Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 17, 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
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
HSBC Accelerates Chairman Succession as Mark Tucker Prepares Departure
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Cristina Kirchner Requests House Arrest Citing Assassination Risk
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Black Box Recovered from Air India Crash Site
Sole Survivor of Air India Crash Recounts Escape
UK and EU Reach New Economic Agreement
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Two Women Found Dead in Eryri National Park
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Pentagon Initiates Review of AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Pact
Meta to Invest $15 Billion in Scale AI to Advance AGI Goals
Rare Cancer Cases Triple Among Millennials, Alarming Doctors
G7 Finance Ministers Convene in Canada with Focus on Ukraine and Trade Tariffs
×