Decision March Committee establishing group to advise gov’t
Bishop John Cline
A group with the sole objective of providing local government with ‘viable global investment opportunities’ is being established in the territory.
The group is to be called the Economic Advisory Group (EAG) and will consist of both locals and expatriate residents.
The EAG is reportedly being developed through organisers of the Decision March Committee, which comprises members such as Bishop John Cline, Ayana Hull, and Zoe Walcott-McMillan.
During a meeting with members of the Decision March Committee on Friday, Queen’s Counsel and former Acting High Court Judge Gerard Farara was named as a member of the EAG.
Other named persons to sit on the EAG include Tourism Director Sharon Flax-Brutus, local photographer John Black, and Dr Micheal Turnbull, who is brother to government legislator, Mitch Turnbull.
Other persons will also be part of the EAG, the Decision March Committee said.
Bishop Cline said the group will focus on areas such as education, tourism, social infrastructure, investment banking, youth athletics, shipping, ports, agriculture and fisheries, construction, and avenues for entrepreneurship.
“We also have some subcommittees that will support the EAG who will be advising and coming up with all of the ideas that we will pull together and make representation and a presentation to the government in terms of what we should be doing,” he said.
Notably, each sister island will have representatives in the group.
Importance of diversifying
Bishop Cline said, at this juncture, when the territory’s main economic pillar – the financial services – is under threat, economic diversification is important.
“One of the things that we have recognized while planning this [Decision March] is that there is a growing need for us as a territory to diversify our economy,” he said.
The clergyman said he believes BVI citizens “have a responsibility in helping to move this forward in identifying economic pillars that are more sustainable for the next twenty, thirty years just like financial services has been.”
Town Hall Meetings
A series of town hall meetings are being planned so residents can weigh in on ‘areas of priority’.
The first meeting will take place on Monday, June 4 at Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff’s Bottom, Tortola. That meeting will begin at 7 pm.
The second will move to Virgin Gorda on Thursday, June 7 at 6:30pm at the Sanctuary of Hope church.
Similar meetings will also take place on Jost Van Dyke and Anegada. However, those meetings are still in the planning phase.
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Is this the start of a new political party? Not if —- is at the front please
If anyone sees Supercop please inform him of the date of March and make sure bring stacks of ticket books. The government will make a killing that day with all them bad parking.
Not another F….ing committee! next we’ll be having a CAC group – “Committee Advisory Committee” group…..why does our Island just love committees and action groups yet achieve hardly anything tangible – is it just to feel important? looking at the list of members the answer has got to be yes!!!
lol…good one!
Could not have said it any better.
It’s politics time, stop acting brand new. The good thing is that they all fade away for 4yrs until political season strikes up again. We have so many different agencies already and now they see it fit to start another one. Look at the make up of it, give me a break! What have these people done in their lives to be considered helpful to us. Let the Government and those engaged do their jobs.
Interesting. Who are the expats on this Committee?
as long as C—- is part of this group it means nothing
Sorry but a shadow Gouvernment being set up is saying that the present people employed by all those departments they just referred to. Are you saying they are all derelict in there duties? Focused means, take one issue and drill down on it. There are tens of millions being spent on each one of those areas in this country. It’s called Gouvernment and the Civil Service along with the HOA. Tourism has a Board, Education has a Ministry and so does every area that you refer to. What exactly do you think is so wrong with the country.
Clearly the members of this new committee have very low standards to be associated with the W.I.S.C ….wolf in sheeps clothing ! Surprised at some of the members but not others….
V sad to see MT in association with him, I expected better judgement from him
Isnt this the same thing that brodrick ( out of the premier office) did? Whats the diffrence?
Typical BVI mindset: indiscipline. Everybody wants to be boss. What an abject mess.
One leader at a time. Did the premier request such a group? These islands do not need to go any further down the slope. Self interest can be seen right there. Such group should be named from the leadership not imposters.
Only a madman advises himself. NDP reloaded advising NDP…smh
In the days of Noah. We are really foolish and simple people. One of these days you will understand. I can see why Irma mash us up like this. Our minds are filthy. Think UP
Lets have a march against committees.
lets march for no march
Lets form a committee for the march against all marches! $1m budget and do F…ck all. At the end of the year present everybody with achievement awards and have a special celebratory dinner charging $100 tickets for “charity” ( yeah right – 90% disappears for “admin costs” ) we sure know how to screw our country but feel big and important doing it – sigh….if only there was just one leader/politician with some Integrity! ….
In the days of the Bliar government in the U.K. a committe was established to reduce school absenteeism or truancy. The budget for this enterprise was , wait for it, £1 billion. After 3 years the committe disbanded itself as the £1 billion had been spent. And the impact on truancy? Zero ( as you already knew)
BVI is not alone in the hopelessness of its government.
Lawd you’ll really want to kill me here today…lolololol…let me get back to people work you hear.