‘Bunch of illiterate people leading us' – Edmund G. Maduro
He made such remarks when he called into Doug Wheatley’s Friday evening talk show heard on ZBVI 780AM last evening April 10, 2015.
“Maybe it is a good thing they passing a law saying you can’t have a gun, because a lot of us would pull the trigger,” he said on the show.
“They better stop the damn nonsense in the British Virgin Islands. There is no more bad words…our Constitution says we have freedom of expression,” he said, regarding the strong language he was using during his call.
“These damn people will not change the laws to give us our rights; there are a number of laws that are unconstitutional right now and they are not changing them,” he said.
“Nobody can stop you from going on the beach, nobody who own the whole island can stop you from going on it. We just have a bunch of illiterate people leading us. They are not reading the law. They were put in there to represent us but they are not representing us,” he said.
Beaches are public
Maduro insisted that the beaches are all public and if someone want to use a part of it to build a wharf or do whatever they want to do government can give that part to them for whatever purpose.
“What I am saying now is if those people knew their rights they would take the Government to court and sue them,” he said. “The beaches are as public as the road you drive on…nobody can own them,” he said.
Maduro has been consistent over the years in his call to end what he describes as discrimination meted out to people of the Virgin Islands by foreigners allegedly who seek to place restrictions on who could access the beach. He has accused elected representatives on both sides of the political divide of not representing locals enough on the issue.
“What I am saying is if this Government had any literacy at all they would make sure that they made certain beaches so that the fishermen could pull their seine during the right time of the year,” he said. “When that time of the year ends then they could use it for anything else. But we have a bunch of illiterate [people in Government],” he said.
Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour placed signs
According to Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr The Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering (R7), by law all beaches are accessible but he said his ministry placed signs at certain beaches to prevent an overrun of vendors. He believes that the signs have been misinterpreted as being placed there by private persons. However, Maduro posited that preventing persons from selling to make a living was tantamount of denying them their constitutional rights.
16 Responses to “‘Bunch of illiterate people leading us' – Edmund G. Maduro”
If someone stops you or anyone from going to a beach in the BVI, which we all know are public, take that person to court. The law is already on the books, it is up to the DA and the courts to enforce the laws not the governing administration.
The beach is too small for 10-12 vendors all taking the best places and making people feel uncomfortable as their friends sit and stare at bathing suits. it is not OK. Every other territory has protected areas with particular rules and regulations. It is part of an ordered society and nothing about owning the beach.
Can you imagine if people set up in the median or round-about because they want to and they think they have a right, even if they impede traffic and cause accidents? There has to be regulations for the safety of all not just to cater to those selfish vendors who don't care about anyone else. Maduro is wrong on this one. We live in a society with laws for the good of everyone.
Mr. Big Politician @*ty man stop your noise.
you yourself illieterate to.