Penn slams government’s immaturity, party politics

Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn has sharply criticised the government for a lack of maturity and a focus on party politics at the expense of national progress.

During a recent press conference, Penn highlighted a series of pressing issues facing the BVI, including economic stagnation, infrastructure deficiencies, and unspent budget allocations.

Penn accused the government of failing to manage the territory’s resources effectively. “We don’t have a money problem in this country. We have a management problem,” Penn argued. He pointed to the over $100 million in unspent capital expenditure from the last two budget cycles, funds he said should have been used to address pressing needs such as road repairs and water infrastructure improvements. “These are monies that should have gone into the economy to benefit the people of this territory,” Penn remarked.

The lawmaker further criticised the state of the territory’s roads and water supply. “The road infrastructure is in terrible condition,” he said, adding that his district, which he co-represents with the Premier, “has some of the worst roads in the entire territory.”

Bathing in buckets

On the issue of water, he stated, “In the 21st century, the BVI is relegated to persons having to still fill bottles of water in pans or buckets to bath and do the necessities for themselves and their families while you have over a hundred plus million dollars going back into the Treasury.”

Penn said that the water issue in the territory has now reached a stage he described as a state of emergency. “Months on end, persons within this country don’t have the benefit of potable water, the use of potable water within their communities or within their homes for their families,” Penn said.

Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn found that the persistent water issue was another obvious sign of the government’s immaturity. “The blaming of previous governments is not helpful and it’s frankly a demonstration of immaturity which has become a hallmark of this government. This government has been in place for almost six years,” Walwyn said.

Criticising what he described as a lack of transparency and collaboration, Penn urged the government to involve Opposition members in decision-making processes. “All of us are the leaders of this country. We have a responsibility for what happens in this country,” Penn said. “We need to be part of the discourse and the discussions and particularly things of national importance. And I think that’s where the lack of maturity comes up and shines through, where you see that people think it’s about party lines. No, it’s about country.”