Another $85M needed! No willy-nilly handouts doled out — Malone
While reeling off a slew of accomplishments and challenges faced by his Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government over the past four years, Territorial At-Large Representative, Carvin Malone pointed out that there is still more work left to be done.
Malone, who previously served as the territory’s Health Minister, denied accusations that the VIP government had haphazardly distributed handouts three years ago after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assistance grants distributed during that period have since featured in various damning audit reports and have also been a key area of concern and reform recommended by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report issued last year.
But Malone, while appearing on the VIP Let’s Talk show, commented that more than $80 million in funding is now needed to continue the government’s various assistance programmes for the people of the territory.
Among other things, Malone shared that his government constructed some 22 social homes and distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants.
Malone said $10 million of that aid came from a $40 million Social Security Board grant the government received, while another $15 million-loan the government inherited had to be repurposed to help with home repairs and assistance to residents.
“We had to repurpose (the loan) in terms of bringing it over so that people can get their homes repaired,” Malone explained. “We needed and we still need about $80 [to] $85 million. We did not have it but we had to work ways in which most people could be assisted.”
He insisted that persons had to go through a process to benefit from this assistance and said the beneficiaries were able to access this fund afterwards.”
“The Minister of Natural Resources tell you about some of the processes that we’ve had. So this was not a willy nilly hand-me-out,” he stated.
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Hear this m** m**. Time for this man to go sit the h**l down. I can’t believe this is what we voted for. He didn’t waste enough he want to waste 85 million more. Craziness
The lengths these elected members are willing to go to justify clearly immoral and questionable acts is revealing and sickening.
Carvin you are delusional if any ounce of what you are saying rings true and correct to you.
There is still more money lft to thief, and they are going after it, and the people are gullible enough to vote them in to to thief it. We frig!
mr co vid 19 is d.o.a
GET RID AH DEM….DO NOT VOTE FOR NO VIP CANDIDATE….none!
Should government really be fixing the homes of private citizens?
Thank you for keeping us safe and informed during covid. You also continued to keep us informed all now. You will be getting my family and I votes. Don’t mind the noise.
Not the right messenger, but HE IS RIGHT! The BVI needs loan funding and should have taken up the UK Loan Guarantee but guess who was the biggest voice against that? The little boy in the 2nd District that has no record of accomplishments but wants to be on top. The BVI does not generate enough annually to spend properly on capital projects hence the rundown of the place. A loan managed by the RDA or similar agency to ensure that the projects are actually done and properly would be needed. That would boost the economy big time while upgrading our infrastructure that has been going downhill the last 25-30 years. Nobody likes to hear the word lending or loan but it’s a reality. Also, while I didn’t agree with how COVID monies were just given out without proper supporting information, can anyone imagine where the Territory would’ve been if they didn’t give out the money? The money was given to locals, who benefitted. Not supporting it but can anyone tell me what would’ve happened if the money wasn’t given out? Fair argument no?
I am mixing blue, red and independent
Carvin stop touting what you did not start. That projected started under the NDP Government with Ronnie and carried on with Marlon. You met the project ongoing.
$40 million of our retirement monies went to the politians so they could dole it out to their families and cronie friends. UK please end this madness.
OK, now publish list of who received all these grants and why they received them.
List the politicians that benefitted from the free M$$$$$$ received as grant and list the amount received. Reject all that received this money and charge them for corruption and ban them from holding or seeking public office. Cold blooded Mobsters! Vote for the persons you least like, they know that you do not really trust them and will try to do better than those deceiving us. JAIL ALL who betray us.
I don’t understand how people can forget. I don’t forget none of our wasted money. Remember this:
During COVID 19 paying their cronies to watch people’s houses after they came home from overseas on a 24 hour basis? Foolishness.
Remember the Premier’s bodyguards when first elected? Foolishness.
Both these areas should have been operated by our Police Force. A simple drive through and phone call to someone’s home while they are outside and the person show their faces was enough. And why the hell we had to pay $100,000 to guard the Premier again?
Garbage collection worked well it seemed, but the food? Well some houses got three bundles, so was not fairly done as some who needed got none. These guys messed up everywhere and we must stop mentioning where? Well, they should have stopped wasting our tax money.
Green means pack your bags and go, eviction time coming!!
In case you didn’t hear it before , am saying to you all TRUMP ain’t got nothing on me