Stop it! Vandals tearing down NDP posters, says party chairman
National Democratic Party (NDP) Chairman Myron Walwyn has said his party has become victim to political vandalism.
The politician said a number of his party’s campaign posters and billboards are being torn from the structures they are mounted on.
While the vandals are not known, Walwyn said he has grown suspicious of the masterminds behind the sabotage.
“What is interesting is that you would have two billboards next to each other — one for the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) and one for the NDP. And the one for the NDP is torn down but the one for the Virgin Islands Party is intact. I am not going to rush to judgements but if that was someone who was a random vandalising person, they would have torn down both posters or billboards. It raises questions,” Walwyn said.
While denouncing the practice, Walwyn noted that his party has already spoken to its surrogate supporters about engaging in such behaviour.
“They know the standards that we expect here in the National Democratic Party … We respect the other political parties because this is a democracy and we must respect democracy,” he said.
Smear campaigns increase
He also raised concern about the practice of smear-campaigning, which he said is becoming worse.
“Almost every day now these terrible and defamatory WhatsApp messages are going around casting aspersions on people’s character, and trying to demonise people,” Walwyn said.
“We are in a 21st century Virgin Islands and the people who are seeking to lead the 21st century Virgin Islands must start to operate themselves at a higher level. So, I’m calling on all those persons who are the head of political parties to let us have a campaign at a high level. Let us have an issue-oriented campaign because the people of the Virgin Islands deserve that. And as difficult as it might be for some of us to keep things above board and above level, we have to do it and think about country,” the NDP Chairman added.
The world is watching, says premier
Other legislators including VIP Chairman Andrew Fahie and government leader Dr D Orlando Smith have also publicly spoken out against smear campaigns.
Premier Smith stood during the last sitting of the House of Assembly for 2018 and called from persons to put a stop to such baseless activities. He noted that the wider world watches the BVI intently.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
The world is watching said the premier,but when you and the other members of your party were taking this country to its knees you did not think they were watching , after Irma when CNN and BBC came into the country and your ministers sent CNN out of here within 2 hours the people who could have gotten people from all over the globe to help the poor people of this country who were left with nothing some not even the clothes that were on our backs you did not know the world is watching ,but all of a sudden your going to be transparent listen to these people they took our sight but now they want to be transparent what sense is that when now we can’t see anything but to vote them out
VIP all the way no stone will be left unturned.
The world is watching but the tourists are seeing first-hand what we have for roads. They also smell the sewage around Road Town. Maybe the government officials don’t have to walk around Road Town. They simply drive with windows rolled up or they must be using invisible roads that we can’t see but the tour buses must navigate Nature’s best pot holes with tourists. What awesome pot hole pictures they must have of the BVI!
Give us back our country and we will give you back your signs.
Facts! We tired of nonsense.
Listen is the VI Party is pretending they had nothing to do with the country falling on its knees? Up to this very day we are dealing with a BI Water contract signed and approved not only by Julian Fraser, but the VIP Government voted it into law. Both parties have a role to pay in this mess.
I am yet to hear Fahie condone this behavior of destroying other parties banners because its in his favor,
But when people get fedup and start pulling down VIP banners you will not the end of it.
For a few unneeded costly projects:
Sea Cows Bay Wall
AND
Traffic Lights!!!!
All VIP
Take a drive and look at the Sea Cow’s Bay wall and tell me if you would have a road without the wall or how often would you be repairing the road without the wall.
He has divided the country this is the results
You want your signs fixed?
We want our schools fixed! Our roads fixed! The electricity fixed! The water supply fixed!
The No Duedilligence Party has broke our country.
You want your signs? Give us back the $7.2 million.
This very same poster that Mr. Walwyn is speaking about was blocking the view of drivers from seeing the oncoming traffic from the right. Maybe they need to speak to those who they have erecting their posters and tell them to use wisdom when erecting same.
If you notice it was blocking so badly that they had to take down the support legs on the left hand side as well as the first part of the board to enable drivers to have a clear vision of the oncoming traffic.
I can’t speak for other posters that were torn down but this one was a clear obstruction and danger to drivers and pedestrians alike.
Assuming the poster was blocking the view of drivers and creating a driving hazard as you allege, then in my view the proper thing to have done was to notify:
a) The DMV, and
b) The Campaign
No one should take it upon themselves to destroy posters.
This reasoning, while may be true, seems all too convenient. I believe it’s more than just the poster blocking motorists view.
It would not be a stretch to believe that the person(s) who removed the billboard did so with the intent of harming the person/political party they have issues with. It’s a simplistic vindictive criminal act that should be not be condoned, is ineffective, and will prove fruitless.
Also, bear in mind, other posters are being alleged to have been destroyed as well, even when they are close by to other political posters. What’s the reasoning behind those removals? Blocking as well? Please.
What’s next? Shooting a political rival or party member?
Let’s call a spade a spade. This is more than “blocking”. People need to take their issues/discontent to the polls, and not engage in criminal acts.
We are going to tear you down from power same way
That’s right days are numbered
THE NDP TEARING DOWN THEIR OWN POSTERS TO GET SYMPATHY VOTES
That is a high possibility.
ARE THESE THE DEMONIC SIGNS THAT THE BISHOP WAS SPEAKING BOUT?
Why is the sign board affixed to a utility pole though?
5th no want mr harrigan 🙂
Stop putting up these d**m posters and fix the country.
You all are some ungrateful people. What has the ndp done for you all to be acting like this. Myron please let them tear it down you don’t need those posters to win an election. Who God bless no one can curse..Thank God we are alive, business up and running , supermarket never close its door and people are working , ships are coming in no one is hungry only the lazy and who sitting waiting for politicians to hand out money. Stop it because this is the best party ever. Tortola people don’t like progress
Who says Tortola people? You have just given away yourself as another johnny come lately who don’t even know the collective name for our people.
“The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and HIS ears are open to their cry.” Pslam 34:15
Help us oh LORD. Our country is broken. Our leaders have failed us. You can judge them on on JUDGEMENT DAY. We can judge them TODAY for we are not blind.
Pardon me sir, but my children’s school is broken and the ships that are coming in are paying a tax not to our country but the family of the Minister who signed a deal with them a long time ago. Why do our elected officials get to profit from their decisions? Shouldn’t that money go towards fixin the school or rebuilding our roads, or providing for the infrastructure that can support more jobs?
Arshiness you chatting
It’s by God’s Grace and Mercy not NDP
Boy, it is shaping up to be an *ugly* election campaign. Hope we can make it through without descending into yet more petty criminality.
I can’t help but notice that I see two completely
different designs in Kai and Arlene posters. So
they’re not elected yet and they done can’t agree?
Help us father.
Regardless of which side you are on politically, destroying campaign posters and billboards is criminal. The person(s) who is responsible for this criminal act should indeed stop doing so, and take their issues to the ballot box. That’s the way it should be done in a democratic process.
Destroying campaign posters and billboards will not dissuade people from voting the way they wish. It’s fruitless.
If those who are engaging in this criminal act feel confident in their political party’s ability to win, then they should have no concern if another political party sits next to theirs.
The electorate is not dumb and simple to think that they will only vote based on a campaign posters or billboard they drove by, or one they did not see.
Give they electorate more credit; they are smarter than that. Leave the
posters and billboards alone. Destroying them is criminal and child’s play.
Elevate the civil political discourse. Don’t like a candidate or political party? Well, take yourself to the polls on election day, and vote.
People, you are the ones in power, ripping down signs is not going to solve anything. Stop stooping at that level,you are only given you Country a bad name. Mapp was a disgusting rude p** but no one ripped down his signs.We the people made the decission to hit him where it hurt most, a swift kick to the curb.
just so you know I used that poster to cover the huge gaping hole on the top of my house. You can have it back once you bring me some roofing materials and a cheque
If only the NDP was as efficient at rebuilding these islands as they are at plastering the countryside with these posters, then they wouldnt need the posters, as their record would stand for itself. For the voters out there you must ask yourself where all the money gone? BVI should be the wealthiest place on earth per square foot, every BVIslander man, woman and child should be a millionaire. The VIP was no better, NDP 2.0 no better. Vote for the independents or the newbies if you have to, but this old guard of waste of space politicians needs to go.
Leave the people posters alone. If you feel they should not have them up. You didn’t put them up. If you want to tear them down do so at the pole on election day. Stop doing it people spent money to get them made and put up. Like them or not leave them people thing alone. Only one can win. Support who you know is best for your district by going to the poles on election day. Forget about the faces you see because all that glitters is not good. If you need a change be the agent of that change in a positive way. Stay positive
Mr walwyn stop paying these reporters to post these articles. We all know that your government have bring this country to This level. Your government have everyone unhappy… so think on it
Someone is just being plain out stupid. Sorry for saying this but,When the person went to destroy the poster,the damn platform should have tipped over on the jerk knocking him/her out.
It’s wrong and should not be done but it’s a clear indication of the level of anger and frustration felt against the NDP, which comes as no surprise.
I hope no one was paid to take them down.
Did you just say that [NDP] is the best party ever? Then your name should be “Speak a lie”!
Agreed BVI is known for violence free elections but if one party is already being vandalised what will happen down the road. Rather unbecoming and certainly not the BVI that I was born in. If you dislike a party show it on election day, but this behaviour is unacceptable.
The ” masterminds” are the entire population !
let’s get this right some peop le believe VIP rip down the ndp poster, but God wind blew very strong and to make things right it was taken down so done judge VIP it just that the foolish one was blown away and the wise one stand still so it is VIP all the way we LOVE you KYE
We already seeing Red so we gunning to remove all of you. The posters trying to divert us. So who ever remove them keeping us on point. THE COUNTRY TOO MUCH IN THE RED. TIME TO PUT IT BACK IN THE GREEN AND SOME BLUE FOR NICR SKYS.