Premier’s Office shouldn’t take on disaster management now
Third District Representative Julian Fraser has cautioned Premier Andrew Fahie against moving the Disaster Management portfolio from the Office of the Governor to the Office of the Premier.
During the January 5 sitting of the House of Assembly, elected leaders debated the Disaster Management Bill, which proposes to shift the power of control from the governor to the territory’s Premier and his government during times of disaster.
While admitting that he fully supports moving disaster management to local elected leaders, Fraser said Premier Fahie presently has too many responsibilities and runs the risk of overwhelming himself if he were to take control of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM).
“Even though it might be the most appropriate place under normal circumstances for it (the disaster management portfolio) to be, at this particular time, I don’t think that’s the best place for it to go. Don’t ask me where it should go. My reason for saying that is because I think the Premier is stretching himself thin. You can’t take on so much. But the decision is his,” Fraser advised.
He also cautioned that elected leaders should refrain from politicising the Department of Disaster Management.
“It must maintain that neutrality across political parties and entities,” the senior legislator said.
Premier Fahie has not explicitly stated which ministry will parent the Department of Disaster Management.
The Premier is currently the Finance Minister, Tourism Minister and overseas more than 10 critical areas which fall under The Office of the Premier. These areas include:
Cross-Ministerial Coordination and Policy Leadership
Physical and National Development Planning
Cross-Border Movement Management and National Security
Trade Facilitation, Market and Business Development and Investment Promotion
International Ship Registration
International Relationship
Tourism Product Development and Promotion
Information Management/Public Awareness
National Statistics
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Is it broken and if no, why fix it?
Will this move benefit the people of the BVI or is it just political grandstanding?
Anybody remembers what happened after Hurricane Irma? Who was at the helm trying to get the territory back together?
After Irma the Brits came to help and the Belonger sent them away. No help from whites desired. The Belonger ran rampant in the streets looting. Till this day, years after the storms and still nothing done. Two different parties in charge and nothing done. Keep on tract to become independent and only one thing will occur. There will be a dictatorship, the wealthy will become more so and the rest will become poorer. Take a deep and hard look at Haiti and if you wish to become like them move ahead and stop all the talk. Get off your useless lazy a**es and do something other than sit under shade trees and play dominoes.
Fraser you are so right tell the premier stay in his lane and put that matter under the apporiate department, put back te lady in the post to over see that subject and find another person for prnament secretary we are dome times moving people like cows and caring them to the wrong well, Fraser even thou you are not the premier andrew neds your help for get politics and work to help heal the bvi but see if you can get the third district to come up some more if you do not quit you should be the next premier qw love you Fraser
The Premier wants everything under him for his hanger’s on. The morale in the Public Service has never been lower. In any event it will backfire shortly. The UK watching him. Watch this space.
I might be wrong on this but I have a feeling that Disaster Management will soon be the recipient of some large sum of money, which will need to assistance of the Premier to help siphon it off to VIP leadership and croonies!:)
You are not wrong! Why do you think he also took the airport/ports/TRC? Watch the money!
Is a d*****er himself..trying to l** and c***t his way out of the issues.
The Premier is also responsible for:
TRC
BVIPA (Pier Park, Port Purcell/Road Town Jetty/West End Jetty/JVD/Anegada/VG)
BVIAA (Beef Island Airport/Anegada Airport/VG Airport)
This is in addition to the responsibilities listed in the story, now he wants Disaster Management. Hon. Fraser is right. Remember Hon. O’neal (rest his soul) had his last stint as Premier? He tried the same micromanagement and it failed his party and the Territory badly. This is craziness and it needs to stop.
You forgot BVIEC is also under the premiers office. It’s like a one man government.
Something is fishy about this. This is the first premier who fails to delegate. He is micro managing everything. If he gets his hands on Disaster management monies allocated to the BVI will be distributed to his … We have to put an end to this madness. VIP must go. The social security monies was distributed to his… persons who really need help was unable to benefit and remains hungry and jobless. His cronies are getting richer and richer. Time to stop this.
NO to VIP. We Ready to Vote!
You all can blah blah but the Premier knows exactly why he is doing this. Just look at the UK’s behavior. No damn help after Irma and he wants to hold on to power. I have never seen the governors name on the ballot. We voted for the Premier to lead this country and all respect must be given to him. The UK dose not have this country best interest at heart, all of them can easily pack their bags and leave when hard time come, but we do not have anywhere to go, so I trust Fahie more than the Governor.
“No damn help after Irma”? Were you here? Memory OK, or maybe dementia?
I was right here and still here. We have to pay for every helicopter who pretend they were bringing water and they turn around and drank the same water they brought. I am not sure if you were here or if you suffering from dementia.
Yes we voted them to lead us, but be ye mindful that they swore or affirmed their allegence to the Queen her Heirs and her sucessors and not to us. It seems that even them dont realize that.
The Premier himself needs Disaster Management he is killing our tourism in the BVI. Everyone knows that most of our tourist travels through St. Thomas yet he comes with dates and shut them down as fast as he comes up with them.
Premier Andrew Fahie, you are killing the tourist industry, Where is the money coming from for your Four Hundred Million Budget? You once told the Governor that in so many words that he is not the only one who went to university well you should act like it if you went and learn anything.
You are letting people from the USA that has the highest number of cases through Puerto Rico which has more cases than the USVI.
The same people can come in Via St.Thomas with the same rules that you have in place for the airport. You are killing the BVI.
Wake UP the time you wase fighting with the Governor and England but your energy into saving the BVI, No you are not doing a good job of that.
The ports are no different to the schools, ZERO PLANNING! My guess is that the VIP were praying and hoping that the vaccine would’ve been out sooner so by now we could get back to some level of normalcy. Absent of that, they have NO CLUE and NO PLAN which is why we are stuck and they continue to blame COVID. There is NO REASON why Road Town Ferry Terminal ONLY could be open receiving traffic with protocols in place. There is more than enough space down there and the adjacent lot to get the job done, even if it means in the first instance Ferries have limited capacity of say no more than 100 persons at a time. It would be a good start and get businesses back on their feet, while still maintaining health protocols. These guys are abject failures and to make it worst, they continue to blame everyone else.
Follow the money. None of this anti UK and anti Gov has to do with colonial or racism. Just wanting to get the hands on some quick cash. Racism and colonial history needs to be addressed but won’t be by sharing siphoning money to a few friends and cronies.
You so right: we all can see through these people: all that talk of racism and UK bullying is a smoke screen to cover the utter foolishness going on with this worthless government – I can’t wait to vote them out in time
If you give absolute control like this we are going to see more money spent foolishly and disappear like the covid bracelets and tracking apps that the Premier was allegedly told would not work and were not water resistant. More taxpayer money disappearing.
Presumptuous. It’s going to Transportation Works and Utilities
that makes absolute sense. if DDM was to be moved to a Ministry, the most sensible one would be Transportation, Works, and Utilities. I would endorse. but as Hon. Frazer says, the decision is the Premier’s to make.
Presumptuous. It’s going to Transportation Works and Utilities
They want a bigger cookie jar.
AGREED !
Creating chaos one way to take off people minds from his victims of his victimization in