‘Gov’t collapsed? We were busy working on bills’- Hon Walwyn
When the NDP Government was finally heard from it was to rush to have a curfew bill made into law on October 5, 2017 to allow for the state of emergency called by Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert to be lifted while keeping the curfew.
Further, a report written in the Express, a United Kingdom news outlet, claimed that Governor Jaspert is a hero as he single-handedly took control of the post Hurricane Irma situation as the local Government of Premier Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith (AL) had collapsed.
The article, which was published on September 10, 2017, said sources reported how in Irma’s aftermath Governor Jaspert single-handedly took control of operations due to the breakdown of local government.
“Local government has collapsed and he has been forced to take over on his own.
“He has rolled his sleeves up and has personally directed operations,” the source said, according to the United Kingdom Express Newspaper.
Premier Smith has already dismissed the reports as ‘fake news’.
However, in another attempt to save face, Honourable Walwyn, while debating the Micro Business Companies Act 2017 at the continuation of the Eleventh Sitting of the Second Session of the Third House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands at Ritter House on Wickham’s Cay II, Tortola on November 16, 2017, dismissed reports that the NDP Government had crashed.
“There have a talk out there and I will get to that when the time is ready, that this government collapsed after Irma, and all of us drop down dead like we couldn’t do nothing.
“Even in the aftermath of Irma these [bills] were some of the things that we were working on to make sure we can get the economy of this country moving,” Hon Walwyn stated.
‘I had to go check on the people to see if they alive’
The Minister also said he was out of his house early the day after Hurricane Irma struck to check on residents, adding that Minister for Communications and Works Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) and Minister for Health and Social Development Hon Ronnie W. Skelton (AL) also did likewise.
“I don’t know about the rest of them who after Irma, I believed that I called around…but I know that as soon as the morning break, I was blocked in my house…I had to crawl over the verandah, crawl over to my neighbour to get on the road the first thing in the morning.
“My wife asked me where you going? I tell her I have to go look for the people to see if they alive. And I spent that whole day all over Tortola.”
The Minister then emphasised that government did not collapse as is being reported but that it was busy working on bringing bills to the House of Assembly.
“…And then to hear that the Government dropped down or we collapsed? But I will talk about that at another time. But we were busy working on getting things like this [Micro Business Companies Act 2017] ready, Madam Speaker, for the people of this country.”
21 Responses to “‘Gov’t collapsed? We were busy working on bills’- Hon Walwyn”
Everybody knows THE government collapsed after the storms there is zero debate on that as facts is facts!!!!!