Mediocrity now acceptable, DeCastro laments

While claiming that expectations in the territory have been lowered to the extent that mediocrity is now acceptable, Sharie DeCastro said she is looking forward for works minister Mark Vanterpool to show her ‘value for money’ in relation to the $16 million road repair project being undertaken.

Last week, Vanterpool told BVI News Online he will telephone DeCastro and have a sit-down with her to explain how the money is being spent.

He made the promise after Decastro – a former election candidate of the Opposition Virgin Islands Party – publicly questioned whether there has been value for money regarding the $12.3 million already spent on roads.

“I look forward to the honourable minister’s phone call,” DeCastro said, adding that she had raised concerns because she will not accept mediocrity.

“As Virgin Islanders, our expectations have been lowered because of a culture that tells us to accept the norm and the mediocre, or face rejection and criticism if you don’t. However, I do not believe that Virgin Islanders have forgotten what excellence looks like.”

“I believe that if we are to begin to move away from a culture of mediocrity and towards a society that champions and cherishes excellence, we need to ask some simple questions: Do we aspire to something excellent? Or, do we aim only to achieve that which is easily within our reach? Can we properly recognize excellence? Have our expectations been lowered to the point where the average is acceptable?”

The National Democratic Party government, shortly before the 2015 general election, borrowed $16 million from the Social Security Board to undertake the road repair project.

Vanterpool, who is the minister responsible for the project, last month told the House of Assembly that only $3.7 million of the borrowed money was not yet spent up to the end of November last year.