In a cramped room last Thursday morning at Maria’s by the Sea, three opposition members pitched a new solution to the stagnation they said has bogged down both sides of the House of Assembly.
Myron Walwyn (R-D6), Deputy Speaker Stacy Mather (R-at large) and Mitch Turnbull (R-D2) told a press conference that they have formed an “alliance” that is committed to better serving the people of the Virgin Islands.
“This bold step of an alliance working together is a part of our response to you, the people, letting you know we want to help and we want to turn the tide for a better [VI],” Mr. Walwyn said. “It is evident that we are at a point in our history where transformative leadership is needed.”
Not a party
The alliance is not a party, and it currently has no leader, but Mr. Turnbull said the members are nevertheless focused in part on preparing for the next general election expected in 2027.
“We’re not waiting until 2026 or 2027 when elections start,” he said, adding, “The three of us have agreed that we are going to do what the people of the [VI] said, which is to come together and form this alliance that presents one political unit to contest the general elections.”
For now, however, all three members have retained their political allegiances: Mr. Walwyn as a member of the National Democratic Party led by opposition member Marlon Penn (R-D8), and Messrs. Mather and Turnbull as members of the Progressive VI Movement led by Opposition Leader Ronnie Skelton (R-at large).
The other three opposition members did not attend the press conference, though Mr. Walwyn said both party leaders had been informed of the new plan.
“They are aware of the plans that we are taking to move the [VI] forward through this alliance,” he said. “And while they may not be with us here right now, we know that they are of the view that we need to pull the parties together, even though there might be varying positions on how this should be done.”
Also absent from the press conference was the sixth opposition member, Lorna Smith (R-at large). Ms. Smith has described herself as an independent HOA member since Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley fired her from the deputy premier post last October, ending the alliance Ms. Smith controversially formed with his Virgin Islands Party-led government after she won an at-large seat under the NDP banner in the April 2023 general election.
Previous failures
In explaining the “alliance” last Thursday, Mr. Walwyn said that cross-party division had prevented HOA members now on the opposition from forming a governmental majority after previous elections.
“The elections of 2019 and 2023 were clear indications that we failed to rise to the occasion,” he said. “Particularly in 2023, based on the results, we saw that the intent of the electorate was to put a new government in place.”
He added, “While the people did their utmost as a collective, we failed miserably because of the various factions that existed.”
To facilitate better cohesion in the HOA, Mr. Walwyn said, opposition members must work more closely together.
“We believe that these problems are born out of the fact that we were not able to come together,” he said. “If we had a more competent government, the quality of life would have been better for the people.”
Mr. Turnbull added that the new “alliance” is open to all.
“We’re looking for anybody who’s willing to be a part of this alliance, who are strong enough to stand up for the needs and the rights of the people,” he said.
What’s changed?
In a question-and-answer session, ZBVI reporter Zan Lewis asked for more clarity about the purpose of the alliance given that all six opposition members have recently claimed they had been collaborating closely.
Mr. Walwyn responded, “We work closely together as an opposition when we’re addressing matters, [but] I think we can work closer. … We will start to support each other more, meaning that we will work together on questions together; we will discuss bills together — which is something that we didn’t do as often as we should have.”
In the absence of Ms. Smith — the only female opposition member and one of only three women currently in an elected HOA seat — each of the three alliance members called for more female representation in the legislature.
This story has been amended to clarify the history of Lorna Smith’s party affiliations.