Opposition Leader Marlon Penn
Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn revealed that he rejected calls to exploit political instability in the territory following the release of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report, opting instead to support a unity government.
Penn made the remarks during a House of Assembly debate reflecting on the period after the April 2022 report, which triggered a governance crisis and raised the prospect of direct rule by the United Kingdom.
He said there was pressure from some quarters to capitalise on the moment for political gain.
“When we met, and we made a decision to form the real unity government, there were those who said, ’Don’t be foolish, this is your chance to be the leader of the country,’” Penn stated.
“This is your chance to derail the government, call for elections, let’s go. This is your turn,” he continued.
“There were those who said, ‘You’re stupid for supporting them’,” Penn added.
Despite those calls, Penn said his reasons for entering public life guided his decision to do so.
“I remember very clearly the reason why I got into representative politics. It was never about my own personal ambitions. It was never about me empowering myself or my family or anybody around me,” he said.
“It was always about representing what is good and right for the people of the Eighth District… and the people of these Virgin Islands,” Penn stated.
The COI report, released on April 29, 2022, recommended sweeping reforms and proposed suspending parts of the territory’s Constitution, which would have enabled direct rule from the UK.
In response, political leaders formed a bipartisan coalition — the unity government — in May 2022 to implement reforms and avert constitutional suspension.
Penn said he reflected on the territory’s historical struggles when making his decision. “I reflected on not just the March in 1949… but the journey of our people and our ancestors,” he said.
The 1949 march is widely regarded as a pivotal moment that led to the restoration of a form of democratic governance in the Virgin Islands.
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