Fahie to leaders: Stop turning people into puppets

Andrew Fahie

While touting a number of initiatives he has been pushing in his constituency especially as it relates to youth empowerment, representative of the First Electoral District Andrew Fahie has called for leaders to stop helping people only under certain selfish conditions.

He indicated that some leaders only help residents who are willing to become puppets.

“As leaders, we have a responsibility to build our people without any strings attached. We are supposed to be building people; not puppets. A puppet is built to always be guided by its master.”

“But wise leaders build up their people so that they can grow to help even the master avoid any future disaster. That is why your man on mission recognizes that – from the youngest to the oldest – First District residents must be given an opportunity to excel,” Fahie recently told constituents while presenting his annual district report.

He, in the meantime, announced the expansion of a programme he had started to have young people in his constituency certified as boat captains.

“By the end of this year, over 30 First District youth will be trained and qualified to be captains. This ongoing programme that started in the latter part of 2016 once again proves that our youth do not need a hand out. They only needed a hand up.”

“These youths will also be trained to be entrepreneurs. We are not stopping there. Training in how to present business plans to Government and financial institutions so that they can qualify for funding that will allow them to own their own boats and take their rightful place in the marine industry will also commence shortly,” added Fahie.

He noted that more than 200 young people in his district have been helped with their education.

“That is why I am proud to report that to date, due to the efforts of your man on a mission, the total number of First District persons that have received assistance in furthering their education is now just over 200 persons.”

“These persons have now been transformed because no one can ever take away their captain licenses, Master’s degrees, training certificates, Associate degrees, PHD degrees, secondary school diplomas and Bachelor’s degrees,” Fahie further said.

Recipe for disaster

He went on to state that, as each citizen rises, so does their family and the entire British Virgin Islands.

“The people of the Virgin Islands must be allowed to once again take their rightful place in these beautiful Virgin Islands. We cannot continue to have leaders investing in others more than they are investing in their people. It is a sure recipe for disaster. Our forefathers built these Virgin Islands, and they did it together. Many of our sisters and brothers from the other Caribbean islands made here their home, and assisted in the building up of these Virgin Islands.”

Fahie, in the meantime, raised concern that, in recent times, certain decisions made have given the impression that citizens are no longer capable of managing the affairs of the territory.

“As a people, we were smart enough to build these Virgin Islands. But as of late, when one analyses the theory behind many of the unjustifiable actions, decisions and appointments made to fill key senior Government posts, it is clear that they are telling us that we are not fit to run what we built. I have long concluded that the cost of ignorance is much more expensive than the cost of educating, investing, and believing in your people,” added Fahie.

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