'Everyone being shifted except Minister of Finance' – Wesley I. Penn
This is according to Wesley I. Penn, founding member of the National Democratic Party (NDP), businessman and contractor on the television talk show, Honestly Speaking on CBN Channel 51 on Tuesday July 4, 2017. Former Managing Director of the BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline, was the host of the show.
At the time of Mr Penn’s statement, the discussions were on the subjects of good leadership and self-determination.
Reshuffle the Government
Mr Penn takes the view that the serving term for the Premier should be similar to that of the United States; a maximum of 8 years. “Power is a dangerous thing for one person or group.”
The businessman believes that the lack of planning by the government left the Territory with nobody to immediately take the position of deputy financial secretary or financial secretary.
He added that the focus should be specifically shifted to the Ministry of Finance.
“Take for example, the first person to move was the deputy financial secretary. Why he move? We haven’t had an explanation why he move. He disappeared with no explanation. A month later, you send one on vacation. We are left with no financial secretary. Now, my schooling ain’t much but is that good leadership,” explained Mr Penn.
“This is our country, not yours. We elected you to represent us and by representing us, is giving information. In the end, we need to know why you did this and why you did that,” said businessman Penn.
This drew a response from Mr Skelton-Cline, “The picture that you have painted, -now this is Skelton-Cline speaking- affirms a part of what I believe and that is, with all the shifting that you have made in the ministry of finance –deputy financial secretary, financial secretary, unable to give proper answers in the House and tell us clearly what is going on- it seems like to me we don’t necessarily have a civil servant problem, we have a ministerial problem.”
He continued, “That’s my assessment, that somehow everybody is being shifted except the minister of finance…”
Gov’t discriminating against own people
Meanwhile, Mr Penn was of the view that local persons were being discriminated against by the ruling National Democratic Party Government.
“When you have sets of people that feel within their mind that the white person can do for them better than the black person, that day, is why we are here in this today,” observed Mr Penn.
According to Mr Penn, he does not regret speaking out against his own government because he feels that if they are doing something wrong, the people who elected them should be able to give their opinions on different matters.
In response to the guest, the host of the show said, “There is this thinking that where far often we believe that the oppressor should become our model for liberation, but how can the oppressor be a model for liberation, when it is the oppressor who has you where you are?”
Mr Penn made the claim that his own people would not have gotten the $7 million given to BVI Airways without being grilled by the government.
Posing a question to the host, Mr Penn asked rhetorically, “You believe that the $7 million would have been given to one of us? They (government) would have carried us through the ring. They would have us cross every ‘T’ and cross every ‘I’, because when they look at us, they don’t trust us. They (Americans) have a head start when they come because their skin is white.”
In response, Mr Skelton-Cline emphasised “It’s a powerful statement. It’s a provocative statement. It’s one that we often do not like to confront. What we tend to do, our people in power tend to victimise the most vulnerable, instead of confronting the most powerful.”
According to Wesley, he observed that persons inside the government will treat their local business owners differently from overseas business owners that wants to do business in the Territory:
“The white man is all mighty. Nobody would question them and they would receive large amount of money without no hesitation. Your own people are not looking out for you.”
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27 Responses to “'Everyone being shifted except Minister of Finance' – Wesley I. Penn”
I cannot fathom how is it so many members of a constituency continue to speak out and yet what is the obvious is being ignored. Power, when in the wrong hands, is never a good thing.
For me this is a matter of education, and how some perceive themselves and their race. Some of us are still mental slaves, and don't see our fellow blacks as equals. This is especially true among blacks who are a shade lighter than the other black person. It's the ghost of our colonial past still present. It's quite unfortunate.
My message to anyone facing this issue from another black person, take comfort in knowing that they are fooling themselves in thinking white is better in some way. So long as all factors are equal, everyone should be given fair consideration regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender.