Alred C. Frett. Photo: VINO/File

It is becoming increasingly clear that our failure to develop Self-confidence and Respect for each other leaves us hooked to Slavery and Colonialism… As a result, rather than seek peace and progress internally, we slaughter one another and, like olden days, we rely on House Slaves and Masters to decide our Winners and Losers – Once they have spoken, we Field Slaves accept without question.

Today our People are at greater risk and while some resisted, most simply waited on Miracles… It is therefore unreasonable to expect Leaders not to regard us as Idiots when we give them 4 more years to profit from our Pain… Ironically, the Young and Poor will be hardest hit because rather than use intelligence to foresee difficulties ahead they allowed themselves to be used for Political Sport.

They never reasoned that having High School Years extended is really having Children kept back in class, Youth demoted, a dwindling of their Career Opportunities and a greater likelihood for them to end up in Prison… They failed to recognise this move as a perfect way of retarding the voiceless Poor since the Rich and Privileged can avoid this by sending their Children to Private High Schools.

Furthermore, this outcome automatically reduces our Local Work Force, including Health Care Providers, at a time when our Local Population is aging and the majority of our Work Force is Non-Belongers… This dire need for Quality and Affordable Health Care cannot be helped by a Small Island National Health Insurance Scheme that other Countries found unaffordable and unsustainable.

Good for Government but not the People:

Looking at the existing practice of Government where they select International Health Insurance Carriers for Employees, they, (Govt) pay no more than $110 per Premium per month… Under this arrangement, that amount equates to far less than a quarter of what a typical BVI Family is required to pay thus indicating that Government considers itself unable to pay more than this.

However, their mandated NHIS is totally dependent on forcing Private Employers to pay 50% of an Ill-defined Health Insurance Plan, specifically designed to restrict Patients to selected local Providers... Also bear in mind that many Private Senior Citizens had their own Health Insurances for many years since most reliable Insurance Carriers will not accept Applicants 55-years and older.

The uncompromising manner in which this Scheme is being forced upon the People becomes especially problematic and life-threatening when Illness-prone, Low-Income Retirees who live to be 60, 70, 80 or even 90-years old are required to drop their comprehensive International Insurances in favour of Government’s Locally Restrictive NHIS which is more than likely to fail within 5-years.

It may have been better to use the BVI Health Care Plan I suggested because recent dippings into Social Security Monies in order to cover Short Falls and Political Agendas should warn us that rather than being a plan to help our People, NHIS is more a Ponzi Scheme designed to pay for mistakes of Leaders, benefit the ‘BVIHSA” and act as another Political Piggy Bank on the People’s Dime.

There is nothing golden about the Silence of Ignorance:

Whereas, it is understood that Governments do not make money; they simply take Money, it is the Private Sector Employer/ Employee who pays the Bills… As such this NHIS 7.5% increases their Personal Taxes, Tithes and Dues to almost 50% and, when added to Food, Rent, Utilities and Education nothing is left - The Poor continues as Beggars and Supporters of the Rich and Powerful.

They regard our Silence as Consent to use and abuse us so these are facts they wish you not to hear… No wonder the rumours of threats to pressure me into silence by stopping me from playing in the Park on Thursdays... If true this would just be another item on a long string of injustices done to have me silenced by any means – Nonetheless, I still refuse to sell out our People or myself.

I own no Park – It belongs to you – I have only played there for many years because it was hardly ever used and selected Sundays and Thursdays because it was even less used on these days… Some seem surprised when I turn down paying Jobs but choose to play there freely to honour our Heroes and comfort our People but I sought no material benefits and face no financial loss by stopping.

Actually, some years ago I dropped Sundays after it was claimed that Churches and other Groups wanted it for their events – Thus it still remains unused on Sundays… We may have no control over their abuse of Power and Silence may be golden for Oppressors but whatever the punishment or threat we should never be silent when this only leaves us crippled by those pretending to help.

Facing the Facts from beginning to end:

Standing for Justice may not be easy or painless and you have seen attacks on me, like: Forced Retirement from Hospital, Removal as Minister of Health and Education, Courts used to allow my Property to be occupied by Squatters and block me from building a Medical Complex, kicked off Radio and threatened with imprisonment plus endless harassment from Government Departments.

This may seem unbelievable since all my actions were done in the People’s Interest and there has never been any evidence of me having done wrong… Nonetheless, although we are targeted for upholding Fairness and Justice, we have seen it is the only way of combatting hardships when Leaders resist listening to their People and would rather have them push Dead Elephants uphill.

Governments may have the Bully Pulpit to argue in support of their actions but we owe it to our Children to check whether their Statements and Figures are true or fabricated... We have only been fed snippets of information that appear willfully misleading while real facts like the United Kingdom considering scrapping their own National Health Insurance is hidden, ignored or overlooked.

Think about it – The UK is a fully Developed Country, printing their own Money and having over 100-years’ experience in the National Health Insurance Delivery; whereas, we lack in Resources, Industry and Information… Perhaps our Government plans a 2^nd Social Security Money Pool but it is unwise and unfair to force us into a Scheme that our Mother Country is trying hard to escape from.

These are serious times when we must make the effort to help ourselves because playing Blind, Deaf and Dumb simply guarantees our own Self-Sacrifice and Genocide of our Children. 

PS: I will continue addressing some of your Questions & Comments on Live BVP Radio Programmes