Minister accosted about why Public Works cutting bush
Residents have reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of bush cutting contracts in their districts and have lashed out at Works Minister Kye Rymer about this.
Speaking in the House of Assembly recently, Rymer said after having talks with the Director of the Public Works, it was noted that staff members were being under-utilised. So to remedy the situation, workers in the department were placed on bush-cutting and ghut-cleaning duties.
But Rymer said some Opposition legislators were displeased about this and called to complain.
“The members called me cussing,” Rymer told the House. “‘Why they here? I got man sitting down on the block, why Public Works here in my place? Why Public Works cutting bush, and I got people sitting down here could do it?’”
The Minister explained that it was the same taxpayers’ money that would be going to fund either exercise.
He also applauded the Public Works Department which he said has gone above and beyond the call of duty.
Rymer made the statements as legislators debated the prospect of exempting House Speaker, Julian Willock, from paying legal fees in an aborted court injunction.
While he said bush-cutting had no relevance to the debate, he opted to speak on the subject as a response to the aforesaid Opposition legislators who had raised the issue moments earlier.
At the time, the Opposition said the government was unconscionable to want to use taxpayer funds to pay Willock’s exorbitant legal fees when the monies could be better spent on bush cutting contracts throughout the territory.
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Drive around the island and you will see how terrible the overgrown bush/grass are by the roadside. Change the “One Love BVI” slogan quick cause ain’t no Love in the BVI
Or go for independence (lose lots of money), never cut the bush (save money), keep the name BVI (save name and money) but now market The Bush Virgin Islands. Natures Little Secrets restored. No one will be able to find anything!
Leave the bush to grow except on the corners. We need every bit of green we got. Put the money saved into cleaning up the garbage. That’s the biggest problem here.
Bull!!!! How come this is only being done in the opposition districts? The majority of the money allocated is being spent in the VIP districts, especially district 1 and 5
Facts…and public works aint cutting no bush in the 5..pure petty contracts
Same in District 1 !!!
You are so right about that sitting ? down all day doing nothing
The public works team will be paid using our tax money anyway…. what is the sense in having them sitting down doing nothing if the district minister has not been pro-active in organizing the bush cutting through the funds given to their district? The district funds can then be used for the betterment of the community in other areas. The bush cutting contract situation that has become normal is a waste of public funds when there is a group of people already paid to carry out this work…. but then again… if you’re not paying your constituents very inflated amounts to cut the grass how do you go about legitimizing buying their votes….
I know that this is not going to be a popular stance but we have to face the truth and make hard decisions. Public Works staff and Solid Waste staff are under utilized. The roadways, gutters all over the island should be consistently maintained. Our young people should not be sitting around waiting for the yearly bush cutting contract. There must be a better way to develop our youths and prepare them for permanent employment in the society. There probably needs to be a Private Sector and Government partnership to develop and train young people for more than bush cutting. Public Works and Solid Waste staff sitting idly on their behinds and collecting a salary while overgrown bushes block vision around corners when driving, beaches dirty, and gutters filled with trash. Come on peoples, Wake up and think Bigger. A bush cutting contract money supports you for how long? What happens when the money from that contract finish? You sit around and wait for a year for the next one? Mr. Rymer is right in using the PWD, and Solid Waste needs to be fully utilized also. Young people needs Development Programs ongoing to train and prepare them for life. Government is going the wrong way. They invest the least in our most important resources “Our People”.
Bumpy, I totally agree with you. Labour is doing a very poor job at seeing that our young people who submit job applications are placed in jobs, and they approve every work permit submitted.
Government fail to realise that they are responsible for ensuring that the decisions they make are suppose to benefit the citizens of its country (whoever else fit in, that’s fine.)
So keeping our people unemployed is the answer?
These District Reps needs to stop encouraging their young people in their districts get up off them LAZY a** backside off the block and them stop relying on the bush cutting and go and look for proper work to do. Them to d**n lazy. Struuupppess.
I have news for you all. The majority of bush cutting contracts go to working people, cronies. They then hire the guys on the block who collect only a small percentage of the haul. Public Works need to clean the roadsides from driving about all day in expensive vehicles which only pulls up to bars and women’s houses through the workday. That though, is fulfillment of election promises. The paltry sum received from these bush cutting contracts cannot even last two months if shopping grocery, paying rent, electricity, water etc. Instead of handing out fishes, teach these young people to fish. And as for the cronies, you are responsible for the wastage and stealing of a huge percent of the Government’s funds.
Been saying for years that Public Works should be the one cutting bush.
Ill go a step further and insist that the prisoners up there sitting eating getting fat need to be fit in to the workforce for things like bush cutting at little to no extra cost to the government.
THIS DUDE PUT LIGHTS ON EVERY LIGHTPOLE IN HIS DISTRICT AND REPAVED MOJORITY OF THE ROADS IN HIS DISTRICT
Ppl just can’t please everybody.
the districts represented by VIP members still have bush cutting contracts tho. The first district for sure!!! Playing politics under the guise of saving money.
Yes Rymer! hold your grounds. That is what public works is suppose to do. Why have taxpayers paying twice for the same job. let the representative find permanent work for the people sitting down in his district. R*****y and O*M have a heap of Asians stocking shelves. This is a disgrace and don’t tell me that BVIslanders don’t want to do the jobs the Asians are doing because I once applied for a job at R*****y and was told they cannot pay me even without an interview.
This bush issue is a real nuisance.
You actually have to drive on the opposite side of the road and in some instances where the bush is overgrown around corners you have to beg God in advance that there is ni upcoming vehicle to slam into you.
This is madness .
Is it every little thing that you have to tell these lelected officials to do so?
It is the same sh$%^$^%ng road they driving on everyday. God law do better.
Please do better .
Look at the hypocrisy but yet “the people” are too stupid to see the games that are played. Stop being fooled by these so called freedom fighters. Tax payers money should not be used to pay Willock’s legal fees but yet the opposition scream for tax payers money to be paid twice essentially just to appease their constituents to pander for votes. Public Works get paid to do many services including architectural and landscaping, Monitor activities that are impacting traffic flow, Establish and maintain the Territory’s road network which basically means cut the bush that are obstructing traffic and pedestrians on the government roads and sidewalks.
That’s their jobs, no need to pay anybody else to cut bush on government property. How about we march to prevent the wasteful use of all tax payers money.
Providing a means of income for some people who are not in full time jobs, while beautifying the Territory is of far more value than paying over $100K for legal fees on a matter that the Speaker has no call in. Stop trying to muddy the waters with nonsense. Bush cutting has always been something ongoing in the communities and I have no issues with it provided that the work is properly inspected before payments are made.
Oh I didn’t realize that bush cutting jobs only went to part time workers. Thanks for making up this new law and policy that you conveniently pulled out your @$$. There is never a good time to waste tax payers money. Wrong is wrong every time and should not depend on who you like or dont like. Dont make excuses and try to act like this is all about saving taxpayers and being good citizens while encouraging wasteful spending of taxpayers money in many other occasions.
He getting heat now after talking some crap about the speaker we need work let Pwd cut bush in his district
Chickens coming home to roost! The VIP were known for campaigning for the small man, this is how they won the election, by promising jobs jobs every where. Now they have squandered all the money and pretending as if they are being good stewards. PWD are doing their job because the government has NO CHOICE but to utilize them, they have no money left after spending like stone drunk sailors. People are wide awake and won’t be fooled by nonsense. The persons who were fooled into supporting these guys in exchange for petty contracts etc. have all right to accost them. Further, every Summer and Christmas Holiday the government should put money on the street to stimulate the economy while beautifying the Territory. Give the bush cutting contracts at least 3 times a year, Easter, Summer, Christmas as a stimulus, get some people working. The problem VIP has right now is the COI exposed them for who they are. The real small man are now seeing who really benefitted from the VIP and it wasn’t no small men/women. Take your licks, you all tell lies and do all manner of things to get in those seats and now crying about the heat. Man up.
That road from the Chalwell to Elevator Hill need cutting bad. It has become dangerous to drivers and persons exercising.
I think they need to get the prisoners, PWD workers, or give out contracts to attack this deadly situation.
I all for public works doing it… however that argument fall apart when the first district giving out bush cutting work like crazy and public works got to do everybody else who not in VIP district… smell like vip being vip to me
If they really want to save us taxpayers money then they would change the sentencing laws and have the prisons do the bush cutting as part of their punishment. BRING BACK HARD LABOUR. this balsum ghut hotel is not acting as a deterrent at all.!
Can someone from the bush cutting club please check Macnamara road all the way to the top, it has almost covered the road completely.
Thank you
it’s the same thing AM saying , those wanna be gansters up balo posing off on Facebook like heroes and being fed by taxpayers money ( what ever happened to hard labor ?
Wha bout dah promised 1000 jobs in 1000 days?We small man wont forget this at all
What a joke that promise is, so many places were closed to rebuilt so naturally people will get their jobs back and VIP was going to claim 1000 jobs in 1000 days.
This is pure smoke and mirrors to deflect from the issue at hand. Every politician in the VI has been practicing in this handing out of bush cutting contracts. I am sure you have handed out your fair share since February 2019, so actually saying in the House of Assembly that you were accosted about having Public Works cut the bushes is nonsense. I am for Public Work assisting with the bush cutting. In so many places they are out of hand, but they cannot do it all. You have utilized small contracts to assist in this area and so have all the other representatives of Districts on both sides. This comment therefore was unnecessary and done to make persons look bad.
This is a mockery, with the roads in the condition they are in? Why public works do not have a rotating team for systematically repairing the roads like how solid waste have a team that rotates along the major segments of the road picking up our trash we throw through the car windows and from the speeding open garbage trucks. Why the ministry of health and the police not taking action against the speeding open garbage trucks that are emptying half their load along the road way on their way to the dump? It will only take two police officers for one week to patrol the Road Town to Pockwood Pond road and issue some $1000 tickets for this behaviour to stop. You never see ST Thomas road way in this manner because there is a $10, 000 fine and the police enforce it.
Why wait until the bushes are over grown and thickened badly to cut, a constant yearly maintenace should be done in regards to keeping the Road sides looking in good and decent order,, Dont wait until November to start cutting…That wont work..
The road sides are in poor condition. Driving around corners is so dangerous. What is so hard in hiring a bush cutting crew? Stop talking and just get it done. Driving through the hillside is pure overgrown bush. There are no lookout points to enjoy a simple view. Driving to Cane Garden Bay from anywhere is pure ridiculousness. Bush everywhere and everyone’s life is in danger!!!! Unreal!!!