'Do we need to repeat the BVI Airways saga?'- Hon Archibald C. Christian
Those were the words of Junior Minister for Tourism Hon Archibald C. Christian (AL) during the debate on the Bill entitled Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency Act 2018 in the Third Sitting of the Third Session of the Third House of Assembly today, March 23, 2018.
Hon Christian had previously indicated that he had many concerns about the Bill, which was borne out of the High Level Framework of UK Support to BVI Recovery. Some of the specific concerns include the Recovery and Development Agency and Board stipulated by the UK for loan guarantees and grants.
‘We are being rushed’
The At Large Representative and other Backbenchers, as well as Members of the Opposition, had also expressed concern with the secrecy surrounding the High Level Framework documents, which Premier Smith has refused to disclose to even his own Backbenchers while rushing through with the Bill and asking for their support.
“We need to understand and we need to ensure that a Bill that is passed in this House is a Bill that the people of the Virgin Islands can be comfortable with. The financial implications must be that the people can afford to pay for it. The generation unborn must not be saddled with things and debt that we incurred because we were in a rush to do something….And, Madam Speaker, I believe that we are being rushed, because I have been asking the question all the time: What is the rush?"
According to Hon Christian, not because things are different since the September 2017 hurricanes that the Bill, with so much implications, must be rushed.
Their way vs Our way
Hon Christian said he was told that the UK hopes to pass its budget by April 1, 2018 and the VI needed to pass the Bill to be considered for the guarantees promised. He, however, said he asked the Governor, Mr Augustus J. U. Jaspert aka ‘Gus’, in a meeting over a week ago whether there is an alternative if the deadline is missed.
“He did indicate there is an alternative but there is a preference. And that’s the problem, the preference is the direction they want you to go in, not what is comfortable for us.”
Further, Hon Christian said he has a concern with the tone and language he has seen in documents coming from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), “one as recent as this week, indicating that you must delete this from the bill, insert that, we prefer you have this…and the question I am asking is why am I going through this exercise with this? Because unless somebody proves me wrong, I believe that by the time we finish chopping this up in Committee Stage and we send it down to the governor for his assent, they going to send it back saying this is not acceptable.”
Ministers being stripped of constitutional powers
Another concern expressed by Hon Christian, is that there is no provision in the Bill that allows elected ministers of government, who have the power under the constitution to run their ministries, to have any involvement, except via the Cabinet, which is chaired by the Governor. “And in some instances the Bill is coming back saying that the Governor must approve certain things…so why the front row here?"
What Hon Christian was keen to know is whether there are options available for the Virgin Islands to borrow the monies required? According to Hon Christian, he believes there are.
“Give me the options and let me decide but it seems there is no option. We are trying to sell this to the people on the premise that we are in a bad place, our country has been destroyed and the only way we can get it repaired and rebuilt is to borrow that $400M and get on with it….give me some more time so that I can look at those options or give me choices and options but don’t tell me this is it or else…because we have been told that if we don’t approve this Bill in the Honourable House and we miss the deadline for the UK budget we have to wait another whole year for any consideration to be given to what we need…
“Somebody needs to be clear and honest with us and say what other options are available out there”
Give me the information
And according to the Junior Minister, the all or nothing approach is something he is not totally happy with. “We are grown men and women, educated, elected by the people of these islands to make decisions on their behalf and you cannot and should not be doing it blindly…Give me all the information that is required for me to make a decision…”
Further, Hon Christian said, going forward he would not be supporting anything he is not informed properly on and will always vote according to conscience.
“For the time I have remaining here, whenever I ask for information, unless there is a national security issue at stake, and I don’t get it, the people of the territory will understand that Archibald C. Christian will vote his conscience all the time.
Meanwhile, Fifth District Representative Hon Delores Christopher and Second District Representative Hon Melvin M. Turnbull are expected to vote against the Bill based on their opposition in their debates while it is unclear where Sixth District Representative Hon Alvera Maduro-Caines will stand on her vote as she didn’t have much to say during the debate.
The lone Minister to oppose the Bill in his debate so far is Minister for Health and Social Development Hon Ronnie W. Skelton (AL).
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24 Responses to “'Do we need to repeat the BVI Airways saga?'- Hon Archibald C. Christian”
VOTE AGAINST RECOVERY , WE VOTE YOU OUT!
Have the VI ever defaulted on a loan?
Can't figure the BVI airways comparison. Can someone help?
Here you don't have all the details to make an inform decision to the people on 60 times more the amount that was squandered but yet you seek the support of your members of the HOA for approval to make a government outside of a government law.
That's my opinion.
Learn to read and comprehend.
Doc resign .
Snap Election.
People and their reps start search for funds with a new government they truly deserve.