More lies from Premier Smith? Other companies had interest in direct flights
According to Premier Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith’s answer to the Opposition Leader’s question on May 11, 2017, Sixel Consulting Group conducted a study for $22,000 to determine the viability of the airline.
However, tax payers are not to know what is in the study. Premier Smith said that due to the commercial nature of the report it would be prejudicial to provide a copy of the document at this time. This is after Hon Fahie requested that it be made public.
Lies & More Lies
However, on a follow up question from the Opposition Leader Hon Fahie asked the Premier why not just have other airlines interested in direct flights from Miami to Beef Island do their own case study and then the Government just choose the best one, but Dr Smith responded that "at the time there were not many companies who were interested in looking at this kind of opportunity".
In other words, the Premier told the House of Assembly (HoA) and the public that not many other airline companies expressed an interest in doing direct flights from Miami, Florida to the Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport, on Beef Island.
After Dr Smith’s untruthful statement we had some three calls to our newsroom from other companies who had expressed an interest in this long before the bankrupt BVI Airways was seeking a bailout of over $7M to do the same thing.
We had calls from two Caribbean airline companies (one out of Barbados) who said they had long approached the National Democratic Party (NDP) Administration on such an opportunity, along with a local company VI Airlink.
VI Airlink was rejected
When pressed to produce evidence as our newsroom refused to accept that Premier Smith, an honourable man, will tell a blatant lie to the public and mislead the HoA, VI Airlink made available an email and the proposal sent to the NDP Administration since December 2011 for the attention of the Minister for Communications and Works, Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4).
In addition, local captain of VI Airlink Neville C. Braithwaite Jr told our newsroom in an exclusive interview that in 2012 he made a presentation to the NDP Caucus on his proposal for direct flights between Miami and Beef Island, a more cost effective proposal.
So it was wrong and misleading for Premier Smith to claim that not many other companies had expressed an interest in this matter.
Dr Smith History of Lies
This is not the first time that Premier Smith had made false statements to the HoA. Last year he was contradicted by the BVI Airports Authority when he claimed that BVI Airways had paid off their $100,000 debt to the authority.
In March of this year when Governor John S. Duncan OBE imposed direct rule, stripping Hon Smith under Sec 103 (b) of the VI Constitution of his ability as Minister of Finance to determine how monies are spent, the Premier went on national radio to say that many of the things Governor Duncan wanted for the police were already at the Treasury waiting to be picked up or were already addressed.
This turned out to be a lie. The Premier admitted that he was misled and the Financial Secretary Neil M. Smith took responsibly for the erroneous information.
See link to audio of Premier Dr The Hon D. Orlando Smith inaccurately stating in the House of Assembly that not many companies were interested in direct flights from Miami to Beef Island:
Click here to listen to audio.
See below the proposal sent to Government by VI Airlink for direct flights to Beef Island from Miami:
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35 Responses to “More lies from Premier Smith? Other companies had interest in direct flights”
I don't think VI Air Link want to get on the wrong side of this government. Which aircraft did they suggest and how will they have acquire it? Clearly this is missing a lot of information.
commonly used in small destinations. Why didn't they try and work with Link?
It's all about corruption that's why they did not use the other company.
Coming out of the crooks we elected
I was never in support of the idea that Government should invest in the start -up capital of a private company. Let the company establish itself first, prove their business is viable and that the route is essential to the tourism product. This was not done and that is why we are here now. At least VI Air Link is an established entity.
However I am in support of transparency and this Government is a stranger to transparency and good governance. Why is it that a feasibility study paid with our money cannot be released? Commercially sensitive and prejudicial to the parties involved? In laymans terms it cannot be released as the findings would sjow that the service was not sustainable. Another reason why we need a FOI act but again the Government is not interested in this, just another campaign gimmick. Yet another decent idea seems to have been poorly executed and highly questionable due to the veil of secrecy surrounding it. I swear these guys will never learn.
In regards to Dr. Smith lying that is not the case here as he did not say that they were no airlines but that they were not many airlines.
Are they in need of ambition,common sense, healthy life style,birth control,self respect... ..?.?...
Health care, education,job opportunities in the BVI are available so what are they in need of from the Government.
Unfortunately,they are and will continue to be victims of their Karma as a result of ingratitude and this is certsin. The laws of divine nature is unforgiving.