UK doesn’t want the headache of running BVI — Fraser
Third District Representative Julian Fraser has suggested that the United Kingdom (UK) may have shied away from governing the BVI directly because of the complexities involved.
After the Commission of Inquiry (COI), the UK threatened to impose direct rule and promised to temporarily remove the representative government if good governance changes were not implemented as agreed.
Despite the government repeatedly missing deadlines and facing accusations of delaying the implementation of changes, the UK has not opted to impose direct rule.
“The UK called your bluff, [saying] they gonna take over and all that kind of stuff,“ Fraser said. “Why they didn’t take over?”
He continued: “[Taking over isn’t] something they could just do like so. It’s a headache. Running a country like this, it’s a headache. They don’t want the headache.”
Fraser also pointed to the bureaucratic issues that have hampered the government’s RATED programme. The initiative provides temporary jobs for unemployed residents and replaces the bush-cutting contracts, which the COI considered problematic.
Multiple legislators from both government and opposition sides have urged the Premier to address payment delays that have caused workers in the programme to go unpaid for weeks, prompting some to leave the programme entirely.
Fraser suggested that the government implemented the programme to appease the UK without properly considering the needs of the people. “[The UK] got you busy trying to satisfy some stuff that they ask for as opposed to being busy trying to satisfy your people. No. Something has to give,” Fraser said.
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So we only doing this for the UK? I believe the changes will benefit the people of the BVI.
Unfortunately for the people of the VI you may be right. We are stuck with you and your co**upt cronies helping themselves.
The members of the HOA intentional noncooperation with the UK takeover would cause the UK migraines as ever to the detriment of island revenues ,infrastructure and voters /government purse ,I for the first time couldn’t agree more
There are a few reasons why:
Firstly, there is a very weak lame duck Conservative government in the UK who are going to be brutally voted out of office by May 2025 at latest. The Conservative party have been going through their own existential crisis with a series of incompetent and self-serving leaders. These people are solely interested in their own political survival and the contents of their own bank accounts. They really do not care about BVI.
Secondly, even if the UK government was politically stronger, taking over one of the wealthiest, democratically elected, black-led countries doesn’t feel particularly appealing. UK has evolved and it is a multi-cultural country and colonialism is anachronistic to many. It would be a political hot potato that no-one wants to touch: again they don’t really care enough.
Thirdly, UK tax-payers (who pay far higher levels of tax than BVI-residents do) have very little sympathy for BVI. All they know of BVI is the tabloid media reports (i.e. tax haven serving the rich and the corrupt; or increasingly as a drug-traffickers playground). So the British people do not care enough.
What is ironic, is that there are many in the BVI media who like to project this idea that the UK want to take over the BVI because of some sort of racist jealousy of the “success” of BVI. In reality, BVI is a burden to the UK. A colonial hangover, which only costs the UK money and brings nothing into the UK exchequer, has no geo-political or commercial value whatsoever. The UK would very much like BVI to be independent so that it was no longer its responsibility.
are quite common in public officials and servants who possess a functioning brain. It’s the main reason why some civil servants have no head aches!
This whole thing a joke anytime that deadline come and the UK still playn with them pleading to complete everything.
look at what is going on in the country of sudan in africa. look at what is going on in the continent of africa. which is better the uk or africa? is the uk violating bvi islander human rights? what would you rather prefer? to work cooperatively and friendly with the uk or to be like africa?
can you people in the bvi cooperate peacefully and friendly with the uk?
Frazer have two tongue what you really want is to see the premier fail , if dont he damn he do he damn .If yiu frazer was premier things would have been worst and no doubt the UK would have taken over by now. So keep quite.
if we cannot unite amongst ourselves , hoe can we unite with anyone else / he complained about the same ( COI ) and decided to chase it down , now mutumbo singing a new song , with saying if the ( COI ) was justifiable / just like how he and the rest of them isn’t sa anything on saint Andrew situation , looks like all of them got secrets on eachother / same thing with the guns / drugs / cold blooded murders and corruption all of them mouths SHUT , and they talking about TRANSPARENCY / and his boss is opening up now ,
after he said the same (COI ) is
causing PAIN / SUFFERING & RETARDATION ETC ( we wonder it their daughter daughter hwho was GUNNED down , if they would still be keeping their mouths sealed ❓️
The question should be, “does the uk want or even have a human desire to work. with, given their historic view of themselves versus us?.
UK dropped the bar so low and it’s stil too much to ask
.no hope.These Island kings and queens are deplorable
.