‘Give our people a chance’- Premier urges RDA
The Premier was at the time speaking on August 21, 2019, at the second in a series of public consultation meetings, this time in Virgin Gorda on the UK Loan Guarantees for Hurricane rebuilding.
He said in the event the Government takes up rebuilding loans, they may still have to fight to make sure monies get “into the people’s hands.”
Gov’t watching contracts – Premier
Highlighting contracts currently out for derelict boat clearing across the territory, the Premier said he will be watching to make sure local companies benefit.
“If the majority of that money goes to outside companies… I know local companies have bid for nearly all of them. And if that goes outside, inside of the RDA and we have to sit down and watch companies come in here and move boats and do everything, and we have to pay for it, but we cannot benefit from it,” he said that would be akin to economic takeover.
He said often, locals bid on contracts but are told they do not qualify and hence, have to 'sit down' and look on, “That’s what the contractors on the Elmore Stout High School [building] were told,” he said.
“But when we broke them up into 4, 5 parts, and we did it transparently and we say give our people a chance, we went from opening a school maybe next year in January/February to opening in school in September coming early that our children at Elmore Stoutt can go back to school full time,” Premier Fahie revealed.
Money Stays in VI - Premier
“And none of the money went to any politician, it gone to the people,” Hon Fahie underscored.
He said some Virgin Islanders love, “melee and mischief”, and openly challenge the territory to search the accounts of politicians on his Virgin Islands Party (VIP) slate for public monies, “It ain’t gone to us,” he said.
Further, the Leader of Government Business pointed out that as a result of local contractors receiving the ESHS rebuilding contracts, they hired more people and were able to donate valuable equipment that was needed by the school.
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