In a recent declaration to the people of the Virgin Islands, local attorney Daniel Robert F. Davies has made his declaration to seek a seat in the upcoming April 24th general elections.
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The statement read, “After much thought, I, Daniel Robert F. Davies, have decided to enter into this race as an INDEPENDENT AT-LARGE CANDIDATE as I believe I have a lot to offer these Virgin Islands. I am professional, knowledgeable, caring and efficient. But most of all I am a passionate fighter. Over the years I have contributed to the Virgin Islands by:
- conducting a number of legal cases and providing a lot of legal advice at little or no cost,
- assisting in the clean-up of a small business in the aftermath of the August 2017 floods,
- contributing to the discussions of the recovery and redevelopment plans following Hurricane Irma,
- iv) lobbying for the inclusion of a youth representative in the RDA legislation,
- fighting to ensure that our democracy was not hindered by a partial suspension of the Constitution,
- participating in constitutional review discussions and
- fighting against the manifestly unjust Police Bill 2023.
In speaking on issues he plans to address if elected, Davies outlined the following:
- social justice,
- access to justice,
- strengthening our constitutional rights,
- iv) fixing our economy and
- providing better opportunities for our youth.
He further stated, “If elected, I will push for higher wages, the creation of a legal aid clinic as a statutory body, the provision of opportunities for our youth both locally and abroad, fight to ensure that everyone in the country is treated fairly and that it is less expensive and tiresome to do business within the Virgin Islands. As I see it, there are several issues that we face as a country, in particular there is a lack of fairness within our banking system specifically in regards to how customers are treated, their ability to access financing and the glaring lack of proper banking facilities in our sister islands. We must put in place regulations to specifically deal with how banks treat their customers. We must also do whatever is necessary to ensure that the people of the Virgin Islands have ready access to capital and that our sister islands have proper and easy access to banking services.
YOUTH DEVLOPMENT
In addressing Youth Development which continues to be of great concern to residents, Davies said, “With respect to the youth, governance over the years has led to very little opportunities for younger people in the Virgin Islands, and with the economy currently reeling, the situation is becoming even more dire. Countries such as the United Kingdom have made arrangements with other countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to allow younger persons to work in those countries for a limited period of time. There is no reason as to why we should not try to make similar arrangements.”
LACK OF JUSTICE
Davies, an attorney by profession also addressed what he calls a lack of access to justice. He said, “The lack of access to justice is a major issue in BVI as the cost of obtaining a lawyer is quite high. Access to justice is a human right. A publicly funded legal aid clinic is a must, to ensure that every member and every economic level of our community will be able to vindicate their rights.”