Gov’t collecting trophies for races they didn’t run — Walwyn

Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn slammed the government for claiming achievements they did not contribute to.

Walwyn described this trend as “collecting trophies for races they didn’t run,” referring to the government’s pride in private sector developments in which they had little involvement. The legislator highlighted key projects such as Peter Island, JOMA Properties, and Nanny Cay, explaining that these initiatives progressed despite government bureaucracy. “Those things had nothing to do with the government,” Walwyn stated. “This Virgin Islands Party government has a way of collecting trophies for races they didn’t run. Lining up on the podium to stand up there and they know they didn’t run no race to win nothing.” He also accused the administration of delaying other projects due to inefficiency. “I am sure, based on the government bureaucracy, that they are holding up a lot of those things in the pipeline from coming to where they need to come to,” Walwyn added.

Tourism industry decline

A former Minister of Education under the NDP administration, Walwyn expressed concern about the state of the tourism sector, which he said was “dying on the vine.” Walwyn pointed out that competitor destinations like St Kitts and St Vincent are securing major hotel developments, such as Ritz-Carlton and Sandals. Meanwhile, the BVI has failed to attract similar investments. “Our tourism product remains stagnant,” he said, attributing the decline to poor planning and a lack of a national tourism strategy.