More licks rain on ‘heartless’ NDP Gov’t
The image of the National Democratic Party (NDP) Government has been in tatters with allegations of abandoning the people immediately after Hurricane Irma and then being insensitive to the needs of the people in the aftermath, even while seeking to forge ahead with expensive and controversial projects.
Another person who shares these sentiments is Mr Dawson, who was a guest of the radio show Speak out BVI, which was aired on Tuesday January 16, 2018 on ZBVI 780 AM.
‘Turning sand’ @ Brandywine Bay not a priority
Mr Dawson, in backing up his statement, referred to a meeting in Carrot Bay, Tortola on December 3, 2017 where Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr The Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering (R7) was invited to speak. The residents there had lamented how their livelihood was devastated by the hurricanes, including their farms, fishing boats and equipment and had stated they would have appreciated some financial assistance to get them back on their feet.
“Government told them that they don’t have any money for that. Shortly thereafter the information came out in the legislation that money was being given to certain ministries. Some were getting a quarter million, some were getting a million or so, and I was driving on the east end road about the next week or there about and I saw a bulldozer turning up sand in Brandywine Bay.
“My impression is that we are in a crisis, and if you are in a crisis you will reach out to all those people who are in need and I don’t think that turning sand on Brandywine Bay is a need for the people of this country at this time,” Mr Dawson stated.
The development of the Brandywine Bay beach is a project spearheaded by Dr Pickering.
Gov’t for the people by the people?
And, according to Mr Dawson, he was reliably informed that the Governor of the US Virgin Islands (USVI), Mr Kenneth E. Mapp, makes sure that a number of people have somewhere to lay their head and have been helping people to put their houses back in livable order.
“When we are taking that kind of money and we are turning it over in sand and people in this country, nationals in this country, have nowhere to sleep, and when you hear some of the places some people sleep and live you would understand what I am talking about.”
Mr Dawson questioned whether the present Government was for the people by the people. “It is very sad.”
The retired civil servant also slammed the Government, led by Premier and Minister of Finance Dr The Hon D. Orlando Smith (AL), for failing to properly address the needs of the people ravished by the hurricanes while allocating some $250M for the controversial airport project without doing a feasibility study.
“I would never believe, the people of the country must know. They must wake up and understand that it is their money and if they don’t agree they can stop it.”
Heartless Gov’t
It was only on January 16, 2018 that former legislator and member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Eileene L. Parsons OBE, while on the ZBVI 780 AM radio show, Honestly Speaking, referred to the current NDP regime as being heartless.
Ms Parsons, a Virgin Islands cultural icon, had lamented that the Territory is worst off because former legislator Mr Omar W. Hodge had passed on and had stated "…and I don’t know if he could be replaced because I have to repeat, the people are telling me these fellows don’t have a heart, they play they don’t know when you suffering," a statement that seemed to be directed to the current members of Government.
.png)
.png)
.png)
Follow Us On
18 Responses to “More licks rain on ‘heartless’ NDP Gov’t”