VI’s very limited resources strained ‘with very broad & imposed’ CoI- Premier
Since taking office in March 2019, Government has been bringing and passing pieces of legislation that have been long overdue as well as those that have been avoided by previous governments, including the Consumer Protection Act and Medical Marijuana legislation.
Gov’t tackling tough & long overdue legislation
The Virgin Islands Investment Act 2021, another “long-overdue piece of legislation” that was needed to revolutionalise and modernise the way business is done in the VI and to make the territory more competitive, secure and more attractive for business and investment, according to Premier Fahie, was debated at the continuation of the Eleventh Sitting of the Third Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) of the Virgin Islands at Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff's Bottom on August 19, 2021.
Premier Fahie said when his Government took office in March 2019 they met a lot of things that should have been done to keep the territory advancing forward but were not done by their predecessors.
“And which were holding back our economy, our development and our people and more so holding back the diversifying of the economy. We pledged hard to correct these deficiencies. We pledged to make the tough decisions and not to make decisions based on political expediency but based on sound and objective reasoning.
Vision for VI to be a leader in regional economy
“We vowed to do the things that needed to be done so our country could move forward and grow and in the process create more opportunities for our people. Your government has set the vision for the territory to be a leader in the regional economy through entrepreneurship innovation and local and foreign investment.”
Premier Fahie said the government cast this broad objective in the framing of the 2020 budget, which was presented in November 2019 and noted that the government had begun communicating its vision to its various stakeholders as it entered 2020.
“But we are all aware how much the COVID-19 pandemic has diverted attention and resources since March 2020. And we are still coping with COVID-19 and its effects. As we enter 2020 your government was laying the foundation to begin engaging with the various stakeholders in the economy.”
The Premier noted that COVID-19 continues to be a constant disruption and difficulty to his government, as to all governments throughout the world, when it comes to the orderly fashion that government had planned to proceed with initially.
VI ‘saddled’ with CoI during worst pandemic in 100 years
“We all are fighting the effects of the worst pandemic in the world over the last 100 years. Our territory has become saddled with a very broad and imposed Commission of Inquiry at this time which is straining our very limited resources.
“At this time when every country in the world has their hands full with COVID-19, some persons believe this is the best time to impose a CoI on the people of the Virgin Islands.”
Premier Fahie reiterated that his government supports an independent and transparent Commission of Inquiry and is doing every single thing that is asked and demanded of it in the interest of transparency and accountability, and out of respect for the law, so that there can be a just outcome.
“But we cannot let the perfect become the enemy of the greater good and we cannot wait until the pandemic is completely over to start the work for positioning the Virgin Islands for future success and resilience. We have to all that we can do within the limits of what is possible, because no one knows when COVID-19 will end.”
The beat goes on!
Premier Fahie said his government has been working hard on its legislative agenda, especially those that have been long overdue.
He said this is evident in the suite of e-government legislation which will make doing business with government “much much more pleasant” as well as the various good governance legislation such as the Contractor General’s and Whistleblower legislation, bills that have all been assented to and further strengthens the VI’s capability to police itself.
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18 Responses to “VI’s very limited resources strained ‘with very broad & imposed’ CoI- Premier”
But it’s not fair to the people. To the people that voted our time is being wasted and there’s nothing left to do except vote them in again that they can have a fair term.
The last governor was a rac**t bottom line
According to you our economy is money strapped, if that is so, then why did you move to employ so many high paid political advisors?
I think you should limit the amount of political advisors to a lower number at this time. I urge you to cooperate with the CoI probe. Everytime you have spoken
negatively against the CoI, you cause more people to feel that their are things you prefer stay undercover.
Note: Mine opinion been rightfully expressed.
When they can’t get their way, they relie up other especially those of us who have issues related the sone decision to follow them. When the ly get what they want they forgets who had their backs. (Anyone come to mind)
Look around us. How many of us believe a wall can cost a million dollars? A pier park costing over $40 million and still incomplete. A never ending money pit call the East End sewerage system. How many years have we been trying to fix that. They kind of money spent on that sewerage system could be a brand new one for the entire BVI and still have left over. The hospital over a $100million and still not fully functional. Our internet services and most important our Education System. Why have we rebuild our damaged schools as yet. We tell our children they are the future but put little funding in activities to achieve this. Look at all these example and you will see greed and selfishness right there sitting side by side. I can go on but I think we all got the picture.
Please accept my apology. I did not mean to put everyone one the same category. It should say some of us. Thanks for the correction.