Permission Was Sought - Premier Addresses Motorcade Going Beyond Curfew
Premier and Minister for Finance, Hon. Andrew Fahie said organizers of the territory-wide motorcade on Tuesday to honour the national athletes had permission to be on the public road after the 7 pm nightly curfew.
The four main islands joined in the motorcade, following the outstanding performances of local athletes Kyron McMaster, Chantel Malone and Elinah Phillip at the Tokyo Olympics.
On Tortola, the motorcade commenced at the Festival Grounds and proceeded to the West End communities, then towards the eastern part of the island before culminating at the Festival Grounds.
The motorcade ended well after the 7 pm nightly curfew, and many residents took to social media, questioning whether the curfew had been lifted.
In an invited comment on the matter last night, Premier Fahie replied: "Our Athletes that competed in the Olympics have performed admirably and anything we as a people of the Virgin Islands can do to show our BVI Love for them is well within line. Their accomplishments are historic. There were motorcades on Jost Van Dyke, Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Tortola. The success of other of our athletes that competed abroad was also celebrated in these motorcades, and permission was sought in case the motorcade went beyond 7 pm just for this historic moment in the history of the BVI."
He continued: "Sad to know that the focus of just a few was not on the historic accomplishments of our athletes, but rather the permissions around the curfew. Clearly, they are in the minority where this is concern[ed]. However, the majority of the people of the Virgin Islands participated in true BVI Love. This gesture is a small token to show our appreciation for what our athletes have accomplished."
He pointed out that with a small territory like the BVI, the performance of the local athletes "brought a renewed sense of hope to our youth and Territory."
"This is timely seeing our challenges with COVID-19, which is the same for all countries in the world. Our reason for celebrating our athletes' success is the only focus we as a people of the Virgin Islands should have at this time, as focusing on anything else that may be deemed negative towards their accomplishments for this moment in time in our Territory's history leaves a lot to be desired by those who do such. We are proud of our BVI athletes. We salute them," he added.
On Tortola, the motorcade commenced at the Festival Grounds and proceeded to the West End communities, then towards the eastern part of the island before culminating at the Festival Grounds.
The motorcade ended well after the 7 pm nightly curfew, and many residents took to social media, questioning whether the curfew had been lifted.
In an invited comment on the matter last night, Premier Fahie replied: "Our Athletes that competed in the Olympics have performed admirably and anything we as a people of the Virgin Islands can do to show our BVI Love for them is well within line. Their accomplishments are historic. There were motorcades on Jost Van Dyke, Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Tortola. The success of other of our athletes that competed abroad was also celebrated in these motorcades, and permission was sought in case the motorcade went beyond 7 pm just for this historic moment in the history of the BVI."
He continued: "Sad to know that the focus of just a few was not on the historic accomplishments of our athletes, but rather the permissions around the curfew. Clearly, they are in the minority where this is concern[ed]. However, the majority of the people of the Virgin Islands participated in true BVI Love. This gesture is a small token to show our appreciation for what our athletes have accomplished."
He pointed out that with a small territory like the BVI, the performance of the local athletes "brought a renewed sense of hope to our youth and Territory."
"This is timely seeing our challenges with COVID-19, which is the same for all countries in the world. Our reason for celebrating our athletes' success is the only focus we as a people of the Virgin Islands should have at this time, as focusing on anything else that may be deemed negative towards their accomplishments for this moment in time in our Territory's history leaves a lot to be desired by those who do such. We are proud of our BVI athletes. We salute them," he added.
