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by pltm
(PLTM) - The National Democratic Party (NDP) appears to be divided on several matters, including the proposed TB Lettsome International Airport expansion project and the state of the Territory's finances.
A second member of government, Hon. Delores Christopher, Fifth District Representative joined her colleague, Hon. Alvera Maduro-Caines, to speak out against the proposed $153.5M airport project.
Following Hon. Christopher's scathing criticisms, the House of Assembly adjourned the budget debate until Tuesday, February 28. When Hon. Christopher concluded her comments, the House took a short recess and upon return, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Ingrid Moses-Scatliffe said that the House will conclude for the day and continue next week.
It is not clear if the back-to-back comments by Hon. Caines and Hon. Christopher was the reason for this.
Hon. Christopher, who is also a back-bencher, went strongly against the project, to the extent where she compared it to the controversial BiWater deal under the former Virgin Islands Party (VIP).
Hon. Christopher begged Premier Hon. Dr. D. Orlando Smith not to put the people of the BVI, who are already financially strained, in further debt.
She pointed out that an agreement with the preferred bidder, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) can be another BiWater deal---bad.
"We are to give it serious consideration...We inherited a situation with BiWater. Right now I think the Minister (Hon. Mark Vanterpool) is trying to negotiate some lower rates because it is choking us to pay that bill. I don’t want to say it in a nicer way; we are choking. By the time we finish pay BiWater every month, we can't do nothing else," she said.
Hon. Christopher further added, "...It’s a bad agreement. Let us not go and make another bad agreement with the international airport."
She went on to state that they also need to take local contractors into consideration.
"Let the local component get the contract and then seek expertise, so the money can circulate throughout the Territory. I don’t want to see nothing going on and the truckers and contractors can’t get no money...That’s not good...I am talking plain. We have to face these facts honestly."
She said that the cheapest is not always the best.
"We are already having talks with what is called the lowest bidder. That means it will be cheaper. Cheaper is not always better. You have to examine what they are offering and what they are asking for..."
The Fifth District Representative also mentioned that in the past, the BVI has been able to resist offers from investors such as the proposal to have a KFC franchise.
Hon. Christopher, who also complained about the reduction in district funds and other financial problems facing the Territory, said that the question needs to be asked whether they can afford such a project at this time.
"Currently, we have another proposal to expand it to accommodate bigger jets and so on. And so my first question is, how are we going to pay for it? Can they afford it? Sometimes you get engaged in things you can’t afford, but as a responsible government, you still have to ask yourself if this is the time."
She said, "We cannot (afford it)...I am very reluctant, extremely to put a further burden on our tax payers."
Hon. Christopher said that she has to be very open on the matter because it seems as if they are ready to plunge into a $153M debt.
"And my question really is who is going to pay for it? Is it the people of the Territory who are already financially strapped; what is the state of our finances in the Territory at this time? Even if the loan is okay by the UK, it still has to take a deeper view just in case we can’t (pay) it back."
She added, "Because we have other loans and we have other needs too. Is this going to bring us up to a borrowing capacity? Right now we are already hearing that the British Pound is on the decline. So even if our loan is approved, as far as I recall, the stance that was taken before is don’t take loans for me (UK) to pay back for you."
The Fifth District Representative said that the tourists will still come to the BVI shores without an expanded runway.
"We are still hoping that BVI Airways will start to move. It wouldn’t cover every corner, but sometimes you need to chew slowly," she said.
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