UK must do a lot more to help us — Pickering
Former Deputy Premier, Dr Kedrick Pickering, has said he believes the United Kingdom (UK) must do a lot more to help the BVI in order for the territory to progress.
While appearing at a launch for the National Democratic Party’s Third District candidate, Aaron Parillon, Dr Pickering argued that the territory is facing tremendous problems at this time and said the BVI has to be realistic about the solutions.
“Our country has to deal with United Kingdom. It doesn’t matter whether we like it or not. All of the things that we want to achieve for our country has to be intimately tied to our relationship with United Kingdom government,” Dr Pickering said.
And according to Dr Pickering, in order for the territory to have a more mature relationship with the UK, the territory needs people who can sit at the table with the UK. He further argued that these persons should be able to command the UK’s respect in order to have the discussions that are needed.
“The way that can be done is by having a government that is being led by people like young Marlon Penn and myself with the experience of dealing with these people to be able to have the difficult conversations,” Dr Pickering shared.
He contended that the government does not have the money to fix major issues affecting the territory such as its ailing infrastructure – including water, sewerage and road networks – or even the financing necessary to move forward with the planned airport expansion.
Dr Pickering insisted that such funding either has to be borrowed or granted to the government, and he also stated that repairs to the BVI’s infrastructure need to be done all together.
“To do that, we’ve got to sit with the United Kingdom government and say to them, look, you say you have a responsibility for this country, you are over this country. Well, you must do a lot more to help us to achieve our goals as a country,” the former Deputy Premier said.
We need persons who can travel
Persons who are chosen to have such conversations, Dr Pickering said, should have the necessary intestinal fortitude, gumption and strength of character to stand up to the UK and let them know “we are a new bunch of people who are willing to take this country forward and move it in the right direction”.
“I’ve traveled far and wide representing this country,” Dr Pickering argued. “…the country needs persons who can deal with the international issues that we have. Financial services and tourism as our main industries — they’re not local industries.”
He added: “They’re based on what happens in Washington. They’re based on what happens in New York. They’re based on what happens in Hong Kong. And we need persons who can travel the distance to be able to negotiate on our behalf.”
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Jam today! Jam tomorrow! Jam every day! When I’m elected, don’t you dare mention jam.
WE NEED THE MORE EXPERIENCE ONES IN GOVERNMENT
And the UK may say, well we gave you the chance, your leaders stole the money. We have no choice but to rule directly.
Be careful what you wish for!
The only candidate who can sit down with and impress the UK is Lorna Smith.
Her list of achievements for a poor kid from lower estate is breathtaking.
No other candidate comes close.
How can this gentleman talk about respect following what was brought to light by the COI, there are no corners to run to. The only sure way to correct everything from infrastructure remediation to honest government action is for the UK to take control. Sadly this looks unlikely unless the people demand such.
The best way for the UK to help the BVI is to suspend the constitution for two years; and conduct serious investigations into what happened to all the revenue paid in since the 1980s.
Where the funds were misused then those responsible should be charged and tried by a judge alone or a 3 judge panel, given the problems with the jury pool.
There are plenty of precedents for this where jurors can be nobbled. Unfortunately, these draconian steps are required when you have a systemically corrupt society, which we do in the BVI. The normal democratic checks and balances don’t work in BVI because the voting pool is too small, and generally, too poorly educated.
They’re poorly educated because the billions paid in since the 1980s were largely wasted or stolen. Could it have suited the small ruling cabal to have kept the voting public ill-educated?
The Brits allowed this state of affairs to arise and they need to fix it, and stop it happening again.
@Lorna for premier – all she did was embarrass the BVI – we all remember her famous radio interview over there. The UK will have no respect for this woman!
That man does double talk himself he need to look at his speech what he said about tortola and UK
this is lying season and were in the heart of it right about now , help was offered and been offering but you guys turn it down
Please, we need a shipload of army engineers to spear head the road water and sewage development. You cannot have daily paid workers designing, building and repairing our roads.
Kedrick Pickering if both governments had keep their hands off the people money we won’t be in the state that we are in right now, the UK knows it and that’s why they don’t do as much as they could besides your party while in power turned down the load then the VIP turned it down. If I offer a loan to one of my friends and they turned it down I would come to the conclusion they don’t need any help. Both parties put the BVI where it is and now you begging for help after a minster in the 70s told the UK we don’t need you. The territory can progress if the government will keep their hands away from the people’s money and use the money to do what needs to be done. Pickering when you were in power you never wanted to talk to people who you couldn’t get anything from, you are in this thing for yourself you are not the person we need now go back to where you were for the past 4 years.
@Common sense I think the people should demand a UK take over because I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
Well, perhaps that should be made a choice at the forthcoming elections, it’s up to the people to demand this.
Padna always wan beg U.K. for something.
Careful what you wish for… Suspending the constitution and taking over for 2 years would be considered by some as helping us. We need to help our own self by stop making so much poor financial decisions as a country. Imagine what good work could have been done in the country with all the money that was wasted… Think about it; 8 Mil for COI lawyer, 2 Mil on barges, near 400k for shady consultant, 6.1 Mil in shady farmer and fisherman grants, over 1 Mil for ferry terminal design that not practical… That’s like 17.5 mil already and I sure mean count every blunder.
When being interviewed by a UK news station and was told the BVI is rife with corruption and thievery, Lorna did not deny the accusation, as she should have. Her response was that, we are not the only one. Lorna knows first hand and is no better than the rest.
@Real But why should she lie the fa ts are there.
Now that sound like sense!!! good direction
I’m not voting anymore, fed up with the same people who have done us wrong and watch the people of the VI as if we under them. I want to give the UK a chance to clean up the mess that we are in and just maybe we can finnally achieve a beautiful and prosperous Virgin Islands.
Ridiculous. Name something not tied to her lucrative contracts while her husband was minister of finance. She is arrogant, volatile and self-serving, not what we need at this time.
I couldn’t have said it better. She is a bully and she is not a team player. For those who don’t know her you are warned.