Petty contract system like a bad word — Walwyn
One lawmaker said the now-disbanded petty contract system has become like a bad word, even though it once served as a critical engine for the local economy.
The Commission of Inquiry (COI) found significant issues with the petty contract system, leading to recommendations for reform. The COI highlighted that the system was prone to misuse, with corruption and lack of transparency in the awarding of contracts.
Before the COI, petty contracts, often valued between $10,000 and $100,000, did not require a public tender process, which opened the door to favouritism and lack of competitive bidding. The inquiry’s findings stressed the need for stricter controls and a more formal tendering process to ensure fairness and to prevent abuse, including by public officials, who might award contracts based on personal or political affiliations rather than merit or competitive pricing.
With the economic gap now widening in the territory, Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn pointed to the raft of recommendations brought by the COI and suggested that some changes, such as the petty contract system, should not have been adopted by the government.
“The petty contract system – no matter what we say about it – yes, there was some abuse in the system, but that system helped to keep the economy of the Virgin Islands moving,” Walwyn argued.
He continued: “And we’re afraid to even say it. It’s almost like the petty contract system is a bad word now. When that helped, you know how many entrepreneurs that petty contract system created in this country? And now we can’t find a way to help our people.”
Walwyn argued that competent people who once executed proper contracts are now sitting and waiting for the government’s RATED programme to ‘shovel up’ ghuts and cut bush.
Walwyn said while he is thankful for the government’s RATED programme, this was just a stop-gap measure and an indication of the magnitude of the wider unemployment problem in the territory.
According to Walwyn, a major plan is badly needed to fix the BVI’s unemployment woes. “We had a very, very buoyant middle class and I don’t know if the ministers are seeing it, but that is disappearing from the Virgin Islands and it is very troubling to me,” Walwyn said.
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Petty contracts led to grand larceny.
If you know of grand larceny you should go and tell the police. Be a good citizen. People like you would hide behind blogs and write things you wouldn’t dear say publicly. Some of you will not rest until you get dragged before the court for your filthy mouths. Go on your Facebook page and tell us about the grand larceny if yuh bad.
Let’s have a good look at who was responsible for the ridiculous road to nowhere by Queen Elizabeth park. A total lack of thought and waste of money that has only made matters worse in the area. Outrageous !!!
Thank you Hon. Walwyn for bringing the real issues forward. People in the BVI are having a real hard time making ends meet while this incompetent government waste money on parties and travel.
after the way they played you on the wall scenario , they only made themselves look stupid I’d , you helped then , and the were coerced into making you look bad by bnt doing yhe wall properly / so they were paid twice ( idiots like yhose should not be given government jobs again / and the government should sue them for the uncompleted work , / instead the canary on the yello site continues to sing his broken down record narratives about you as if you did something wrong , he’s playing judge , jury & executioner / the same sh*t he tried on Mark when he thought
he had owned the HOA who showed him what time it was , so did miss Smith the
( ps ) we think that WIG is playing tricks with his mind
The COI killed the BVI
The COI did not kill the BVI.
The ex Premier who called for the COI is the one who
killed the BVI.
because you guys abused it
Who it belongs to, you or us? Please take the next flight out.
It was the same petty contracts that got you arrested and charged and facing jail time for stealing government money on a wall!!! you all love corruption
It was the processed that was questioned not petty contracting itself – the process
Unemployment amongst locals is a huge problem but petty contracts is not the solution (nor is creating more jobs in government which is already way overstaffed compared to our size, nor is the rated program which just hands menial tasks out as opposed to giving our people a real job and career).
In my humble opinion, what is needed is a decent education system. There are a handful who are lucky enough to receive an education overseas, mainly due to grants given by government due to the family the student is part of. Then there are the majority who are held back by the local education system – we have a whole cohort who spent their entire senior school years being educated on a shift system without proper classrooms! Perhaps this is a political point, if you don’t educate the masses then they can’t challenge the families who hold power? Something needs to change from the ground up to allow our young people the opporunity to work for the international firms. In my view that’s how we move our local population forward and get money into the local economy.
@Perhaps we need to dig deeper. a very articulate take on the issue at hand that I am 100% in support of. I can shake your hand. That is exactly what Lavity Stoutt did. He built the people up, so that the Territory in turn, can be built up.
In spite of governments new pay increase some skilled workers including legal, accountant and others are lowly paid. There are non-skilled workers and entry level personnel who are unfortunately making almost as much as skilled workers within the public service. The public service has to set a better precedence for the entire workforce.
Cronyism and nepotism is still prevalent and if the legislator intends to serve righteously and by God they need to make laws to protect the ‘local’ population better.
People always talking about public service too big. where are your facts to prove this. Go and get facts about size of BVI’s public service relative to other countries in the world and you will be surprise to know the truth is BVI public service is not oversized. Do you even know the true size of the public service. One of the problem we have is that every body in this place is an expert on government and the public service because they caste a vote or can talk.
First mistake we make is thinking the public service is suppose to operate like a private company.
I could not agree with you more…but, sad to say, an uneducated population can be more easily manipulated to keep those in power there because they lack critical thinking skills learned in the process of getting a decent education.
@face facts the BVI government killed the BVI.
Why don’t you and yours go police your country. There are much there to be policed and fixed.
Further, colonialism is on its last leg.
You people just can’t seem to leave our people alone. Always have to be up in our business and butt hole.
Sho fly go away and don’tcome back another day.
Said this before… He’s a part of the old school, under-the-table, wink-wink, system of governance.
Don’t forget the abuse of the system Walwyn. It was also used as a political tool & we the people did not get value for our dollars. I think there needs to be some sort of compromise but just like with our children we love, when they abuse their privileges they lose them (for a time) until they can be trusted with the responsibility again. We the people didnt cause this but we’re having to suffer for it all the same.
Whine whine whine.Come out and you will be liberated.