’I rest the water situation squarely at the feet of Julian Fraser’- Bishop Cline
Cline said during the NDP Radio Programme on ZBVI Radio 780 AM on Wednesday, July 22, 2206, that the root of the problem lies in the controversial water agreement signed under Fraser, which he says put the government into a heavy financial obligation while failing to solve the territory’s long-standing water challenges.
G'ovt paying millions
He argued that the arrangement has left the public paying millions each year for a system that still cannot consistently deliver water to homes.
According to Cline, the government is now obligated to pay about $1.5 million each month under the Biwater contract, amounting to more than $15 million annually. He said the agreement also carries penalties for late payment, adding even more pressure on taxpayers and public finances.
“You're talking about over $15 million every year, and you can't be late because there are interest penalties for every day you're late,” He said.
Cline blames Hon Fraser
Cline accused Hon Fraser of dismantling a working system and replacing it with one that has not fully met the needs of the people. “Honorable Fraser signed that contract and commissioned the plan to centralise water to Biwater, who now cannot fully produce the water the country needs, and on top of that, there was no sound plan for distribution," he stated.
The clergyman said the territory was left without a proper distribution plan and with ageing infrastructure that has continued to deteriorate over time.
Cline further argued that while Biwater was expected to produce 2.3 million gallons of water per day, the water still cannot reliably reach households.
He added, “I rest the water situation of the Virgin Islands squarely at the feet of Julian Fraser, because he single-handedly disassembled what was working to install this new company, and now we have a royal muck.”
'That was not done by me'- Hon Fraser
However, Hon Fraser has in the past denied being responsible for introducing the controversial water-purchase agreement known as the BiWater deal during his time in office as Works Minister more than a decade ago. “That was done by the leader of our party, which was Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal. That was not done by me, he's the one who took it to cabinet, [and] he is the one who negotiated a contract. Not me, but I'm not running from anything," Hon Fraser stated back in 2023, when he was a Member of the Opposition.
He has also said that the issue was never whether Biwater could produce the water, but that the VI never updated its distribution infrastructure to fully benefit.
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17 Responses to “’I rest the water situation squarely at the feet of Julian Fraser’- Bishop Cline”
Distribution is leaks and management of the ageing system . Upgrade of the distribution system and engineered properly and thats not just tortola four major islands in the b.v.i
Ok. VIP rolled out the production process. And it was expected that the NDP government which took over from VIP should have completed the distribution and storage infrastructure. Nonetheless, it seems as if the processes were delayed. Some believe the delayed perhaps was to inject failure, casting blame..For example, at one point, there was problem with portions of Biwater system. And one member was so excited that the system misfired, that the member brayed, “ Biwater Bruck down.” What a ting. You don’t have to trust me . Go to the files,,archives.
The Hon Fraser was wrong, blaming the problem on a dead man. Be a man take your blows. It is convenient to put the blame on a dead man, for dead man tell no tales. Liberator, dissapointed., throwing a dead man under the bus,
John Cline your turn. Do you have an interest in the Investment Club? Dud the Investment Club have any interest in water system which preceded Biwater? Is it typically for one government to start a multi-phase capital project and a follow on government completed it? Hear dis ya. Let’s keep things real.
What did he contribute to this country that persons saw fit to say that he could represent this country.