New Gov’t faces challenging times - Gov Jaspert
The Governor made those remarks during his address to those present at a Thanksgiving Service in celebration of the inauguration of the newly elected VIP government on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, where he noted that ‘with challenges, comes opportunities,’ and that he is looking forward to working with the new government in partnership.
Strengthening the Economy
"We must continue to find ways to strengthen our economy through bolstering our twin economic pillars of tourism and financial services as we recover from the events of 2017, and through growing other sectors,” the governor told those gathered for the ceremony.
He said that now, the VIP Government will find support from an incredibly dedicated public service, “A public service that is transforming to become stronger, more resilient, and more effective in delivering service with excellence to the public we serve.”
According to Mr Jaspert, ministries are already working hard on transformation programmes, including in the areas of public-private partnerships, greening the public service and measures to improve efficiency for the customer’s benefit.
He says another key element in the transformation process is the implementation of further good governance measures.
Transparency & Accountability
“I know that the new administration is keen on preserving and promoting openness and transparency as outlined in their manifesto… I look forward to working with them on this, including on the introduction of a new Ministerial Code,” he said in reference to the VIP mandate to be more open and transparent as opposed to the secretive Dr D. Orlando Smith led National Democratic Party (NDP 1) government.
He says, “I also look forward to working with the new Government on other priority areas outlined in their manifesto... Such as recovery, economic diversification, disaster preparedness and supporting the financial services industry.”
Mr Jaspert further stated that he welcomes the strong sense of partnership to deliver for the people of the Virgin Islands (VI), “A partnership where every partner in Government is respected, valued and plays their role to the full – the elected Government, the Governor, the public service, and the United Kingdom,” he said.
“With all four of these working effectively together, the BVI can approach the future with confidence… with partnership and unity we can best serve the people of the Virgin Islands," the Governor noted.
9 Responses to “New Gov’t faces challenging times - Gov Jaspert”
On February 25, voters voted for a change to lead the territory through this challenging period; they assigned this formidable task to the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Hon Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R-1). Leading this change will not be a walk in the park. The change will require residents patience, understanding, cooperation, collaboration ........etc. The way to eat an elephant is one piece at a time. Premier Fahie’s first step after conducting a situational analysis is crafting a national development plan (NDP). All action going forward should be based on the NDP; it must be the centre of gravity. clearly, it will take months to deliver a NDP. Effective planning is a core ingredient to successful lead this change.
In the interim, Premier Fahie needs some quick wins; quick wins are no brainers, low hanging fruit, slam dunks......etc. Quick wins must be visible, yield immediate benefits and easily deliverable. Quick wins motivate the team, maintain momentum......etc.