Claude Skelton-Cline vs Hon. Mark H. Vanterpool: Who to believe?
Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith along with the Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool placed their signatures to the agreement on the behalf of the people, the BVI Ports Authority and Government of the Virgin islands.
It was there in an answer to a reporter’s question that Minster Vanterpool told the media that the agreement with DCL and NCL will be “made public” to the delight of many.
It has been some three weeks since that the Minister failed to keep his word on the release to the public of the document leading many to question his knowledge of the contracts that he has signed with DCL and NCL in light of the recent press statement by the BVIPA saying otherwise.
VINO Article facts-government misinformation
With the usual leaks in government and Virgin Islands News Online's supreme ability for inside information, a copy of the contracts were finally obtained leading to an article dated February 4, 2014 entitled; Has NDP deceived its people with NCL & DCL Agreements?
It’s important to note that this news site went through the formal channels of checking with the Registry of High Courts and also both the Ministry of Communications and Works and the Office of the Premier to secure copies of the signed documents based on Hon. Vanterpool's promise on January 17, 2014.
The Virgin Islands News Online article details a web of misinformation including that the Berthing agreement cannot be made public because of the many confidential clauses within, along with the ability for the companies to extend the agreement for well over 25 to 30 years despite us being told it is only for 15 years.
Now comes word from the office of the Managing Director of the BVI Ports Authority Claude Skelton-Cline in a statement dated February 4, 2014 that the Berthing Agreements cannot be made public because to do this will “directly compromise the BVIPA, as a party to the Berthing Agreement signed on January 17, 2014 between the BVIPA and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and Disney Cruise Line (DCL).”
Firstly, Virgin Islands News Online stands by our story based on the word from the Minister for Communications and Works that the information would be made public.
In fact, more articles will be forthcoming from the agreement as we believe the public has a right to know what is in the agreement and how it affects our country and our children and grandchildren.
It was this National Democratic Party Government who promised in the last general election campaign to have a government in the sunshine, and practice transparency and good governance and work in the interest of the people of the Virgin Islands.
Therefore, the press statement from the BVIPA was rather alarming as it seems to be Skelton-Cline’s word that the agreement being released is a compromise of the contracts against that of his very own Minister Vanterpool who promised it will be released to the public!
Ports statement bashing & threatening the media
The statement released by the BVI Ports Authority yesterday, February 4, 2014 bashed our news site calling our timely and accurate story on the Government’s Berthing Agreement with NCL and DCL “irresponsible publishing.”
However, we will let the people decide in the coming days whether our reporting which we regard as fair public interest was “irresponsible” or the agreement signed by this Government.
This was interpreted by some as a threat to the media that this information is confidential and must not be made public and to do so, can only be regarded as “irresponsible publishing of the Berthing Agreement such as what occurred….”
Hon. Vanterpool & Skelton-Cline’s relationship
It is obvious to most that the Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool and the Managing Director (MD) of the BVI Ports Authority Claude Skelton-Cline are not always on the same page, especially publicly, as over the past year there would have been times when each of them would have been thrown under the bus by the other.
Perhaps instead of trying to cover-up the Berthing Agreements signed on January 17, 2014 and justifying why it cannot be made public the Minister and MD should demonstrate a new era of working together and avoid the consistent contradiction of each other and throwing each other under the bus!
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44 Responses to “Claude Skelton-Cline vs Hon. Mark H. Vanterpool: Who to believe?”
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