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At Large Representative Stacy Mather says he is happy on the government benches and sees a future for the Virgin Islands under the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) as he looks ahead to next year’s general election.
“I think ultimately, I am very happy where I sit right now, and I see a future for the Virgin Islands with the Virgin Islands Party,” Mather said on this week’s 5th District Dialogues radio programme with Fifth District Representative Kye Rymer.
Mather said crossing the floor was a difficult decision because he knew the public would ask why he was leaving the Opposition. He said Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. Natalio Wheatley and the rest of the government team had welcomed him, and working alongside them had given him a clearer view of what the administration was doing.
He said he believed his government colleagues genuinely wanted to see progress in the territory. Mather also said he had always tried to judge their work fairly, giving credit where he thought it was deserved and keeping political disagreements from becoming personal.
Looking ahead to the 2027 election, Mather said he was eager to discuss plans for the territory with voters.
Mather was elected in 2023 on the Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) ticket. He left the PVIM in early 2025 and joined The Alliance, an Opposition grouping with Myron Walwyn and Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull, before crossing the floor to join the VIP Government on 22 December 2025.
At the time, he said he wanted to use his experience in youth and community development to help tackle unemployment, the rising cost of living and crime.
“I think ultimately, I am very happy where I sit right now, and I see a future for the Virgin Islands with the Virgin Islands Party,” Mather said on this week’s 5th District Dialogues radio programme with Fifth District Representative Kye Rymer.
Mather said crossing the floor was a difficult decision because he knew the public would ask why he was leaving the Opposition. He said Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. Natalio Wheatley and the rest of the government team had welcomed him, and working alongside them had given him a clearer view of what the administration was doing.
He said he believed his government colleagues genuinely wanted to see progress in the territory. Mather also said he had always tried to judge their work fairly, giving credit where he thought it was deserved and keeping political disagreements from becoming personal.
Looking ahead to the 2027 election, Mather said he was eager to discuss plans for the territory with voters.
Mather was elected in 2023 on the Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) ticket. He left the PVIM in early 2025 and joined The Alliance, an Opposition grouping with Myron Walwyn and Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull, before crossing the floor to join the VIP Government on 22 December 2025.
At the time, he said he wanted to use his experience in youth and community development to help tackle unemployment, the rising cost of living and crime.
© 2026 BVI Platinum News. This article is original BVI Platinum content. Reproduction or republication without written permission is prohibited.
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