DeCastro attends UK seminar as Trade Minister the same day she’s reassigned to Tourism role
Despite being reassigned as the new Junior Minister for Tourism on Monday, November 25, government legislator Sharie deCastro is currently representing the territory as the Junior Minister of Trade & Economic Development at a UK seminar that commenced on the same date.
This is according to a government-commissioned media release dated Tuesday, November 26.
It said deCastro will be in the United Kingdom for the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s (CPA) flagship capacity development programme until November 29.
The release said: “Junior Minister for Trade and Economic Development Honourable Sharie B deCastro is representing the Government of the Virgin Islands at the 2019 Westminster Seminar on Effective Parliaments in the United Kingdom.”
Questions
This has now caused some residents to further question Premier Andrew Fahie’s real and/or full reason for having deCastro abruptly swap portfolios with Junior Minister Shereen Flax.
The Premier said the reason for the swap is for “capacity-building” with an aim to mould the two junior ministers into becoming better legislators for the future.
Premier Fahie announced the swap shortly after a BVI News report that Flax-Charles was effectively becoming ‘too vocal’ in the tourism portfolio for which Fahie is the senior minister.
Happy to represent BVI at UK seminar
DeCastro, in the meantime, has said she feels grateful to be among the officials at the Westminster Seminar — an event she described as having significant value.
“I am happy to be a part of this cohort where the possibilities are there for gaining a deeper understanding of the components that make up an effective parliament within the Westminster context,” de Castro stated.
“This seminar has provided the opportunity to widen networks and to create open communication lines to work collaboratively with peers,” he further said.
At the end of the seminar, the goal is for delegates to improve their analytical skills and be better able to represent their respective parliaments while providing oversight.
This is expected to be achieved through the interactive environment which will provide networking opportunities, where delegates will be tasked to learn collaboratively.
The said seminar provides a unique platform for exploring approaches to parliamentary democracy, practice and procedure in the context of the Westminster System and drawing comparisons between commonwealth legislatures.
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So therefore you can call this a wasted trip
not really a wasted trip, she can share the power points of the workshop. But then again, when all the people get trips, the only benefit is really them, they rack up airline miles and show off on facebook with taxpayers paid trips and don’t really share their info. They find the trips to attend
CAPACITY-BUILDING MY BACKSIDE
Give Ms DeCastro back her portfolio so she can at least see something through. This is wayyy tooo much foolishness going on here.
This is pure amateurish, unprofessional and dolly house behaviour. As noted in another blog, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. There is even ineptness in trying to be devious. Can anyone spell one term. Who is next? We have tried NDP and VIP in recent times. May we need to give PU or PVIM a little do. A constitutional review is on the agenda. We need a recall provision in the next constitution. Ok. What is so urgent that this so called capacity building move could not have waited until the Hon deCastro returned from abroad. Really Andrew Alturo Fahie! You are embarrassing the country, the people…….etc.
She is travelling more than Doctor Done Deal. Does she even spend a whole week at a time in the BVI?
Sure she ain’t a stewardess? LOL
The article states: “This is expected to be achieved through the interactive environment which will provide networking opportunities, where delegates will be tasked to learn collaboratively.
The said seminar provides a unique platform for exploring approaches to parliamentary democracy, practice and procedure in the context of the Westminster System and drawing comparisons between commonwealth legislatures.“.
So if I’m reading correctly, this seminar is not necessarily about trade but rathe ‘approaches to parliamentary democracy.’ it so happens that Hon de Castro was chosen to represent us and at the time of the announcement she was still the Jr Min for Trade. I don’t see the big deal.
The VIP better stop knocking these women around and taking them for granted. Hope they realized those two women have the power to upset their government if they are made to feel less than, and can be offered a better deal elsewhere.
@here this, but I think you meant “hear this.” I know everyone seems upset with how these successive governments treat our female representatives in office, but somewhere along the line, they have to learn to stand up for themselves, even if that means joining forces together. They cannot keep accepting what these men in office dish out to them every time and play second fiddle, or it will never stop.
Oh they will stand up very soon. What the male gender refuse to understand is the more they try to keep us down,the stronger we become. There will come the day when a woman will take her rightful seat at the head of the table, not the side.
Pure assishness! Somebody needs a cut a**. Unconventional governing my burro. Look like the VIP ship is taking on water and leaning to the starboard side. Is the crew going down with the ship or it will take action to save the ship? Proven executive experience is priceless. This is a green team with the only person with ministerial governing experience is Andrew. And he is struggling out of the block.
7 of 8 VIP members each have 9 months of ministerial experience yet only the 2 women are flagged for the flowery term ’capacity building.’ If walks like a duck, looks like a duck and waddles like a duck, it may be a duck.
Is this sexism? The Premier needs to seek out some people he trust and has his back and do some active listening. He needs some tough love. Power sometimes, especially when it is unexpected, makes even grounded people do strange things that makes you go WTF.
Let’s lead like eagles, not careen off the cliff like buffaloes.
So Hon. DeCastro they think they can overpower you because of your youth and gender…show them differently.
There you go, you got it like a whole lot of us got it. That is exactly what they think. Don’t let that youth fool you. What I love about her, she is very humble,smart, well educated well spoken and well rounded.She can go anywhere outside the BVI and have a excellent career if she chose to do so.
Yes, Andrew made a Political mistake when he reshuffle those women. Let Ms.Decastro continue to build her Portfolio. Andrew, believe this, you tried to be smart but,have you ever stop to think and see the power you put in those two women hands? As a woman, take my bit of advice, never underestimate, or take a woman for granted. Before I close, My 80 year old grandmother said, she will not be around to see it,and her words were, one day Ms.Decastro is going to be the first female Premier elected in the BVI and I believe it. Everything my 80 year old NaNa have said to me from a child has come to light.
She will be a one termer like Dancia so I dont know what Premier you are talking about. Running a country is more about getting things done than ideology and looking good on paper. Fahie, Rhymer, Wheatley are the only ones that will be re-elected from this group and thats only if the Government doesnt fall prematurely before the full term is up.
Hope you mean Vincent Wheatley