Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A Fahie (R1) says the next budget from the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) will completely be focused on meeting the needs of the People, rather than the technocrats, challenging his VIP administration to a self-imposed December 15, 2019, deadline when that budget must pass. Photo: VI HoA

The Premier threw down the gauntlet to his administration during the budget debates of the Second Sitting of the First Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) on Thursday, April 25, 2019, where he also revealed that the long overdue increment payments to public servants will finally be released. Photo: VINO/File

The Premier threw down the gauntlet to his administration during the budget debates of the Second Sitting of the First Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) on Thursday, April 25, 2019, where he also revealed that the long overdue increment payments to public servants will finally be released.

Needs of the People

“We will start it [2010 Budget] looking at the needs of the people on the ground and putting that money in there and come back till we reach to the technocrats,” the Premier told the House.

According to Hon Fahie, with the 2019 budget, “I have done my best as a premier massaging the budget in its late stage to make sure that all the districts get the same thing, it might not be how much we all wanted but I can guarantee this territory that the 2020 budget will be more people based,” he said.

“I have told the technocrats that you can’t full the budget will all kind of position, known and unknown to man and then the complex everything full up with people because somebody wasn’t doing their work, so another position was added to don’t fire that one,” he said in relation to unnecessary expenditure on human resources that was inherited from the National Democratic Party (NDP) 2019 Budget estimates.

While the VIP administration did say the 2019 Budget is a transitional one, the Minister of Finance says if a public servant is not productive, ‘it is a problem.’

He said once someone is productive they will remain employed but the idea is to prevent needless expenditure on human resources. “Some child who needed to go college, that money holding up from, some mother who needed groceries that money is being held from. Some school that need fixing or a chair, that money is being held from,” he said.

Increment Payments

Further, the Premier says, “We going to give the increments and it is in this budget, we won’t give them all this year, but some monies here to start with those increments.” 

According to Hon Fahie, “I’m pleading with the departments responsible for this, to do it in an efficient and timely and professional manner,” he said while noting the high levels of bureaucracy surrounding the release of the funds.

 “If I knew all the bureaucracy what going to come into place, I would have taken that money and do it across the board, and just give them a cost of living bonus,” the Premier said.

He said the increment payments will be monitored carefully under the VIP Government, “If that increment is not reaching the people, we going to have a problem,” Hon Fahie implored.