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'We don’t want to give up our birthrights for a bowl of soup'- Premier Fahie
“We continue our recovery process. There are those who think that we should be moving much faster because we have access to £300M, but that’s misleading the people,” Premier Fahie said on the Tuesday, February 4, 2020, edition of the ‘Honestly Speaking’ radio show on ZBVI 780 AM.
‘Speed up recovery’ – Gov Jaspert
Governor Jaspert at a February 3, 2020, press conference dubbed 'Catch up with Governor Jaspert' told the press that while 2020 was forecasted to be a challenging year, the Territory should seize its opportunities and get on with its recovery process.
"It’s a challenging year but also a year full of opportunities. For me, I think we need to make sure that we seize those opportunities. We have a recovery and development that I believe needs to increase the pace and we have the opportunity to do that," the Governor said.
But according to Premier Fahie, the conditions of a UK £300M Loan Guarantee which represents an opportunity for the recovery process is too vague and could mean sacrificing great rights in exchange for the funding.
‘We will take our time’ – Premier Fahie
“We have access to it but there are conditions that are being put on us where we are saying that we agree with most of the conditions… but we don’t want to give up our birthrights for a bowl of soup,” Hon Fahie said.
The Leader of Government Business continued, “We prefer to take our time and continue to recover how we are going and find ways to get the money and then to sign on documents where we are saying that the Territory will no longer belong to us?”
Premier Fahie underscored that while the Territory has always welcomed the UK Loan Guarantee for recovery and development, vague terms such as "other mechanisms" and "conditions" in the loan guarantee document must be well defined.
Loan Guarantee terms must be defined – Premier Fahie
“Other mechanisms could mean that the public service has to be cut, we don’t know… because that is not defined,” he said while giving more examples of how a vague contract could take away power from the governing administration regarding managing the affairs of the Territory.
“In this day and era where we are all mature educational wise, politically wise, it cannot be persons talking to us, or we talking to them, it has to be that we are talking to each other,” the Premier underscored.
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23 Responses to “'We don’t want to give up our birthrights for a bowl of soup'- Premier Fahie”
This governor wants us to go back in slavery? but press on Premier we with you!
Moreover, yes, in September 2017, monster hurricanes Irma and Maria, two cat 5 storms, devastated the VI to the tune of an estimated $3.6B in damages and the territory needs to be rebuilt. The territory needs to be rebuilt with resiliency, not just in like kind. The territory does not have the resources in reserve to directly fund the recovery and needs to borrow money at a fair and reasonable rate to fund the recovery.
Further, the terms and conditions of any borrowed money must be a win-win for the BVI. It is a wise decision by the Premier to take the time needed to get favorable terms than to rush desperately into an agreement that may not be in the best interest of the VI and its people. The UK offered to co-sign or guarantee a £300M loan for the territory but it comes with some terms and conditions. Terms and conditions that the Premier is rightly taking his time to scour with a fine teeth Ace comb(Premier’s growth is encouraging). Just in case we forget, the UK is not giving us a £300M(~$400M) grant, for they are just co-signing the loan(French and Dutch may be taking a different approach for their territories that were also hit by the same hurricanes). The $400M co-sign loan has to be paid back by VI taxpayers long after Governor Jaspert leaves the territory and to punch his next career tickets. I’m on board with Premier on this one, for we cannot sell our birthright for a bowl of soup (well at least it is not a bowl porridge). Seems like the Guv is lukewarm about the VIP and digs at it every chance that comes around.
We need the U.K. guarantee. If he seriously thought that we could succeed in the recovery (properly and not slap dash) he would have walked away from it. But he continues to negotiate. We need it and he knows
that! The BVI cannot get major financing on its own accord. Our dismal track record speaks for itself in terms of how projects have been run, how money has been wasted, thrown away on non starter on “investments” how no audited accounts have been produced by govt for years on end. He can stay there saying we will take our time and rebuild bit by bit but in the meantime the world will pass is by. Everyone around is making serious strides and we are just there.
1) Lottery
2) Recreational and medicinal marijuana
3) Sport Betting
4) Allow districts to raise revenue and share it with government
5) Gambling
All have been talked about but no serious effort has been made to implement any. The biggest impediment to progress is not trying.
You may be doin ok but The country look like s**t an plenty people hungry. This talk of slavery is insulting to our ansesters. ppl have no idea what slavery is. How many slaves you reckon got lent $300 million and GIVEN $10 million plus trucks, supplies and all manner of stuff for free?