Sowande not pleased
BVI News Staff - Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 4:19 AM
Sowande Uhuru
A resident of the Eighth District and a politician who contested the last election under the People’s Patriotic Alliance (PPA) is not pleased that government has donated $150,000 to the organising committee for Music Fest 2012.
Speaking at a community meeting in the Eighth District recently, Natalio ‘Sowande Uhuru’ Wheatley, who is also a lecturer at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, said some of this money should have been used for youth programmes, particularly in his district.
“Music Fest: I saw recently in the news is getting $150,000 subsidization, saying that the whole Virgin Islands will benefit, but the reality is Music Fest is a business and there are some other spin-offs for some businesses there that get some benefit from that. And I heard that is the lowest it’s been in years – that’s $150,000; I think some of that money that is being invested in this glorified party should be invested into programmes because I know the government is struggling with money right now.
“Let’s prioritize right now. Invest that money in programmes or even invest it in businesses because when private businesses go to government for subsidization, they like to tell them to go to the bank and get a business plan; but Music Fest does not have to go to the bank and probably won’t get any money from the bank, so we should be able to inject some money into the community and get people’s businesses started up and running, then they won’t need anymore subsidization from government,” Wheatley said.
Wheatley said he congratulated the representative Marlon Penn and his colleagues for the work done so far in the district and the territory, but the issue of crime in the district is a major concern.
He said: “Politics are over and I think as a community we have to pull together to solve the problems in the district. We have a lot of problems in this district. One I was hoping that would have been mentioned and it’s been in the news recently is crime. I personally had been burglarized, and I know a number of other residents here in the Seventh and Eighth Districts have been burglarized, so we need some type of plan as a community. I know the police have their role to play but I think we need to have a role as well, so we need to pull together and do something about this crime problem,” Wheatley told the meeting.
He added: “Music Fest, in my opinion, we need a social programme, and we need some kind of economic programme as well as educational. If we keep relying on parents by themselves; you know some parents are not coping and the children are running on the streets wild and they getting into all kinds of problems. The minister of education spoke very well about having a rehabilitation programme in the prison and I support that 100 percent, but it will be real nice to start some rehabilitation before they get into prison. We have a lot of young people on the streets right now and we need some kind of community action to take responsibility for these young people.”
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24 Comments
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Festivals like these are popping up all over the Caribbean which leads one to believe that these governments find them to bring in money to their countries.
Is this guy suggesting that Dominica, Aruba, Jamaica, USVI, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, etc are all wasting money? Obviously these events bring in lots of revenue to all of these countries. That’s why new ones are popping up every few years too.
The other areas are important too like education, and crime fighting and business development, but we do not have to sacrifice one for the other.
The event brings in much needed revenue and is valuable and importat to the BVI economy.
as I said this man is going through an identity crisis??? speak it as it is..one time he the great saviour from Kilimanjaro and next he from the ghut from Baughers Bay…Young man is called growing up and clearly you have more of that to do!
For someone who is supposed to be intelligent and wanted to represent our country, Mr. Wheatley is talking nonsense. An event like this brings people to the BVI. It is a tourism product. It brings money from outside the BVI, into the BVI, which increases the amount of money that we have to spend on infrastructure, education and the same social programmes that he spoke about.
Where do you think the money comes from Mr. Wheatley? It comes from outside investments in our Tourism products and in our Financial products.
We need events like these. Before you go running off your mouth and hating on every single thing that the government does, go get some facts. Any semi educated person can throw a few words together and make an educated sounding statement, but it does not mean that it is the best statement or the most accurate one. Nor does it mean that that particular view is the right one.
In this case, he sounded good arguing for education and social programmes, but he clearly missed the ball in stating that the money that the government uses for its annual budget….comes from Tourism & Financial services. The Music Festival is a tourism product that the government has invested in. This country, in one weekend, gets back more than $150,000.00 just on ferries tickets alone!
Not to mention, hotels, cars, restaurants, bars, etc.
It is call economic stimuli.
So the money is not wasted, but rather well invested.
Not like the medical school study (no return), drag racing study (no return), hydroponics tents (no return), traffic calming device (no return), Wheatley’s hot air (no return just pollution).
It is a glorified party, but one that brings party goers from all over to, spend their money with us. So this is one party I am glad they spending money on, and glad we didn’t spend anything on he political party.
Sowande needs to go sit down. One time he self righteous and a next time he drinking rum and chasing skirts. One time he is Uhuru and a next time he a Wheatley again.
Tell Mr. Wheatley to be respectable an d wear his cap the proper way.
Like father like son, all they do is talk talk and more talk. What are you doing to help the youths?
Times like this… people need a release from the stress.. The music fest has to go on…. everyone is crying broke so music fest is very important.. tell the gov’t to manage the money they have better, instead of doing the same project 3 times .. do it right the first time. 150000 is nothing compared to the money wasted.
To no.
Your comment “The music fest has to go on”. NO IT DOESN’T!!!!!!
give me ah damm break!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What I love about sowande is that he does not speak to be popular but speak the truth. government is throwing away 150,000 on a music fest which should be a private investment supported by private investors
Can the 25 likes give us a clue on how you MAKE private investors pay for the festival?
Should private investors pay for the Tourist Board? Should they also pay for the Financial Services Commission to operate too?
mayson where you got this thing from bout politics over? this never stops
Unfortunately, if this Government continues like previous and the previous government we would not have any social balance in this community. Hon. Andrew Fahie tried but it has now been passed on to another; hopefully he gets that understanding.
To Agreed.
Why you all like to bring politics into EVERYTHING????????
Andrew Fahie tried what? Drag racing, cock fighting, free iPads, lower grades, put a million dollar fence around a hundred dollar school? You got to be kidding!
Totally agreed.
Many hotels and other entities do not benefit from the music fest (which is very contrary to what has been promoted and suggested). Therefore, why is the Govt spending so much money on this activity when so many public schools and the youths are in dire need of attention and funding to address some of the social ills that plague the community?
Only Cane Garden Bay people benefit from it.
U LOOK HANDSOME BOY. I UNDERSTAND WHAT U R TRYING TO SAY.
its alo for Tourism young man!- where are our figures/surveys on how much we generated on past events…???
For someone living overseas its a great opportunity for visiting especially. We have all seen what great opprotunities for locals as well as the raising the profile of the island such an event can have. For example see what some of the aribbean islands are doing with the Jazz festivals, Tinin Carnival, barbados Crop over, St. Lucia Jazz festival… etc – Tourism needs a serious boost!
KUDOS for you Sowande
You are so right start by the roots not when they already have failed and are in prison ..
start by having an after school program with sports ,art, music, home work help , etc with and most of all guidance groups some children due that parents don’t have time or don’t take time to talk/guide these kids ( sometimes only blame the kids for doing wrong but never when they do good) need to be able to express them selves and also ask for advice .
I know for sure there are local artist, musicians etc who are more then willing to help, showing these kids that they by keeping their head straight and doing positive things they succeeded ,other Islands that has been done for many years and their success rate is 87% of the children stayed of the street and some of them even came back after. In these program there is also a visit to prison and showing the kids how and what might become of you if they themselves will choose for a life of crime>>>>>>
Sowande that money is needed for the community as a music fest is been held since many years and why they can not do that with the profit they made all those years ??? oops i forgot they put that in their own pockets and for sure the Island needs Music concert but not been sponsored with government money
The mentoring aspects of these programs are wonderful for the kids. The key is to offer a wide variety of activities so that there is something for everyone..to entice them off the streets. I have written about this before also. It is important for the kids to have a place to go and someone to listen to them and guide them. Even the best of parents cannot do it all….
I agree but the mentors should be volunteers from our communities. It should be the parents themselves, as well as the pastors, business owners and any concerned citizen all coming together to help organize a sport league or coach or keep score, or teach an instrument or provide singing lessons, or tutor a math or english class. We have community centers all over the island that sit empty and unused much of the time. If people were really concerned about their children then they would try to organize such a thing. I don’t even have children and would give my time. These are areas where little funding is needed, just a community to step up to the plate, donate a few dollars and some of their precious time!!
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