The Opposition legislator said at a recent press conference that even though things may appear to be running smoothly, a closer look will offer a true awareness of the existing reality.

According to Turnbull, after the Finance Minister’s budget presentation late last year and the more recent Speech from the Throne by the governor, he was expecting to hear a clear message of hope.

“I was looking for some sort of hope. A message of hope, a message of inspiration, a message that finds people where they are in this territory, but all we heard was a list of how many meetings they had, and how many pieces of legislation they passed, and how many pieces of legislation are yet to be passed,” Turnbull argued.

He contended that these accomplishments were being touted largely in the absence of the reality of the feelings of the people on the ground.

“How you build the nation is through building the people of the Virgin Islands,” Turnbull offered.

“I need us to get back to a place where we are building and investing in the people of the Virgin Islands, not looking to create our own scoresheet of how many pieces of legislation, or how many times Cabinet met, or how many times the House of Assembly met,” he asserted.

The legislator further questioned what the government’s approach was doing to positively affect the lives of residents, particularly the youth and the elderly who are vulnerable in society.

“Even though we have legislation in place as it relates to our minors and our juveniles, what are we doing concerning the issues that address seniors?” Turnbull asked.

He added: “Our seniors are being abused; our seniors are being neglected. There is nothing that is done – no piece of legislation, no piece of enforcement that is done — to protect our seniors who are being abused, whether physically, mentally, [or] emotionally.”