No Consumer Protection Bill! Opposition questions NDP being AWOL after Irma
Many residents expected the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Administration to bring the long-awaited legislation to protect residents from issues like price gouging, quality of goods and services, price control and refund policies, to name a few.
However, they will have to wait.
Following hurricanes Irma and Maria in September that devastated the Virgin Islands, some businesses engaged in jacking up their prices, known as price gouging.
According to Junior Minister for Trade and Investment Promotion, Hon Marlon A. Penn (R8), there is no law in place to prevent this; however, he promised one is coming.
Where was the NDP after Hurricane Irma? Opposition asks
Meanwhile, the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) two-man Opposition will fire off a series of questions to the front bench, mainly the Premier and the Minister for Communications and Works.
Both the Opposition Leader Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) and the Third District Representative Hon Julian Fraser RA, will pepper the Government with questions on not being seen or heard from weeks after the impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
While the Governor was in charge of the Territory under the short-lived State of Emergency, it seems like the Government elected representatives were not around, not communicating with the public, not holding meetings or not seen in the communities, until about a month after the Hurricane.
Hon Fraser wants to know from the Premier Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith (AL) why was a state of emergency not put in place before the category 5 hurricanes and if Government will compensate businesses that were destroyed by looting.
Additionally, Hon Fraser- himself a former Opposition Leader and Minister of Government- wants to know why Government did not communicate to the public that after Hurricane Irma there were prisoners roaming the streets and why his NDP Administration failed to establish an effective means of communication following the killer storm.
Hon Fahie wants to know...
For his part, the Chairman of the main Opposition VIP, Hon Fahie, wants to know why there are so much conflicting information coming out of the BVI Electricity Corporation and if the Government is now able to liquidate the outstanding amounts due to the Corporation.
Hon Fahie also wants to know about BVI Airways and the people’s $7.2 Million tax payers give away, money that we now need and if Government will reduce or lay off public sector workers.
Mr Fahie also wants to know about the long outstanding Audited Financial Statements, now that the NDP Government is seeking loan funding following the hurricanes.
The HoA Meeting will be held at the Arbitration Center in the Ritter House on Wickham’s Cay II at 10:00AM.
It is unclear if the proceedings will be carried live on radio.
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