Smith came to businesses with ‘empty hands’ — Walwyn
Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour & Trade, Lorna Smith, came in for some criticism during a recent House of Assembly (HOA) sitting for her approach in a series of outreach meetings with business owners in the territory.
Smith met with business owners during a series of Business Round Table discussions across the territory recently to, among other things, build and strengthen ties with the business community. Before embarking on those engagements, Smith said she expected tangible results to emerge from the discussions.
But Smith was criticised by Sixth District Representative, Myron Walwyn, for not approaching businesses with monetary solutions to their problems, arguing that this is something that Smith should have brought to her Round Table discussions given her interactions with residents during the recent elections campaign.
Walwyn congratulated Smith for the initiative to meet with businesses to determine their challenges, but suggested businesses did not get what they came for during the meetings.
“The biggest problem facing businesses in this country is capital, access to capital” Walwyn said. “Nobody got no money. And so when you come to that meeting, minister, I expected you to bring some money with you.”
He added: “You came to the people of District 6 with your hands empty.”
Walwyn also accused the government of having nothing in the recently approved Schedule of Additional Provisions (SAP) for businesses that were badly hurting in the territory.
Meanwhile, Smith responded to Walwyn and shared that her intent was to meet with the businesses to hear their concerns and any possible solutions that they had to offer. She also noted that business owners did not hold back from telling her what the government was doing wrong.
“I didn’t have a pocket of money, but I’ve only been on the job for three months, and the whole objective was to really hear from the people,” the first-term lawmaker said.
Smith said she also planned to have further talks with the banks to see how they could better help people in the territory. Smith said she was delighted to have the opportunity to help the people of the territory and promised not to let them down.
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Hold her Myron. Hold her! She full of it. Where has she been living? This is not a new government. She just joined them but they are not new. They should have known from their first term what the problems are facing the businesses. Don’t come asking me what my problems are when you should know. Bring solutions.
Typical mentality – hand out tax payer’s money!
The point is to help revitalize and help streamline operations in the private sector to help it thrive and in doing so help the public purse, not make it more dependent on Government for handouts!
They come to the meeting to ask what our problems were. As Myron said we need access to financing. From reading the audit report we need the same money that they wasted on family and friends and cronies. That is what we need. Take it back from them and help the local businesses.
and she still hasn’t been to Anegada yet, and she was up here begging votes before the election a coup eof times and on the local what app chat but alas she now has what she wants and nothing else matters.
You have to listen to whole of what Myron said and he is right. Local businesses need access to capital. That is their biggest problem. It is in the government’s best interest to help those businesses to get this. This is the way to strengthen the economy and keep people working. Nobody said to just hand out cash to anyone.
Perhaps she didn’t have any money because Myron handed it all out already! Regardless, she was welcome at the stakeholder meetings, and the dialogue was much more encouraging than any of the meetings Myron ever had.
I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS LADY PUT THE VIP BACK IN POWER
she could have had the $1.7Million wall money to hand out to these same businesses..the boy is a big * hypocrite.
Arrested and charged in a criminal matter for beach of trust!
This idea that money is a golden wand is what continues to keep businesses and the ppl of the BVI in a chokehold. Money is one component yes, but money on it’s own cannot fix business problems. The number one issue for businesses is setting up systems, that include hiring adequate staff, management training and of course implementing standard operating procedures, “who does what and how” is a primary issue, not money. Lorna started off with the correct approach. hear from the businesses. Unfortunately, sometimes they themselves don’t know what they really need, the quickest thing to come to mind is MONEY!!.
I guess you didn’t read the audit report then. It’s the party that she put back in power that hand out the money and now she come to businesses with pure talk like she brand new. The woman live here. She was the Premier more than her husband. She should know by now what are the needs of businesses in the BVI especially after the hurricanes and Covid. Let Lorna Smith continue to fool ayo
We love Lorna and voting for her yet again
Businesses’s shouldnt need and should not get hand outs from the tax payer. If you run the right business in the right way you will succeed , if you dont you will fail. Thats business , thats capitalism.
Wringing your hands because you bought say a restaurant that no one goes to is not a reason you should be given the taxpayers dollars.
Are you living in the same country as the rest of us? Why we never heard a word from her when her party was givinh out the 260 mill for th
er party? That is money that could have assist thosecompanies that needed the help.
Wall or market?
You keep off the market! I like it! It needs shutters and other stuff for sheltering from sun/rain so We don’t get wet whilst visiting one kiosk after the next! Put that soon to be long dusty dingy looking market somewhere else pls!!
My BVI people, please don’t let scampish corrupt politicians continue to fool and mislead you! Business Module 100 reminds prospective business owners, that all business investors do so at their own risk!! The government may allow certain tax breaks as an incentive!! The government does not have to pump scarce public funds into private ventures to resuscitate them! There is an aspect of businesses called Bankruptcy!! God Save the King