Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Visionless! Stop Wasting $$, Fix Economy

Visionless! Stop Wasting $$, Fix Economy

The leadership of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration has been described as visionless and one which has failed to prioritize fixing the economy and focusing on the well being of residents.
Opposition Leader Hon. Marlon Penn said there is an urgent need for both an economic and tourism plan, lamenting that the government is too busy spending tax payers' money on political consultants and taking the Attorney General (AG) to court among other unnecessary spending.

Speaking on the National Democratic Party (NDP) radio programme last evening, September 6, he said there is need for a second round of stimulus to keep businesses head above the water during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So that stimulus 2.0 is it critical in a time like this. That $3M that we took to put towards paying attorney fees [CoI defense] is critical in a time like this; that $1M that we claimed that was budgeted for political consultants in a time like this is needed to support our businesses; that money that we are going to spend to sue the Attorney General with this nonsense of a sham needs to be spent towards helping our citizens, helping our businesses and those persons who are hardest hit from this pandemic,” he stressed.

He said the government needs to refocus.

“…The priorities have to be the well being of our economy, well being of our people. We need to refocus and right now we are not focus…we are focused on all the wrong things,” he stated.

The Eighth District Representative said the opposition presented a plan last year which would have seen the tourism industry opened in September, in order to test the territory’s protocols and readiness.

“It boils down to us not having a plan, not having a vision. January we were promised to have a plan for tourism…from May of 2020 the Opposition have been asking this government for a plan. We got tired of asking for a plan,” he stated.

He added, “and people are saying we keep on asking the government for a plan, but we don’t have a plan, but people have to remember that we are the only ones who pulled out a plan in terms of the recovery for this country. In September 2020 was the ideal time of us to start test the waters in terms of getting our tourism industry back up and running, it was early in the game, it gave us an opportunity to test our protocols, firm up our protocols.”

The Opposition Leader said the economy is on life support and businesses cannot thrive under uncertainty.

He said the NDP has a vision to move the economy forward, improve infrastructure, health services and education.

“We have ideas and plans for this country, and we are going to continue to encourage the people of this territory to not be despair. We also want to encourage the government like the caller talked about engagement, don’t just engaged the stakeholders when they make noise, complain, you need to have a constant engagement with the stakeholders, cruise tourism, overnight guests in villas, hotels, and the bareboat industry,” he urged.

Hon. Penn said there must be a plan and a way to work around the pandemic, “but while we are working things out we have to give the support to those industries and those persons who are the hardest hit by this pandemic.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
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
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
×