Opposition dismissed! Details on Phase 2 of govt’s economic stimulus plan to be released month-end
Her Majesty’s tri-party Loyal Opposition has returned to their familiar strategy of engaging in propaganda, by promoting a magic-potion plan for healing all the economic wounds of COVID-19. As Premier and Minister for Finance, I can assure you that the situation – and the solutions – are much more complex that the tri-party Opposition is portraying them to be” — Premier Fahie Phase 1 of government’s COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Response.
Dismissing the Opposition’s recent proposals for economic recovery as a fantasy, Premier Andrew Fahie said his government will roll out the second phase of its COVID-19 economic stimulus plan towards the end of May.
Fahie made that announcement amid claims by the parliamentary Opposition that his government has been ‘unable to present a fully-articulated stimulus plan to date.
As he sought to debunk those claims in a live broadcast on Tuesday night, Premier Fahie said: “As everyone knows, we are already into our third week of the first phase of the rebooting and reawakening of our economy under the new regular. The BVI will be moving to phase two of the Economic Stimulus-Response, details of which will be released on May 28, 2020.”
Stimulus
Fahie pointed out that part of his government’s stimulus saw more than 20,000 residents fed during the 24 hour lockdown period.
He said monies were allotted for food security and contracts were issued for employment in the construction sector.
“Every person who has been awake and paying attention over the past few weeks is fully aware of your government’s allocation of $2 million for the development of agriculture and fisheries to get our fisherfolk and farmers the tools they need be efficient in their production,” the Premier stated.
He continued: “In the last week alone, a number of major construction projects have been launched to stimulate economic activity, provide job opportunities for persons, to enhance the development of the territory and to improve public infrastructure.”
The leader of government business further said anyone who ‘insists’ on the creation of a long term plan that is ‘etched in stone’ during this unpredictable COVID-19 period is either naive or being misleading.
“I say this because it has come to my attention that Her Majesty’s tri-party Loyal Opposition has returned to their familiar strategy of engaging in propaganda, by promoting a magic-potion plan for healing all the economic wounds of COVID-19. As Premier and Minister for Finance, I can assure you that the situation – and the solutions – are much more complex that the tri-party Opposition is portraying them to be,” Fahie said.
How will these ideas be financed?
The Opposition had released a multiple-layered plan involving initiatives to support and sustain small and medium-sized businesses and provide ‘wage support’ to the vulnerable and unemployed.
Fahie, however, dismissed the Opposition’s plan and proposal for sectors such as agriculture and fisheries as “basic suggestions” that are already contained in his administration’s plan and that have long been in the public domain.
He further questioned how the Opposition’s proposal would be funded.
“Anyone can just list out lofty activities for millions of dollars, but the question is how will these things be paid for? This is what the tri-party Opposition and their operatives have failed to tell you the people, and it is why his pronouncements must be approached with extreme caution,” the Premier stated.
We don’t have limitless $$
The Finance Minister then proceeded to remind residents that the territory’s financial resources are not limitless. He said this is so because of ‘poor management and poor decisions’ by the previous NDP administration.
One area he pointed to was the financial services sector and its declining revenue stream.
“The financial services sector has suffered a decline of millions of dollars due to measures such as beneficial ownership and open registry that were imposed by external forces. The former government did not implement any plan to contain this situation, and hence the decline in this industry. This resulted in millions of dollars less to take care of the needs of you, the BVI public,” he said.
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This new regular is a nonsense without any comments about people looking after their own health.
We cannot keep the borders closed and walk around like zombies with a face mask.
The people need to hear they have to look after their health. Lose weight (including you Foi) eat healthy. And let’s move to our future instead of hiding, closing and keep eating our unhealthy diets.
When will the blame game cease. We have a tough road ahead as a country stop looking backwards. Stop blaming the NDP. Had you not use your first year in office to prove a useless point regarding the NDP we could have been further ahead.
When you got into office, you increase just about every board member stipend, new vehicles, add security, made some statutory bodies top heavy with past VIP candidates and supporters. Were you aware at the time that country’s finance are not limitless? Give me a break. Just so sick of the high level lies.
Fahie has NO plan. He has NO clue.
I am beginning to think he is clueless as how to move forward.
Fahie is showing his true colors now that he controls are every movement..
There are colors we haven’t seen yet. Oh my BVI.
The VIP has been spending wildly since coming into office. Yet, whenever anyone submits a proposal they have all the excuses in the world.
That’s right. Money only available when it’s their idea or if it enriches VIP affiliates pockets. Just like what they’ve been doing since coming to office. Boards were filled with VIP supporters and salaries increase. Lots and lots of contracts dished out. New vehicles, insane amount of travel trips. Yet they want you to believe they inherited dry bank accounts.
Residents frightened through no fault of their own but due to Covid-19, a global pandemic, government and opposition are in senseless political battles. In the midst of a pandemic is no time for political bickering; politics should be put aside and both sides work in unison for the good of the people. Government avoiding being Swift boated, it is still not the time to score cheap political points. Stop it!
This crisis is about the people, the territory. People are struggling to meet their basic needs(food, housing, clothing, transportation, communication and medical) and government should be the vehicle to help meet some, not all their needs. Government does not have the resources to sustain everyone needs for the long-term. Further, government cannot blow its rainy day fund and left with a dry Treasury to meet another disaster, ie, another major hurricane. Go do the people wuk and stop the political bickering.
What do you expect from a bunch of boys in grown man’s body acting like they are on the school playground vying for the attention from the prettiest girl on the playground. Just keeping it real. A all Woman cabinet would have sat down together and figure out/brainstormed a solution. Leave it to the men no matter how smart and creative they may think they are will cause us all to be washed out to sea without as much as a life raft. Time for Women in the BVI to put on our shields and do what we have to do. I know I am about tired of this back and forth bickering and no action.
I agree, we are slowly headed to open waters so have your life raft and back packs ready. I like the plan that was put together by the Opposition Team. The Premier needs to stop being so in control and stop thinking he is the only one with the correct solutions and his final say. Sometimes you don’t have to follow instructions to figure out how to put things together.
@Well, not too sure it is either a man or women thing. There are good men and women political leaders. Our politicians are performing and behaving the way they are, for we are letting them. Political patronage and dependency are driving their behavior. The old West Minister political structure is flawed and needs revamping.
First, please look at prices going up on already high prices for items! I am sure I’m not the only person that has noticed this. Please don’t let this continue Hon. Premier! Address it now!!!
The Premier seems to be way out of his league. He applied for a job, got the job, and proceeds to look back to the past and lay blame. I hear him each time berating the Opposition to bring a plan, now he got a semblance of a plan and gone and lost his mind in the response. Lead, that’s what you were elected to do from crying foul!
The Stimulus response nonsense released yesterday would be funny if life was not so serious right now. Exempt from paying Stamp Duty is stimulus??! As for No 1, the BVI public better demand accountability because $12 mill is a lot of money and we aint seeing shit for it.
No 5 is free money for their cronies as I am as well as many others in my neighborhood taking out our garbage for the last weeks, so not sure whose pockets they trying to fatten.
The VIP is failing miserably to deliver a sensible and concise recovery plan. We thought the NDP was bad, well the ride started with these VIP who all appear clueless.
That’s a no brainer I always say u so call leaders are a bunch of knuckle heads
At times like this u guys should hug/kiss to get the country moving forward not this devisive s**t.We are ur salary payers if u guys wanna bully @ other go inna gutter but leave the country out of ur devious attitude
The NDP is back to their old political tricks. I am with the Premier on this one.
The opposition are fools and hypocrites plain and simple. How are we going to fund a stimulus package when all revenue is currently lower than expected. No tourism revenue, some due to our own lockdown and others due to the worldwide lockdown. Some businesses have closed their doors for good, Financial services have been on a decline so where is the money going to come from realistically. When the new money transfer fee was implemented the opposition commented negatively about it so how do you get extra revenue to fund any economic stimulus package. We have nothing to export, tourism will be forever changed as some people do not like to wear mask and having limited number of people on beaches, stores, restaurants etc. will take the ambience from the islands. People will be reluctant to go on cruises due to how poorly some of the cruise lines handled the pandemic. Potential visitors will be paying attention to the number of cases we have and how prepared we are to handle the crisis. We need to focus on making new revenue right now ,if you ask me before this lead to even more layoffs and loss of business.
Governments are elected to LEAD! You are going to keep businesses closed while saying sorry we cannot help because we are broke? Then what the f*** happens? Are you an idiot?
Where are you living. Name the businesses that are currently closed because of government. Will opening bars, nightclubs, movie theatre and strip clubs somehow save our economy? All relevant businesses are opened. The ones that are closed rely heavily on tourism and are more affected by outside factors than the government. Stop looking handouts and get creative. Even the peanut ladies are back on the streets, they didn’t sit at home just waiting for government to make a way for them. As soon as curfew was lifted they went to work. You want government to lead you to the banks, you dont want leadership. GTFOH
Where the bodyguard money came from?
The above explanation is a perfect argument for a stimulus package…i guess you need to look up the meaning of stimulus!! We are in trouble…craziness I
Where are the other elected officials that are on the Government side? Why aren’t we hearing anything from them? Where is the Jr. Minister of Tourism on the plan for tourism for the next 6 months to a year? Where is the Jr. Minister of Trade talking about trade, investment and business matters and how we move forward over the next few months as we attempt to re-open? How can this Territory elect 13 people and have a one-man show unraveling in front of our faces while we sit back and do nothing? I work in hospitality and lost my job since the end of March. Nobody is asking Government to give cheques to everyone like they do in the USA and other places but please give us a realistic plan on the way forward. Right now we are told stimulus is garbage collection, free water, food under lockdown and stamp duty waiver. After 3 months this is what you tell the people of this Territory who are saddled with bills? As a single parent I am so scared because the Government seems to be making it up as they go and don’t want anyone to question them. This is not north korea.
The NDP has shown that they have a better action plan and prepardness in any even. They have shown that they are better organized than those bush men and cave women who with the VIP.
The VIP are so clueless that they had to resort on copying the NDP manifesto and rebranding NDP’s already esthablished initiative such as the fake 1,000 jobs in 1,000 days that did not even see 1,000 people sign up for it and those who did cant get no dam job.
Fahie found monies to give his cronies jobs and contracts, uneccessary private security, massive increases in pay to his VIP appointed board members…yet have no hesitation in cutting the regular Port Athority staff pay.
The NDP has nothing to do with your poor management of our monies.
I agree with you 100%
Well VIP copied from NDP but NDP copied from someone else. Say 1, say 2 they are both unprepared and unable to lead!
@Well, not too sure it is either a man or women thing. There are good men and women political leaders. Our politicians are performing and behaving the way they are, for we are letting them. Political patronage and dependency are driving their behavior. The old West Minister political structure is flawed and needs revamping.
He has even managed to silence the lady with the hand bag. Nothing but a dictatorship…
Since when 20,000 people benefitted from the food packages. People does be so blinded in the fluff they don’t realise when the Premier pulling numbers out the air. So basically more than half of the population received a food package. When their previous report said 8000 people benefitted smh. So according to the Premier response of where will the money come from. The same exact place you are finding the money to spend now the exact reserves. No the reserves should not be depleted but every spending prior to COVID (cars, bodyguard, raises, etc) were not budgeted for. Same as now in the pandemic everything being spent now was also not budgeted for. It is reckless to wait one week before the commencement of the hurricane season to bring out a plan that you have been talking about since early March. It is clear because they did not receive their desired response from the Uk they did not even have a plan B. You have to learn to walk and chew gum at the same time. And the entire world is reopening in phases every country has allowed its citizens to return only. Stop preaching God and singing FEAR. God is not mocked!!!
I DID NOT get any food relief and I know hundreds others as well who did not. So they better come with an accurate count. The VIP is a failure thus far.
It is a universal law that the party(s) out of power/opposition always for the most part disagree with whatever the government proposes, devise all kind of plans of what should be done without regard of how to fund them……..etc because at the end of day government has to make the decision, they have to find the money to deliver services, ie, pay civil servants, doctors, nurses, police officers, fire officers, teachers……etc.
It is easy for folks to come up with theoretical plans when they don’t have to fund the plans. The funny thing is when or if they get in power and they have the governing responsibility, they sing with and in a different tune. They find that governing is at least two to three order of magnitude higher than it appears from the sideline.
I will say, you are so on point and Transparent. I think the Port Authority Staff was hit a massive taste of unjust. The Port Authority? They should have been the ones to get a raise in salary. The good old BVI. 2 sides, THE HAVES AND THE
HAVES NOT, no in between. Certain last names in the BVI gives you status, special treatment and entitlement even if you are dumb as a doornail.LOL, only in BACKWATER BVI.
When I read the section “we don’t have limitless $$” it cause me to wonder why then did they make such a LARGE BUDGET.? Right now all I can see with all this $$$$ that is being spent for things that was not BUDGET for tells me the WELL is low and the SPRING is not performing .
This was a bad thing to do.
It was not a COVID-19 press conference. It was a party political broadcast.
Shame.
What happen to all those $$$$$ seized by the police from the boat and homes etc. That $$ can be used to supply some more food stuff or pay the internet bills for school kids. Just saying.?♀️
Don’t be fooled by the smooth operator.Silky and slinky words we refuse to be fooled by.
#staywoke
There is no plan.Period
There is no money.There is no plan.Talk,talk,talk