'Voice of the people must be heard & respected'- Hon Fahie
A Recovery Agency Board was stipulated by the United Kingdom (UK) in order for the Virgin Islands government to receive guarantees for loans to go towards the rebuilding efforts following hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017.
The strict measures were outlined in the High Level Framework for UK Support for VI Hurricane Recovery where the United Kingdom (UK) called for full level of transparency and accountability of monies spent for the recovery.
News of the document and Premier Dr The Hon D. Orlando Smith (AL) signing off on it was hidden from the public and even some members of Government, mainly the Backbenchers.
Many have accused Dr Smith of returning the Territory to a form of colonialism, while some have said the NDP Government brought it upon themselves due to their lack of transparency and accountability with the public purse.
Controversial billboard
It is unclear who is responsible for erecting the billboard in the heart of Road Town. It called on Virgin Islanders to let their Representatives know they do not support the Framework and that their Representatives should vote against it.
"We Virgin Islanders Do Not Support The UK Framework For The BVI Recovery Plan," the billboard reads. It also called on persons to "Join The Movement" against the UK policy.
“The voice of the people must be heard & respected” – Hon Andrew A. Fahie
Opposition Leader and First District Representative Hon Andrew A. Fahie was asked if he had anything to do with the billboard; however, he did not admit or deny.
“Any wise leader knows that the voice of the people must be heard and respected,” Hon Fahie briefly stated.
It was Hon Fahie who continuously stated that the National Democratic Party (NDP) is the most corrupt government in Virgin Islands history as a result of their lack of accountability and transparency.
He is also famous for saying if the VI does not police itself someone else would in a manner that is not liked.
“I am surprised” – UK national
Meanwhile, our newsroom observed two UK nationals reading and taking pictures of the billboard.
In an invited comment, one of the UK nationals expressed, “I am surprised because I thought there would have been enough money sent from the UK government without too many conditions.”
Meanwhile, the other UK national said, “The UK government gives billions away in overseas aids and I would have thought that overseas aids would go to a country that has got such strong link to the UK without any problems.”
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25 Responses to “'Voice of the people must be heard & respected'- Hon Fahie”
the people, protectionism toward the worst most corrupt national corporations still functioning here, while haveing
whitchunts against innocent people. preventing people from communicating with the UK who's territory this is,
and then getting into their bank accounts whie protecting billionaire and trillionaire accounts from interference.
and then the rent gouging before and after Irma with some landlords of famous name kicking people out so they
can re rent at a higher price, and so on. insane. and then a shooting contest in a country with very limited rights
to even have a gun. nice. immitating the US, are you?
This fight for leadership for the NDP is going to be a bloody one.
If whoever is against transparency and accountability gains political power how will they differ from who is in power now?
Putting up a billboard without claiming responsibility is dumb, not truly a voice of the people. The people need to wize up and stop looking for melee-mongers to follow. True leaders take a stand, in the open,not hiding behind anonymous billboards.