Opposition Leader labels NDP Gov’t a 'failure'
Referring to Premier Smith’s ‘Mid-Term Report’ to the Territory on Monday July 10, 2017 in which the Premier boasted that the economy was strong and that the Government had some $60M in the Consolidated Fund, Hon Fahie responded with a press release on July 11, 2017 in which he said Premier Smith’s speech will best be remembered for the phantom like report and for what it did not contain.
Noting that for the past six years the NDP Government has been given the mandate by the voters of the Virgin Islands, he can only summarise, contrary to the report issued by the Premier, that the current Government has failed.
“Failed in terms of transparency. Failed in terms of accountability. Failed in terms of Conflict of Interest. Failed in terms of good governance.”
Hon Fahie tells a different story
The Leader of the Opposition said it was “quite amazing” that the Premier would boast on how well financially the Territory is performing when everyone in the Territory knows otherwise.
“Bills incurred by this NDP Government are either not being paid or not being paid in a timely manner. Projects cannot be completed. Programmes are being discontinued. Institutions are suffering for the lack of funding. These are not signs of a healthy financial company nor a healthy financial government. The Premier at some point in his administration must come clean to the people of the Virgin Islands. The days of perception management must end.”
Lack of accountability; Conflict of interest & more
Further continuing to cast a light on the reality of the situation in the Virgin Islands, Hon Fahie said the United Kingdom has now appointed personnel to each of the seven primary posts and more are pending.
Further, Hon Fahie reminded that 30 million dollars is still unaccounted for at the Cruise Pier Project and another 7 million dollars have flown out of the Treasury’s doors without any accountability for an airline “and now we have fights and not flights.’
Premier Smith was also reminded that the constitutionally required audits of the Territory’s finances for the past six consecutive years are still not produced to the House of Assembly and also concerns of conflict of interest among elected members.
“The increase of Government elected officials receiving major government contracts or services without going through any credible and transparent process has allowed conflict of interest to now seem acceptable and within the confides of good governance. Increased advantages through pecuniary interest have also now been accepted as the norm for elected government officials.”
The "illegal transfer" of eight million dollars from a loan approved by the House of Assembly to do, among other things, the East End/Long Look sewage project was also brought up.
“The sudden increase of every tax known to man has created undue hardship to the business community.”
The Opposition Leader said he wanted to assure that he was not searching for the ills of this NDP government but what is troubling to him is that each of the activities listed, among others, he has painstakingly and regrettably informed the residents of the Virgin Islands in his Annual First District Reports and in the House of Assembly.
“The reason for the repetition is quite serious. Violations of any and each of these can result in valid reasons why the British Government will seek to justify further management of our Territory,” Hon Fahie asserted.
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25 Responses to “Opposition Leader labels NDP Gov’t a 'failure'”
The BVI electorate is neither backwards nor inept. It has matured. Though the machinery has it problems, its leaders are somewhat mistrusted to a degree, the populace is quite cognizant to quite a degree of the strengths and weakness of both parties and will vote accordingly .