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Premier orders RDA to suspend hiring, criticises agency’s productivity

CEO of the RDA Paul Bayly has a monthly salary of about $25,000 per month.

­Criticizing the Recovery and Development Agency’s (RDA) current productivity level, Premier Andrew Fahie said he has issued instructions for the organisation to suspend its staff expansion efforts.

He said the RDA has not administered any major work since its inception roughly 15 months ago.

“Right now in the RDA, it has close to 40 staff so you are talking about close to $400,000 a month in expenses – salaries, overheads, rent, everything. But no major project has been done as yet,” Premier Fahie said while speaking at a public meeting in Paraquity Bay, Tortola on Tuesday.

“Nobody does what is expected, they only do what is inspected. [So] I wrote to stop the hiring at the RDA and to freeze it until we get through with our studies. [This was] to the dismay of a lot,” Fahie said.

“I cannot let you (RDA) mushroom to such a point before we know where we are going with all these projects because now you are transferring government people in and the salaries are going up — which I am glad for our people … But when the life of the RDA is over, you are creating a scenario where they are not going to come back in. So you’re ‘capacity draining’ the public service in the notion that we are rebuilding capacity.”

Agency needs to be accountable too

The RDA was established with certain powers, which were conditions for the UK to grant the BVI a £300 million loan guarantee to support recovery efforts.

Fahie — who was not the leader of government business when those conditions were agreed on — now wants them renegotiated. He further said that, like the central government, the RDA needs to be held accountable.

“The checks and balances cannot be less stringent than central government. I cannot be in the central government measuring how many tissues someone blows their nose with or how many toilet tissue they use in the bathroom and have an entity out there that is free without the same stipulations as central government,” the Premier stated.

“Those are the areas that we have to renegotiate because you cannot keep all your eyes on the politicians and central government and think that everything is safe over there,” he added.

Premier made his statements against his recent claim that the UK wants government to hand over control of its finances to the RDA.

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43 Comments

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  1. Facts says:

    Mr Premier i applaud you for tackling this issue.I was say some of these same things long before. If some of us know what is really taking place we would march and get the RDA out of here and take our time and rebuild this island. 300 million is not money to rebuild any country especially one like the bvi.what is really happening is the RDA workers is filling their pockets with that same money. Calculate 40 thousand by 12 and then by sixty and then its time to march through Road Town asking for the RDA to be dismantled immediately. 300 million is the budget of the bvi so whats the big issue with 300 million loan guarantee?? We can do it slowly but surely. Thank you mr Fahie for bringing this detrimental matter to the public.

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  2. Pray! says:

    This is absolutely irresponsible……The BVI have to get the recovery going.

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  3. Here it comes..corruption at its finests! says:

    The premier wants his hands in the cookie jar without anyone telling him when to eat his cookies…

    Like 47
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  4. Shorty says:

    This Premier is full of crap if you look at the staff at RDA majority of government workers LOCALSSS are on secondment to RDA. How can he with a straight face say no major works have been done by RDA to date. The A.O Shirley track was completed by RDA in record time so our local athletes can practise and train so people like the Premier can claim their success. CTL building renovations are being completed by RDA, the music department at ESHS building is being completed by RDA along with WIN BVI organisation. Police station in virgin Gorda and another building in virgin Gorda being done through RDA. So for the premier to blatantly lie and say they haven’t done any major works is pure nonsense. They have a dedicated Communications officer who relays information on ongoing projects, a website for anyone with a brain to read their monthly reports. We in the BVI need to stop the political nonsense every time we can’t get our own way.

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    • Shorty says:

      To add the RDA is doing removal of derelict boats left in the waters after Irma. Did this good to great government consider that in the midst of hurricane season? Or was the purchasing of new vehicles, a consultant who seems to be doing work relating to a public servant as oppose to consultancy more important. RDA is fixing the trail at the baths and the building so our tourists don’t injure their self and sue to good to great government. They have a dedicated website with monthly reports, they are fixing and near completion of the wall on the track in Road Town among many other projects all going on at the same time. However, our fabulous premier says they have not done any major work to date ridiculous. I don’t work or nor am I affiliated with the RDA just a bvilander who stays informed with information that is readily accessible. So the premier needs to stop his constant lying and division and work together for the country recovery.

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    • Appalled says:

      @ shorty…They are peevish because they cannot get their dirty hands on the money. The Uk wants to know that the money they are guaranteeing will be spent on the recovery projects and not stashed away in a swiss bank account somewhere.

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  5. Blah says:

    “Mr. Bayly, a New Zealand national receives an annual salary of $300,000 and an annual expense allowance of $50,000, in addition to one round-trip ticket per year for him and his family to return to New Zealand.” The irony is the RDA was established to make great financial decisions and value for money. This guy and his family getting round trip tickets to New Zealand at our expense after receiving a salary of $350,000 yet we cry when a local gets a consultancy contract for a third of that.

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    • true says:

      The UK GOVERNMENT pays his salary and return flights nothing to do with the BVI’s loans…..so to be clear the BVI does not pay anything towards this guy or any RDA staff….get it yet????

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      • Anonymous says:

        The irony is your name is true but your statement is false. Who told you that the salary is paid by the UK? For your info the salary is paid by BVI government. His salary and terms were negotiated by the RDA Board and approved by Cabinet. A lot of misinformation is being spread deliberately by people with agendas.

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    • @ Blah says:

      You need to focus on what is happening with the money this Government is giving Claude Skelton Clyne. The man does not have a success to date but he will be receiving more than half a million dollars (united states currency) for nothing!

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  6. We screwed says:

    I remember the then opposition leader Andrew Fahie voting for the RDA bill. He was probably playing politics at the time and now he has to deal with it all of sudden everything is wrong with it. I listened with great interest last night to how calm and witty our premier was. I said to myself that we are screwed because he told soo many lies, distortions and half truths and our people lapped it up like ice cream from La Dolce Vita. Then to top it off the opportunistic pastor called for prayer before everyone left. The professional deception is in full swing but as my mother would say “ what you buy, you wear”.

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    • ... says:

      @we screwed, this is Hon. Fahie “dealing with the situation”… with the best interest of the BVI in mind. I would think that you would want monies that were supposed to develop your island to be used properly…

      It you weren’t so busy being Lucifer (sitting at the table waiting for the moment to betray…), then maybe, just maybe, you would’ve thought that with every plan you need to monitor & evaluate…

      Because you leaving comments about how you can be a better Premier… but you have more important things to do; like what you did today.

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  7. Lodger says:

    I dont believe government has applied for any loans under the scheme, using UK government as guarantor. Not much can be built until the money comes in.
    How about an update of progress at the High school where Government bypassed the RDA? How well is that going?

    Like 25
  8. E Scott Fact check says:

    Wait one moment ……….. in addition to the Loan guarantee the UK wanted the RDA for transparency and gave the BVI gov £10 million as a grant ( don’t need to pay it back) to pay the wages and expenses for the RDA check the facts people !!!!!!!

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    • UK funds about one year RDA cost says:

      Salary is usually a 1/3 of admin overheads (rent, utilities, telecoms for 40 staff etc). At that rate the UK money will last less than a year. I agree with the Premier – for 40 staff i do not see MAJOR construction projects. If the RDA is waiting for the $300m then it doesn’t need such a current overhead

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  9. UK here says:

    We( the UK ) are paying the salary of the RDA. WE ARE NOT YOU !!! FFS whats is wrong with you lot .

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  10. vip heckler says:

    There we go again MORE UNTRUTHS

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  11. Thank you so screwed says:

    It’s as if you and I was sitting face to face having the above conversation. I donor trust this Premier. The lies,the tongue rolling,the flipping script you name it. The calmness is a ploy a good game.

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  12. Eagle eye says:

    If the premier get rid of the RDA and those securities the BVI will be saving thousands a month.

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    • true says:

      why because they could then steal the $10mil grant given to pay the wages of the RDA?

      Lots of local BVIslanders would be then unemployed again as at least 30+ are employed by the RDA getting paid from the $10mil

      Dry your eyes and read facts

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    • Give it to Claude says:

      Put the party supporters in charge

  13. Devil"s Advocate. says:

    Our Premier complaining about how much money the staff of RDA salaries. He should enlighten the public as to how much is his security personnel monthly income. Did he requested the public’s input in that aspect? Maybe that is why all the civil servants are unable to collect their increments.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    “As you will know… we have a number of international staff on the staff of the BVI, in fact, about 40% of the staff at the RDA are international. But we have a policy and a programme that every international person would have at least one… local people working alongside them,” Mr Bayly said in justifying the percentage

  15. Shorty says:

    The premier is also contradicting his grand plans of 1000 jobs in 1000 days. The jobs advertised by the RDA can be jobs filled by the same qualified locals he trying to get employed those who are unemployed or those seeking to expand their career in various fields. This Premier seems more about self praise for himself only. It is evident in the way he is running his dictatorship government doing multiple things that are under his ministers portfolio but he alone is spearheading. He should be more grateful and thank the RDA for the works they are doing and continuing to do to aid in the BVI recovery with no overruns, no corruption and favouritism to party supports who are not qualified. Some feel the RDA should not be in the BVI but I say its the best thing that happened to get things moving alone because i can gurantee you none of the projects the RDA has completed would have been completed by now. Vehicles, bodyguards, Claude contract and many other things took priority over needed things in the territory. All the money the premier already wasted could have furnished the entire eshs building now being repaired entirely.

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  16. Finally!!!!!! says:

    So is only now ayo see the RDA is just another scam? is a friend, family and buddy link up place. Getting paid a set ah money to do NOTHING!!!!!

    Hon.Fahie you get down to the bottom of this and make an example of these fraudulent people!

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