MP Robinson On Bermuda Tourism Authority
“I once again call on the Minister of Tourism to break his silence on the Government’s plans for tourism and the Bermuda Tourism Authority as it seems to be crumbling from the top,” Shadow Tourism Minister Dwayne Robinson said.
Mr Robinson said, “The public has now heard conflicting reports of the internal issues within the Bermuda Tourism Authority and the administrative leave of CEO Tracy Berkeley.
“But the matter is no longer internal due to several leaks. The board, led by its acting chairman, needs to set the record straight for the public.
“Allowing rumours and conflicting stories to thrive in the public domain only further damages the reputation of the BTA. If the CEO and another member of the executive team have been placed on administrative leave, how can another member of that same team now be appointed as acting CEO?
“I once again call on the Minister of Tourism to break his silence on the Government’s plans for tourism and the Bermuda Tourism Authority as it seems to be crumbling from the top.
“He also needs to address the allegations of Ministerial overreach and interference substantiated by an inside source, who has now spoken publicly.
“The Minister is meant to safeguard the peoples’ investment into the BTA, and help ensure proper return on investment. That does not seem to be the case and the Minister has yet to reassure the public that he has met with the BTA and the organisation is able to operate effectively despite inner turmoil.
“It is clear that a new CEO is not enough and Ms Berkeley should not be the only person left holding the bag. The organization’s problems cannot be attributed to just two executives.
“They had layers of oversight, which apparently was not effective in helping them succeed. More wholesale changes are needed if the BTA is to recover.
“There must be representation from the Bermuda Hotel Association, Bermuda Taxi Owners and Operator Association, Minibus operators, the Bermuda Rental Association of Vacation-Home Owners, restauranteurs, and other tourism stakeholders, along with a firm commitment from the BTA Board to enact the solutions from the recent culture review.”
“I once again call on the Minister of Tourism to break his silence on the Government’s plans for tourism”
Dear Mr. Robinson, your statement assumes that there is a plan. If there is no plan, there is no silence to break.
The Minister is the one who called for the investigation.
The Board are the ones who the executive report to.
MP Robinson is purely looking for political points rather than an actual plan.
Options – you can pick more than one:
1. Bring back Bill Hanbury (if he is still alive) to clean house and start all over.
2. Fire everyone, and 100% outsource the work, most of which is already being done by third parties.
3. Fire everyone and do away with the BTA. Let our tourism & business organizations do their thing.
4. Your options.
The BTA was created to work for all of Bermuda, not just those politically connected people and businesses (as was historically the case).
Sadly, the PLP Government could not allow the BTA to remain independent. It had to change the law so that the BTA must bend to the will of the Minister. That has changed everything.
ACCOUNTABILITY. I O I
In the UK it is called getting the sack. Amerivan cal it getting fired .
Quick and easy way out s asking for a timely resignation .
They cant fire people unless there is justifiable reason to do so.
Bermuda is a country of laws they can not just willy nilly fire people for no aparant or other than a real unforgivable justifyable reason as every one be it political or other wise are entitled to their day in court with out laws relating to ACOUTABILITY BY LAW to exploit the reason or reason’s why , all hands are tied to make further progress in order to do so requires Accountability.
If i made an error which was rare , ‘the secret to that was double check work’ to uncover what went out of balance, the number never lie .
” Money is the root of all evil “. if they can get away with it .
On occasion I did no not get out from my office at 5:00 PM which I will say was rare , until i had rectified the problem to my fullest satisfaction that is a mark of true and unadulterated pofecialism especially when large quantities of the public’s money were at stake .