Lies, half-truths, the spin machine on UK Recovery Plan Framework
While most local political and social activists denied being involved, a few hours later, the same day February 28, 2018 at a hastily arranged press conference, Premier and Minister of Finance Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith (AL) blamed some elements within his own National Democratic Party (NDP), as possible culprits for the billboard.
A few days later, on Monday March 5, 2018 at a public ceremony to honour the Territory’s first and late Chief Minister H. Lavity Stoutt, Dr Smith again raised the billboard issue, as it seemed to have gotten under his skin.
On Monday March 12, 2018 in a prerecorded broadcast, Premier Smith hit the airways trying to sell his half-baked UK Framework for the BVI Recovery Plan, when in fact it was unearthed that Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert aka ‘Gus’ told legislators at a closed door meeting this week that Premier Smith had already given the UK government a copy of the plan in November 2017 in exchange for loan guarantees.
Hands tied
The Colonial Power had agreed to help its British Overseas Territory following two killer storms via technical assistance, food, water, equipment and manpower and some small grants, which they delivered weeks after the Hurricanes of 2017 and the manpower continues in many public sector bodies today.
However, the real money needed for the recovery that Premier Smith said will cost well over $3Billion, the UK only committed to guarantee all loans up to $419 USD.
In other words, if the Territory defaults on the loan payments, then the UK will be obligated to repay the loans.
No loan money from UK
The UK is not giving the Virgin Islands a dime in loans. However, for the loan guarantee to take place the Territory must agree to set up an alternative Independent Agency to keep the elected officials hands off all the money. In addition, they must also cut the civil service and privatise many of government services, among other demands, in order to receive the loan guarantee.
A part of the demand also is for all projects to be open to bidding by the international community, competing against small local businesses. To bring this alternative agency, which some Opposition Parliamentarians described as an alternate government, into force legislation must come about and Premier Smith, with not much choice, introduced the Bill VI Recovery & Development Agency Act 2018 on March 15, 2018.
Tell the truth on posters
Meanwhile, following Premier Smith’s speech on Monday March 12, 2018 his supporters within the divided ruling party sent out a poster that read, “join the movement, accept the UK loans and all other donations.”
This message is indeed disingenuous and deliberately misleading as the UK is not giving the Territory a dime in loans, only guaranteeing loans.
Following some push back from critics of the Administration, civil servants, and news articles, the pro Dr Smith group came up with a new poster this time, claiming “accept UK help and all other donations.”
In fact, this is even more discrediting and false, as there was never any question of 'accepting UK help and all donations.' In fact, it was the Dr Smith Government immediately after the hurricanes last year that turned away many of the donations, while others have been left to spoil at the Festival Ground in Road Town, and other holding sites on the main island.
The international community has lost faith in the NDP regime and have been telling the world not to give donations directly to this government, but instead to non-governmental organisations like churches, Red Cross and Rotary clubs.
It is important that as we go forward whatever propaganda and spin that are coming out of this administration be fact-checked by the local and regional news organisations, civil society and whistle blowers.
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41 Responses to “Lies, half-truths, the spin machine on UK Recovery Plan Framework”
Clearly and undoubtedly, the UK has had serious and growing concerns about how the VI managed its financial resources, the size of the civil service and its governing organizational structure. And is using this opportunity to impose the internal management controls. Faced with few options to fund the recovery, government readily and quickly accepted the terms and conditions and the internal management controls. However, the government made a ready-fire-aim error; it signed the agreement before consulting with residents. And to add insult to injury, it solicited input from residents without telling them that the recovery plan was already approved by the UK. This was disingenuous and poor politics. This tarnished government’s integrity and credibility, along with honesty, trust and confidence in it. Further, the terms and conditions were one sided, distrustful (probably earned) and insulting.
Moreover, though the civil service is in urgentneed of reform, the rushed approach to reform it is neither effective nor useful and is counter productive. There must be a timely and structured process to reform the civil service. It is creating false hope that effective reform can be attained in a few months. Reforming the civil service in a few months is delusional. An experienced consultant should be hired to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the civil service and make recommendations for improvements. Further, an experienced consultant or working group should also be hired to look at the public sector organizational structure and make recommendations for organizational structural change.
http://www.bvi.gov.vg/sites/default/files/public_consultation_on_the_recovery_and_development_of_the_british_virgin_islands.pdf
The UK is right. We don't need to waste our limited time and money with more consultants.
1. There must be an independent board to manage the recovery and development loans.
2. The civil service must be restructured and the outrageous pension scheme reformed.
3. Non-core services must be privatized.
$403 mil might be small, but this is the right time to start these reforms. We have 5 years in which to do it, not a few months. Stop misleading people.
It is alleged that it started when the UK told this Gov in 2006 not to get any loans to build the hospital because a bad recession is going to hit the world. So determined the Government went through the back door and got social security money where they did not have to get permission from uk to spend and the VIP then came in and continued rather than straighten up things. Now that project has led to NHI and a noose around the neck of our economy.
I dont know if we have much of a choice of not taking this money even if it put us in debt. However I am for the recovery board controlling it if this Government is to remain in power.
I think that the Premier should leave that momey alone. In a state of disaster why is the Kingdom not interested in helping the country ?Its almost as if they want the BVI to fail and submit to bankruptcy and subsequent outright poverty for our people
I'm bereft of words trying to explain the seeming heavyhandedness the Kingdom has dictated to our Premier by this deal
Is this their way of signaling to us the reality of a pending dooms day up to to include independence
Premier, we're counting on your sound judgement to lead us out of this mess.
Be careful of where your signatory is placed