“We must address it and address it now, because we cannot sit by knowing that there's undercover racism creeping in the carpets of our territory and we want to continue to ignore it because of fear or because they make us feel that if we touch it, they will destroy us whether it is politically or otherwise,” Hon Fahie said.

During the debate for the Disaster Management Act 2019 at the Fifth Sitting of The Second Session of the Fourth House of Assembly at the Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff's Bottom on January 5, 2021, the Premier made the comments while discussing the powers of the Governor to call a state of emergency in the territory.

He said when persons address the topic of modern-day colonialism, they are often attacked and victimised by powers in the UK and otherwhere.

Virgin Islands (VI) Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie  has accused the UK of practising neo-colonialism, which he says come through its policies and practices directed at British Overseas Territories (OTs) like the [British] Virgin Islands.

Victimisation for speaking out - Premier Fahie

“Like they have done in other territories when anyone exposes certain things with them, they go after them to try to destroy them and make people feel never touch that [topic] because if you touch that or touch them in ways that they don't agree, they take it as an insult and they come after you, they destroy your life, your family and everything,” the Premier said.

Pointing to terms like lack of integrity and lack of transparency and good governance, Hon Fahie said those phrases help push a neo-colonialist agenda.

“Modern-day methodology to do what was done even before, trying to keep us in slavery even now and have us doubting each other, and looking at each other through negative lens,” he said.

Further, in his Tuesday HoA presentation on the Disaster Management Act, Premier Fahie said more strategies of slavery are still being employed by those looking to thwart VI’s journey to self-determination.

“Why to this day and age we don’t have more Caribbean people in the Governor's office? Whenever they need somebody top-notch they send for the UK, because there's an agenda that is not the agenda of the people of the Virgin Islands,” Premier Fahie said.