Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

No More COVID-19 Excuses! Lead, Follow, Or Get Out Of The Way

No More COVID-19 Excuses! Lead, Follow, Or Get Out Of The Way

Opposition Leader, Hon. Marlon Penn has delivered another stinging blow to the Hon. Andrew Fahie-Led Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration, asserting that COVID-19 could no longer be used as an excuse for the lack of planning to move the country forward.

In an address to the Territory, Hon. Penn referred to ‘a wise saying’, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way”.

“The sad and predictable reality is that our current situation stems primarily from the lack of planning. The uncertainty this fosters, the constant flip-flopping, policies announced today and changed tomorrow, will be blamed on COVID,” Hon. Penn stated.

He added, “Everything will be blamed on COVID. We have been dealing with COVID for a year now and our leaders can no longer hide behind COVID as an excuse for our economic challenges.”

Families Are Hurting


Hon. Penn highlighted that like many countries, the economic devastation is going to be felt for years to come, with many asking the question, ‘how are we going to get out of this economically? Where is the plan?’

He stated that using the devastation stemming from the 2017 storms as example, there was progress post-Irma and Maria.

According to Hon. Penn, the tourism industry was in full recovery mode and that the Government of the day, the National Democratic Party (NDP), developed a national recovery plan. There was a strategy for the funding of that plan.

Hon. Penn said that funding was made available from the Government’s coffers, from global friends, and from the Caribbean Development Bank to the tune of sixty-five million dollars. Yes, you are seeing that money being spent today on the many infrastructure projects. There was a plan, and there was a way to fund that plan by way of the $400M guarantee from Her Majesty’s Government.

It is unfortunate that, with the current leadership crisis we face, this money is now lost to us. Many families are hurting now more than ever. Some of us had only just begun to get our lives back to some sense of normalcy following the devastating hurricanes of 2017. Then here comes COVID. A wise saying goes like this, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way”,” Hon. Penn stated.

Vision


The Opposition Leader also took note that the Territory has endured from a health perspective the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that has taken countless lives around the world. He thanked the Ministry of Health and the frontline workers for their role in keeping the Territory safe.

He said his vision speaks to a new direction, one without the current rancor, without the disunity, without the lack of public trust and cronyism.

“My vision is one that demonstrates an understanding, that progress demands inclusivity, and that despite our cultural diversity, we are one people. A vision for all Virgin Islanders that clearly demonstrates we are better together,” Hon. Penn noted.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×