St. Lucian Lenius Lendor is new Ports Authority Boss
St. Lucian Lenius Lendor is new Ports Authority Boss. Internet Source
Former Managing Director of the BVI Ports Authority, Mr Claude O. Skelton Cline. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - There is now no hope for Mr Claude O. Skelton Cline, returning as Managing Director of the BVI Ports Authority, since the National Democratic Party (NDP) Cabinet, has approved the recommendation of the entity’s Board of Directors, to hire St Lucian national, Lenius Lendor, to take up the post.
He started his job on Monday, September 3, 2018, and is employed on a two-year contract.
Mr Lendor is also earning more than the last Managing Director, with his base salary at $120,000 per year, in addition to generous allowances.
Many residents have criticised the NDP for their percieved history of disenfranchising locals who are qualified for jobs and instead place expatriates in those positions.
Locals shut out
A few years ago the Co-Leader of the Government, Honourable Myron V. Walwyn (AL), said there is nothing that can be done to protect locals.
Virgin Islander, Akeen R. Pickering, has been named Deputy Managing Director for a year—a story first and accurately reported by our news site.
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34 Responses to “St. Lucian Lenius Lendor is new Ports Authority Boss”
We should empower Mr pickering and give him the job
Lucia and have his consultants in St. Lucia but couldn't pay both all he owed them so he traded off the balances for jobs for their families in the BVI. This is what school children is saying so keep that between you and I.
Ok. Enough of the questions. I’m not averse to expats occupying positions in the VI. However, qualified Virgin Islanders should have first preference for jobs in the VI. In other regional countries, ie, Jamaica, Antigua, Guyana, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Anguilla, St. Lucia........etc and elsewhere, ie, Philippines......etc , locals have first preference and priotity for jobs. Moreover, if locals are not qualified for certain jobs, the jobs should be outsourced to expats. Nonetheless, locals should be trained for taking up those jobs. Keeping it real. In all countries, as the standard of living and quality of life improves, locals are not inclined to do certain jobs; these jobs are done by others.
Moreover, successive governments have failed miserably to effectively trained locals in the right skill sets to meet national requirements. Governments have failed to train to its need; governments should have assessed the territory’s skills needs. It didn’t. Instead, it appears that scholarships are offered to students to study what they want, not what the local job market demand/shortages. Consequently, for example, there seems to be a glut of lawyers and a scarcity of doctors, nurses, teachers, craftsmen.......etc. Government scholarships should have been offered to meet the national needs;students funding their own training can study what they want.
Further, this is a national embarrassment, for it seems that Virgin Islanders can’t perform certain basic tasks, skills....etc. The BVI must be providing others outside the territory with a good laugh.........etc a bunch of yahoos, less souls.....etc. And the BVI wants to go independent and it cannot even locally fill basic positions. Another great accomplishment for the local government. It should be proud. Sad. Drop
The British Virgin Islands better be careful with these appointments. Personally if you look at said appointments, they can be a real threat to national security, if there is a real concern about that subject matter. How much loyalty the person's appointed to these sensitive positions have to/for the British Virgin Islands is another BIG question?
Nonetheless, it is not uncommon for emerging/developing countries to recruit highly skilled personnel from offshore to help them through the development process. For example, Singapore, at independence in 1965 recruited the best and brightest from offshore. Today, Singapore, though small (270 square miles) and resource poor, is an economic power house. Moreover, combined with recruiting the best and brightest from offshore in the early development stage is investing in human capital to take up positions in the country from the top leadership down.
Undoubtedly, qualified locals should have first priority for jobs in the territory. And if jobs cannot be filled locally, the jobs can be filled by recruiting offshore. However, locals should be in the training pipeline to fill the job(s). Further, as Political Observer (PO) noted above, locals may not be inclined to take up some jobs and these jobs will have to be filled offshore. Perhaps, government should consider “fencing” some jobs for locals.
Moreover, typically, a developing country requires population growth. Sometimes that population may have to be met through immigration. A growing population is needed for an increasing consumer base. An example of the value of increasing consumer base in the BVI is 1)apartment rental, 1)retail businesses........etc. Employing a highly restricted immigration policy can slow down economic growth, ie, Japan..........etc. All that said, the BVI must ramp up investing in human capital to get it qualified for all job oportuinities in the BVI.
@Political Observer (PO) and Brad Boynes, great contribution also to the discussion.