Stop Parachuting Leaders, Skelton-Cline Says
Former public servant Claude O. Skelton-Cline challenged the continued use of non‑Virgin Islanders in acting leadership roles during the November 25, 2025 episode of Honestly Speaking on ZBVI 780 AM. He urged current and future governments to end such contracts when they expire and replace those posts with qualified Virgin Islanders, calling for action in policy, practice and legislation.
Skelton-Cline has called on the Virgin Islands government to stop appointing non‑locals to senior public service roles and to put qualified Virgin Islanders into permanent leadership positions. Speaking on the November 25, 2025 episode of Honestly Speaking on ZBVI 780 AM titled "National Labour Pains Part 2," Skelton‑Cline said: "We have to stop parachuting persons into this country to provide leadership in major departments when we have locals who are more than qualified to fill, operate, manage, direct, [and] lead in these posts." He added that when existing contracts held by non‑Virgin Islanders end, they should be replaced by Virgin Islanders.
Skelton‑Cline pointed to acting appointments across government — naming areas such as Immigration and Customs — and asked why many people remain in acting status instead of being confirmed. "Why is it that people, Virgin Islanders, are still acting in Immigration, whatever the situation in Customs and across whatever departmental lines, persons who have been sitting in those positions, why are they not confirmed?" he asked, stressing that the acting officials are "doing the job" but should be either confirmed or properly replaced.
He also argued that the problem is not a lack of qualified local personnel but disorganisation. "Virgin Islanders are not outnumbered but are instead unorganised," Skelton‑Cline said, urging the government to translate rhetoric into concrete measures: policy changes, legislative action, and practical workforce planning.
The call raises questions about recruitment, succession planning and local capacity-building across the public service — issues of clear relevance to residents concerned with jobs, service delivery and accountability. Advocates for localization say confirming qualified locals can strengthen institutional memory, improve public trust and create employment opportunities.
Conversely, officials may cite contractual obligations, the need for temporary expertise, or procurement constraints when defending acting or expatriate appointments. Skelton‑Cline urged both the current administration and future governments to make the shift a priority and warned against continuing the status quo.
His remarks were aired on ZBVI 780 AM and reported by Virgin Islands News Online. For BVI residents, the debate highlights the importance of transparent hiring policies, a published public service workforce plan, and investment in local training so that capable Virgin Islanders are ready to step into confirmed leadership roles when vacancies arise.
Primary source: VINO