With House of Assembly (HoA) Speaker, Hon Julian Willock moving on June 17, 2019, to drop the Appeal Court hearing against Fourth District Representative-Elect, Mr Mark H. Vanterpool, Radio Host and Social Commentator, Julio S. Henry in commending the move, has said that Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie’s (R1) conscience played a factor in him stepping in a pacifier. Photo: VINO/File

Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1), has asked Speaker of the House of Assembly (HoA) Hon Julian Willock, right, to reconsider his position and swear in Mr Mark H. Vanterpool, left, as a Member of the HoA at the next sitting. Photo: Facebook/VINO/File

While the Premier, on the Thursday, June 20, 2019, edition of ‘Hard Talk’ on Tola Radio VI, came in for high praise over the move to formally ask Speaker Willock to end the saga, Mr Henry has urged the government to implement steps to make sure the situation doesn’t replicate in the future. 

Bold Steps

“I want to big up the Premier for at-least taking the step, the bold step as part of his 100 days report, that his conscience got the best of him, he weighed all options, he looked at the situation.. and he reached out and said to the Speaker… hey let’s go ahead and sign him in,” Henry told his listening audience.

Premier Fahie noted that he viewed the matter over the swearing in of Mr Vanterpool as an issue that has been hanging over the territory for an inordinate amount of time, and further pointed to it as a “source of discord and bitterness among persons,” according to a statement released on Sunday, June 16, 2019.

According to Mr Henry, “That was the right move from a long time, but I think the premier is a very thoughtful guy, he likes to think things out, and he wants to see others' options. But people like me were already saying hey, if it was me, sign him in.”

Henry further implored, “As the government what I would be doing next is I would be putting all the things in place, as to stop something like this from ever happening again. Or if it happened, you have a way to deal with it.”

Final Outcome 

However, even as Hon Fahie has moved to interrupt the legal process with the House Speaker obliging, the Premier expressed support for Hon Willock’s pursuit of the case through all legal avenues.

“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,” Premier Fahie noted in his statement.

The Speaker, through his lawyers at Veritas Law, had said, the “matter is of such judicial importance that this is an opportunity for the Country to set a precedent in an area that has gone too long untouched.”

With Speaker Willock moving to discontinue his Notice of Appeal, the public awaits the next sitting of the VI House of Assembly (HoA) for the final outcome and a legal roadmap on the way forward.