Skelton Warns NDP Against Blaming Previous Governments
At-Large Representative Ronnie Skelton has warned that a future National Democratic Party (NDP) government should not follow the Virgin Islands Party’s (VIP) example of blaming previous administrations for the territory’s problems instead of taking responsibility for fixing them.
At-Large Representative Ronnie Skelton has warned that a future National Democratic Party (NDP) government should not follow the Virgin Islands Party’s (VIP) example of blaming previous administrations for the territory’s problems instead of taking responsibility for fixing them. On the NDP’s radio programme, Skelton criticised elected officials’ tendency to complain about problems they inherited after promising voters they could deliver solutions. “I hope we don’t do this thing I hear this government doing, saying they inherit this.
I didn’t know you could blame other people for your inheritance,” Skelton stated. “You went out there and told the people you can do all these great things, and now you get in, you’re crying about things you have to fix.” He added: “I am not built that way. If I say I can fix it, I’ll fix it.” Skelton’s comments come amid growing public frustration over persistent water shortages and the government’s repeated assertions that years of neglect by previous administrations contributed to the territory’s infrastructure crisis.
Skelton, in the meantime, acknowledged that the water problems began under an earlier VIP administration, which established water production facilities in the east, creating challenges with distributing water to western communities. He said the subsequent NDP administration attempted to address those problems but lacked sufficient funding.
However, Skelton argued that finger-pointing would not restore reliable water supplies, especially as consumption rises and rainfall declines. “You can’t sit here and just blame people. You just have to find a solution to the problem,” he stressed. He also acknowledged that the current government’s efforts to improve water transmission and reservoir distribution form part of the solution.
Meanwhile, NDP Chairman Marlon Penn endorsed Skelton’s position, insisting that the party is focused on solutions rather than excuses. “None of us are built that way on this team,” Penn declared, explaining that the NDP has been consulting industry professionals to develop practical solutions.
Primary source: BVI News