Exclusive: Fraser confident ahead of May 28 VIP elections
“As the chairman of the party it is expected it will be someone who will be able to take the Territory from the malaise it is in right now to the prosperity we enjoyed back in the early 2000s,” he said, speaking exclusively to Virgin Islands News Online yesterday April 30, 2014.
“I am not saying it is a lock…I have to solicit the support of the people who are responsible for the votes. I am not sure who all the candidates will be but I am sure that they too will be seeking the support and seeking it with as much force as they can,” Hon Fraser said.
“And I am confident that the VIP will emerge with a new Executive and that executive will have the mandate of the Congress and with the Congress being a representative of the general populace, will have the support of the general populace,” he said.
Deep wounds
“The VIP has to go through a plastic surgery. There are a lot of deep wounds and a lot of calluses and only the right person from among those who are nominated will be capable of healing those wounds,” said Hon Fraser.
“We can’t be just as good as the NDP. We have to be better than the NDP in order to beat the NDP at the next general elections,” he said. “I have seen the mistakes that this Government has made. I have been in Government long enough to know that these things that they have done and are doing have failed,” he said.
“They must change and I know exactly what needs to be done to have them changed,” he said.
He said that the meeting of the Virgin Islands Party held on the evening of April 23, 2014 has proven to be productive and a success. He said that this meeting was convened to allow the general membership to air their grievances after not having had a meeting since August 2011.
“As you know, that same date was originally set by the Party's Chairman for election of Officers to the Executive Committee to which a meeting was announced. However, upon further consultation as it appears, that meeting was cancelled and replaced with what was a General Meeting for the party's membership,” Fraser said.
He noted that among the persons giving remarks were the current sitting Virgin Islands Party members of the House of Assembly including the Chairman Hon Ralph T. O'Neal OBE and Fraser himself. “Upon opening the floor to comments, party members spoke of their dissatisfaction with the dysfunctional state of the party; the failure of the party to represent the needs of its supporters; and demanded a clear plan of action going forward,” he said.
“As a leader I found it out of character and frankly, poor judgment for me to have addressed the members without revisiting the hurt experienced (and still being experienced) by some candidates on the party's 2011 ticket. Some members felt that they were betrayed, and their campaign sabotaged from within. So I felt, and continue to feel, that if left unaddressed will serve to do more harm than good,” said Fraser.
VIP must comply with its constitution
“The Virgin Islands Party in order to move forward, must act to become compliant with its own constitution, the constitution which requires that election of officers to the Executive Committee be conducted no later than three months after a general election to the Virgin Islands Legislature if the party is unsuccessful in forming the government," said Fraser during his interview with this news site.
He said that this provision of the constitution has been breached in that those elections of officers came due on February 7, 2012, and the party's failure to elect an executive has served to render the Executive Committee de-facto.
“That being the case the party faithfuls were desperately awaiting word on a date for such elections, and the meeting did not disappoint when an agreement was reached and the date May 28, 2014 was announced,” Hon Fraser said.
He said that it is the first time in the party's over 40 years history that its leadership was faced with a challenge for control.
Virgin Islands in peril
“There is no argument that the Virgin Islands are in peril, as we continue to suffer the effects of failed economic policies by a government whose interpretation of the well-established and tested economic model known as ‘economic stimulus’, is spend, spend, spend, which demonstrates their immaturity in fiscal policies,” he said.
“The next leader of these Virgin Islands will be challenged with orchestrating the tune to which a skeptical and demanding international financial market, and a heavily dependent domestic community must dance. The challenge is open to the Virgin Islands Party. The next Chairman must be such a person,” he said.
“Until such a person with the requisite experience and knowledge of the international community is in that position (of Chairman) we cannot expect that anything would be different,” he said.
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60 Responses to “Exclusive: Fraser confident ahead of May 28 VIP elections”
to this article. He knows how we got in this mess obviously, he
was a part of it. He still knows everything as he indicate and dont solicit
or take advice which is a fact.
This is more entertaining than the cancelled music fest.
Wow. What an indictment of Ralph by Fraser.
Will he uphold the laws? Will he be transparent? Will he be competing with NDP and their development manifesto? I asked him why permits were bypassed and action were above the law and he said that that's the way old-timers think. that's the way it was always done. It is a new world and he can't bully the way Vanterpool does and call it better. No minister is above the law!! Fraser's ego is too big and dangerous.
We need a leader who is less of a lightening rod and more of a compromiser and uniter. Fraser is not that man, but I don't know what the answer is...
This article is about Fraser being the single leader. He may be decisive now but it is worth looking at his track record if he is to be elected as such. If you start giving violators a pass "because they are human", then the rule of law gets ignored. As stated above, Fraser has been doing a good job at calling out the NDP. My point is I hope he will act differently, because frankly, I don't think he is very trust-worthy. I am not alone with critical comments as you pointed out. If one person says you have a tail you could ignore them. but if several people say you have a tail- you better look around. You seem to forgive the many transgressions politicians exercise as a matter of "political landscape". Why can't we strive to do better, or are we destined to be stuck with the political "history of BVI".?
You NDP still with these campaign propaganda? We now have the facts: The NDP told us VIP emptied the Reserves, we now find out that they lied. The NDP told us the VIP left the country broke, we now find out that they lied after learning about the many over priced consultants, airport & port multimillion dollar projects, over priced one night dinner & speechwriter; 10yr old millions in payment to cronies for airport; over priced manse road, Craft Alive project, Georgie Hill, & many more projects by the NDP.
The one most unforgivable act that has damaged this country financially is the NDP's Santo eternity corrupt hospital construction project which sucked & is sucking the Treasury dry but ayo want us to leave that alone & forget it while you try to blame others for the nonsense Ronnie & the NDP has done. Millions & millions & millions & more gone through the hospital door thanks to the can't do no wrong NDP.
The NDP is the political party of choice & majority but it is obvious to most of us now that they got the office through lies and malicious behavior and now it is coming back to haunt them which I don't mind but we the people suffering also which is where I have a problem. THE NDP MUST GO NOW!
My country will be saved.
VOTE VIP and FRASER all the way