4 Backbenchers write to Premier Smith objecting to Recovery Agency & Board!
The letter, which was given to the Premier on March 18, 2018, was read during the Third Sitting of the Third Session of the Third House of Assembly on March 22, 2018. Members at the time were debating the Virgin Islands Recovery & Development Agency Act 2018.
Hon Fraser, who has made his objection to the Bill very clear, was allowed to read the letter to Premier Smith after House Speaker Hon Ingrid A. Moses-Scatliffe had recessed the House until Hon Fraser was able to give her a hard copy of the letter.
Those expressing their objection to Dr Smith even before the Bill for the Virgin Islands Recovery & Development Agency Act 2018 is voted on are Fifth District Representative Hon Deloris Christopher, Second District Representative Hon Melvin M. Turnbull, Sixth District Representative Hon Alvera Maduro-Caines, Junior Minister for Tourism and At-Large Representative Hon Archibald C. Christian and Opposition Member and Third District Representative Hon Fraser.
Backbenchers object
The signatories to the letter stated that the Bill cited as the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency Act 2018, was first circulated to members via email on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, and was introduced to the House of Assembly and had its first reading on Thursday, March 15, 2018.
The Members said they were concerned that the Bill was scheduled to be debated on Thursday, March 22, 2018, without the benefit of relevant and timely information being provided and that there has been a blatant lack of transparency in this process.
“The draft Bill reveals the underlying intent behind the establishment of this agency which propose to manage our government finances, projects and procurement pertaining to recovery and development in the Territory. Our concern is enlarged by the fact that much activity in Ministries and departments have already begun without the knowledge and consent of Ministers who constitutionally hold responsibility for those subjects.”
More concerns
They further said the establishment of the Recovery and Development Agency and the Board as detailed in the Bill raises questions regarding the monitoring authority and its accountability to the duly elected members of the House of Assembly as representatives of the people.
“We, therefore, confirm that we do not support the establishment of the Recovery and Development Agency of this nature and do so mindful of the need to protect the current and future development of the people of the Virgin Islands and their right to self-determination. We do this with full cognisance of the Territory’s perceived need to borrow money and wish to find out our alternative option to borrow locally until the limits of our guidelines to borrow are maximised.”
This, they said, will avoid the long-term obligation to international institutions which seeks to justify the establishment of the Agency.
Hons Christopher and Christian had previously said they had many concerns about the Recovery and Development Agency and Board and were going to raise “numerous concerns” during the debates.
Meanwhile, Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr The Hon Kedrick D. Pickering and Ninth District Representative Dr The Honourable Hubert R. O’Neal supported the Bill, with Hon O’Neal saying the people in his district were suffering and need help.
However, both Hons Christopher and Christian asked that the House be recessed today, March 23, 2018, for the debates to continue with Members rejuvenated.
The UK has agreed to guarantee £300 million in loan guarantees and £10 million in grants to support the Territory's recovery after Hurricanes Irma and Maria but had set out strict guidelines and mandates, including calling for an independent agency to manage the monies borrowed, for the VI to engage in private sector reform, which some say is a code word for layoffs, among other things.
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16 Responses to “4 Backbenchers write to Premier Smith objecting to Recovery Agency & Board!”
So if this is the case why none of the Ministers signed that letter? Hmmm.
That said, regrettably the deal is signed so the HOA members needs to work collaboratively and cooperatively, along with partnering with UK, to repair the faulty agreement. Yes, it will be embarrassing, for assuredly the UK thought that the BVI government had dot the I’s and cross the T’s with residents and their represensatives. Perhaps, the UK should have asked a for a majotity motion from the HOA supporting the agreement; with an 11-2 advantage, this should have been easy.
Moreover, it was suggested that the BVI borrow from internal lenders. True, that is a funding source. But does local lenders have hundreds of millions to lend out, reserve requirements aside? Will government borrowing crowd out other local borrowers, ie, property owners rebuilding from storm damages? Is not external investment the life blood of the BVI economy? Will not UK guranteeing of the $400M result in a much lower interest rate? Yes. Is the the guaranteeing sum paltry? Yes. By the way, is the Hon Christian a junior minister?
I keep hearing that the Premier isn't doing anything to move us forward; but look at how much time is being wasted by people who "claim" they are working in the best interest of the country. Holding progress back... and still bitching about what is or isn't being done in their districts.
Politics are not perfect; but I am actually pissed at this conduct - making our country look like utter fools by some of the idiot representatives in HOA. They are really too slow to grasp what is really at stake and you can't teach common sense!
I've always been taught that family keep their quarrels in house and defend each other against everyone else. But then again, this is exactly the kind of behavior that has become norm in a country that appoints people to positions because of family rather than how they can perform or vote for people with no history of accomplishments.
Four illiterate backbenchers, most still on-the -job-training trying to give advice on a topic I bet they don't even understand. Sit down and shut your backside.
Leave our Social Security Money alone. Government always quick to want to borrow from Social Security because they know there is no accountability for the amount of money spent, pocketed or misappropriated. LEAVE THE PEOPLE RETIREMENT FUND ALONE!!!
We can source funds from private lending but if something goes wrong, who's left holding the bag? If the local government can't pay back due to misappropriation of funds, then we find ourselves in debt. What if the demands of the private lending is to acquire the property rebuilt from the funds lent? If you need a bailout, who do you think will have to do it? UK, of course. So we can go with private lending but we have to think about the what ifs beforehand vs scrambling to fix problems that could have been avoided.
What's wrong with the education minister wanting the children to learn Mandarin? Let's educate our children so that they will be prepared for what is to come in the future. The children of the BVI need to understand that the world is bigger than Nature's Little Secret. Black history is important as well but don't minimize the importance to learn the new language of Business. Do you not see that the Chinese are taking over? China is one of the richest growing countries in the world. They manufacture goods that are exported from China to be imported in every country around the globe.
This was destined to happen. No audits for years, mass over spending on projects, exuberant borrowing from local banks and spending money on ideas (airline etc.) that were doomed to fail is what have us where we are today.
We need the help because I don't think Government has any more borrowing power locally from the look of it. The hurricanes didn't just blow roofs off...they also blew the lid off of Government's mismanagement.