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Festival 2015 performers will be paid, 'trust me’ – Premier Smith

- acknowledged that government had made a commitment to pay by year end 2015
A local Gospel band performing during Gospel Fest - part of Festival 2015. Photo: VINO/File
According to Premier Smith, sometimes it is necessary to look at what the bills are and whom they are coming from, looking at the contents of the bill and then making a decision on payment. Photo: GIS
According to Premier Smith, sometimes it is necessary to look at what the bills are and whom they are coming from, looking at the contents of the bill and then making a decision on payment. Photo: GIS
Local band VIBE performing during Festival 2015. Photo: VINO/File
Local band VIBE performing during Festival 2015. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Premier and Minister of Finance Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith on Thursday January 21, 2016 acknowledged that Government should have paid local performers of Emancipation Festival 2015 before the end of last year.

“There is always a commitment to pay all bills. Sometimes it is not possible to pay a bill immediately but we always as a government make sure that those people who are owed are paid,” he said, speaking at a press conference.

According to Premier Smith, sometimes it is necessary to look at what the bills are and whom they are coming from, looking at the contents of the bill and then making a decision on payment.

“It depends on many factors but the workers would be paid, trust me,” said Premier Smith, though shying away from giving a timeline.

Almost half a year since they performed at Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival 2015, local bands who graced the stages of the various Festivilles have yet to receive all of their monies from Government. According to reports, some have been paid for performances outside of Road Town while others have not received any payment.

Members of a number of top bands in the territory, including Showtime and OMG, recently confirmed this to our newsroom.

In late August 2015, Minister for Education and Culture Hon Myron V. Walwyn had apologised to persons still to receive their money for work done during the Emancipation celebrations.

The Minister at that time committed to having the issue resolved and promise payments before the Christmas season of 2015.

He had explained that there is usually an annual shortfall of about $400,000 and this cannot be addressed until supplementary appropriations are brought to the House of Assembly later down in the year 2015. A month on, however, local musicians are still awaiting payment.

There has been a barrage of calls from talk show hosts, callers to talk shows, and persons all over social media for the Government to settle the outstanding payments.

26 Responses to “Festival 2015 performers will be paid, 'trust me’ – Premier Smith”

  • festival performer (25/01/2016, 07:57) Like (34) Dislike (0) Reply
    That is the problem we don't trust you because you been saying the same thing for nearly 6 months now
  • HMMM (25/01/2016, 07:59) Like (39) Dislike (1) Reply
    We know at some point they will be paid but it is a dis service to have not paid them before but we now know that they were not paid as yet because you allow some of your ministers to broke the ccountry. You are a poor leader and can't be trusted anymore.
  • Clearly (25/01/2016, 08:01) Like (43) Dislike (1) Reply
    Clearly you are an excellent doctor but an extremely weak leader whose word is worth nothing now.
  • Clearly (25/01/2016, 08:09) Like (10) Dislike (26) Reply

    The Ball headed man got no respect for the Premier always jumping ahead of the Premier now the same Premier got to bail he r@$$ out over the embarrassing situation with the locals bands. We keep telling him walk slow stop trying to go where you cannot handle! We support Kedrick for Premier 

  • watch the wicket (25/01/2016, 08:27) Like (26) Dislike (1) Reply
    So they give an expat company who ows us money for landing fees and close down on us $7 million dollars but the local bands still must wait SMH
  • Ummmm (25/01/2016, 08:59) Like (4) Dislike (2) Reply
    That is pure nonsense!
  • Political Observer (25/01/2016, 09:05) Like (14) Dislike (0) Reply
    So Mr. Walwyn did what the Financial Secretary complained about last week. Was given $100 bucks and spend $200. Is that not a violation of the financial regulations? Things that made you go hummmmm
  • Hmm (25/01/2016, 09:31) Like (49) Dislike (0) Reply
    Every local band should boycott festival this year!!
  • locals (25/01/2016, 10:53) Like (36) Dislike (0) Reply
    How come bvi airways got paid bfore we
    • @ locals (25/01/2016, 13:53) Like (6) Dislike (1) Reply
      They are white!
    • Says who (25/01/2016, 15:54) Like (0) Dislike (4) Reply
      Who said BVI Airway got paid )$7 Mil? It's a revenue guarantee agreement....it won't even come into play until the airline starts flying, and then it will be be based on empty seats.
  • music (25/01/2016, 11:28) Like (11) Dislike (7) Reply
    This is nothing new, it happens with every government. If you want to be paid on time, just don't perform until you have a deposit. It's quite simple. If not, then just don't perform. Take a stance. Let them hire Beenie Man, Sizzla, Machel, Destra. They get all their money don't they... lol.. But most will still play because this is just about the only time they get any exposure..... If working and not getting paid for Festival isn't the ultimate irony, then I don't know what is... You're celebrating freedom from slavery, but can't get paid....HILARIOUS....
  • *Hmm (25/01/2016, 11:37) Like (30) Dislike (0) Reply
    Dr Smith and the word TRUST in the same sentence is like saying Hitler and World Peace....impossible!
  • Thanks. (25/01/2016, 13:04) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
    Thank you Doc. I'm broke. Change the Minister. Change the Committee. Give the committee out as a contract. Let people who think they can do a good job send their bids, their plans and proposal in.
  • Waiting (25/01/2016, 13:15) Like (7) Dislike (1) Reply
    Now pay the rest of government contracts that old
  • youths (25/01/2016, 13:17) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    Open and close the village in town..please. Bring back the Brass a rama. The schools have a lot of youths playing wind instrument get them active. Get them motivated..Get them on the committees.
  • Scary Mary (25/01/2016, 14:36) Like (22) Dislike (1) Reply
    In order to trust you Mr. Premier, you must be "trustworthy". Being worthy of the people's trust means that you must have an easily identifiable track record proving your word as your bond.

    1. You promised us government in the sunshine. We have received anything but.

    2. You promised us new legislation for solar power and inferred that the people would be permitted to use solar power freely, not just for hot water heaters. How lame is that! Yet the people have footed the bill for Dr. Pickering to gallivant all over the globe attending this conference and that as regards to global warming and "green" energy solutions. To what end?

    3. You promised after purchasing Prospect Reef Resort in February 2005 that it would be made into a state-of-the-art hospitality training center. By August, 2007 (a full 2 and a half years later) when your government was thankfully voted out, you did NOTHING to make that happen.

    More than 10 years have passed since it was purchased, and it continues to sit neglected and under utilized with no plans for the foreseeable future. Yet you had the unmitigated gall to say you were "disappointed" in the handling of Prospect Reef during the VIP's tenure from 2007 to 2011! What did YOUR government do with it before or since? You were the ones with the big plans!

    4. You said the musicians would be paid by the end of 2015. They still haven't been paid.

    5. You said the cruise ship pier would cost about 45 million and would be completed by "fill in the various dates here". It was way more than budgeted, you failed to meet your obligation to complete it on time, and you have not yet revealed the actual cost to date or what additional expenses the people may expect between now and the actual completion date.

    6. You insisted that the VIP left the country broke, which was not true. I read an article just yesterday stating that we have NEVER been as close to financial disaster as we are right this minute. Yet today, Dr. Pickering announced plans to embark upon the country's MOST EXPENSIVE PROJECT EVER, the expansion of the airport runway. No word yet as to where the money will come from.

    The items listed above are just a sampling of your government's broken promises. A betrayal is a broken agreement or promise. Without detailing every single broken promise during your three terms in power, I think it is safe to say that you and the NDP government have betrayed the people of the Virgin Islands time and time again.

    WHY would any of us EVER "trust you"? To date, your "word" has meant pretty much nothing. Sadly, it is a fact that almost all politicians (world wide) lie because they simply feed the people what they WANT to hear, not what they NEED to or SHOULD hear.

    Some would be politicians who insist on being honest, and who feed the people large doses of reality, rarely (if ever) get elected. So it stands to reason that although people may get what they deserve, they rarely get what they want. We definitely got what we deserved this time around, considering the landslide victory your government received, so it is difficult to point the finger of blame at you or any of our politicians.

    During this third opportunity to govern us, why would it come as a surprise that nothing has changed? They will continue to lie and betray because morality, honesty and forthrightness have never been attributes BVI voters have demanded from our political leaders. The strategy of "promise them whatever they want" has worked for the NDP three times in a row! Why would they change? We certainly don't demand accountability from our leaders. We just suck our teeth, shrug our shoulders and take it on the chin. Then once we are completely disenchanted, we will then vote in the next liar who comes along, promising us (once again) that which we want to hear.

    For the Premier to say, "trust me" would be almost laughable if it weren't so sad. So Mr. Premier, I suggest you curb the use of that particular phrase, because you have no credence in the area of "trust". Nobody expects you to tell the truth anyway, and it just opens you up to comments such as this.

    Just flash that smile of yours, nod your head and move along, or use your famous "as far as I am aware", or "to my knowledge" qualifiers you commonly use. May I suggest, "I'll have to look into that" or "I'll get back to you on that" would serve as a nice change of pace, just to break the monotony of overusing the same tired phrases, yet accomplishing the same exact goal, which is to say nothing and be accountable for nothing while managing to put your constituents and the future of the BVI itself at great financial risk.
  • Antsnest (25/01/2016, 16:01) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    I always keeps an eye on people who makes promises and end their statement with the phrase "trust me".......trust me.
  • hdarley (25/01/2016, 16:09) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    pay me first
  • ndp (25/01/2016, 21:12) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Trust in god not people and these set of liers and thief's .
  • Voter Too (26/01/2016, 08:53) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    Trust me you may be paid from previous performances but they dont want this year's festival to be flunked if individuals dont participate so will you be paid after this year's festival ?,but if I were you all I would make sure they pay me up front or even a contract with partial payment. Dont let them get away this time as many of us are indebted to others before and after.
  • W*F (26/01/2016, 11:11) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    When? The year 2020?
  • Windy (26/01/2016, 16:16) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Checks in the mail and I won't cum in ...


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