“Difficult days ahead” – Carvin Malone after losing VIP chairman’s contest

By MERRICK ANDREWS
Online News Editor

While congratulating Premier Natalio Wheatley for winning the chairmanship of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) on Sunday and lauding the congressional process, held in Pockwood Pond, Territorial At-Large Representative Carvin Malone noted that there are difficult times with General Elections on the horizon.

Malone, a past president of the party and a veteran member, received 12 votes compared to 60 received by the premier.

In a statement on Facebook, Malone also congratulated the “entire 76 member Congress for a most impressive display of democracy in the Virgin Islands”.

“There are difficult days ahead and a fully united Virgin Islands community is required to protect and defend the successes of our forebears and to fulfill the territory’s aspirations for strong political, economic, environmental and social institutions in support of the journey to self-determination. May GOD continue to bless our most beautiful Virgin Islands,” he concluded in his social-media statement.

Malone also revealed that Sunday’s meeting not only convened for the election of executive members but for the election of 10 of 13 VIP candidates to contest the 2023 General Elections.

He described the voting as “open and transparent” and promised that the “entire slate of executive members and of VIP candidates will be widely published”.

However, Premier Wheatley has since disclosed that the 10 candidates confirmed are 1st district – Dr. Karl Dawson; 4th district – Luce Hodge-Smith; 5th district – incumbent Kye Rymer; 6th district – incumbent Alvera Maduro-Caines; 7th district – incumbent and Premier Wheatley; 8th district – Allen Wheatley; 9th district – incumbent Vincent Wheatley; and territorial at-large candidates – who will all re-contest — Carvin Malone, Sharie de Castro and Neville ‘Sheep’ Smith.

Incumbent Shereen Flax-Charles and the candidates for districts two and three will likely be ratified at a next special meeting of the VIP Congress, at a date to be announced, according to sources.

Last week, Malone, also a former health minister, crossed the floor to re-join the National Unity government while announcing his plans to contest the VIP chairman’s seat.

His reason: “he never left the VIP” and his tasks as an opposition member were successfully achieved.