'VIP built this country not the NDP' – VIP Chairman Hon Julian Fraser, RA
“Things have never been this bad on the jobs front, especially for Virgin Islands youth. But things have never been better for the 1% at the top of the pyramid - the majority suffers, while the tiny minority sits fat,” said Hon Fraser.
These were some of the things put to residents of the Sister Island last night July 16, 2014 as the VIP took the second leg of a series of meetings to the communities across the Territory. The team was led by the Party’s new Chairman Honourable Julian Fraser RA as a jam-packed conference room of residents turned out to listen and speak their minds.
National Democratic Party’s (NDP) platinum class above country
They were told that while the NDP insists on putting their socialite buddies and big spenders first above the rest of the people in the country, and putting the interests of certain platinum class residents above that of the country, children are suffering from lack of opportunities and the local economy is in a mess.
“Do not let the NDP change the subject, they are the government, they must answer to you for their disregard for good governance, and their blatant violations of the Protocols for Effective Financial Management which they signed on April 23, 2012 with the UK Government,” Hon Fraser told the residents of Jost Van Dyke as he insisted that the NDP Government has been engaging in a culture of deceptions and distractions.
According to Hon Fraser the NDP Government have been failing the people of the Virgin Islands by not addressing issues that are of main concern, such as water, electricity, sewage, crime, education, health care and the economy.
NDP repeating lies
“But if you listen to the Government, none of those topics ever gets mentioned. They will prefer to repeat the same tired lies that won them the 2011 elections, such as VIP reckless spending, but yet when you ask for the figures to support their claim, they only produce another set of lies as evidence,” he said.
He said that what is ironic about the allegation is that the NDP administration continues to indulge in the most egregious of wasteful spending such as the $3,816,607 spent on unnecessary globetrotting by ministers and public officers since taking office.
“While at the same time failing to pay the small man his money for basic work done, together with having government issued cheques bounce at the banks. We are still waiting for an explanation of the benefits gained from that $20,000 trip to China in concrete terms,” according to Hon Fraser.
He said that the NDP administration is using the fact that they are presently working on various high profile projects such as sewage, “A project upon which they have fired the same contractor twice, only because they appear to be VIP. And never mind the fact that in this 21st century they are still dumping raw sewage in the waters off Slaney.”
Setting the record straight
Hon Fraser was very frank in admitting to his knowledge that persons of the island were said to have been very critical of him but cleared the air that it was never the case that he did not like the people of Jost Van Dyke since during his tenure as a Government Minister a series of things were done to develop that Island.
“I know there are those among you who have been critical of me without even knowing the facts, but let me tell you. I was the minister who signed the contract with Ocean Conversion to produce the first gallon of water here on Jost Van Dyke,” stated Hon Fraser.
And residents were not shy in telling this to Hon Fraser as they took opportunities afforded them to have a voice. One man described Hon Fraser as the “Big Bull Dog” as he challenged Hon Fraser to show that he really cares about the people of Jost Van Dyke by having his presence felt more often.
Similar challenges were put to Hon Fraser and his team by several others present as well. Defending his interest in Jost Van Dyke and the persons residing there equally as he does for the rest of the Territory, Hon Fraser listed:
“I was also the Minister who signed the contract extension with the same Ocean Conversion to expand the same water plant some four years later.
I was the Minister who commissioned the consultant to design the bridge and culvert works on the main road to Little Harbor.
I was also the Minister who went to Barbados to negotiate with the Caribbean Development Bank for the money to build that same bridge and culvert to Little Harbor.
As Minister for Communications and Works, I made sure that every District Representative was given an equal share of money for infrastructural work in their districts. In the case of Jost Van Dyke an additional $500,000 was given to the Representative.
I made it a point not to interfere in the operations within a District, it was the prerogative of the Representative to do as he saw fit within his District.”
He also told residents present at the meeting of his knowing that he got a lot of blame both in Jost Van Dyke and in other Districts for everything that went wrong, “But I am here to let you know that that was all out of convenience, and totally unfair,” he said.
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