It’s not just a big expensive party! Premier defends non-stop concert
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has defended plans to hold a celebration concert for American Airlines’ non-stop flights to the territory, insisting that he is not deaf to concerns raised by members of the community.
In a statement issued moments ago, Dr Wheatley stated: “Contrary to what some have said, it is not just a big expensive party. It is not a VIP celebration. Neither is it a pat on the back or a victory lap.”
He described the criticism received from the public at large as “democracy at work” and said it is good that persons are openly expressing their views.
According to the Premier, the planned event is simply a good-natured and well-intentioned effort to promote the territory’s first American Airlines non-stop flight between Miami and Beef Island.”
He further described it as an effort to build entertainment tourism in the Virgin Islands and one to improve the economy.
In that vein, the Premier announced that there will be adjustments in the location of the event to the festival village in Road Town.
He also declared that the event will now become part of the annual August Festival celebrations. “We want to ensure that our festival celebrations receive maximum support and we want to ensure our hard-earned tax money is spent well,” Premier Wheatley said.
Dr Wheatley said the concert will now be the first event to kick off the festival season and explained that the stage for the non-stop concert will remain up after the event. He said this will allow for even more pre-festival activities to be held.
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pathetic trying to justify this waste. He don’t address the state of the roads or schools or water or electric or or or.
effort to improve the economy my rear end. how about educating the young people of the territory properly?
pay for it out of your own pockets. Yes, shell out the reported 250K out of your own bank account if you have that much in it which I doubt.
Also, if you are not deaf to the public outcry, then you are hearing but simply don’t care.
The public and the Opposition needs to hold your feet to the fire until you feel the heat.
A reality check is needed here. Carry on. You are being watched like a hawk.
Yea right, you hear the cries of the people but you not listening. To hold the concert in brandywine bay was another mistake s**wande. Tell me you will leave up the stage how much the sheep getting for the extension..futher how many people from AA will be attending the free fete. Or is it really for the locals who accidentally voted VIP. S**wande can ya a$$.
Yes Premier, promote entertainment without fixed roads, electricity and water issues. Perfect Leadership!
Correct – it is a small very expensive party
Natalio to petty…the residents of the Virgin Islands DO NOT want the non stop concert. If you are saying the stage will be up for the festival; the first official festival event is JUly 31 so the stage will be up for an entire month? please make this make sense
Come on, we don’t need this unpopular party in these though time. This is not good for the country, and may I add, this is not a lesson learnt.
Im guessing tis the cry in every country any event is held and tax payers monies is spent.
In SK music fest held every year sk ppl kick up it doesn’t benefit them. Dominica, creole fest ppl complain schools this n schools that. USVI them bawl on the Carnival over a mil spent and all events free. BVI they cry same.. all those countries have same or worse issues, roads, schools, health care. Many bathing pan i baid in sk cause water was off to go music fest lol. But that doesn’t seem fair that Hotels, taxis, rentals, restaurants, bars, ferries, planes, clothing stores, customs etc shouldn’t make money which they will when these events are held. money which is going to circulate in the economy. If there aren’t any events its will be a different story ppl bawling. govt or not.
The expensive party is a deflection from the ongoing governmental failures to address and fix the fundamental infrastructure needs of our country. Get your priorities right, Premier. Entertainment tourism has always ended up costing the Government money – we need better schools, roads, electricity supply, etc. NOW otherwise the tourists will find this place a real garbage dump.
So tell me something?! BVI operating budget is 400 million for a country of 30k ppl
Each ministry is allotted x amount of funding including statutory bodies. How they use their funds it has to be accounted for by the FS and min of fin said premier right.
SO ask Kye where is his almost 80 million he ministry was given for roads, water, the incarcerator etc.
Where is Sharie 73 millions for schools,
Dep Gov 69 mill for public service and the gov don’t forget his cut for prison’s, police etc.
How are they spending their monies?
Now if Tourism want to spend all their budget on one concert that’s on them . but just how we bawling about tax payer this n tax payer that. go chase them other ministers who aine spending the monies they were allotted. AND PAY MY INCREMENT TOO!!
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
I made a MISTAKE! That is what I heard. CANCEL THAT GIG ALTOGETHER WE DO NOT NEED IT!! It is a stupid move. FIX THE ROADS!!! STOP THE FRIG!
Pay the public officers the Arrears for the full 5 years of increments! You wasting money on a party, while tell the public officers that they only getting 2 year of arrears with no explanationas to why!
Forget your party! Pay them!
Its a waste. August just around the corner. Come on man! This is f crazy. Govt must run the country like a business, stop wasting much needed money!!
How are we progressing with the COI recommendations? The ones that will set up controls in order to hold us accountable. Haven’t heard anything about them since the election.
Are you deaf?? We don’t want it. Start festival a week earlier and have your party then!
I AM SURPRISED HE DIDN’T SAY “OOPS” IT WAS A MISTAKE BECAUSE HE IS VERY CONSISTENT IN SAYING EVERYTHING WAS A MISTAKE. “THE MISTAKEN PREMIER!!”
I find this to be very troubling and no different to what happened with the previous government – the attitude that they are lords and masters over all.
How can you decide willy-nilly to host a non stop party in three weeks’ time geared towards attracting visitors from far and near? And have the gall to compare it with similar events that take place in the region? Who are you fooling?
Entertainment tourism my foot!
Who are you catering for? I hope it does not turn out to be another expensive belly flop that is called a success out of shame.
I am sick and fed up of people trying to insult our intelligence.
Isn’t festival around the corner? What is the need of spending all this money ot recognize a flight? Will this happen when other airlines come on board too? It makes no sense in actuality. None. Increments haven’t all been paid and some people’s money done looking funny. Do better than this.
so with a few weeks, tell me which tourist coming to this nonsense event? and to see Konshens? please. This is a half brained idea that is not on the level of Music Fest o any other fest. this is a waste.
Who remembers the $600k concert that National Parks Trust put on that cost Joseph his job? messing around with FM. Huge flop with UB40 and John Legend. Waste of taxpayer money. Who remember the Go Green festival that O’neal put on with Stone and Jah Cure. Did not have local support. WHen will they learn? But this who we vote for right?
Mr. Premier, these beg expensive party take time to plan and pull off successfully..
I am praying and hoping for rain all day and night during that wasteful noisy and unwanted expensive event.
Let it Rain Father God,
We need water.
I am beginning to question the sensibility of this gentlemen.
Like a big boy child,his logic is not at all that of a leader of a Country.
Are BVI people good in dem head? I ask this question about us all the time. Natalio and the VIP showed us who they are. They never hid themselves. We went out and gave them back 6 seats and they formed the government by enticing Delila.
How do we expect them to change? We voted for what they did before. What do we expect? We crazy or something? I don’t get it!
Keep the free concert as part of festival activities during the festival program. Add the $250.000.00 to the festival budget and make the festival village more affordable for patrons especially families. Let us consolidate and get more bang for the buck in this inflationary cycle. You are jumping the gun on festival the timing for this is off. In any event you should not be the one promoting this concert it’s not a good look you need to hold your office in higher esteem…fix yourself. By the way a colony cannot be a democracy get your s**t together and act like you know.
Who getting contracts for the party? Anyone see these tenders advertised?
Here he go again turning his words around it was AA now is festival ground none stop wow.
Want to experience a circus in full effect? Hop aboard our direct flights to the BVI…you WILL NOT be disappointed!
I never wanted he to be chief don’t matter what the people say he going ahead he did not register his mistakes he thinks he is Boss he forgot it’s 4 years in that office.f**k me who did man think put him in
This is “democracy at work’, the public almost unanimously against it, and the elected premier ignores them. Lets wait and see which of his friends get the security, staging, sound, and lighting contracts
This event was not well taught out or adequately promoted therefore, there will be very little impact on the tourism industry. To receive benefits from music festivals they must be well advertised ahead of time. This will encourage tourists to plan their attendance. I don’t know who the premier is trying to fool but nothing that he has said so far makes logical sense.
The guy who owns the stage must be laughing all the way to the bank being pais to leave it up until fetival.
If this man had a checking account before running for Council. While he as Minister of Finance spending like a drunken sailor on unnecessaries, other Ministries and Departments have to work with what they can get. The Hospital down there working with what they can get. We have to carry pamper, vaseline, and bed pads for our patients. Also on my way home from work today, I heard a white party being advertised as being held by the Premier’s Office as well. I must have been hearing wrong. Well we are in trouble. The Drew and this one has the same mindset. I can be corrected, but I remember Buju’s stage cost $95,000 so maybe Mr. Smith’s portion is a $100,000. Don’t worry. We’re praying. God will take care of these crazy young people. They will soon be running around with bags of money but can’t find someone to vote for them. We are too small a country for this blatant neglect and disrespect.
HE ISN’T DEAF GUT HE CANT HEAR
HE ISN’T DEAF BUT HE CANT HEAR
WE WANT NONSTOP WATER AND ELECTRICITY INSTEAD
Pop eye left out in the cold again
IT IS TIME FOR THE VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE
He just opened the door to U.K. takeover
Thank you accidental premier
When Asa bantan was there in March the festival ground was jam packed. I cannot believe the same people saying don’t keep no concert we don’t need one etc etc. Lol you had to pay $40. To go in and three quarter of BVI didn’t know who was Asa and yet the ground was full. The road was same, water woows was same, and you telling me no one want to go see konshen who is more popular than asa. Come again with another excuse lol. Anyway them should a bring shenseea too.
News Flash! A few ignorant Islan* People blogging shi* does not speak for the majority! You really think the premier that stupid to spend this money without having a plan to fix our infrastructure??? Gosh wait until the asphalt plant is up and running before running y’all stinking mouth! A lot of y’all just like to blog to create drama! Stop getting on the blog speaking and think that you all have the write to speak for an entire nation! Some of us actually have sense and are not here to destroy the Gov elected. Stop creating division . Election done! Obviously the premier have a plan to get the infrastructure fix. Things don’t happen over night. The raids cannot be fixed over night. Some of you seem to think this. A lot must be done before asphalt even touch the roads. Let the GOV work. 250.000 won’t even pave 500 ft of road road properly! Won’t even build one block of a school, can’t paid a 10th of the islands increments owed! So really I am not sure what the fuss is about! Be realistic and STOP creating devision amongst the locals. Some of you say it’s the Governor? I say the Governor is doing his job . It’s the darn Islanders who get on here interfering and spreading propaganda .
Let’s be realistic.. what can $250.000 or how far can the get us in fixing the infrastructure? Can’t even pay for engineers to do assessments. Smh ?
Don’t think it will affect you because hopefully you will move back to your country. I say that to say this. Stop interfering in local agendas. Don’t worry about the UK coming or not. Why does that bother you when you can easily move back to your country? Oh I know why! You will miss that U.S dollar ?
Close your eyes and repeat “IT IS JUST A BIG EXPENSIVE PARTY, IT IS JUST A BIG EXPENSIVE PARTY, IT IS JUST A BIG EXPENSIVE PARTY”.
Now open your eyes. What is it??? Yes, JUST A BIG EXPENSIVE PARTY.
Next, close your eyes and repeat “FIX THE ROADS, FIX THE ROADS, FIX THE ROADS”.
Now open your eyes. What do you HAVE to do? Yes, FIX THE ROADS.
Did the government pay for Asa Banton to come here or a private promoter? stop trying to justify folishness
Are you guys truly this deaf?
Are you not listening to the people?
Does the will of the people mean nothing to you?
I did not vote for this government.
Asa Banton was a private promoter not taxpayers money. Not a single tourist came in for that show. So the tourist economy did not benefit. only the private promoter pocket benefited.
You opened your mouth and proved you are a fool and biased person. Do you think the BVI is a continent? Pull out a map and learn something.