‘There will be no favouritism under a VIP Admin’- Hon Julian Fraser RA
‘Sucking salt’ under NDP
Speaking with Paul ‘Gadiethz’ Peart on the Morning Ride Show on Zrod 103.7FM on Tuesday April 28, 2015 Hon Fraser said, “there will be no favouritism when it comes to the districts, there will be no friends with benefit or anything of that sort. It is one country and we are one people. My aim will be to win over those who didn’t support me rather than to push them away.”
The Opposition member recalled that when he was the Minister for Communication and Works under the VIP Administration, there was a budget for infrastructural development in particular and what he did was divided that money in nine (9) equal portions so that each district could benefit.
“It had nothing to do with whether that member was a VIP or NDP but now if you a VIP you suck salt. I could tell you that. District One, District Three, District Two and District Nine. Nobody talks to us when it comes to anything for our district.”
Territory’s youth frustrated
Hon Fraser was at the time speaking about the problem of youth violence in the wake of a recent shooting in Road Town when Mr Peart asked him what he would do different if he becomes Premier to effectively address crime and violence among the territory’s youth.
“It’s hard to convince young people when they look around and they see all the splurging and the wastage and all they see is a select few are doing well and they are not. I think a focus has to be placed on the development of the youths…a significant portion of our budget needs to be placed in a way that it benefits the youth.”
Spend more on the youth
Hon Fraser reasoned that the Virgin Islands has a financial services industry that is bringing over 180 million dollars a year and while money from that industry should be used for infrastructural development it should be used for human development more than anything else and that such development starts with the youth.
“Until government understands that spending money on youth is not wasted money, I say is not wasted money but money well spent, then we are going to continue to have problems that we are having,” Hon Fraser said.
The NDP Government continues to be criticised for telling the people that the VIP left the country broke but the same NDP Government has spent millions of dollars on consultancies and other contracts, mostly for “friends” of the party while failing to inject money into the economy but at the same time raising certain taxes.
It has also been slammed for trying to make the district representatives in the Opposition look negligent and irrelevant by bypassing them when awarding contracts for infrastructural works in their districts.
The biggest criticism, however, has been the NDP Government’s refusal to bring transparency to major spending before the House of Assembly, forcing Senior Virgin Islands Party Member Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) to label it as the most corrupt government in the history of the Virgin Islands.
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38 Responses to “‘There will be no favouritism under a VIP Admin’- Hon Julian Fraser RA”
Can Myron and SB really asked what the VIP did for youths??? Set of sick desperate people...
The college
100 Million in scholarships
Roads,
Jobs
Technical school
Build all the primary and high school in the BVI
Started after school programmes
Promoted youths in the public sector
Help youth those who did not get scholarships by stating loan programme at the Development bank a bank started by the VIP
Must I go on?
Reduce cost on material to state your fist home…OK let me stop there
Labialized telecommunications so the young people can have up to two and three cells to text all day
I think you are bit confuse, cause the VIP team you speak about here no long exist. No one what this new team as there leader. We appreciate the work of the pass VIP team, but what the new members trying to do we are not accepting. At some point all party will cease to exist and I think the VIP party is in that stage. This is not to disrespect the "VIP party" team, I am just saying what I see happening now. Same thing happen to the United Party after sometime they just phase out. 20 - 30 years same thing may happen to the NDP. I think team VIP should re-brand get a new name get fresh blood get more educated candidates. Please don't see them as VIP the old VIP they just see Fraser and Andrew. They do not represent the legacy of the old VIP Party.
Dr. Picko done for Jarecki, Richard Brandson and David Johnson. But then we may never know, until we
find ourselves paying more and higher Taxes because of the excessive Duty-Free, buy-everything-overseas
and other massive Incentives we gave them (while we only got a few jobs), while they turn around and
sell the same lands they got on Great-Deals, for Millions per house lot.
Sir, with all due respect, that (statement above) is not a plan
It's been this way with ALL PARTIES !!!!
Who he trying to fool ????
Vote for Fraser, he don't like Islanders. More opportunities for 'I from here'..... Or vote for NDP, they don't like Police. More opportunities for criminals??...... I dunno.... this gov't thing fri%^& up...
I think the next 4 years (with NDP at the helm) will be very telling as we will then see for ourselves what overspending in the short term realistically translates to in the long run.
My worst fear is that the NHI will fail and the hospital will be forced to limp along, underfunded, understaffed, under equipped and greatly overpriced. Similarly, I fear that the police and fire department, prison and all the territory's schools, will also suffer from being understaffed and underfunded, while the NDP government scrambles to make their unrealistic dream for the airport expansion a reality.
I predict that maintenance of all government owned facilities will suffer tremendously and government cut backs will result in layoffs and pay cuts for many government employees, other than those at the top of the heap.
The NDP has borrowed to the hilt, putting the BVI into a very tenuous financial situation that only a brilliant financial strategist could manage effectively. I don't believe we have any "brilliant" financial strategists in government, so we should be prepared for higher taxes and several new taxes shortly after the upcoming election.
Regardless of who is elected, nobody will have an easy time dealing with the financial constraints our current government has brought upon us. If anyone believes that increased cruise ship tourism and the contract with Disney/Norwegian is the answer to this dilemma, you need to think again. It will help, but it certainly isn't "the" answer to our ever increasing national debt.
We are headed towards becoming a full blown socialist society, not dissimilar to that seen in Russia, Cuba and other socialist/communist countries. In fact, our very nature as a people pretty much conforms to socialist doctrines based upon state dependency.
Socialism is based on the concept of "sharing and common ownership" regardless of ability or deservedness. In socialistic societies, the dregs of society including the criminal element, the lazy and less intelligent will enjoy an equal share of the pie as those who actually baked the pie and worked hard to provide the ingredients.
We are almost there already in that we have state owned (rather than privately owned) services such as water, sewerage and electricity. There are very few privately owned/operated schools as those that do exist were built primarily to serve the expat community. Heck, government even made a major step into the "privately owned" sector when the NDP bought Prospect Reef Resort, though to this day, they have done nothing with it.
According to Mr. Skelton, we will soon have a state owned and operated health care system and we already have what may as well be a state owned and operated social security board. I don't think we are too far away from state owned home, vehicle and life insurance and perhaps even state owned banking, shipping and ferry services as well.
It is clear to me that the NDP government has no faith in the ability of the average Virgin Islander to fend for ourselves or to make our own way in this world. They are making us more and more dependent upon them for all our daily needs and dictating the terms of use in the process.
Majority rules though. If socialism, state ownership and being TOLD you have one option for health care and that you MUST contribute regardless of whether or not you want it or will use it is OK with you, then so be it. If you don't believe your children will benefit from private schools, who am I to say otherwise? If you think "the people" should own the cruise pier and the land side development instead of private enterprise, then OK, I give!
My concern is that socialism promotes mediocrity and kills the entrepreneurial spirit. It kills the drive to achieve or to be "special" and makes people complacent. It makes people want more (for nothing of course) and with no effort offered on their part.
I am sure many will attack my beliefs in regards to our political and financial future; and that's fine. Everyone (including me) is entitled to their own opinion. It would give me no joy whatsoever to be proven right. The next 8 to 10 years will certainly tell more of the story but I have no doubt that we will still be discussing the 2011 to 2015 government for up to 20 years as having been a pivotal point in the financial history of the BVI; and not in a good way.
For the sake of my children and my children's children, I pray I am completely and utterly wrong. I happen to be a capitalist through and through and believe that if you work hard, you can do very well for yourself and you can provide well for your family. I have always felt that we as Virgin Islanders can achieve as much as we wish. Perhaps I am wrong and people really do want government to take over everything and do everything for them. If that is the case then NDP and socialism is definitely the way to go.
So the next person to ask, "what did the VIP do for the youth or for me or for anyone else"; ask yourself, what did YOU do for the youth or yourself or for anyone else? Are we big people or are we little children who need to be spoon fed EVERYTHING?
I still don't know how I will vote. I think the VIP line up of candidates is tragically lacking and PEP is pretty much in the same boat. I simply can't vote for a socialist government that believes in controlling absolutely everything and DICTATES what I will pay for, whether I use it or not.
I feel completely defeated and without any viable options or hope. I truly fear for my children.
That's it. Those so inclined may now proceed to attack.
Borrowing tremendous sums of money with no plan of HOW or when it will be paid back (to my way of thinking) is completely irresponsible. The NDP dived into this whole pier project and land side development without having their ducks in a row. Where are the numbers to back up the investment and does it make sense to spend it on an industry that has been known to use their power to hold small island nations hostage to their whims? Have you done any research on islands and cities (around the world) that have been negatively impacted by cruise ship tourism?
Where are the budget projections for revenues and expenditures if the airport is expanded? WHY am I being asked to pay NHI when my family has health coverage we are perfectly happy with and will retain after NHI is implemented? WHY should I pay YOUR hospital bill?
I have not stated that VIP is better than NDP or that PEP is worse than either one of them. In fact, I have clearly stated that I simply don't know who I am going to vote for. I have only said who I will NOT vote for. I WON'T VOTE FOR SOCIALISM. Period. I want government out of my pockets and out of my way. I have never asked for a single thing from government and never will. I believe that once you hit the age of 21 you are on your own. Swim or drown.
If people are too lazy to get off their butts and do for themselves, why should they expect anyone else to help them out? If someone is so greedy that they would sell their sole (or their vote) in return for a new driveway, computer, retaining wall or petty contract, SHAME on them.
I could go on for days because I am extremely concerned as to the future of these islands under NDP leadership. Instead, I will turn the question around on you. What makes you think that all the current projects NDP has in the works and are actively pursuing, will be beneficial to the BVI in the long run? Where is your proof? Tell us why you believe it.
I will add that I was against the purchase of Prospect Reef Resort as I don't believe the government should be in the tourism trade in any way other than for marketing purposes. I went as far as to say it would end up being a white elephant and a drain on the taxpayers. How many of us have seen any figures indicating that the purchase of Prospect Reef Resort was a good move?
I am not a stupid woman and I have more than a passing understanding of cost/benefit analysis. One thing I will never support is the blind leading the blind. Shooting in the dark and "hoping" for the best is a very bad way to bring home the bacon. First you must be certain the pigs are there and then you have to be sure that you don't kill off too many at one time. Ergo, you BUDGET these things and make strategical plans that are certain to offer your bacon making business a sustainable future. So where are the plans and where is the cost/benefit analysis for all these wonderful things?
How on Earth will the hospital ever become sustainable?
I do not appreciate being FORCED to make payment into some socialist scheme that is being shoved down our throats. As I said, my family already has health insurance and we are very happy with it.
The young kid who gets in an accident will still be covered by NHI. I am not taking anything away from him. I simply don't feel that my RIGHT TO CHOOSE an insurer should be so easily usurped by an elected government without my agreement. Where will it end? Will the government next tell me that I must use the government bank or the government insurance company to insure my home or my vehicle? Will they tell me that I must give 10% of my income to support some other cause at some point down the line?
Socialism and communism are insidious. They come in the front door as seemingly harmless entities but if you open the back door, you will see your rights being burned in the trash can as government officials become more and more intrusive. They will have their hands in your pocket every time you turn around. Just mark my words.
The world is full of tragic cases of poverty and woeful unpreparedness. Does that mean that I must be held responsible for each and every one of those people who did not work as hard as I have to provide for my family? Should I be held responsible for the the seventh child of a single mother who works three jobs? I stopped after having three children, because that is how many my husband and I could comfortably support.
We have our own hardships to deal with. I have a failing business and my husband's business has been affected by several outside influences, but we struggle on and work even harder in an effort to take up the slack. We have cut back where we could so that we could still maintain certain critical standards in our lives. Now we must cut back even more in order to pay for NHI, WHICH WE DO NOT WANT!
But by all means, go ahead and tell me that it's OK for government to take away my right to choose so that the single lady down the street (who keeps popping out babies) despite the fact that she lives in a hovel and her children are not properly fed or clothed, can have health insurance for her brood. At what point do we get to demand that others take responsibility for themselves before taking away my rights?
How have we arrived at this point? Where we consider human life less important than maintaining the status quo? To the point where we just want to hoard all our wealth so we could lord it over people less fortunate than us and look down our noses at "them"?