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We cannot continue to lip service our youths - Hon. Fahie

- Says drag racing and cockfighting must be properly explored
Hon. Fahie believes Government must address drag racing and cockfighting among other possible industries for the VI.
Cockfighting—a sport in which two roosters specifically bred for aggressiveness are placed beak to beak in a small ring and encouraged to fight to the death—has been around for centuries. Roosters were first bred for fighting in Southeast Asia more than 3,000 years ago, and cockfighting later spread to Greece, Rome and Britain before crossing the Atlantic about 200 years ago. Caption: Lightstalkers .com
Cockfighting—a sport in which two roosters specifically bred for aggressiveness are placed beak to beak in a small ring and encouraged to fight to the death—has been around for centuries. Roosters were first bred for fighting in Southeast Asia more than 3,000 years ago, and cockfighting later spread to Greece, Rome and Britain before crossing the Atlantic about 200 years ago. Caption: Lightstalkers .com
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- “We cannot continue to lip service and say we want to create things for our young people but when they name what areas they want to be in or explore we condemn them based on our own likes and dislikes,” were the words of 1st District Representative Hon. Andrew Fahie on the issue of performing arts, drag racing and cockfighting.

“That is what is happening with the performing arts industry, the drag racing and the cockfighting. So my intention, not only as an elected official but as a citizen of the Territory is to open discussions and open our minds to new possibilities that can work and can create new jobs and bring in new revenues for the Territory, for the Government directly and indirectly. These are just some of the areas that we have to tackle but there are plenty more to which I would continue to voice my opinion and put forward my proposals. I want to make it clear that I don’t intend to name problems alone without bringing viable solutions that would benefit all,” Hon. Fahie told Virgin Islands News Online.

As the law has it now cockfighting and drag racing are illegal, however, Hon. Fahie believes the role Government has to play is one in which they create the environment that allows for meaningful investments to be made in these areas. “And one of the roles that Government has to play is to make sure that there are legislations intact to support these industries and that regulations are also intact to support these industries.”

Hon. Fahie also believes government should not invest in these areas but solicit private investors. “But no one will invest in something if the environment for investment is not created. Simply put, right now those two sports are illegal so if they are not addressed by Government and also the feasibility of how they can work is not addressed then you cannot attract investors. But these are areas that can generate new revenues and are areas that at least you create more industries where there are somethings in it for everyone in the different industries. Through these different areas we would be able to link them to our tourism industry and create new faucets of revenue for our Territory.”

A feasibility study for drag racing in the Virgin Islands was done by the previous Government, however, since the change of government there has been no official announcement on the drag racing issue and its position on it.

Police also recently broke up a cockfighting ring in East End, which reportedly caused the organisers to complain to an elected official, however, it is not clear what has come out of the matter.

There was also an incident in December 2011 when a 16-year-old Carrot Bay youth was arrested for allegedly being involved in cock fighting.

33 Responses to “We cannot continue to lip service our youths - Hon. Fahie ”

  • boyz on the block (19/03/2012, 07:37) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    myron them is only talk...let them step up to the plate
  • one sided (19/03/2012, 08:23) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Dem so empty maybe he will have a summit on cock fighting and if one person say they against it he will kill it that's how dem govern
  • Really? (19/03/2012, 08:43) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Is Andrew serious? Mr Lip Service to the Youth himself?!! Steups... Picture this - what is the most engaging thing for young people to get involved in? - SPORTS. What exactly did he do for sports during his terms in office? And by sports, I mean ALL sports, not just basketball that is near and dear to his heart. Did he pay as much attention to other sports? All of a sudden he wants to try to find things for young people to do?!! How about developing the activities that can foster a sense of national pride and give our young people scholarship opportunitites instead of things like cockfighting that encourages gambling and all sorts of other negative behaviour! I am tired of listening to these politicians spewing donkey piddle!!
    • school bell (19/03/2012, 13:24) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      all the NDP spin will get you all no where!!!!! address the issues at hand. We elected you all to make a change and diffrence..
  • Confucius (19/03/2012, 08:46) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I can think of a lot of sports the young people could take part in such as basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, football, rugby, cricket, swimming, sailing, scuba diving, surfing, cycling, field hockey, track and field, weight lifting, tennis, squash, hang gliding, kite surfing, street dancing, stand up paddle boarding, bowling ~ and the list goes on and on! And if they want to get into the more aggressive sports, they could try, boxing, wrestling, martial arts or extreme skate boarding. WHY is it that two ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES such as cock fighting and drag racing are being championed by an elected official? The youth of the territory have claimed “there is nothing to do” when in fact ~ there has never been MORE for the youth to do? There are lots of other activities that would keep the youth “busy” and off the street if their parents would get more involved with their lives and get them involved in sports on a regular basis instead of hanging out on street corners. A skateboarding park such as these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjE6m6p5VjQ&feature=relmfu and http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=yJdf-qkgxzo could also attract competitors from outside the region and would provide lots of fun for ALL AGES. Yes, there will be injuries, broken bones, scraped hands, elbows and knees at a skateboarding park, but if the proper equipment is used at the beginner level, such as helmets, gloves, elbow and knee pads, the risk of injury would be significantly reduced. A full time nurse could be hired to attend to injuries and the park itself would provide additional employment opportunities. Lessons could be offered, and the general public could use it on a pay per use basis. Club memberships could be sold on an annual basis and revenues used to help maintain the park, tourists could also use it and eventually, if built properly, it could be used for international competitions. There are lots of sports OTHER THAN DRAG RACING that could provide something for our youth to do that could also help grow our tourist base that would have much less impact on the environment ~ not to mention the noise levels in the territory. The kids on scooters have proven they do not follow the rules of the road. They refuse to wear helmets (but if the do they are not done up) and they blatantly speed and weave in and out of traffic without any concern for their safety or anyone else’s. Yesterday, (Sunday, March 18) I drove behind a young male (with dreads) on a scooter. He had no shoes, no shirt and no helmet. He rode right past the West End police station! Why anyone (particularly our former education minister) would think that a drag racing track would be a good thing for the youth of the BVI, is beyond all understanding!
    • fat boy (19/03/2012, 10:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Is this a political statement or what? Before you all sit in office and do the people them work you on on vino chatting nonsense!
  • QICK SAND (19/03/2012, 09:26) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    i am not sure why they stop the cockfighting...now thoes young men are back on the streets!
    • Plain (19/03/2012, 19:50) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      If they don't have jobs where they getting money to buy fowls, feed them, train them and bet on them? IDIOT! That should tell you something..
  • Not true (19/03/2012, 09:43) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Thank goodness these guys did not remain in power!! Lets promote these blood sports that many people hate to see and find ourselves boycotted by tourists, can we not steer our youth in a more meaningful direction.
    • oh boy (19/03/2012, 11:35) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      they would not be out for too long...ndp not for the people
    • @ Not true (19/03/2012, 14:15) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      You make a good point. Promoting bloodsports is a good way to risk a tourist boycott. Various organisations promoted tourist boycotts of other Caribbean nations for supporting hunting whales, and that is much less emotive than bloodsports. I am not sure what Andrew Fahie's angle is here, but it sounds like a bad one. Let's find more constructive activities for our youth.
  • My Humble Opinion (19/03/2012, 10:25) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I am in total agreement with confucius, i personally believe he don't give a blip about the youths, just want to make the ndp team look bad, and get the youths to buy the false notion that he and his team actually cares about what the youth care about when quite frankly they are insulting our intelligence, because we voted for ndp team (some all the way) and not the vip team. it's sad and he need to wise up and come better and harder
  • WHAT?! (19/03/2012, 11:02) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Is this guy for real??!! Why is he as an elected official pushing for two illegal sports? There are many sports as one blogger listed that can be utilized by our your in this Territory. I really cannot believe what I am reading here today, cock fighting and drag racing. Wellsah!!!!
    • jost van dyke massive (19/03/2012, 16:26) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      hush ayo ndp self from on here wid ayo cocka may may! fahie asking government to address dey matter..he neva say do it illegally..ayo ndp spin doctors meck dey dog sick wid tis 24 hr poltical hogwash....
      • WHAT?! (19/03/2012, 18:28) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Cart yuh behind, I am not an NDP! Reagrdless of party affiliations, the fact is Andrew advocating pure fart!
  • Real Talk (19/03/2012, 11:28) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    LMAO!!! I'm speechless LMAO!!!! Confucius said it all for me! WOWWWW! You really can't make this stuff up, I sweaer. Mr. 98% got the nerve to talk about failing youth! SMH!
  • Man Down (19/03/2012, 11:38) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    So wait!!! We have Rugby, Soccer, Cricket, Baseball/Softball, Volley ball, BasketBall and so many other sports that we can get our kids involved with, but Andrew is advocating for drag racing and cock fighting in particular? So we should pass legislation and set up drag strips and cock fighting rings in our schools? ?????????????? Can we offer drag racing and cock fighting scholarships as well? While we're at it what about Dog Fighting??? Let's get Mike Vick down here with a consultancy contract so he can teach our kids how to fight animals. Also, what about a shooting range for our youth to learn good marksmanship so that they won't kill innocent bystanders when they rob and murder? Andrew, you must be smoking something, this is truly embarrassing. I have nothing against racing and cockfighting, but for an elected official to be advocating these, over everything else at a time like this, it's really disheartening. Now with all our issues, unemployment, education levels. We have track stars burning up the fields internationally. Instead of focusing more on these, you want to go off your rockers with nonsense? It's any surprise why professional expats treat locals how they do? With disdain and as if we are a set of a..holes? Our elected official spewing such garbage and then weeks from how you'll here him ranting about how international companies should give our youth a chance and all sort of bullsh$t. How can anybody take these elected officials seriously when they spew so much nonsense??? This is so shameful, I have taken it to heart as a BVIslander! Imagine it's people like him we want our kids look up to!!!! Now, when they continue to do cockfighting underground, I guess the youngsters, when caught by police can say Andrew say it was aight so they continued. Oh, one last thing, we have strip clubs and meat shops, let's train our young girls to get into that as well since the money is good. Investing in a pole in one classroom won't cost us much . Give Crystals and/or Deuces a consultancy contract let's see what they come up with!! WOW!! just WOW!
  • critic (19/03/2012, 11:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    the problem is that no one wants to deal with the problems....everybody just talking and talking.....find out what the youth are interested in and lets move on from there
    • Man Down (19/03/2012, 12:01) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Critic you are an IDIOT! You cannot push the youth in the direction of cock fighting, drag racing and then wonder why major international financial services companies won't hire them. We need to have them focus on the bread and butter industries of the BVI, not introduce new industries to KILL IT! If people want to do cockfight, sure, that's up to them, I have no problem with that. BUt Government shouln't be pushing for that. We should be pushing to equip our kids to be able to compete on a global scale for employment and business opportunities. We can't push our youth towards bullsh$t and then complain when expats end up owning the more lucrative businesses and getting the better jobs. Look at our tourism, charter industry and financial services industry. Why not push these? Look at basketball, baseball, horse racing, tennis, track and filed and so on. there are scholarship opportunities in these fields. How much money can our youth really make off cockfighting? Where does that fit into the BVI's profile that we sell globally and which is well supported, giving us much needed revenues? A few guys coming here from St Maarten and Rock to watch some half-dead fouls bloody up themselves isn't an economic booster. If we want that let's fix up our facilities and host cricket, football/soccer, track and field, basketball and other regional and even international matches. These sports also comes with educational benefits by scholarships and professional opportunities. We know the problem critic, it's politicians saying anytyhing just to keep their core ignorant support. We know the problem critic, it's our youth being fooled and not equipped to battle against the educated expatriates. then instead of blaming lawmakers they blame the expats themselves. That's our problem critic and people like you who support and promote ignorance just to push your agenda. You're doing fine so to hell everybody else right?
      • critic (19/03/2012, 20:59) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        moomoo, you aint see about 40% of the kids aint interested in what you saying....all andrew is saying is give the couple of them something that they are interested in....stop trying to be in thing man
  • loveann (19/03/2012, 14:30) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    What is wrong with cockfighting. Nothing. Adults needs recreation too. The problem here we dont like change and to try anything new.
    • Man Down (19/03/2012, 15:13) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Look at the context in which Andrew is speaking and you will see why so many people are appalled! It's one thing to say legalize cock fighting and whatever else so adults can have their fun. It's another to act as if it will be a positive avenue for youth to consider. give me a damn break man, we are smarter than this. Let's legalize whore houses and strip clubs and have classes in schools. We can get Tree House to donate 2 beds and Crystals and Deuces can donate a 'teacher' and a pole each, not a cent spent by Government and our youth will learn about these lucrative trades, no? then we wonder why our kids are not getting the jobs they want? When we promote such bullsh$t what do we expect? We have industries in the BVI, let's push those. Don't give youth what they want, give them what they need. All of us over 30 know what it is to be young. we thought we knew it all but we didn't. we are thankful that the adults, teachers etc. in our lives didn't give us what we wanted but what we needed. is not everything young people ask for they should get, just because they want it. if you think we will sit backa nd let andrew and others hijack this country with bullsh$t you lie.
      • voter (19/03/2012, 18:57) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        The country and those who born here have already been hijack by the ndp and there wicked ways...just ask the civil servants and the indigenous people of this country.
  • I don't get it (19/03/2012, 15:12) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I'm really impressed that an elected official is advocating making cockfighting legal! I had always thought that there was a great reluctance for Caribbean nations to allow civil partnerships, but to champion it like this is fantastic! And Drag Racing too! I agree it's not enough for Olympics and Special Olympics teams, there needs to be something for the Drag queens too!
    • Man Down (19/03/2012, 16:28) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      LMFAOOOOOOOOOO!! I'm not sure how many people will get it but, that was funny!!
  • Crack (19/03/2012, 16:26) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Andrew.....what on earth are you smoking??!! Advocation blood sports which are illegal as an avenue for our children to pursue??!! Are you out of your mind??!!! Tis high time you come out of the HOA cause this is the biggest hieght of BS I have seen from an elected official since Cookie Monster with his "hand in the cookie jar" comment!
  • sceptic (19/03/2012, 17:05) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I expect that the attraction of drag racing and cock fighting is that they are illegal and, therefore, exciting. Once legalised, those currently participating will move on to another illegal activity. As many of the commentators here have identified, it would be much better to have some proper programmes aiming to engage young people in more productive sports and other activities. We should be aiming much higher.
  • Just saying! (20/03/2012, 11:23) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    My people...you must understand that the people did not vote for Hon. Caines....they voted Omar out (retired him), had enough of the nonsense. It seems like when people digging holes for other people they are to dig from themselves. Maybe Fahie hole was to be dug on election day but it didn't happen. So he is there busy digging it now. It would be best that he keep quite for the next four years and campagin silently, but then again he from the West so that probably won't work for him. Hon. Fahie leave Hon. Walwyn do the work of the people for the people. You had your chance noboday wants to hear you. By the way the comments that sway towards him are only die hard VIP people because his track records does not look good. Preston 2015!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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