‘We’re committed to better relations in Greater VI’ – Kenn E. Mapp
He was speaking on Saturday December 20, 2014 during a reception at Myett’s in Cane Garden Bay to celebrate the recent victory at the polls where he came out the winner of the Governor’s race, along with his Lieutenant Governor candidate Osbert E. Potter.
“I remember with Governor [Juan Francesco] Luis… I remember in those days when we had the BVI/USVI Relationship activities and one year the Governor and the officials of the BVI would come and we would host them in St Thomas and then the following year they would host us in the BVI,” he said.
“And it was very, very close…we knew each other, we talked about mutual issues and worked things out…it doesn’t look like we have been doing that in a very big way in recent times…I am not sure but I don’t see it,” he said.
“We are committed to really restoring a real relationship with our brothers and sisters in the BVI and as [former USVI] Governor [Charles W. Turnbull] coined the phrase, the Greater Virgin Islands, the collaboration and the connection between the USVI and the BVI,” he said.
Illustrating his point, he said that if one were to take a handful of people from the USVI and another handful from the VI and put them before the US Congress and ask persons there to differentiate between the two sets of people, they would not be able to because of the commonalities.
“That is how much we are alike…we have so much more in common than we have differently. And so we are committed to building a good relationship…a working relationship, building a relationship of family and bringing our peoples together in a very real and in a very sincere way,” he said.
He said that it is going to be their task to protect the expectations of the people and not to betray or defeat them. “We are going to make mistakes, no question about it, because we’re human. But we’re going to make those mistakes trying to further the interests of the community, not make mistakes trying to take care of our friends who are trying to take care of us,” said Mapp.
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9 Responses to “‘We’re committed to better relations in Greater VI’ – Kenn E. Mapp”
"GOVERNOR Mapp Education: Harvard School of Business, Advanced Management Program, 2000; John F. Kennedy School of Management, Masters in Public Administration, 2000; John F. Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in State and Local Government, 1997; Carnegie-Mellon University, Senior Executive Management, 1985; University of the Virgin Islands, Liberal Arts; New York City Community College, Liberal Arts".
I attended the event at Myett's Garden Grill and am very pleased to have been on the invitation list.
The US Virgins has been very kind to us (my family). As a young boy growing up in the 9th district, I often traveled to St. Thomas with my mother; (married but separated at the time) in search of work in order to feed and take care us (with an absentee father). Those were very dark but quite memorable days in BVi's history. Huge numbers of our populations migrated to the greener fields; especially the US (many not ever returning). However, many of us stayed; finding ways to our survival.
I don't see why we can't work together as one people; instead of fiercely competing with each other (as seems to be desired).
There's much to be achieved with such an understanding and commitment. We have much in common with the US Virgins that binds us together rather than than separate us. I can't imagine myself spending Pounds, Shillings and Pence instead of the US dollar (except in times of travel). For that very reason (in my opinion), being such a tiny speck on the world's may, we are home to such a wide mix of the world's peoples; a true metropolis.
During th past day or two, I have heard