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NDP gov't full of deception – Hon. Fahie

- First District Representative accuses ruling party of deception & 'perception management'
First District Representative Hon. Andrew A. Fahie has charged that the government of the day is involved in perception management and have continued to be deceptive in the way that they are representing information to the public. Photo: VINO/File
The claims come in the wake of Premier Dr the Hon. D. Orlando Smith’s assertions in the House of Assembly that he had not seen the Auditor General’s report on the pier project despite issuing a comprehensive press release on the report a short while after it had reportedly surfaced. Photo: VINO/File
The claims come in the wake of Premier Dr the Hon. D. Orlando Smith’s assertions in the House of Assembly that he had not seen the Auditor General’s report on the pier project despite issuing a comprehensive press release on the report a short while after it had reportedly surfaced. Photo: VINO/File
According to Hon. Fahie, all the facts are pointing in the direction that the Premier has seen the report which was authored by Auditor General Ms Sonia M. Webster. Image: VINO/File
According to Hon. Fahie, all the facts are pointing in the direction that the Premier has seen the report which was authored by Auditor General Ms Sonia M. Webster. Image: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – First District Representative Hon. Andrew A. Fahie has charged that the government of the day is involved in perception management and have continued to be deceptive in the way that they are representing information to the public.

The claims come in the wake of Premier Dr the Hon. D. Orlando Smith’s assertions in the House of Assembly that he had not seen the Auditor General’s report on the pier project despite issuing a comprehensive press release on the report a short while after it had reportedly surfaced.

“It’s hard to believe that he has not seen the Auditor General’s report on the pier project and as the Minister of Finance and the leader of the country, even if the Governor alleged that he ordered it, he [the Governor] would have discussed it with the Premier so I find it hard to conclude that the Premier hasn’t seen it,” Hon. Fahie told Virgin Islands News Online in an exclusive interview.

Premier Smith, in response to a question posed by Hon. Fahie in the House of Assembly on the issue of when the report would be laid in the House said, “the Member is saying that I am fully aware of the existence of the Auditor General’s Report, ….Madam Speaker, I have heard of this report floating around, I have not seen it, I am not sure I could find it, no one has sent it to me, so I know nothing about it!”

According to Hon. Fahie, all the facts are pointing in the direction that the Premier has seen the report which was authored by Auditor General Ms Sonia M. Webster.

“That is just an addition to many other areas that have come to light that the facts reveal that what the government is telling us and what actually [obtains] based on the research, are two different things,” he argued.

“…they are involved in perception management and public relations marketing to sell their story but what is actually [factual] is different from what they are saying,” Hon. Fahie claimed.

Hon. Fahie expressed that even though the Premier has claimed in the House of Assembly that he hasn’t seen the report, the release issued by the Premier has alluded to many things contained within the report. “That’s difficult to do if you didn’t see the report,” Hon. Fahie stated.

The veteran legislator noted that he does not ‘wish the government bad’ however, he believes that “the government is involved in a lot of deception in the way that they are bringing information.”

The First District Representative further argued that the issue was not one of opinion, but rather one that requires careful research.

Citing a further instance of inconsistency, Hon. Fahie noted that Premier Smith had suggested that works on the Queen Elizabeth Park had not started while noting that there was only some ‘warming up’.

However, Hon. Fahie claimed that everyone could see the trucks passing and the heavy equipment working so the project, in his opinion, had already started.

He added, contrary to campaign promises, the government continues to deliver late budgets despite promising to be financially responsible in delivering early budgets.

He also noted the constant ballooning of project costs with as much as four and five hundred percent increases in some instances such as the Georgie Hill road, Crafts Alive, and Hospital parking lot projects.

“You have [the government] doing projects where none of them are being tendered,” Hon. Fahie alleged, “and they campaigned saying that none of that would never happen.”

35 Responses to “NDP gov't full of deception – Hon. Fahie”

  • ooooo (02/01/2014, 08:38) Like (12) Dislike (14) Reply
    by now we should all know that these ndp's are a bunch of globetrotting prevaricators
    • GoonSquad (02/01/2014, 11:51) Like (8) Dislike (7) Reply
      Go away ooooo Fahie well know how the system works. The man aint seen the report for he did not ask for one to be done. The governor does not have to ive the Premier a copy or does anyone else..Funny how they always want to make a mountain out of a mole hole.
      • Hello GoonSquad (02/01/2014, 14:02) Like (9) Dislike (5) Reply
        When the VIP was in power & anything questionable happen the NDP claimed that Ralph is the Head & the buck stops with him. Now Orlando is the Head & you guys want to change the rules because you love the NDP so much that they can never do no wrong. Ayo is just a set of hypocrites if you ask me.
        • Trombone (03/01/2014, 08:59) Like (1) Dislike (6) Reply
          @Hello GoonSquad

          You need to read the article, and you need to understand how Government works. The Premier did not commission the report on the pier project. And he did not issue a press release...that was done by the GIS.

          “the Member is saying that I am fully aware of the existence of the Auditor General’s Report, ….Madam Speaker, I have heard of this report floating around, I have not seen it, I am not sure I could find it, no one has sent it to me, so I know nothing about it!”

          You also need to understand what motivation is. Do you think a rational man would make such a statement in the house if it was not so? What would he gain by telling a lie (if it is a lie) like that? I agree that the Premier is the head and so he is ultimately accountable. But Andrew is out of order by implying that the Premier is lying.
  • . (02/01/2014, 08:41) Like (9) Dislike (3) Reply
    Well how he had seen and read the leaked letter that was adressed to ralph?
  • cay (02/01/2014, 09:02) Like (5) Dislike (8) Reply
    Just two more years of this
  • forgive us lord (02/01/2014, 09:09) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    the brox bummer political theater is striking!!!!
  • YAWN (02/01/2014, 09:15) Like (9) Dislike (11) Reply
    Blah blah blah. NDP will clean the VIP's clock come 2015/16 that's fact. Watch the projects roll out in 2014..they running scared.
    • To yawn (02/01/2014, 10:38) Like (11) Dislike (4) Reply
      You need to stop yawning & wake up & realise that the way the NDP doing these projects raises a lot of concerns of corruption. The Premier seems to want to sweep these questionable actions under the rug like what he trying to do with the alarming findings of the Auditor General's report on the Ports Pier Project but he can't hide all.
      • YAWN (02/01/2014, 11:03) Like (7) Dislike (8) Reply

        Corruption = any project where you will not get any money and may make the opposite party look good to voters. GTFOH! How all of a sudden people know what corruption is? Show me the corruption and stop talking sh!t.

        • To YAWN again (02/01/2014, 12:08) Like (8) Dislike (4) Reply
          Don't go sleep. Stick around and you will see that your NDP angels are really devils. Don't yawn anymore because you might go sleep & miss the action. Then you can decide who really should GTFOH.
          • YAWN (02/01/2014, 14:14) Like (6) Dislike (3) Reply

            I don't have any angels, I don't give a s..t about VIP or NDP. All I know is that 99% of you blogging could give a damn about BVI. You only vex because your lifeline get cut off when VIP got voted out. All of them are the same thing which is why I stand where I stand. On the sideline watching the them fight and bicker for no reason.

            • Oh Please (02/01/2014, 17:55) Like (6) Dislike (3) Reply
              To yawn...since when you are the only one that really cares about the BVI. With your kind of attitude I am not convince that you really care about anything or anyone. The world doesn't revolve around you alone so get a life.
          • @ To Yawn Again (03/01/2014, 16:01) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
            I hope you are putting a new VIP Party to run because that previous VIP Gov aint no better than the government that is in. So start looking new members from now!
  • Amen (02/01/2014, 10:34) Like (6) Dislike (4) Reply
    The long & short is that these NDP elected Ministers do not tell the truth.
  • Hear ting (02/01/2014, 10:40) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply

    George Hill jump from three hundred thousand to over one million dollars and look who the q...e character is as the project manager. This needs investigating right away.

  • Well said (02/01/2014, 10:46) Like (6) Dislike (3) Reply
    The NDP said whatever they thought we wanted to hear to win the 2011 elections including selling to us that the VIP left the country broke but the NDP's actions is now clearly showing that we were hoodwinkled.
  • My Piece (02/01/2014, 10:50) Like (6) Dislike (1) Reply
    To me the biggest political crime has been this hospital construction project that the NDP signed with the Santo company for $64mil & many years later we have a shell of a building for just under $200 mil & counting. This is what really broke our treasury.
    • DarkVader (02/01/2014, 11:55) Like (9) Dislike (5) Reply
      If VIP had continue where NDP hasd left off, the hospital would have been finished...but NOOOO, they had to go changing plans etc..you aint expect the cost to rise. I blaming VIP for the hospital mess...
      • @DarkEr (02/01/2014, 13:56) Like (4) Dislike (3) Reply

        Stop lying. The VIP never change any plans that the NDP left with the hospital. All that happen is the VIP was forced to change the contractor because the one the NDP signed with was proven over & over & over to be incompetent.

  • BOL! (02/01/2014, 10:54) Like (4) Dislike (4) Reply
    BOL !!! kettle calling the pot bottom black !!
    • @BOL (02/01/2014, 12:12) Like (5) Dislike (3) Reply
      The pot which is the NDP is who made everyone think that the pot the VIP was bad but over time we are now finding out that the real pot that is bad is the NDP. It is a real shame to know that some of you think that these NDP ministers can do nothing wrong but all that glitters is not gold.
  • chad (02/01/2014, 12:05) Like (5) Dislike (3) Reply
    And you are no different Hon. F.
    • @wow (02/01/2014, 13:24) Like (10) Dislike (8) Reply
      Hon. F is as far as cheese is from chalk when you compare him to some of these deceitful NDP guys that some of you holding in high esteem.
      • Really?! (02/01/2014, 17:22) Like (3) Dislike (5) Reply

        how about the contract with the current port director for the youth program?

    • she the cat mother (04/01/2014, 05:52) Like (0) Dislike (2) Reply
      its clear the NDP has a war against the BVI people.

  • VIP Supporter (02/01/2014, 13:08) Like (3) Dislike (5) Reply

    Both NDP and VIP need voting out! lets form a new party name the peoples buniness.

  • @VIP Supporter (02/01/2014, 14:07) Like (4) Dislike (2) Reply
    There are good elected persons on both sides, NDP & VIP but both parties suffered & is suffering from poor leadership.
  • Scary Mary (02/01/2014, 17:23) Like (7) Dislike (2) Reply
    Sadly, I don't believe any of them on EITHER side of the house. If they are not twisting words to suit their purposes, they simply don't answer direct questions.

    They (politicians) seem to believe they are not answerable to the public. They are above such naive and pedestrian notions of accountability! Of course they are wrong, but they rely on the fact that some of us seem to have very short memories and our sense of right and wrong tends to get clouded by personal greed.

    They are pretty much free to do as they please, (regardless of what may be right or wrong) because we don't demand better from them. A white envelop, a wink and a knowing smile is all that's necessary. The very sad thing is that everyone knows it and accepts it as part and parcel of our "culture". It really doesn't matter who is elected. It will never change as long as we continue to allow it.

    It's a never ending cycle of finger pointing, political posturing and power mongering. The best we can hope for is that the country doesn't end up bankrupt, with only ourselves to blame for putting them in positions of power. Poor, poor we.
  • wise up (02/01/2014, 22:03) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    man leave dr alone when ralph was in office he also said that he knew nothing when things went bad with that "airport project"( how quick we forget)....understand this; NDP & VIP same thing
  • S.R. (03/01/2014, 06:57) Like (2) Dislike (4) Reply
    We are stupid! We hate the NDP, so will vote to get in the VIP, then hate them, then the NDP again. Need a new party of honest politicians, OOoooops that is an Oxymoron!
  • To wise update (03/01/2014, 09:16) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply

    Since you remembering the airport project then you should accurately remember one of the companies who went jail for the project. Now years later the NDP still turn around & paid the same company for works done at the sane airport during those times & then lately resurrected the same company to project manage Georgie Hill project. All these actions are questionable & one wonders if some of the same regime wasn't more involved in the airport fiasco years ago than what we were lead to believe. Afterall they are now at it again trying to expand the airport. Talk that now.

  • virgin gorda (04/01/2014, 17:53) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    The comments here are enlightening. If only the voters were so well informed.


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