LETTER: The government’s fake awards show

Dear Editor,

Nowhere else in the world does a Government agency pick a few companies willy nilly, put their names on a surveymonkey site, allow EACH person to vote a MILLION times for a company, and then call the ‘winner’ the BEST that the country has to offer.

It is not done in the most backward of countries.

But surely it is done in my BVI.

That is because, here, we don’t believe in transparency. We don’t believe in accountability. And sadly, we don’t believe in honesty.

That was the clear message sent last week by the Department of Trade, Investment Promotion and Consumer Affairs, which put on that fake ‘Best of the BVI’ award show.

On what basis were the companies selected for the so-called ‘Best of the BVI’ competition?

Did the Trade Department simply choose some of its friends to be ‘nominated’ for the awards? What was the standard for nomination? Who did the selections?

Then, the worse part…

Did the Trade Department really expect honest results when EACH person was allowed to vote a MILLION times for a company through the surveymonkey site?

Why couldn’t it have been ONE person, ONE vote? Would that have been too ‘honest’?

I think the voting process, above all, was scandalous – too dishonest coming from a Government department.

Imagine, the department put ZBVI Radio (clearly listened to by mostly seniors) up against ZROD (clearly listened to by mainly young people who are adept with social media). Did they really expect ZBVI to beat ZROD on social media voting?

Well, in the real honest world, Governments conduct scientific all-media surveys to know REAL media standings and champions. They don’t rely on some stupid surveymonkey. But, then again, it happens in the BVI… Only in the BVI.

I say this because, while the Trade Department and Government clearly see the awards as a BIG joke, it is really serious business to serious businesses people.

I have heard a lot of people express shock, and even regret that they had allowed their companies to participate. They had no clue that such sham would have been perpetrated against them especially by their government.

I am truly embarrassed to see that the premier and his junior minister of trade stood up and openly support this fake ‘Best of the BVI’ show last week.

I was not nominated. I did not want to comment out of fear of raining on any nominee’s parade.

But then I remember this quote by Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil (dishonesty) is for good men to do (say) nothing.”

Thank God I just said something about this fake and shamefully dishonest ‘Best of the BVI’ show. Do better next time!!!

Yours Truly,

B. Callwood