SFC Report: Labour Minister pleads with gov’t to help seniors!
Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration, Vincent Wheatley, has extended a plea for government to intervene to bring more relief to seniors.
This is according to the report of the House of Assembly’s (HOA) Standing Finance Committee (SFC) budget deliberations which were held late last year.
Wheatley, who is also the Ninth District Representative, requested that the Senior Programme under the Ministry of Health and Social Development (MHSD) be reinstated.
The Labour Minister further told those in attendance at the SFC meeting that throughout the BVI, seniors are without proper care and attention that is needed.
Mitch baffled about money services funds
Meanwhile, Minister Wheatley asked the Acting Permanent Secretary (PS) in the MHSD, Tasha Bertie, whether she was aware of money from a money services initiative which government had implemented. However, Bertie responded in the negative.
Just two years ago, government placed a 7 percent tax on all money service transactions leaving the territory. Twenty percent of the proceeds of this tax was expected to be placed towards programmes for seniors.
Bertie’s lack of awareness of the funds seemingly took Second District Representative Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull by surprise.
According to the report, Turnbull said he finds it baffling that the Acting PS was unaware of the money from money services since the Minister for Health is always referring to the seniors.
Turnbull also noted that the seniors of the Second District were still unable to meet at their location.
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Here is where the entitlement comes in. If you do not teach people how to fish and ensure that they are shown the fishing banks, this is what happens.
How many alive today know this?
An historical fact. The Vanterpool’s were the first richest and millionaires on Virgin Gorda.
Millionaires street where the government buildings are located were not named so by chance. Indeed, there is long and timeless history behind that name.
However, the people that know that history are now down to a few. We lost one just recently by the name of Rudolph Vanterpool.
We, as a people, were taught over centuries, that our history is no history, therefore not important. Hence, we are not recorders of such.
That is a critical failing on our part, as our offspring and subsequent generations will grow and die not knowing of their valuable and important past history. So, they come to earth. grow, live and die honorig another man’s history while remaining ignorant of their own.
Meanwhile, classism still reeks like a septic tank here in VG and the wider VI’s.
Anyone who deserves recognition, it should be offered to him/her, regardless of personal hatreds, feelings, moral beliefs or anything else…
The name millionaire in Virgin Gorda was in reference to a Salt Islander who was married to a Virgin Gordian. He worked for many years in Puerto Rico and was an engineer on the rail road. His son Everard Smith’s house is at the top of the Millionaire Road, across from the Methodist Church.