Skelton-Cline Warns Against Multinational Dominance
Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline says multinational corporations are undermining the Virgin Islands' tradition of local ownership and hurting small businesses by operating without legislative limits. Speaking during his July 28, 2026 broadcast, he urged residents to recognise the threat and called for protections that preserve local ownership and market share.
Skelton-Cline used the final airing of his show on July 28, 2026, to sound an alarm about multinational corporations operating in the Virgin Islands without legislative restrictions or guidelines. Skelton-Cline argued that unfettered entry by large foreign companies is 'cannibalising the market' and pushing native and small businesses out. 'This country, in the DNA of Virgin Islanders, we are owners.
We don't like to be workers for nobody else,' he said, emphasising that ownership of land, industry and businesses is central to local identity and economic life. He warned that allowing multinationals to expand 'abated by legislation' risks eroding that ownership culture. 'We're being taken advantage of,' Skelton-Cline said, adding bluntly that some residents are so unaware of the effects that 'we don't even know that we're being economically molested.' He acknowledged others sense something is wrong but are unable to identify the causes, and said part of his role is to point out those social and economic ills.
For BVI residents, the concerns raised touch on everyday realities. Small businesses form the backbone of many local neighbourhoods, supply chains and the tourism sector; when larger firms capture market share through pricing power, bulk procurement or vertical integration, local suppliers and retailers can struggle to compete.
The loss of locally owned businesses also affects employment patterns, cultural continuity and opportunities for intergenerational wealth building. Skelton-Cline's remarks point toward policy questions that are already under discussion in many small economies: what level of regulation or incentives should be used to protect local enterprise, how procurement and licensing rules might favour local suppliers, and what support (training, access to finance, marketing assistance) can help micro and small businesses remain competitive.
While Skelton-Cline did not lay out a specific legislative plan during the broadcast, his comments make a case for government, business groups and community leaders in the BVI to examine whether current laws and economic strategies sufficiently safeguard local ownership and create a level playing field.
The concerns were reported by Virgin Islands News Online, which carried the pastor's remarks following the July 28 broadcast.
Primary source: VINO