Premier pressed over horse racing return
The territory’s leader has been placed in the hot seat over the continued impasse that has prevented the resumption of horse racing in the territory.
Premier Dr Wheatley told lawmakers that negotiations between the government and one of the landowners were last had sometime last year over the leasing arrangement for the Ellis Thomas Downs where races are held in the territory.
“I do not wish to prejudice the situation further since the matter is currently under active consideration and certainly has the potential to be a legal dispute,” Dr Wheatley stated.
The Premer insisted that legal wrangling between landowners and the government over the validity of a previous contract, which he described as ‘not a valid lease’, has been the main reason why the BVI’s proverbial national sport has not resumed.
But Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn rejected that claim, insisting that he helped to draft the previous contract and pointing out that the narrative that it was not valid is not true.
Additionally, Walwyn argued that the owners of the Sea Cows Bay land at the centre of the impasse with the government, are not greedy or unreasonable persons, therefore the process should not be as complicated as the Premier suggested.
“I know the owners of that property very well. In fact, I grew up with them,” Walwyn stated. “I can recall that in 2017 after the hurricanes, they called me on the phone – because I was Minister at the time – and said to me, ‘We know that the country is in disarray now. You all don’t have to pay us until the country can get itself together.’ Meaning they suspended rent payments for a period of time.”
Walwyn further accused the Premier of having a ‘confidence issue’, arguing, “The Premier is now trying to negotiate with the British government on major matters, but he can’t negotiate with a benevolent family from Sea Cows Bay to get this horse racing situation sorted out.”
Premier Wheatley then declined to engage Walwyn further on the issue, citing a House of Assembly rule where a minister may decline to answer a question if the publication of the answer would, in his opinion, be contrary to the public interest.
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Our roads are terrible.
In the hosipital you go in feeling bad and you leave feeling worse.
Kids get dumber in school by the year.
We have corruption left right and center.
But yes, let’s focus on horse racing.
There’s so many other things much more important than this. Look at the state of these islands. COI recommendations, Roads, Schools, Consumer protection, Crime and so much more. Why is this relevant?
Horseplay
Thank God Hon. Walwyn is back in the House of Assembly. That is all I will say.
Ayo leave them greedy people alone with their track we don’t need it. The country got bigger issues to find money to deal with. Let the horse racing association pay for the track or find another track to race horse on.
With all due respect fix the roads first. It don’t make sense having proper place for horses to run when the spectators cannot even get to the track on these dilapidated roads that are an embarrassment of the Eastern Caribbean.
Divert the voters from the real issues. Spending one cent on a racetrack shouldn’t be on the Government’s agenda until they have everything else fixed.
These politicians are something else… How is it that they not greedy even though the problem is that they want more money even though they were already collecting a lot of money. To me paying any more money than we already pay for that track would be a disservice to the bvi people hence the impasse foh
Primer’s priorities.
1) multi million dollar travelling budget for no sensible reason
2) quarter of a million dollar non stop party
3) horse track. How can he not want to speak on a public matter because it could prejudice a case. Does he know what he is saying? You prejudice a case by putting things in the public domain that will influence a jury. Jury trials are for criminal matters. You planning to bring a criminal case against the landowners? For what crime? Make it make sense nuh mann.
Boyy. Ayo in salt.
Salt alone.
Yuh see that salt brine water coming up over on Salt Island? Its the bottom of that we in.
Classic “bread and circuses.”
Wheatley is a joke
Let’s make Banana Bread the national food of this Banana Republic, run by some rum dumb government.
Seems simple to me. Let Lesmore fix it.
Every thing happen for a reason, Its time to move on from this location, not only its a lot friction and confusion but there in no parking to accommodate horse racing. The traffic gets real messed up when there is Horse race. I am thinking maybe we need to put a horse race track on the sea, the way we did Pier Park, push the sea back, something nice and different. Two areas come to mind..1/ Duff bottom That turned off into where that Rest club sits alone, that a nice location..2 Used the western half of prospect reef. Turn prospect into a Motel, a food court with the Horse racing track…
This is important? Raw sewage is overflowing in Road Town, roads are a mess, half the country is stealing water, school are barely getting buy, shootings in CGB? You have to be kidding me. It’s like being lead by the high school government club!
Horse race you say drug dealers pass time and under table money passing .
What is so damn about horse racing when there are so many other things to be addressed. HELL, I am going to keep it real, … Hope they never bring back horse racing to the BVI. To many criminal elements is involved with horse racing in the BVI.
we will all be riding horses and donkeys on the dilapidated roads of the BVI because vehicles with wheels will be slower than animals with hoofs.
i don’t know why everybody on here talking about fix road, them driving on the same roads so they know the roads needs fixing