My administration can’t be blamed for the roads!
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has argued that persons should not point the finger at his administration for the current deplorable state of roads in the BVI.
He suggested that the BVI has not invested in properly developing its infrastructure over the years.
“I want the whole Virgin Islands to hear me. I’m saying that this administration and this minister should not be getting any blame for the state of the roads,” the Premier said.
Roads in the Premier’s constituency — the Seventh Electoral District — have seen complaints for many years. And much of the blame for the patchwork repairs and consistent neglect have been laid at the feet of stalled repair works to an ongoing sewerage project in the East End/Long Look community.
But the Premier has also pointed to the poor drainage facilities that adjoin the territory’s road networks; suggesting that this has been a key factor in the deterioration of the roads.
“You ask a child in the primary school, they will tell you, if you want good roads, you need drainage. You need roads which are properly engineered with a proper base. You cannot have the water sitting on top of the road. The roads will deteriorate. Anybody will be able to tell you that,” the Premier stated.
Phased fix
Dr Wheatley said Public Works Minister Kye Rymer has since embarked on a phased process of properly engineering roads and putting in the required drains.
The Premier also stated that because he is a fair person, he credits former Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool for roads that ‘were done properly and built to last’.
“But all the time before we doing paving, paving, paving, and not putting the drains in the road and then have the gall to come and blame my minister and even myself,” the Premier said. “The member for the Eighth [District] get a lot of the blows as well. You know, it’s unfair.”
Why aren’t roads married with drainage?
Premier Wheatley pointed out that the BVI has been funding its capital programme from its recurrent surplus for years — a figure which at one point amounted to $50 million. He then questioned why drains were not being placed alongside the roads, as they should have been, given all the monies that the territory has received.
“Tell me why in 2022 the Minister of Communications and Works has to figure out about putting drains and properly engineering the roads in the BVI?” Premier Wheatley asked.
“Why are we not properly engineering the roads so that at the first shower of rainfall the roads are [not] in deplorable condition? And as soon as the Ministry of Communications and Works and Public Works [Department] throw down some asphalt on the road, the road next week or two weeks after is in a poor state,” he said.
The Premier said the government now needs to borrow to execute infrastructural works and noted that monies are being set aside from a line of credit the government is using from a local bank to be put towards achieving this.
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It’s surprising the roads are so bad given the millions of dollars of government revenue received since the 1980’s. After all, the BVI is a small place.
It makes you wonder how that money got spent.
Mr. Premier you seems to forget that the members of your present team except for Hon. Turnbull and Penn were the former administration. SHORT MEMORY?? The name of the administration/government has changed same apples in a different barrel.
This boy have some thin skin.
Grow up Premier! You got the title. The buck stops with you!
This blame game will not fix the roads…for that matter, it will not fix the hospitals, the schools, the drug problems.
NEXT! This election can not come soon enough.
Hear this im***ile we got for a Premier. We still have a VIP government regardless of the name. You were the lieutenant for the head coach. You forget. If you were not working at that time then pay back the treasury for the salary you were getting. This man is a real f**l.
What a waste of space.
a poor country like Guyana (before they found oil) redo their entire road in 2004-2006 every bridge and culvert were rebuild and you tell me a rich up island country like BVI cannot do this. whatever drainage have to redo get it redo. Hire the same contractor that did the road, to do it they will rehire local contractors to do whatever they want to them to do but it would be under the foreign contractor supervision.
You Mr. Sl**ande! I want you to keep this same energy at the F****** polls this election! Sickening MS!!
Man I mean if you don’t know what the h**l to say just shut up and set an election date. But you cant do that because it is alleged your in a power struggle to control the party.
What’s wrong with you, one bad decision for the country after the next?.Of course, you can be blamed when you spend 4 million on a school in Jost van Dyke and the roads to the westend in a state.
That’s why the minister for that district was praising you some days ago he was jarring you for making him look good doing nonsense.
Dude the last administration was also your administration.
there’s a time and a place to play the blame game, but for goodness sake, can we focus on fixing these issues and moving forward?
If we charged a normal registration fee for cars and trucks like other countries , then there would be money to keep the roads up.
The pothole on the cane garden hill is haveing its 4th Birthday next month. It’s a death trap. Seen a truck rip out a suspension strut.
FIX THE ROADS NO EXCUSES.
He is feeling the pressure so he does what he does best. Play the blame game. Well sah. This dude cracks me up ??
Perfect example of book over common sense! That spa**less Primer dont know that we promote tourism and this is pick season and the country looks s**tty now. If i was a tourist in my first visit, i will not return. Despicable looking place!!
Billions not millions, many billions have been wasted but highly placed government workers who get paid average salaries have multi million dollar homes and boats…
Be careful there, Hon. Premier. The VIP Government has been the longest sitting Government in the history of the Virgin Islands. NDP ruled for a very short time by comparison.
That said, that is besides the point. The roads did not become like that overnight, no. But what are we to do? Go and call the retired politicians who are still alive and tell them to please come and fix the mess they’ve made? You, Hon. Premier, and the other Members of your present sitting Administration may not have made some of the mess, but you have been placed in your seats because the majority felt you could carry us forward and help alleviate some of the hardships that we are experiencing. Government is a continuum, especially when it comes to a country’s infrastructure, upgrade and maintenance. The roads, the dilapidated schools, the struggling Health Services, et cetera all have to be addressed. Pointing fingers and saying somebody else created those issues is quite unbecoming of any Government Representative, especially our Hon. Premier. Please be careful what you say.
Who do we blame ? It must be the freeze=thaw cycle tearing up the roads
WE NEED A MOSES
I would’ve gotten the roads fixed, if not for the U.K framing me
Every time this boy opens his mouth it like a child on a stage.
So, If you could have asked a child what’s wrong with roads, WHY did the gubment spend millions to study what was wrong?
The Administration means nothing. Ay Yo playing musical chairs with a so called party. Vanderpool promise a new road with kirbs way before Hurricane come.
How long will it take yall to pave back the cut road by O’Neal gas station acroos to the market. yall less sah.
What kind of childish talk is Wheatley carrying on with. Government is responsible for the roads, so how is his administration not responsible. The audacity of the Premier of the BVI
You want independence but the government have millions and cannot keep the basic infrastructure of roads to a little more than a third world country ….
Independence we say
Blame the White man
Blame the expatriates
Blame the UK
Never blame the 3rd generation men and women in Government and those top civil servants who runs the country
Isn’t this something !!!!
As far as I see, the blame game is a trend for all those young people who are being placed in a position to make a difference.
Dr Wheatley said Public Works Minister Kye Rymer has since embarked on a phased process of properly engineering roads and putting in the required drains. Pleaser, apart from the 400 meters of road in fish bay, where else is this done. What was ther price of thast contract.
When monies were plenty 15 – 25 yrs ago both Parties ignored the territory development and focus on their personal enrichment,This is much more than the bad roads. look at our Admin building, it has been reduce to non relevance we never seek to build a bigger more modern admin building, look at our office space rental expenditure which is in excess of 2 million dollar per yr. This is as poor money management / investment as it can get. Then look at our elected politicians over the past 10 – 25 yrs 75% of them are millionaires. So, The Premier is right..
I want to whole Virgin Islands to hear me. I’m saying that this administration and this minister should not be getting any blame for the state of the roads,” the Premier said.
Really!! Freakin really?
We may be a wealthy place, but we don’t have the $$$ to fix EVERY infrastructure issue that was ignored while our coffers were systematically emptied for decades.
Wheatley is right, the lack of drainage planning has made road maintenance costly and futile.
YOU are right, we need to fix this as a whole- but our schools are literally rotting onto our children’s heads and sewerage leaks everywhere and water availability is better but no long term solutions yet and and and…
Where to start?
We’ve taken a major financial hit through covid. It all takes time.
want the whole Virgin Islands to hear me. I’m saying that this administration and this minister should not be getting any blame for the state of the roads,” the Premier said.
Which administration should the people blame? You have the opportunity to change how the infrastructure should be best for the people, but now making someone else the object of accusations.
Please, this decreases your opportunity to retain your position as premier.
Hahahahaha!
Your country, GT, is also known for corruption. Don’t play like you are not aware. The Virgin Islands needs to get rid of these greedy lobbyists who want all the jobs and start hiring trained professionals to repair our roads and water system.
Are you a clown? This minister sat as the VIP deputy, Primere, and did nothing to repair the roads in the district he represented. Point bland he could have careless.
Are you blind or looking for favours? Were you listening to the cries of his people on the morning shows begging for him to do something?
If we can’t blame you the we will put someone to be complement