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‘We ain’t toeing that line’- Hon Christopher
Speaking during the debate on the Bill during the continuation of the Third Sitting of the Third Session of the Third House of Assembly on March 23, 2018, Hon Christopher said she wanted to establish early that it isn’t that she doesn’t believe or understand that a “structure” [agency] might be a necessary thing to have established.
In order for the VI to get loan guarantees of up to $400M from the United Kingdom (UK) they have to adhere to some strict guidelines, including establishing an independent agency to manage all the monies to be borrowed and engage in private sector reform, which some suspect may be result in cutting civil servants pay or cutting the civil service.
“It is the conditions that are set for us…to establish the structure. We can’t be in here saying that we representing the people but we can’t see what the intention is and what is happening, Madam Speaker, so we have a lot of concerns.”
Hon Christopher was one of five House Members who recently wrote a letter to Premier Smith expressing their concerns with the establishing of a recovery agency and board and the secrecy surrounding them.
“We had concerns why we wrote that letter to the Honourable Premier to say to him that we are not going to toe the line just because we are the Backbench.
“We ain’t toeing that line, Madam Speaker, because we can look for things ourselves.”
Who appointed Mr Branson VI Ambassador?
Hon Christopher then proceeded to read a letter by Sir Richard C.N. Branson in November telling the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotels Association (BVICCHA) that he had spoken to several international lending agencies offering “fantastic ideas” but “we must act now.”
In the same letter, Mr Branson, a United Kingdom national with Belonger status, had said his Virgin Team were on the ground from day one and, along with other North Sound businesses and disaster relief teams, have been “reviewing these offers of support in line with short and long term needs.”
He also said he had met with Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert aka ‘Gus’, Premier Smith, Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr The Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering (R7), Caribbean heads of state, representatives of Inter-American Development Back, World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“During these meetings I have heard some fantastic ideas; however, there are aggressive timeframes, financial commitments and clear targets to realise the strategy needed for the rebuilding,” the letter stated.
Hon Christopher said when the letter surfaced Members brought the concern to the attention of the Premier, “because it seemed to some of us that somebody had just gotten a position as Ambassador for the BVI.”
“Either he had gotten the position as an Ambassador, chief negotiator, or he had become some type of elected member. As a matter of fact we asked the Premier upfront, when was he elected? Because we couldn’t remember this person was in any district asking for any votes to appoint him to the legislature.”
Whose agenda? What’s the big secret?
Hon Christopher continued that there were other concerns and noted that “the bullet points in the letter seems to be the Government’s agenda.”
“So Madam Speaker, when we think we are having a meeting to go through issues in how we would be going forward, only to find out that our meeting will not be the real meeting at all, and that some persons were already, as stating here, taking action, managing the Government, Madam Speaker.”
Hon Christopher also told the House that the Recovery and Development Plan itself was not shared with members. “I really don’t know if it was shared in the Cabinet before but I know as a member of the Caucus we saw it only after it was being shown to stakeholders and we were being asked or being told that we were expected to defend in our districts. Yes, we had a presentation, but it was one without sight of the plan.”
The third term legislator added that from the get go there were concerns with the Recovery and Development Plan. “When you check the letter I just read and you check the High Level UK letter that was read yesterday, Madam Speaker, you find that they all gel...
“I had a concern from day one, that is why I am so concerned about the agency, because it is not about us being the Government but bringing it to us to pass it because they need you to say yes. But the decision is already made, Madam Speaker….We have no say. So why am I being asked to say yes to this agency and board?
Further Hon Christopher said she only saw the draft bill being debated on March 13, 2018 after it was emailed to Members.
The debates on the Bill are expected to conclude today and a vote taken.
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43 Responses to “‘We ain’t toeing that line’- Hon Christopher”
Great, the Mother country is being a Mother at last. Just vote and take your seat child.
Branson is a blessing to these islands. If we didn’t have anyone like him to make connections to try and help us, we would wish we did.
You’re put it because you think you should have seen something before and you didn’t? So you using that as an excuse to make the BVI suffer, make it a poor third world country that looked help in the face and told it to F— off.
Disgusting.
If Branson was any real ambassador passenger arrivals to these shores would have been at an all time high given the fact that. he owns an airline.
This is where his ambassador ship skills should have been placed.
Sir Richard Branson with all of his money, what has he stepped up to do for the BVI? If he so love this country, tell him go break down Cane Garden Bay School and rebuild it properly or fix two blocks of schools at the BVI High School.
Come on Willock, Fraser, Andrew, join with the others and do something!!
Social security money is a solution? S this d only thing you guys can com up wit?
I dont hear one solution n d house
The peir park thats all i will say 30million missing
No one held accountable
All this about s geeedy ppl who want the money in there hand to mis manage it.
Eat ur pride n vote for the money
If note do it urself.
What a set of nonsense you making up! Branson - if we didn’t have a Branson here to go to his powerful friends and seek help, we would wish we did.
If you so stupid to think that anyone who is white must be scheming against you, you don’t deserve my vote any more.
All this anti white nonsense just makes bvislanders look stupid. Serious. If the only way you can interpret any event is by seeing it through slavery eyes, how are you able to advance our territory and people? This mindset will make you a slave! In order to make smart moves you need to use intelligence, not simple melanin calculation formula.
Branson wants to help. That much is obvious and clear as the water. Any other interpretation is willful lying to play to the crowd.
And if you so upset you didn’t see a document you feel you should have - why the hell the whole BVI should go down the pan because you ain’t big enough to deal with that?
Get a grip and use some intelligence, not stupidness that only serve to make poeple think we are a stupid people, which most of us, Ms Christopher, are not.
He should just leave you all to it.
Those trying to hold us back just want a poorly educated BVI where citizens are not well off without government handouts and backhanders so that they can keep the electorate dependent on their power. Be very wary. If you really want to shut out those others who come with solutions and ideas for the betterment of the BVI just because they have more money than you or were not born here, like so many other Belongers, you may just get what you wish for and that will disastrous for the future of this country.