Wheatley: Stand Up for Vanterpool
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has urged residents who did not join protests over the demotion of senior police officer Jacqueline Vanterpool to put aside their own grievances and defend what they believe is right. He said silence in the face of perceived injustice weakens society and encouraged citizens to use democratic avenues, including protest and the ballot, to seek accountability.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has appealed to residents who stayed away from recent demonstrations over the demotion of senior police officer Jacqueline Vanterpool to reconsider the role personal grievances play in public action. Speaking to reporters, Dr Wheatley responded to observations that some people did not protest because they felt they had been unfairly treated by the current administration — citing job losses or demotions across government.
He warned that allowing those experiences to dictate whether one defends another risks eroding a culture of mutual support. "Whenever someone has the opportunity to do the right thing, they should do it," the Premier said. "Don’t not do the right thing for somebody else because you don’t think the right thing was done for yourself." He added that if people refuse to stand up for others, "when a wrong is being done to you, nobody will stand up for you." Wheatley urged residents to be mature enough to separate individual grievances from broader questions of justice and to act when they believe something is wrong.
He also acknowledged that those who feel personally wronged have legitimate means to press their case, including public protest and sustained pressure on government. "Democracy is important," he said, noting that citizens have multiple avenues to express dissatisfaction with an elected government. "Over the breadth of four years, if you don’t like how a government behaves, you’ll have an opportunity to do something about it." He repeated that the ballot remains the ultimate democratic remedy for those dissatisfied with elected officials.
Linking the controversy over Vanterpool’s demotion to the wider constitutional reform debate, Dr Wheatley argued stronger democratic structures are needed to ensure accountability, particularly when decisions are taken by unelected officials. "When you make protests to those persons who you do not elect and they take actions, you don’t necessarily have the tools to hold them accountable," he said. "So we need more democratic tools to hold persons accountable." The Premier encouraged those disappointed by the Vanterpool decision to channel their frustrations constructively by advocating for constitutional change that would increase public accountability.
He closed by reiterating that standing up for each other when the right thing is at stake helps preserve fairness across the community and strengthens democratic life in the BVI.
Primary source: BVI News