Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jun 05, 2025

No equity! VIP must account for mismanagement — Penn

No equity! VIP must account for mismanagement — Penn

The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government must account for the inequity that has taken place under its watch, particularly with regard to the allocation of the territory’s resources as it relates to infrastructure development.
That was the sentiment shared by current Health Minister and National Democratic Party (NDP) Chairman, Marlon Penn when he appeared on the NDP Radio programme last evening, March 27.

According to Penn, all the major infrastructure work done in the territory over the past four years has been on the back of a $65 million loan secured by the NDP government from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) when it was in office previously.

Penn accused the government of taking some $22 million from the consolidated fund that could have been better placed into the capital expenditure of the budget to address the territory’s dire road issues.

Nothing to advance road agenda

He said the Recovery & Development Agency (RDA) that was established just before the NDP’s departure in 2019, was developed and designed to have the flexibility to address issues such as the infrastructural challenges facing the territory.

“This government, in all fairness, has done nothing to move the agenda of roads forward,” Penn argued.

He added: “It shows the lack of a vision, the lack of a plan to get these things done, and for us, they have to account for how they mismanaged the resources of this country and not put it towards the major national development issues that we needed to develop for the people of the country moving forward.”

He said the RDA should now be transformed into a national development agency to handle the infrastructure challenges facing the BVI.

Inequity in distribution of expenditure

In the meantime, Penn contended that there has also been inequity in the distribution of capital expenditure under the VIP government during its time in office, arguing that politics has been injected into the territory’s national development programme.

“You have a challenge where now you have a District [Representative] that is a Minister – and I’m going to reveal the numbers, in terms of how the capital expenditure budget was spent by the Minister of Communication and Works in this territory. It’s going to come out to the public,” Penn said.

“It shows that there’s no equity in the process. We have to ensure that… all the people in this country pay their taxes and deserve good roads; even the tertiary roads,” he argued.

Penn also shared that the NDP has put forward a proposal that there should be a proper budgetary allocation for roads within the various districts.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
Hungary Partners with China to Boost Electric Vehicle Production
‘Vibe Coding’ Emerges as the New DIY Trend
AI Pioneer Yoshua Bengio Warns Models Can Deceive Users
Big Four Firms Rush to Create AI Auditing Systems
Musk’s xAI Pursues $113 Billion Valuation in New Share Sale
Walmart Increases Revenue Despite Shrinking Workforce
Hims & Hers Plans UK and EU Launch of Replica Obesity Drugs
Toyota to Acquire Supplier in $33 Billion Buyout
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
×