'Under NDP youths are in hopeless despair' - Hon Fraser
Hard for young people under NDP
Hon Fraser told the public that “today, record numbers of homes and vehicles are being repossessed. Parents have to work multiple jobs in order to provide for their families.”
The veteran politician said, “since the NDP became the government, residents are having a hard time paying their mortgages. Most of our young people have no hope of affording their own home.”
The VIP Chairman said that our young people are facing a future of hardship. “But the NDP continues to tell us the economy is booming, while resorts, hotels, and marinas, laying off scores of people each month, even as trust companies downsize and relocate,” he said.
“The economy is not booming, when you visit places like the Stickett in Long Look, Scatliffe Alley in Road Town, parts of Purcell, Little Apple Bay, Baugher's Bay, Cane Garden Bay, Huntums Gut, Bell View and Parham Town,” he said.
“For what will you discover? You will witness too many of our young people, without jobs or proper education, sitting around all day in hopeless despair,” said Hon Fraser.
“This is very painful to me and is a social tragedy,” said Hon Fraser, who followed H. Lavity Stoutt and Ralph T. O’Neal OBE as the VIP’s third leader.
Hon Fraser also told the public that adding to this the fact, that “too many of our youth leave colleges and universities each year and return home with no career prospects”.
This is certainly not good for the country the Leader of the longest serving political party claimed.
Education too political & too many cut backs on opportunity
According to the VIP Party boss a Fraser Administration will with urgency, begin to reorganize the education system to ensure that Virgin Islanders are capable of managing the maritime and yachting industries, in partnership with investors and stakeholders.
This will entail the establishment of a Maritime and Oceanographic Sciences Curriculum, together with a supporting Maritime Academy, where Virgin Islanders will be trained full time, in all aspects of the maritime industry Hon Fraser promised.
“The academy will be a place of learning, both academic and vocational, and it will introduce a new maritime culture into the country's body politic,” he said.
The VIP will build a new junior high school to address overcrowding, indiscipline, and other issues that impact the education system.
The Party Chairman said deviancy has become a cancer in the Virgin Islands education system, severely degrading the education product.
The VIP will focus on rebuilding the deteriorating schools' infrastructure first, rather than embarking on any type of pie-in-the-sky projects or programms.
He said that the lack of proper prioritizing appears to be the norm of an overly politicized Ministry of Education.
Hon Fraser noted that the NDP's mistaken policy of cutbacks on scholarships and opportunities has resulted in students being unable to afford the education that they need.
“The reality is that college tuition has tripled in the UK, and has significantly increased in the US,” Hon Fraser told listeners.
In one of his boldest statement yet the Third District Representative said, “today, parents watch the dreams they have for their children evaporate into thin air under this NDP Administration.”
The former Deputy Chief Minister who served as a government Minister in two Ministries warned that “Education is not a political football. The future of the territory depends on its education model.”
36 Responses to “'Under NDP youths are in hopeless despair' - Hon Fraser”
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NDP Team
Stop INSULTING HLS.
Sport-fishing charter boat owners charge an average of $1,000 for a half day of fishing and $1600-$1,800 full day. Day sailors (power or sail), earn on average $100 or more p/p depending on the time/destinations involved. Similar (actually much more), for Scuba operators.
Meanwhile we are spending upwards of $15,000,000 p/y marketing/promoting our tourism industry (mostly promoting the businesses of non-Bvislandrs, insuring job positions for Virgin islanders). Makes a lotta sense ah..!
Mr. Frazer is making the picture Crystal Clear (in the words of the NDP).
This is the kind of thinking our BVI needs; "Out-of-the-box thinking".
There's all this talk about creating jobs. In reality the jobs are already here. We just have to Empower our people.
Wake up Virgin Islanders...!
Statement now. The former government handed out financial "gifts" to many in the territory, now many of these said persons have the feeling of entitlement. What has happened is the lack of proper assessments in the job market. To fix the problem it would need more than capital projects, it is going to call for a constant development of the job markets. New investors, something that is seemingly frowned upon by those who have already and fear development. But let's face it, if the unemployment percentages are to be reduced and the repossessions stopped, the opening of our shores to investors MUST happen. The BVI boasts about being a financial mecca but the services akind to such a claim are sadly lacking. e.g first class internet, roads, health care. Geographically, the Virgin Islands are smack middle between Northern and Southern America. The territory over the years has hindered what could have been by now a robust economy apart from the Offshore Industry had the necessary studies been done and the infrastructure put in place. Foreign investors who would have had interests here in the territory for instance a hotel would market their hotel regionally and internationally to ensure that it is viable, thus taking a burden off the Tourist Board to market the BVI.
I have often wondered why there is such a disdain towards outsiders wanting to invest here?
Mark - 4th
Alvera - 6th
Doc P - 7th
Marlon - 8th
Doc S - at large
Myron - at large
The question right now who will make up the 7th seat
9th - Myron is "campaigning" hard in the 9th for whoever runs.
5th - has Delores done enough to hold the 5th?
at large - Is Ronnie interested in running again?
It is an uphill battle for VIP.
Having Fraser as leader does not help, although I will say anyone will be better than Ralph.
If I was to call even without seeing the VIP candidates the NDP has about three to four seats maximize….Mark, Dr. Pickering only because no good candidate will come forward, Dr. Smith by default again and maybe, just maybe, Myron as he is still very toxic and divisive only his public relations game with zan and barnes saving he…$$$$ talks
The NDP has learnt from 2007 and has responded somewhat.
The main lesson was to protect your district base and thus Mark, Alvera, Pico and Marlon will win in their districts.
Doc Smith has proven he can win at large no matter the odds and Myron, however toxic he may seem has not stopped campaigning since 2011. He has ensured that the NDP looks at the youths and VG.
For NDP - Where will the 7th seat come from??? Will Ronnie run again with his health issues? Has Delores done enough in the 6th to withstand a challenge from Juggie or Wade? The NDP missed a big opportunity by not defining a more specific / substantial role for Archie.
NDP has to address West End Police station and West End port (1st) and VG Hospital / clinic / whatever you want to call it (9th) as VIP will say that these important projects that they have either ignored or bent the rules for like they did with other projects. Andrew has already started.
Allegations about cruiseship port, must be addressed.
NDP must capture the 9th.
For VIP, Fraser is very vulnerable and I can see the NDP headlines about Fraser on a narrow vision (focused on 3rd District to detriment of others, while holding a national portfolio at MCW), Biwater, Great Wall, streetlights on roundabout, SCB project and United Party background (campaigned against the very same HLS whom he is now praising) and the NDP PR machinery hasn't started on him yet. Fraser is just as toxic as Myron, even more so.
VIP must retain the 9th.
No wild predictions, I would like to think that they are informed observations.