'Elected officials were rendered useless' after Irma- Hon Vanterpool
While debating a motion during the Fifth Sitting of the Third Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) at Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff's Bottom, Tortola, on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, for the portfolio of Disaster Management to fall under the purview of the local government and elected leaders, rather than the Governor, Hon Vanterpool said he and his other elected colleagues felt useless in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
“To tell you the truth, Mr Speaker, I had heard, and I know there was a Disaster Management Act. I think a couple of days before the disaster struck a Cabinet meeting was held where something was passed in the event that there is a major disaster that the Governor takes control, but I didn’t really understand it. I signed off my name to something that I didn’t know about! Then the reality struck me, that the premier of the country who was elected to be the premier was powerless, useless in that first week or two of that disaster,” he remarked.
He continued: “The people who were elected to run this country at a time that they were most needed were useless. I am not blaming any individual or any person, but the law that was entrenched where once there was a national emergency like that was declared, that we were rendered useless as elected officials, that the premier of this country during that period of time was useless.”
Timely Act
Honourable Vanterpool said the Bill before the House is timely.
“This Bill could not have come any earlier, it should have come a long time ago because we cannot allow us in this day and age when we at least have common sense to manage a disaster that all elected officials are rendered useless during the time that they should be most useful to their constituents and to their people. Mr Speaker, that cannot be right.”
Hon Vanterpool said during the emergency meetings held with the Governor, as elected officials they were there to only receive information.
“You were informed, a,b,c,d,e,f,g, you were not consulted, you were informed as to what are the next steps, what is to happen. One man had the power, and that cannot be. When I ask my premier what is next, my premier had to ask the Governor what is next,” he lamented.
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28 Responses to “'Elected officials were rendered useless' after Irma- Hon Vanterpool”
He ain’t perfect but he sure ain’t a leader to just bow to the master.
opposition at the time showed us how a government should react. and led from the front and by example.
stop jumpin on the govenor bashing band wagon...after Irma we saw how our elected officials behaved...( actually didnt see them at all for some.time).
sit down Sir and get on with HELPING to run the country
its shameful how much time.is wasted o posturing and positioning when we the people need HELP.
you just said ...publicly and in record that you signed off on a piece of legislation that you had hadly read and " did t understand".
seems to happen alot in NDP...wall......lost pier park money.....bvi airways.
you should resign if you sign away our rights without fully understanding thethat is inexcusable and no defence ...you dosnt deserce to be in office...period
People hereabouts seem to think just 'cos they "bahn 'ere" they know everything....right, like the first landing on the moon was a BVI project, or the BVI invented the internet. The intellectual potential is here, only we don't harness it by valuing and investing in education, instead of cronyism and corruption.
How silly is this???.