Hon Fraser Out! Hon Fahie In! as Opposition Leader
This comes on the heels of a nasty fight for the post of Opposition Leader between Hons Fraser and Fahie, which has threatened to damage the VIP.
The Governor’s alleged decision also comes amid arguments by Hon Fraser that the Governor had already made his decision and chosen him as Opposition Leader and was not likely to intervene in the squabbles of a political party.
“On February 6th, 2017, together with other considerations, as the new Chairman and Political Leader of the Virgin Islands Party, I was appointed by His Excellency the Governor as Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition,” Hon Fahie stated.
Expressing words of gratitude, including to the delegates of the VIP Congress, the executive body and the wider membership of the Virgin Islands Party for their confidence in him as the fourth Chairman of the Party, Hon Fahie also extended a hand to Hon Fraser.
“Kind words of friendship and sincere words of unity are extended to the immediate past Chairman and Member of the third District, Hon Julian Fraser, RA. I am convinced that together, we will achieve more.”
Efforts to reach Hon Fraser for a comment on the announcement were futile.
Mammoth task lies ahead
Meanwhile, Hon Fahie said as he assumes the post of Leader of the Opposition, he is keenly aware of the mammoth task that lies immediately ahead of the territory.
“Each of the documents: The Virgin Islands Constitutional Order 2007; The Protocols for Effective Financial Management; The Financial Management Act 2004; The Standing Orders of the House of Assembly and indeed other documents each direct the duties and responsibilities of this office. What is not written is the need, if not the requirement, to solicit the views of the public and to have such views and goals properly represented in the House of Assembly, whether by Government or by Opposition.”
With the many challenges ahead, Hon Fahie said it is incumbent on both Government and Opposition to work together to improve and maximise the potentials of the economic pillars of Tourism and Financial Services; work together to explore those “illusive” third and fourth pillars of farming and fishing; work together to effectively and with compassion, align expenditure with realistic forecasted income and work together to effect the best educated and most highly trained citizens at every level.
He also said it is the duty of the Opposition to ensure that Government adheres to the guidelines and sound principles of Accountability, Transparency and Good Governance, adding that maximising the value received for monies expended should not be a fleeting thought nor must it be viewed as a non-attainable goal.
“I would take advice and conduct a full assessment of where we are as an Opposition; where we need to be as an Opposition and how best to get there. In short, there is a great deal of work to be done. I thank the Governor for the discharge of his duties as outlined in the Constitution, and I pledge to work amicably with him in the discharge of my duties as Leader of the Opposition.”
.png)
Follow Us On
35 Responses to “Hon Fraser Out! Hon Fahie In! as Opposition Leader”
Fraser wins - 1st Chairmanship contest, 1st Opposition leader contest.
Fahie wins - 2nd Chairmanship contest, 2nd Opposition leader contest.
Fraser strategic fumbles and losses -
1. 2 - 11 in the 2015 elections,
2. loss of confidence by party candidates for the position of Opposition leader in 1st contest.
3. not resigning as Chairman after the election losses.
4. not resigning as Opposition Leader after being dethroned as Chairman.
Fahie strategic passes and moves -
1. make friends with the governor.
2. learn from your mistakes (in a 2 member opposition, the Governor appoints the Chairman as the leader of the Opposition).
3. bring in a sap (Dr. Uhuru) to do your dirty work (Also thank Malone for the assist by resigning).
4. have no god damn shame (as you smile in Fraser's face while stabbing in the back).
As predicted, Fahie is ahead. Fraser, once the incredible hulk, now looks like the credible wimp.
The Super Bowl, last night was almost as exciting as this.
We await the next round.
(2) The Governor shall appoint as the Leader of the Opposition -
(a) a member of the House of Assembly recommended by a majority of the elected members of the House who members of any opposition party whose numerical strength in the House is greater than that of any other opposition party; or (only one party in the Opposition so the Governor appointed the leader of the party at the time election as Leader of the Opposition.);
(b) if there is no such party or if no recommendation is made under paragraph (a), the member of the House of Assembly who in the judgment of the Governor is best able to command the support of the members of the House in opposition to the Government (this sub-section could not apply as there could be no majority of 1 and there would be no agreement as to the other between Fraser and Fahie)
(3) If at any time between the polling in a general election and the next following dissolution of the House of Assembly the Governor is satisfied that, if the office of the Leader of the Opposition were then vacant, he or she would appoint to that office a person other than the person then holding that office, the Governor shall revoke the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition (this sub-section appears to give the Governor a wide discretion remove and appoint a Leader of the Opposition as he thinks fit and for these purposes can treat the position as vacant, even if it was occupied by someone else).
While the Governor's discretion is clearly there, I wonder if this was an appropriate exercise of discretion by the Governor. It may set a wide precedent and it would mean, for example, that if the VIP or any party for that matter, changes its party leader 6 times in a year (because its constitution indicates that its party leader should be the Leader of the Opposition), that the Governor may feel obliged to disrupt the House of Assembly to revoke and appoint, six times a year. Respectfully, I do not believe that this was the intent of this subsection.
It seems to me that Hon. Fraser was the Leader of the Opposition at the time of the last election. Whether there were changes in the internal party structure, he should have remained the Leader of the Opposition until another election at which point the new Chairman of the party wins a seat in the new Government, at which point he could be appointed. The issue of the VIP's constitution should be an irrelevant consideration to matters of constitutional paramount. If any party wanted to ensure that a sitting Leader of the Opposition ceases to act as such once he is no longer in the party, then the constitution of that party should be draconian enough to achieve that without (for example, terminating his membership in the party if he does not willingly relinquish the Leader of the Opposition post) seeking assistance from the supreme law of the land to help them to achieve this goal. I am not sure if Hon. Fraser would challenge this but for the sake of building jurisprudence in this territory, it would be interesting to have the view of the judiciary on this point. Although the discretionary aspect of the Governor's decision may be kept in tact by the courts (as it is hard to challenge the use of a discretion), I am sure that it might lead to some form of constitutional amendment or revisit, as this could not be the intention of the drafters of the VI Constitution 2007. If so, then section 70 is a floodgate provision and should be revisited now that the gates have surely been opened.
There are no Pilates in this tory though. The Hon Fahie is not blameless. Having won the VIP chairperson position, he publically stated that he was not interested in the Leader of the Opposition position. I'm on record as stating that he should have left well enough alone, for the Leader of the Opposition issue would have sorted itself out. There was precedent for Hon Fraser staying on, e.g., Hon Ralph O'Neal serving as Leader of the Opposition after Fraser bested Fahie for chairperson of the VIP. Perhaps, Ralph should have stepped aside. But that is water under the bridge. Will this issue create a trust issue for Fahie? Fahie won the battle but will it pose obstacles to winning the war? If in the next election VIP wins 6 seats and NDP wins 6 seats and Fraser holds the remaining seat, who will he side with? Will he demand to be Premier? Who will break ranks to facilitate forming a government?
Make mistakes but place this one big and bold. GOD