“It seems to me that some persons only wake up every day and look for whatever it is that they feel is going wrong. Even when you fix it, they move on to the next thing – they don’t’ even say thanks,” the Premier said during the House of Assembly last evening, September 22.

He also roundly chastised public servants for being ungrateful, after they were made to wait several years before finally receiving their long overdue increments through his administration’s efforts.

“Before we took office, none of them got any increments at all – not one. And you didn’t hear a cry. We gave the 2016 [increments] and before they — some of them; not only some — get it, they even didn’t say thanks. ‘Where the next one?’, [they ask],” the Premier said.

He added: “[They’re] just like a fowl, done eat and wipe he mouth and gone.”

He then stated that most persons expressed thanks, adding that they had worked for their increments.

Numerous financial challenges

The Premier, who is also the territory’s Finance Minister, indicated the numerous financial challenges the BVI faced as a result of the pandemic as well as what he called the ‘ill-advised’ decisions made by a previous government that has cost the territory several million to remedy.

Despite this though, the Premier said his government has made several strides that have resulted in significant political achievements.

Premier Fahie also complained that the government was being blamed unnecessarily for many of the ails experienced by persons across the territory when many of these issues were either self-inflicted or caused because of management deficiencies.

“Yes, we have some failures. Which government doesn’t? But I want our people not to become ungrateful. Look where the Lord bring us from Irma and Maria. Look where the Lord carry us thus far through this COVID,” he stated.

This reduced budget rescued BVI

He made those comments while making contributions about the adjusted budget that passed in the House of Assembly late Wednesday evening.

The Premier explained that with this reduced budget, the government has rescued the territory from facing any deficit spending, even in the face of increased expenditure which comes largely as a result of the global pandemic.

He said this challenge came at a time when the government has had reason to caution some public officers and remind them that the territory is simply not out of the woods yet.

He advised that other countries across the globe are also experiencing deficit spending because of the effects of COVID-19.

The Premier further pointed out that the government has spent more than $70 million in efforts at keeping the territory safe from COVID-19. He added, if one were to also count the cost associated with keeping public officers hired, this figure would balloon to well over $200 million.

“Some people think because COVID-19 is not like a hurricane or earthquake or any major natural disaster — where you can physically see the damage and see that we’ve been through … that unless it’s like that, we’re not going through anything,” he commented.