London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 30, 2025

BVI edges closer to CARICOM | Independence on the horizon?

BVI edges closer to CARICOM | Independence on the horizon?

With the historic opening of a St Vincent & the Grenadines’ consulate in the BVI, the question of whether the Andrew Fahie administration is looking to take concrete steps towards independence can’t be ignored.
As Premier Fahie mentioned, the establishment of a consulate makes sense as the two countries share a long and fruitful relationship. Premier Fahie also pointed out that Vincentians represent the largest group of migrants in the BVI, with more than 2,000 currently living and working here.

But the move to have the first-ever diplomatic representative office established in the territory raises several questions such as: Are there plans to establish consulates and appoint consuls to other CARICOM countries?

Is the new St Vincent consulate the first real sign of the BVI’s deepening relationship with CARICOM and is it the first concrete step towards a new and independent BVI?

On three different occasions, BVI News sought answers to these two questions from Premier Andrew Fahie. However, he refused to answer.

As an elected leader, Premier Andrew Fahie is undoubtedly one of the most vocal proponents of independence this territory has seen in recent times.

Just this month, he hinted at his hope for an independent BVI when he spoke of the territory having a governor-general, which is the ceremonial head-of-state in most Commonwealth countries.

These days, Fahie has also used speaking opportunities to remind BVIslanders of The United Nations’ Article 73, which supports the step-by-step move towards independence by countries that have not yet attained full self-governance.

In a recent interview with 284 Media, Premier Fahie reiterated: “Self-determination is in our future whether we want to hear it or not, whether we want to accept it or not, whether we want to believe me or not, just read Article 73 of the United Nations.”

Self-determination is defined as the process by which a group of people, usually possessing a certain degree of national consciousness, form their own state and choose their own government.

Premier Fahie is not wrong in stating that the BVI must one day become a fully mature, independent state. But are his latest actions clear signs that he is starting the process?

More importantly, is independence from Britain something the BVI people see in the near future?
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
×