Elections 2023

Mrs Zelda George: A Country Girl With A Sharp Political Eye

Published

3 years ago

April 7, 2023

Editor

Zelda George was born and raised in North Sound, Virgin Gorda.

She is over 70 years old. A straight talking and jovial senior citizen who has never wanted to live anywhere else other than in the beautiful British Virgin Islands.

‘I have been here all my life,” she shared with jahphixteleision.com Cathy Ricards for The Big Story Election 2023 Special.

Zelda described life in Virgin Gorda in the past as different.

“The principles of what our mother taught us, I think that we grow up a little bit different to maybe some of the other people in the Caribbean, or BVI. It’s much different and much better cause we have motorable roads now, things to that effect. They have got grocery shops about…supermarkets,” Zelda laughed.

Her parents were “strict disciplinarians” and she enjoyed her quiet life growing up on North Sound.

“I call myself a country woman. That’s all I am. I’m a home girl. I don’t really go to fetting and dancing and those things. They don’t interest me. I go to church and things to that effect, concerts and things like that.”

She recalled as a child listening to politicians who visited her parents’ home during election seasons.

‘Before that it used to be people coming from The Valley over here and Anegada. Sometimes Anegadians used to represent Virgin Gorda. When I was a little girl, I would hear the older people talking. Politicians would come around to the houses and tell them what they would like to see done and what they would do. As children, we would listen in.”

She added: “It didn’t have as much things like now, right now they have more to talk about.”

Zelda is no stranger to politics. She was married to the late deputy speaker of Legislative Council (now House of Assembly) Reeial George.

Reeial too was born on the north of Virgin Gorda. He was a natural leader in his community, so it was no surprise in 1967, when he decided to contest for the Seventh Electoral District. He was defeated by Robinson O’Neal.

Zelda was too young to vote that year, but she witnessed for the first time voters of Virgin Gorda elect a native British Virgin Islander. Hamilton Lavity Stoutt became the territory’s first Chief Minister and Education Minister.

“I was not old enough, so I couldn’t vote,” she recalled.

Historians agree that the 1967 elections, which saw 3,500 registered voters, introduced true direct democratic rule here.

Four years later, in 1971, Zelda witnessed her husband’s victory at the polls – Virgin Gordians made him the Seventh Electoral District representative.

“The second time I voted for him. (He went from) “house to house campaigning. Almost from morning ‘til evening from here (North Sound) to the Valley. I would go out sometimes with him. But afterwards, things changed. Everybody got jobs so people would go out when you can.”

She was there at his side when he lost to the late Ralph T. O’Neal OBE in 1975, and returned to the Legislative Council as a Territorial-At-Large representative in 1995 and 1999.

In 1993, after the Constitutional Review, the At-Large System was introduced to the territory, and according to Zelda, residents were excited to vote two years later.

“The at-large (system) came in after that so then they was from house to house, from village to village, from Tortola to Virgin Gorda, all over. After the at-large system came in we had to vote for five people, one district and four at-large candidates. It was exciting because everybody wants to go to the meetings, they want to hear what’s going on. It was very, very exciting at that time.”

Fast forward to 2023, Zelda believes this election is shaping up to be hotter than ever. Virgin Gorda is the second most populated island in the territory with around 4,500 residents.

“Right now. It is hotter than ever, hotter than ever before because so many people in the race this time so you got to hear what everybody is saying. But then again, you know what you got to do when you got to do it,” she smiled.

Already, she knows which of the contesting 42 politicians she will be voting for on April 24.

“My mind is already made up because the thing is…we know what we have to do.”

For Virgin Gorda, she wants the next government to address residents’ basic needs, including constructing a new dock and ensuring citizens have better access to healthcare.

“We have a lot of basic needs here on North Sound that I would like to see happen. We need another dock because they bringing cargo and I’m afraid that something’s going to happen. These vehicles coming back and forth, they calling people to come to the boat, people coming off the boat, vehicles leaving off there. I don’t really think that the cargo and the passengers should be coming to the same dock. That is a change I would really like to see.

“Another thing I would like to see too, if the government would, is assist us, the elderly, to go to like dialysis. Put in a couple machines in that clinic they have in The Valley. That would help us tremendously because a couple of us, about seven or eight of us, got to go like three days a week. It doesn’t matter whether it’s rough, or the weather is fair, whether it’s raining, or it is stormy we still have to go. Hurricane coming, we still have to go. That would be a great help to us here on Virgin Gorda.

Zelda reminded residents that they have a voice by voting.

“Some of the people claim they are not voting so I told them if you don’t vote, you don’t have a voice. So you need to vote, so you can have a voice. But the thing is, you make the best choice.”

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Elections 2023

Vanterpool Distances Himself from NDP After Leadership Loss, Raises Concerns Over Process

Published

4 weeks ago

April 23, 2026

Editor

Former House of Assembly member Mark Vanterpool has distanced himself from the National Democratic Party (NDP) following his loss in the party’s April 18 leadership convention, where he was defeated by Marlon A. Penn by a margin of 26 votes.

Vanterpool received 39 votes in the chairmanship race, while Penn secured 65 votes to retain the position. Ronnie W. Skelton, also contesting the post, received 17 votes.

In a letter dated April 9 addressed to the former Interim Chair of the NDP John Cline, Vanterpool questioned the delegate selection process, raising concerns about whether it was conducted in accordance with the party’s constitution. His concerns were outlined in correspondence to party leadership prior to the convention and later became public.

According to Cline, in the days after the vote, Vanterpool took several actions including removing party branding from his campaign vehicle, returning keys to an office he had provided for the party’s use, and criticizing the internal process.

Former interim chairman John Cline rejected the claims during a live Facebook broadcast on April 23, stating that the process followed party rules and that candidates had no role in selecting delegates.

“To suggest there was something unfair at the convention level is irresponsible,” Cline said. “No candidate has any right to select delegates — that is the sole responsibility of the district associations.”

Cline emphasized that the outcome reflected the will of the delegates.

“It’s a competition,” he said. “One hundred and twenty-one persons made a decision, and that decision must be respected.”

Vanterpool’s departure marks the third time he has moved away from the party, underscoring a political career that has included shifts between the NDP and the Virgin Islands Party. He was first elected in 1999 with the NDP before crossing the floor in 2001. He later returned to the NDP, winning a seat in 2011 and serving as Minister for Communications and Works.

Cline referenced that history in his remarks, noting that participation in the process does not guarantee a result.

“You don’t get to pick people like you want,” he said. “It’s a democratic process.”

Vanterpool has not announced his next political move, but his actions following the convention have raised questions about his future role within the NDP and in territorial politics.

The NDP has maintained that the convention was conducted in accordance with its constitution and has indicated that it will now shift focus toward rebuilding and preparing for the next general election.

Elections 2023

Cline Names Pickering Among Leaders as NDP Looks Ahead to Elections

Published

4 weeks ago

April 23, 2026

Editor

Former Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering was identified as part of the National Democratic Party’s (NDP) core leadership as former interim chairman John Cline moved to reassure the public about the party’s stability following its April 18 convention and recent internal tensions.

Speaking during a live Facebook broadcast on April 23, Cline dismissed suggestions that the party was fracturing after concerns raised by Mark Vanterpool, who questioned the delegate selection process and later distanced himself from the organization.

“The party is not breaking up — the core is strong,” Cline said.

Cline specifically referenced Pickering while outlining the party’s leadership base, stating, “You know Kedrick Pickering’s stability,” as he pointed to individuals he said had demonstrated consistent service and commitment to the territory.

The remarks placed Pickering among a group of senior figures Cline said the public could rely on, alongside Marlon A. Penn, Ronnie W. Skelton, Myron V. Walwyn and Melvin Mitch Turnbull.

Cline said the party remained focused on unity despite recent developments.

“You may have one person leaving, but that does not define the NDP,” he said. “Let the fringes fall off — the foundation remains.”

Pickering, a former Seventh District representative and deputy premier, has not been at the forefront of recent elections but remains a senior figure within the party, having served during previous NDP administrations when the party held government.

The NDP, founded in 1998, has been one of the territory’s main political parties and has alternated between government and opposition over the past two decades. The party is now seeking to strengthen its organization ahead of the next general election.

Cline said the party would continue to engage the public as it prepares its slate of candidates.

“We are going to offer a strong team,” he said. “We will give you a reason to trust us again.”

The party has not formally announced Pickering’s return to frontline politics, but Cline’s remarks indicate that he remains part of the NDP’s core group as it moves toward the 2027 election cycle.

Elections 2023

NDP Rejects Break-Up Claims, Cline Says “The Core Is Strong” After Internal Dispute

Published

4 weeks ago

April 23, 2026

Editor

John Cline, former interim chairman of the National Democratic Party (NDP), said the party remains unified following internal tensions after its April 18 leadership convention, rejecting suggestions that the organization is fracturing after concerns raised by Mark Vanterpool.

“The party is not breaking up — the core is strong,” Cline said during a live facebook address today April 23, following the convention. “You may have one person leaving, but that does not define the NDP.”

The comments came after Mark Vanterpool questioned the delegate selection process and subsequently distanced himself from the party following his loss in the chairmanship race to Marlon A. Penn. His actions, including removing party branding from his campaign vehicle, returning the keys to an office he had provided for the party, and publicly criticizing the internal process, have raised questions in political circles about his future within the organization.

Cline said the dispute reflects the actions of an individual rather than a broader division within the party.

“Let the fringes fall off — the foundation remains,” he said, emphasizing that the party’s leadership and structure remain intact.

The National Democratic Party, founded in 1998, has been one of the two dominant political parties in the British Virgin Islands and has alternated between government and opposition over the past two decades. The party last held office after the 2015 general election but has since operated in opposition following electoral losses in 2019 and 2023.

Cline acknowledged that the party has experienced internal differences but said those issues do not undermine its overall direction.

“We are going to offer a strong team,” he said, referring to preparations for the next general election. “The core of the party is strong.”

The April 18 convention marked a key step for the NDP as it formalized its leadership ahead of the 2027 election cycle.

Cline said the party would continue engaging the public and outlining its plans in the coming months.

“We will give you a reason to trust us again,” he said.

Despite the recent dispute, NDP officials have maintained that the organization remains stable and focused on its long-term political strategy.