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by pltm
(PLTM) - It was a clash that the Speaker of the House of Assembly stopped from playing out in her chambers, as Hon. Myron Walwyn and Hon. Andrew Fahie traded words on monies spent to set up a medical school system for the Territory.
On Tuesday, March 21 during the House of Assembly sitting, Hon. Walwyn, Minister of Education and Culture said that under his watch, the framework for a medical school and other offshore schools is being set up in the BVI without the National Democratic Party (NDP) government having to spend a penny at this stage.
He alleged that former Education Minister, Hon. Fahie could have done the same thing, but he went ahead and allowed government to spend over $600,000 for a consultant to explore the establishment of medical schools.
Hon. Walwyn was speaking on the Motion to allow for the establishment of a Higher Education Licensing Board and for Professor Arthur G. Richardson (Professor Emeritus, UWI) to be appointed as the Chairman of the Board.
Previously, a bill was passed in the House of Assembly to allow for offshore universities to operate here.
Hon. Fahie, who is now the Opposition Leader, did not allow the comments to go unchallenged. It was at this time that the two members traded words for some ten minutes. During this time, Speaker Hon. Ingrid Moses-Scatliffe made several attempts to quell the situation, to the point where she took offense to comments made by Minister Walwyn.
"Hon. Minister of Education and Culture, take a seat please...You mentioned about speaking the truth. I would have thought that every member of the House of Assembly would be speaking the truth, so I don’t understand that comment you made about speaking the truth."
The Speaker added, "Because if you are suggesting that other persons are not speaking the truth, which I don’t take very kindly of..."
The Speaker then mentioned section 38 (4) of the Standing Orders, which speaks to insulting language, and that no member should use his privilege to defame an individual who is not a member of the House.
"…It seems very clear that we want to go down that path and I am not going to allow the discussions to go down that path. Can the Hon. Minister of Education kindly wrap up the debate and keep within the confines of the Standing Orders, and Hon. Leader of the Opposition, I have made my point clear," the Speaker stated.
The $600K Consultancy
The issue stemmed from comments made by Hon. Walwyn that he did not have to spend any money for the realization of medical schools. He then alleged that Hon. Fahie as minister was advised by a Committee set up to examine the Medical School, to not go in the direction of the consultancy.
Minister Walwyn said that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) needs to look into the matter since over $600,000 was spent on the consultancy.
In 2010, under the former Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government, Hon. Fahie who was the Education Minister had announced that Government had signed a contract for $551,922.00 with Effect Incorporated. The company which is out of Virginia, United States of America, was to determine whether medical schools were suitable to be established in the Territory.
"I said that I was able to get this done without one penny of the Government money being spent; because all that you needed to do was to set the legislation up…There is a company that came in here called Effect Inc. that walked away with six hundred, two thousand three hundred and forty five dollars, of the public’s money for something I did for free," Minister Walwyn said yesterday.
He added, "For something that could have been done for free...I am would be the PAC to look into this matter because it’s a very troubling matter, but how can you justify?"
Minister Walwyn said there is no excuse for what Hon. Fahie did.
"...Something is dreadfully wrong and it needs to be looked into …If I can get the legislation done for free and have the medical schools waiting on me, how can you explain over $600,00 of...money for foolishness."
Not Getting Away With It
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader, Hon. Fahie contested what Hon. Walwyn alleged. He said that he could not have been advised otherwise by the committee at the time because the consultancy was already done.
Hon. Fahie said that he knows that due to the political atmosphere, the Minister is attempting to muddy the water and create a form of distraction.
"I know where the minister is going and want to cast aspersions on my character as the former minister, but this is the first I am hearing this. I had a board in place that concluded that and didn’t bring it to me, well I must have been fast asleep," Hon. Fahie stated.
He said, "I understand what the minister is doing, I understand the politics side of it; it went through the tendering process."
Hon. Fahie said he knows Hon. Walwyn's aim.
"I know the nature of the Minister, he wants to make it look like Fahie spent $500,000 and nothing. So I just want to tell the minister if that (advise against consultancy) existed it never came to me as minister. The board that was in never told me that…That is intentionally misleading the people."
The First District Representative added, "…The member is trying to cloudy and muddy the water and I know what he is doing but I will not sit here and let the Member go down that road uncontested. The Member is giving this House things that are not factually. The board came after the consultants were hired."
The National Democratic Party (NDP) administration then took office a year later hence, the status of the report and the position of the new government at time was unknown.
"The Minister (Fahie) was not part of the process, there was a tendering process, competition bidding, and a direction the government (VIP) was going. If he (Walwyn) shifted the direction that is fine...," Hon. Fahie concluded.
He also mentioned that the Minister should be aware that he cannot direct the PAC to probe matter.
"I understand what this about, I want the government to know that this time will not end like the last time, it will not end like the last time."
Hon. Fahie said, "I will not let them cast aspersions on my character because that is what he is trying to do because of the current atmosphere of politics in the territory. Not going to get away with that."
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