Hon Christopher slams Premier Smith, ‘Economy not robust!’
While viewership and interest in the House of Assembly’s proceeding have been at an all-time low, as many persons have been turned off with the lack of substance in the House of Assembly (HoA) and “circus” like behaviour of some Legislators, those who did not tune in to yesterday’s Fourth Sitting of the Second Session of the Third HoA would have failed to capture the complete range of human emotion and conflict.
It was outright defiance and going rouge from the two lone female backbench Legislators, Hons Alvera Maduro-Caines (R6) and Delores Christopher (R5).
The two NDP members both publicly opposed their government’s policy to move forward with the airport runway expansion project at this time, saying “now is not the time and we cannot afford the cost.”
However, Premier Dr The Hon D. Orlando Smith (AL) and his Deputy Dr The Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering (R7) labelled the airport project “a done deal.”
Not as robust- Hon Christopher
In addition, from about 2013 to current Premier and Minister of Finance Dr Smith has been telling the public and the international community that the Virgin Islands’ economy is “robust.”
Well yesterday, as part of the high drama and rebellion, Fifth District Representative Hon Christopher slammed her boss Dr Smith on the rhetoric, while making her contribution to the 2017 Budget debate.
She told the public while speaking about the notion articulated by the Premier that “the economy is robust” but stated she has not “looked up the word but I believe I know what it means, but I believe it is not as robust as we saying it is.”
This was a direct dig at Premier Smith who has carried the ‘economy is robust’ script for years and is a rebuke to the Party Leader, her own Premier. Hon Christopher warned that “we have to face things squally in the face, Madam Speaker.”
Premier Smith losing support; forced to adjourn HoA
Speaking this morning to our newsroom, a senior NDP source told us they were not surprised about what happened yesterday as they warned Dr Smith “this will happen as they had this debate in caucus for months.”
The source said Premier Smith was hurt and was forced to abruptly adjourn the HoA sitting until next week as others in the backbench and “at least one Minister of Government would have spoken out against the airport project going ahead now.”
When asked if this was a vote of no confidence in Premier Smith, the source said “you can judge for yourself but not listening to the people and his own elected colleagues will damage the party going forward.”
One can only remember the infamous letter written to the Government’s eleven elected members by the party spokeswoman and outspoken supporter, former Legislator Eileene L. Parsons OBE, that the NDP “spring has dried up” and there are now “cracks in the walls of our Jerusalem?”
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51 Responses to “Hon Christopher slams Premier Smith, ‘Economy not robust!’”
#NOT my Government!
The very least this government can do is show us some kind of agreement from a worthy airline (BVI Airways do not count in this equation), agreeing to an appropriate number of scheduled direct flights to EIS over a period of time to warrant investing $155M, (possibly more based on prior track records), at this time when we have soo many other challenges requiring attention.
At least we will be able to muster a little sound sleep knowing that this investment at this time will not become yet another burden on us the taxpayers to pay back with our already meager wages- and getting even smaller with all the additional taxes levied on us by this current government.
Lord! What have we done to deserve all this kind of treatment from a government who seems to love operating under darkness?
I was called in to try to fix the cracks in the wall of "Jerusalem" but too much bust pipes in the wall..Just a little punch list and might need the "Watch Man D" to help me finish..8 mil gone from East to town to finish the sewage and the Director telling the people in the East "Sh** But Don't Flush" Simple Mark Bring the God Damn money back and finish the East End Sewage it Been 30 years..Green Land field 1 mil spent its like a "Hog Pen Now".Pariquita Bay no ADFAIR some body kill that dead ,who to blame? Brandy wine Bay they trying to make a Pond a Beach for tourist ,and want to keep Beef Island Beach For Dogs to sh** on..16 mil Loan from Social Security to fix Roads ,Are they Fixed? Can someone tell us the balance of our Social Security we don't want to end up like our USVI counter paths...The Social Security is been sued and wondering for how much ,is it for all our hard earn money ? We need answers..Well Well Magaritaville is not coming again after wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars for driving piles and we can't drink a Magarita until 2018 ,what a set of "Circus Clouds" People buy local, support your own..I give up now it's to much to continue,all I can say "ITS A No Confident Motion Against This Government " They F""""" up The WAlls of Jerursalem beyond Repairs...
ENOUGH.
Clap clap clap to Alvera and Deloris
"The Airport project cannot stop will not stop--Lots of that Airport monies will roll back in lots of people's pockets and in campaign 2019".
Cannot stop will not stop reall? First of all you do realize that the UK has to approve the project and the funding for it right? Secondly, you underestimate the will of the people? You think Delores and Alvera were just speaking based on their experiences? They are speaking based on the experiences of their constituents.
You sound like NDP and the Done deal crew. We do not print money and we simply cannot afford another capital project with their propensity for massive overruns. When will you people learn? Where are the feasibility studies? The cost/benefit analysis?What about our crippling infrastructure? Our underfunded education, national security and healthcare systems? What about the fact that our FS revenues continue to decline at a precipitous rate. We just saw our highest number of overnight visitors in 2016 so if we have done so much with so little what is the justification for this project? Oh I got it so their Cronies could raid the cookie jar.
You cannot just spend spend spend with zero accountability and transparency and when the money run low go back and spend again and don't expect people to ask questions. I mean you cutting the district budgets so the ladies are saying are wary of the burden of another albatross eg. Hospital, Pier Park, BI Water. Then you want to build an airport without any MOU's from any of the major airlines, any long-term viability plan, without coming to the people with more specifics of the new deal. The three Doctors appear to be disconnected from the people and I wait to see if any other reps have the courage to publicly disagree with this project.
We the people need to stand up and march. We need to approach and write our reps and let them know our perspective on the project. Come on People!
To talk of many things,
Of lies, and facts, alternatives
To which our Premier clings,
Of whether the economy is robust
Is hoax or of Truth rings.