VI to honour H.L. Stoutt; ‘Territory started before 2011’- Willock
The first Chief Minister of the Virgin Islands (VI) is dubbed a “Freedom Leader” and the activities will showcase a public march from Sebastian’s Parking Lot at 8:30 A.M., to the Cappoon’s Bay burial grounds, where Mr Stoutt is buried.
The day’s celebrations for the ‘Father of the VI’ will have the normal wreath-laying ceremony at 9:00 A.M., and will feature presentations from the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College Sting Rays, H. Lavity Stoutt Commemorative Choir, Zion Sounds and the Zion Hill and Carrot Bay Methodist Choirs.
Speakers will include Premier and Leader of Government Business Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith (AL) and Leader of the Opposition and First District Representative, Hon Andrew A. Fahie, who represents Mr Stoutt’s district.
H. Lavity Stoutt: A Freedom Leader
The late H. Lavity Stoutt was born on March 7, 1929. He served as Chief Minister of the VI for over sixteen years and is a founder of the Opposition Virgin Islands Party (VIP).
The VIP and Mr Stoutt are credited with establishing the cruise ship pier in Road Town, creating the Social Security scheme, overseeing the construction of the Central Administration Complex, cutting and paving some 80% of all main roads in the Territory and spearheading the development of the local community college, which is named in Mr Stoutt’s honour.
Mr Stoutt was at the helm throughout the Territory’s development as an international finance centre, most of the major foreign investments currently in the British Overseas Territory, the scholarship programmes to educate VIslanders, building of most if not all schools and community centres, bringing water and electricity to most of the residents, and his VIP carried on most of the developments from Tortola, to Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke and Anegada.
The late Freedom Leader died in May 1995, at his home in Long Bay on Tortola.
VI did not start in 2011-Willock
Speaking to the rich history of development of the Virgin Islands before the 2011 elections that saw the National Democratic Party (NDP) come to power, former Permanent Secretary and Businessman Julian Willock warned that we must reject the dangerous notion by some NDP politicians that nothing was going on in the VI before 2011 when they came to power.
Mr Willock was at the time speaking as a guest on a call in JTV talk show ‘Speak Your Mind’ hosted by John Lewis on February 18, 2017 on Channel 55.
In response to a question by Mr Lewis, who raised the issue of water rates and the Government negotiating to reduce them, Mr Willock stated that water rate and the reduction is nothing new. He said going back to his time as the Director of Water and Sewerage it was always the goal to reduce water rates, therefore the goal is “nothing new.”
Be honest about our history-Willock
Mr Willock said, if “some politicians would be honest about the Biwater deal, over a period of time water rates would have been significantly reduced…and the good thing is at the end of the Biwater contract we would owned the water plants.”
In addition, Mr Willock told the public that as part of the Biwater deal they donated two sewerage treatment plants free of cost valued at close to $5M and this has already resulted in “after 30 years no more raw sewerage running in the bay at Slaney.”
The former Permanent Secretary said there have been a lot of good works going on before the 2011 general elections. He said on the February 18, 2017 interview “successive governments have all made contributions to the development of the Territory, everything did not start in 2011…the college was not built in 2011, the Administrative Complex was not built in 2011, all the clinics and schools were built way before 2011…the London Office did not start in 2011,” the astute Virgin Islander articulated.
The public is invited to the 17th annual H. Lavity Stoutt celebrations, which is a joint effort between Government and the H. Lavity Stoutt Commemorative Committee.
Click on link watch the entire Julian Willock interview from show ‘Speak Your Mind’
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20 Responses to “VI to honour H.L. Stoutt; ‘Territory started before 2011’- Willock”
After all when he leaves politics he will still be Dr. Smith so I
believe the Dr. should be next to his name
I would like to hear the views of the English experts