'Recovery Agency is a VI idea; Recovery plan not agreed on by UK' - Brodrick Penn
This is according to Chairman of the Disaster Recovery Coordination Committee (DRCC), Mr Brodrick Penn, who appeared on the radio show ‘Stay Woke’ on ZBVI 780 AM on Saturday, March 17, 2018 discussing the development of the Recovery Agency and the Recovery and Development Plan. The host of the show was Zoe J. Walcott-McMillan, Mrs BVI 2017/18.
The DRCC is a committee appointed by Cabinet to provide oversight and advice on all aspects of the Territory's recovery activities and initiatives which is also working to establish the Recovery Agency.
Mr Penn further explained that his team during the development of the plan, thought it was important to identify the best mechanism to deliver the recovery for the territory, adding that his team looked at other models already in place to get an idea of best practices used for the recovery of a country following a natural disaster.
He said, “We started to look at some models that existed for doing so and we looked at what happened in Grenada and Indonesia and we generally looked at some of the models that have been used around the world. What we recognised was that it would be important to have in place a mechanism that would create the right level of efficiency. The right level of accountability, the right level of transparency to put in place a mechanism that would attract investors and donations.”
The DRCC Chairman mentioned that after looking at the different models, his team decided that an agency would be the best way to approach the territory’s development process, adding that they began “developing the concept on paper”.
He reiterated that when they went to the United Kingdom (UK) and had discussions, the Virgin Islands (VI) team were the ones who suggested the plan and it was something that the UK endorsed.
Role of Agency
Mr Brodrick Penn pointed out that the DRCC team is trying to set up an organisation in place that will be independent of government and which will carry out the work on behalf of the government efficiently.
Mr Penn explained, “I think what is important is that we deliver the recovery at a very efficient pace and we are able to do that with an organisation like this to allow the ministries in central government to continue with their work. It allows them to give us the direction in terms of the projects and plans that they want to execute and then to use the agency to therefore get it done very efficiently.”
"This is not some beast that has been created that going to stick around forever and it’s going to supplant government. What the agency is executing is what the government has asked it to execute. We have probably almost 200 different types of projects that the plan has identified that need to be delivered.”
“A document was shared with the UK but not agreed on”
Meanwhile, Mr Brodrick Penn admitted that his team and Premier and Minister of Finance Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith (AL) discussed the plan they were developing with the UK but dispelled rumors that the document was agreed on, while adding that the plan was in its draft stage when it was taken to the UK.
He emphasised, “As someone that has been involved in this process from the beginning, I can say when we went to the UK, the Premier and I and other members of our delegation, discussed the plan that we were developing with the UK. The plan has remained a draft plan and it still is a draft plan until we finalise it with the public input. Obviously if we are going to try to drum up support for your recovery you are going to have to discuss something. So the point about it being shared with the UK, yes but the point of it being agreed with the UK, no it could never be agreed at that stage because it was a very incomplete document that has been developed significantly since then and by time it reaches the House of Assembly it should have been developed even further because of the very valuable input that we received from the public.”
Mr Penn's comments seem to contradict what was unearthed when Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert aka ‘Gus’ told legislators at a closed door meeting last week that Premier Smith had already given the UK government a copy of the plan in November 2017 in exchange for loan guarantees.
What is the truth?
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) said in the House of Assembly (HoA) on March 15, 2018 that it was only recently he heard that the Recovery and Development Plan presented to the public by the National Democratic Party (NDP) in December 2017 was already agreed to between Government and the United Kingdom, suggesting that the public consultation meetings that followed in January and February 2018 were just a show.
“…the whole act and everything was based on the plan that was already agreed to in November of last year, although we have been having public meetings on it,” Hon Fahie had stated.
He had also requested that Premier Smith produce by 2:00 P.M. on March 15, 2018 every correspondence between the Virgin Islands (VI) and the United Kingdom (UK) Governments on the Territory’s recovery plan since November 2017 to clear up any misunderstanding; however, Dr Smith failed to meet this request.
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38 Responses to “'Recovery Agency is a VI idea; Recovery plan not agreed on by UK' - Brodrick Penn”
More li...brodrick it was forced on the bvi because the uk does not trust the bvi
Sure Brodrick, it was a BVI Idea. I see you’re joining the gang of l**rs. This all boils down to the UK not trusting the NDP white collar gang. They were warned.
The power of words!
BIG FAT L** BRODRICK YOU LOST YOUR INTEGRITY
Thats the biggest problem with NDP. Theyre very good at campaigning but horrible on PR whenever they are elected. What was so hard in the Premier stating this from the onset to avoid all the hoopla? Also the BVI people have been screaming for transparancy and accountability and now that the stage is being set for it people are painting it as a bad thing? Are we a bunch of jacka$$es or we are so blinded by political nonsense that we have lost all common sense? If we had a agency or something similar in place for checks and balances for the Hospital, Pier Park and BVI Airways everyone would agree that we wouldve been in a far better place so why all the negativity?
if is a BVI idea then the civil war in the NDP will not be happening
The MoF has the responsibility to manage revenues and expenditures. All payouts from the Treasury should be consistent with all established financial management processes, procedures and practices. The starting point for any payment should start with a certified invoice with the minimum required authorized signatures. No money should be disbursed from the Treasury without a certified source document or an invoice. Certified Annual Financial Accounting Report needs to be published in a timely manner.
money missing: WTF you so fraid to stand up and speak.....millions of tax money gone: is the cruise ship project finished(so GFYS) just don’t send your mask crew after me: one of us may not like the outcome: I heard better bird than you sign!!! Your people need help not bull$*t talk
The BVI needs money to rebuild, money it does not have . No point arguing where money from gov funds has gone . Yes that question at some point needs to be answered but arguing and political finger pointing is not going to get the money BVI needs NOW.
Money from the UK to garentee a loan does not come from Mrs Mays purse or the queens for that matter . It comes from the British tax payer .
The British tax payer will demand that any exposure it has financially is transparent and accountable and best value for money is obtained . This is not unique to a BVI recovery plan. The UK tax payer demands transparency for every project if that's in the UK itself or anywhere else in the world.
I have heard such terrible rhetoric from Tortolas over the issue from compairing the frame work agreement to slavery and also arpartide . That argument in an insult to none blacks and worse still an insult to the great civil rights leaders of the past so stop saying silly things that are a smoke screen for the fear of being accountable . . This frame work has to be implemented who ever idea it was although it was likely a BVI plan knowing full well the UK would insist on one anyway .
Further more welcome the plan and consider implementing similar plans for all gov projects and major expenditure that ALL gov s around the world insist on .
Good luck BVI I love this place and love the people but you need to move on grow strong and recover