VI scholar issues call for more Debates among Candidates
The most recent, is being pushed by Fellow at the Cambridge University, Mr E. Benito Wheatley.
Mr Wheatley—one of the Territory’s scholars who recently headed the BVI Finance London Office—continues to keep a ‘close-eye’ on the big issues that threatens the prosperity of the VI on the financial services front, the Territory’s main economic pillar.
Registers/Brexit Woes
Appearing on the January 18, 2019, edition of JTV’s Big Story, Mr Wheatley said, the Territory's leaders have only scratched the surface issues that are related to the Brexit, the pending establishment of the Beneficial Ownership Register and the 'shaky status' of the VI/European Union relationships, among other woes.
“The issues have been touched on a bit but I need to hear more and I think the public needs to know more about how the parties are going to approach these issues,” he said.
According to Mr Wheatley, to pay for the implementation of the Recovery Development plan, its known that the Territory has to access a UK Loan Guarantee, “which we have not done as yet…There are a number of conditions that have to be met that have been set out by the UK Government.”
He told the moderator, “…we need to know from each of the Parties (Political Parties) how they will see them pursuing that loan guarantee…In fact, they will try to pursue it or find some other means to pay for the plans that they have, so I think that we need to hear much more on each side both, international and domestic.”
Debates
On that note, Mr Wheatley adumbrated the need for the correct forum for residents to ask the tough questions on those matters.
He recalled, “there was a debate in District 9 and I think that went relatively well…We need more platforms like that to draw out the answers that we all are looking for.”
Mr Wheatley suggested, “we should have a few more of those debates before the election actually happens.”
According to Mr Wheatley, “we can’t simply walk into this election blind and then cross an X based on who we like and or popularity…We need to know the issues because this is an election like no other because, we are at such a pivotal juncture in the recovery of the Territory.”
Recovery
Speaking to the Territory’s future over the coming decade, Mr Wheatley was adamant that the mandate of the new government, when elected, will be to consolidate the recovery of the Territory.
“It means that we would have to get the funding that we need to implement the recovery and development plan…That plan is costed around $500M, we have to figure out where the funds are going to come from.”
He said, “if it’s coming from the UK we would have to meet the conditions they have set…If it’s coming from elsewhere the various parties would have to demonstrate where the money is coming from…But regardless of what we need to have happen is the basic economic infrastructure that needs to be in place needs to be laid out over the next four years.”
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