The Premier congratulated Joma Properties and James Todman Construction and we should too.
The one (Joma) is performing as it should. For they are capitalists and the community expects that capitalists spawned on its shores have a responsibility to continue to invest in the state.
The other (James Todman Construction) shows the community what is possible with a learned skill, hard work and wise investments.
They are both success stories and BVI is immensely proud of them.
The Premier also noted that “the private sector has to play a larger role in driving the economy. It can’t be the government alone.”
The gauntlet has been thrown down although the challenge is most unfair because the government has been hampering the growth of the private sector for years by inefficiently providing services, if at all, and not giving adequate incentives to attract and maintain investors.
And where those incentives exist, the nightmare of trying to access them is too stressful and time-consuming.
COI has not helped. Much in officialdom has come to a trickle for bureaucrats and Ministers alike are afraid of their own shadows and are reluctant to act.
Inefficiency is at an all-time high.
So, apart from trying to defend its market position from the state, the private sector has been doing much that falls to the remit of government.
We will not bother to mention that the private sector has been building and outfitting schools, sponsoring student activities, cleaning up and beautifying communities and assisting with development programmes among other things.
No questions are asked of the government regarding its stewardship with taxes. The infrastructure speaks for itself.
Still, the Premier is to be commended for his initiative to rebuild the marine sector which took a massive hit while he sat, mute, at the right hand of the father.
Under the guise of upholding the law, which, according to Charles Dickens is “an ass, an idiot,” incalculable harm was done to the sector and to BVI tourism.
Now, we will also throw down a gauntlet of our own.
We need a national think tank. The government thinks in four-year blocks and that does not work for the Territory.
The think tank’s work should drive the policy agenda of the state resulting in an improved quality of life for the inhabitants regardless of which government is in power. It can be made up of various subgroups. For example:
-Economics and business
-Mental health and social services
-Health and education
-Tourism and infrastructure
-Financial Services and new business
-National pride and nation building
-Youth and sports
-Governance
Then we should have an annual National Day of Planning where the leaders of the subgroups make their presentations and help the government to decide what the BVI needs to make her viable again.
We have experts in BVI from many countries, professions and walks of life. Invite them to serve. That is what made America great. She took the expertise and ideas from the best global brains.
And that is what may help to revive the territory.
And in that vein, not just the private sector but all BVI will be involved in growing the economy.
We wonder if the government will have the courage to accept the challenge.
Regardless, Fridays will advocate.
Happy Friday!