Premier flies to conference amid mounting problems locally
Amid problems with electricity, healthcare and a new Crown lands bill that has left some feeling disenfranchised, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has left the territory on official business again, this time to attend the 54th Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Annual Meeting in Ontario, Canada from June 18 to 21.
A statement from the government seemingly provided the reason the leader needed to be there in person, saying he represents the Overseas Territories and is needed to cast votes on their behalf.
“Dr Natalio Wheatley is the Governor for the British Overseas Territories as each member country of the CDB nominates one Governor and one Alternate Governor. Each Governor casts the votes of the member Territory which he/she represents. The British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands are regarded as one member,” the government statement said.
The Premier is being accompanied by the Acting Financial Secretary, Dr Drexel Glasgow. The Financial Secretary is the lead and point of contact for the Caribbean Development Bank’s collaboration and partnership with the BVI.
The government said the CBD meeting will bring together the bank’s highest decision-making body, innovators, academics, business leaders, policymakers, and government officials for vital discussions to address issues pivotal to sustainable development efforts in the Caribbean region.
The CDB is one of the entities that Premier Wheatley has been eyeing to supply loans to fill the gap in his 2024 fiscal plan. The government recently sent a notice to lenders, asking them to submit the terms and conditions that would apply if they were to lend the territory funds to fix the dilapidated infrastructure.
In the meantime, while the Premier is gone, Deputy Premier Lorna Smith will be leading the territory. She too has been racking up her own air miles, having just returned from a trade mission to Asia where they promoted the BVI’s financial services industry.
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I love this . “She too has been racking up her own air miles…”
Truth speaks!
She has also been racking up her rewards on 5 star hotels and the Govt credit card – plus a healthy tax free daily allowance even though everything is paid for my the BVI Govt.
The Ag. Premier needs to find out why First Caribbean Bank takes months to open a Savings Account and you have to make an appointment that is a month long wait.
All he comes to Tortola to do is change his clothes out his suitcase, buss a lyme and back on a plane again. He needs to go through the visitor’s line at the port of entries.
UK wants to restrict our travel budget and does not want us to fly 1st class anymore.
We need to be liberated from the chains of the UK as our oppressor against balanced budgets!
Please less your noise.
No productivity experience in the growth of the country from these travels
Wonder if he does not look around and observe the beauty, cleanliness, the progress in other places even though they hae isdues . We have too much capital issues
He does not care .
It cost around $8,000 dollars to fly first class to Canada from the BVI?
That is only the first class air fare, don’t forget the price of the LUXARY five star hotel accommodations and food bills that we the taxpayers aka pheasants are paying for. The bucket is going to drop at the bottom of the empty well soon.
Maybe it is just me, but I would have though the Caribbean Bank would have had its meetings actually in the Caribbean – why Ontario, Canada, I do not know.
But hey, why would anyone care, it is just us lowly taxpayers that foot the bills for our esteemed elected officials to fly all over the world on another’s dollar.
One final thought, and if I understand it correctly, I am not entirely sure if I was the other overseas territories that I would want our Hon. Premier representing me as Governor on my behalf. How people who know nothing are able to vote on so much is alarming!
Leave the man travel to do his work
So how about you foot the bill out of your pockets or personal account to foot the bill and give the tax payers money a break.
Why don’t you and the other A.. kissing cronies dip in your personal accounts and finance the I’m soooooooo addicted to first class seats and expensive hotel bill so he can leave the taxpayers money the FFFFFFFFF!!!!!! alone. With your BS about let the man travel to do his work., and what work is that may I ask? Looking like an incompetent Island fool from the volcano rock sitting in the middle of the Caribbean Sea? Just hush already man.
This would be his work if he was hired to be a party planning, globe trotting, international beggar. It simply is not his work. Can someone remind him what his work is. Can’t be a premier but trying to be a governor. Governor of what?
All they doing is racking up frequent flyer miles while the people of the country suffer.
Dah deh bes ah he JETSETTING
Ayo stop blaming Lorna. Is because the bvi voters stupid and selfish.
Is both…50/50
I don’t understand this logic. If she doesn’t betray the trust of the NDP and her constituents by jumping over the bench, two rows of chairs and a 7 ft gap of space to join the VIP then we have no VIP government full stop. So it’s 100% her fault and all of this on account of her greed and selfishness
Agreed! It’s Luarna in the Corna fault
he and Drex…..2 ah dunno what Doctors
The road to perdition starts with borrowing money to cover operating expenses (budget hole). It starts a vicious cycle from which it is nearly impossible to escape.
It is one thing to take out a mortgage to build a house; quite another to borrow to paint your house.
The BVIHSA should have been paying their electric bill like the rest of us. The roads should have been maintained. The schools should have been maintained. You don’t borrow for that.
he practically came back home from the last trip to attend a funeral and to take part in the father day show. It is now safe to say that he and bro have done a search on every single conference and meeting going on around the world and make sure he or both are booked, plus an entourage when they want company.
Wish the reports on the COI updates would be as regular as the trips.
What benefits are these trips to the country? What do they implement when they return for the betterment and upliftment of the country?
Putin is now in North Korea with Kim, how did our premier miss that meeting.
Well I am looking for the laugh emoji! That was funny as hell.
Tadpoles know what part of the pond to swim in. Why him and his brother did not go over to North Korea to have a sit down with Putin and Kim. How did he miss that one? Cause he know if him and his brother had attempt to enter North Korea it would have been…….. for those two negros.
The cost of your trip would fix the some of the huge potholes on any of our poorly designed roads.
“The CDB is one of the entities that Premier Wheatley has been eyeing to supply loans to fill the gap in his 2024 fiscal plan”.
You’re going to Canada to beg for a loan.
Remember when the UK offered a 300-million-dollar loan at little to no interest and your government refused to accept the loan because they wanted accountability of how the loan was spent?
Canada will want the same transparency Natalio
Mr. Premier, hope you enjoy your Canadian Bacon and Maple Syrup. Bet when he gets back he is not going to bring back any useful information that will benefit the Territory and the people of the Territory. Everyone sitting in the meeting is going to be snickering at this f**l when he opens his mouth. They already know what is going on in the BVI.Dude!!!! Stop trying to insert yourself with the PROFESSIONAL BIG BOYS. They already peeped your card just like TOLA RADIO CARD HAVE BEEN PEEPED. He allegedly got contract from the BVI GOVERNMENT THAT NOW CONTROLS HIM AND TOLA RADIO. WAIT UNTILL THEY START SQUEEZING THOSE MOUNTAIN OYSTERS. EVERYONE IS GOING TO HEAR THE BIG OUCH ALL OVER THE ISLAND. THE PEOPLES RADIO IS A BIG SELL OUT. ALL MONEY IS NOT GOOD MONEY.
Don’t forget Poutine, Nanaimo bars,butter tarts and Saskatoon berry pie. Good eats Mr. Premier. LOL.
That is a good point. Why is a government “sponsoring” a radio station? Is that normal – for government to be sponsoring the media to promote them like they are a private business? Using taxpayer funds of course.
If that is correct, an investigation needs to be opened. If this is correct, I would be pissed if my tax dollars was used to give a radio station a contract. If this is correct, that means someone(s) is trying to control the media. Lord have mercy, that would be a very dangerous thing.
Didn’t he just come from some climate change conference begging for money to fight against the impacts of climate change? Does unnecessary travel by air add to the problems of both having less money and worsening climate change, or not? Asking for a friend.
S!0wW@nde is probably the most ineffective premier we have ever seen. If I were him I would not want to stay home either and choose to travel 1st Class and pampered
Is there a study as to how much money countries saved in the midst of covid and travel restrictions when all these meetings were being held by zoom? What are the benefits of all these trips to the BVI?
By the time his term is done, he would have travelled to all the countries he couldn’t travel to as an ordinary citizen having to pay for his own travel expenses and not having to find a Burger King instead of a luxurious restaurant.
There must be a limit. It is not his personal money he spending and I am a taxpayer, so I have a right to comment
Man must have his own parking space at TBL.
Never flew first class before being premier, probably stayed in a Motel if he was away.
Making the most of using up our tax money while the infrastructure crumbles.
When will we demand that ALL ministers turn their frequent flier miles into cash to be used for such things as classroom materials for teachers.
This can be done and we should demand it. They should NOT be allowed to rack up miles on our backs for OFFICIAL BUSINESS and then use those same miles for personal trips and holidays.
There are many companies where the miles can be sold for cash.
Lord Jesus, do something with these corrupt politician nah.
Only the people of the BVI can do anything about the corrupt politicians!! Demand all you want… we are in very serious trouble… Nothing will happen until you united and demand!
Idk why everybody makes such a big deal when the premier travels… he don’t do much when he here either. I actually think we safer when he’s traveling.
True he does nothing whether here or away but when away that is OUR money for flight, hotel, food, allowance and the good Lord knows what else.
With so many consultants and advisors, not to mention AI, shouldn’t that position be made redundant by now?
Would be a huge savings to the public purse.
Please don’t let him know that baseball great Wille Mays pass or he will want to be there
Could it be Head Coach, Jr. has no intention of living up to his COI promises? Could he be figuring he needs to travel now because the party is coming to an end?
is there a reason there is never a cry for public donations and sponsorship for travel, christmas parties and other uneccessary expenditure, but vital issues such as school supplies and education, medical, elderly etc always have a cry for public to get involved. Isn’t all money the same. They somehow seem to find the funds for the frivalous spending, but not necessities. What am I missing here?
Me premiere,leave me alone, anytime my white handlers call me I obey, what you think this PhD thing is? To be a responsible handler of power, so I adhere to white rules, I am a coconut brown outside and white inside, I may not do things to benifit the BVI, but my white masters are please with my compliance.
TRAVEL GATE. $8,000 dollars to fly from the BVI to Canada, can you image the cost of the first class tickets that was spent on the useless trip to Monoco?
I think all of the bloggers need to put up for next election,it seems they know how a country should manage.
Firstly,you don’t get results until you lay the foundation.
Secondly, set up self help groups and start cutting the bush in front the yard, fill the pot holes in the districts, and bring in the scrubber to clean the garbage that is pile high in the garbage bins.
Thirdly, don’t admire another country beauty, stating how this and that is nice and clean in their country.
Finally do your part to solve the problem, never point out the problems unless you have alternatives. This can be happy, attractive BVI when each do their part.
You all voted for S**T, not once but TWICE and now crying about the smell?
No one gives a damn when or where he travels to. We give a damn when he is helping himself to the taxpayers money like it is his personal ATM.
If indeed the Government give Tola Radio a contract with money from the taxpayers purse, S..t is going to hit the ceiling. And this needs to be investigated. No wonder dude was up in the mountains in Santo Domingo chilling and relaxing on the taxpayer’s dime. Dude they own you now and you give them the power to own and control you. Dudeeee that is very dangerous thing for the Territory. The people’s radio? NAWWWWW!!!!!!.
Time for Premier to buy a State Aircraft standing ready for immediate take off to all corners of the world. To be accompanied by two fighter jets to protect our dear Head of State at all times
is this a civil war between the Royalists and The House of Parliament in the United Kingdom (England Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland)? Is the King and Queen of The United Kingdom fighting with the House of Parliament? Is the King and Queen of The United Kingdom fighting with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?
what is this civil war about?
Canada this week… meanwhile the roads have never been worse; BVIEC cutting off the current to govt health clinics; and we still burning our garbage. Is sowande actually trying to get voted out?
the FBI and the CIA and the DEA and ATF is in the british virgin islands government. there is a problem.
I say we have a vote of no confidence for this government!
@Taxpayer
I totally agree! People can’t just sit back and cry out ‘NOT AGAIN’ every time this Premier travels. He is being nonchalant about his position and making the territory and its people non relevant. Why can’t the members of the house impose a vote of no confidence. Put aside party affliation and get this Joker out of Seat. This is becoming to overbearing that something needs to be done ASAP.