PEP’s Lorie A. Rhymer raps VIP on VG hospital, greenhouses
He made the comments following his live call into the programme VIP Let’s Talk aired on Monday Wednesday April 1, 2015 on ZBVI 780 AM.
“Could you please give some insight as to when you were in the Government of the Virgin Islands you built a number of greenhouses rather than a hospital for the people of Virgin Gorda…the people who have suffered greatly over the years and that these greenhouses so far have produced nothing and then you compounded it with the fact that you gave away the rights to the greenhouses with reference to the intellectual properties?” asked the caller who identified himself as Lorie A. Rhymer.
In response to the concern, senior VIP member Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) said that the project was meant to be a good one for the territory.
“It was supposed to move the territory [towards feeding itself]. It is a good project but it just needs to be fine-tuned in the best interest of the people,” he said.
Regarding the hospital in Virgin Gorda he said, “Yes certain things were needed in healthcare in Virgin Gorda and the Representative [Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE (R9)] did his best over the years, also as Premier to assist in this area. So it is something that plans were already done up for and carried to the people of Virgin Gorda and there were some concerns about certain aspects of it. So I don’t think it is about any neglect as the caller is trying to state because a lot of other things have been done for Virgin Gorda that we can list off or document.”
Not satisfied
However Mr Rhymer called back to say that he was not satisfied with the answer that was given to his question. “I have raised my question and I have not received a proper answer I am afraid. As to the intellectual property, you know well that the intellectual property has been given away to the people who actually constructed the greenhouses, that is a fact. And now we have to try to buy those rights back. We spent upwards of $6 million for those greenhouses and they have produced absolutely nothing,” said Rhymer. “The answer that you have given is not satisfactory,” he said.
VIP took action - Hon Fraser
Jumping into the fray, Chairman of the VIP Honourable Julian Fraser RA (R3) said that it is not true to say that nothing was done in Virgin Gorda with regards to healthcare. “We had a consultant working on those documents…the drawings were presented to the Government and they had to do a form of revision and there was a retake on the whole thing. And remember we were working on the hospital project in Road Town which had us gasping for air,” said Honourable Fraser.
Regarding the issue of intellectual property, Honourable Fraser said that it might have been a part of the contractual arrangement and the condition under which the contractor was prepared to build the greenhouses. "So it is not like you give it away...it was part of the contractual agreement," he said.
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