned convention and a contest for party chairmanship. Multiple candidates are expected to compete for leadership as the party attempts to define its platform and strategy for reclaiming government from the Virgin Islands Party and other rivals.
For BVI residents, Skelton Cline’s message underscores the importance of unity and credibility in local politics. The NDP governed the Territory for multiple terms under Dr Smith, but recent years have seen departures and intra-party disputes that risk diluting voter confidence. Skelton Cline said reconciliation is not merely symbolic: without genuine repair of relationships, the party risks repeating past defeats or becoming irrelevant.
He concluded bluntly: "Until and unless the NDP deal with that which matters… the family can’t come back together," adding that failure to reconcile could leave the party no better positioned than before. As the NDP moves toward internal elections, residents will be watching to see whether party elders and new leaders can make demonstrable moves toward healing and present a united option to the electorate.
Primary source: BVI News