Premier Fahie asks Speaker to swear in Mark H. Vanterpool to HoA
Premier Fahie stated his position via a statement released today, June 16, 2019.
According to Premier Fahie, the stalemate is undermining the harmony and family spirit which is the soul of our society.
“After much consultation, meditation and prayer, I have decided to ask the Honourable Speaker of the House of Assembly to reconsider his position and to swear-in Mr Mark H. Vanterpool as the representative for the 4th District at the next Sitting of the House of Assembly.
“No political or legal victory – whether you are right or you are wrong – is worth the loss of our soul,” Premier Fahie stated.
‘A slap in the face of democracy’
Hon Fahie noted that his request is “without prejudice to the strong legal and moral stance” that has been adopted by the Honourable Speaker.
He added that he is firmly of the view, based on advice received, that the 4th District seat was indeed vacated by the resignation of Mr Vanterpool on March 5, 2019 - a mere 8 days after the February 25, 2019 General Election and 7 days before the 4th House of Assembly was convened to commence business.
“One of the reasons I felt the Speaker was right to pursue this matter to the fullest extent in the courts is because the fiasco created by Mr Vanterpool exposed an apparent lacuna in the Constitution; one that should be adjudicated upon for future reference.”
Hon Fahie clarified that regardless of Mr Vanterpool’s “erroneous addressing” of his resignation letter, “he was pellucidly clear in his video address of his intention to abandon his responsibility to the constituents who elected him, albeit by a very small margin.”
“His conduct was a slap in the face of our democracy, an insult to the constituents of the 4th District - in particular those electors who voted for Mr Vanterpool, and a betrayal of the sacred trust that forms when a constituent gives their vote to a nominee for office.”
According to Hon Fahie, Mr Vanterpool made a mockery of representative politics.
Welfare of territory comes first- Premier Fahie
Premier Fahie added that, notwithstanding all that is wrong with Mr Vanterpool’s conduct, the welfare of the territory comes first. And in this regard, he has humbly intimated to the Honourable Speaker that it is his view that the time has come for the territory to move past this dark episode so that the House of Assembly and the people of the territory can focus on some of the very pressing issues that require urgent attention.
“While the four Territorial At Large representatives, who belong to the government, have been providing excellent representational support to the constituents of the 4th District, I believe that this still hamstrings the constituents compared to the citizens of the other 8 electoral districts, which have an individual District Representative as well as the support of the four Territorial At Large representatives.”
“As I have strived to emphasise since the start of this fiasco on March 5, under the Westminster Parliamentary system, the Speaker has authority over the management of the affairs of the House – not the Executive. Therefore, it is ultimately left to the judgement and authority of the Speaker to do as he believes best in line with the responsibilities and duties of his office.
“I hope these words help to bring some resolution to this unfortunate and messy situation.”
Mr Vanterpool needs to answer for millions in accounted funds
Hon Fahie said he welcomes the presence of Mr Vanterpool in the House of Assembly as he believes there are a number of distressing issues with which he is ideally equipped to assist the territory as a minister of the immediate past administration.
“One such issue is the accounting for tens of millions of dollars sunk into the Pier Park project for which the paperwork has conveniently vanished.”
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Hon Willock did not immediately respond to queries from our newsroom. It is also unclear when the next sitting of the HoA would be held.
See link to related article:
http://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/en/news/speaker-willock-moves-to-court-of-appeal
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34 Responses to “Premier Fahie asks Speaker to swear in Mark H. Vanterpool to HoA”
“One such issue is the accounting for tens of millions of dollars sunk into the Pier Park project for which the paperwork has conveniently vanished.””
.... he is to be sworn in ... to account for the millions ...
Therefore,the most I will say on this matter is ["Hon.Fahie is one of the most honest human being who ever represented people"].