DeCastro mocks Opposition over ‘8th Grader’ taunts

During a spirited House of Assembly session, Education Minister Sharie deCastro hit back at Opposition members who accused the government of being run by ‘eighth graders’.

While the remarks from the Opposition criticised the government’s approach, deCastro used the opportunity to turn the tables, making pointed remarks about the Opposition’s lack of unity. DeCastro highlighted that they could not form a government despite the Opposition having more seats following the last election. “When the Virgin Islands Party won the government, we had six seats. The Opposition parties had seven, which means that they were well capable by that account and by that number of forming the government,” she said during the debate.

“The math ain’t mathing with some of the things that are being said in the House,” deCastro said as she accused the Opposition of name-calling and indecency. Her comments focused on the failure of the Opposition to unite after the last election, stating that while the Opposition struggled with basic arithmetic, the so-called ‘eighth graders’ in government successfully formed the administration.

“All the numbers and maths and accounting they’re here quoting, they still clearly didn’t have the capacity to be able to add three, plus three, plus one and form the government. But this government over here, eighth graders, were able to add six plus one and form the government,” she said, mocking the Opposition’s inability to create a working majority.