‘Rosewood Little Dix resort closure would have cost NDP election’ – Hon Julian Fraser RA
Honourable Fraser made the comments in an exclusive interview with this news site on the recently announced upcoming closure for 18 months of Rosewood Little Dix Bay Resort on Virgin Gorda, which will see some 300 plus persons placed on the breadline when the business closes for 18 months from May 1, 2016 for renovation.
“This is a government which called a snap election by dissolving Parliament seven months before it was constitutionally due, and between the dates of the premature election of June 8, 2015, and the mature election date February 2016, we saw the closing of Biras Creek Hotel, the commissioning of the BiWater Sewage Treatment Plant, and now the closure of Rosewood Little Dix Bay Hotel and Resort. All of these matters would have been devastating news for the NDP had the election process ran its course,” Honourable Fraser said.
You have my support
He said that to comment on the closure of Rosewood Little Dix Bay Hotel and Resort on Virgin Gorda for a year and a half is as painful as the effects of the closure itself.
“First, I'll like to acknowledge the 300 employees who will be directly affected, and let them know that they have my support in the trying months ahead. But more importantly, that I find their abandonment by the government to be insensitive and totally unacceptable,” said Honourable Fraser.
The Opposition Leader hit out at the man he had hoped to replace after the election, Premier Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith, saying that he must speak of the closure in financial terms and not just being philosophical about it.
“As a former Minister for Labour, I find it difficult to believe that what is without question the largest employer on Virgin Gorda, and oldest multinational corporate citizen in the Virgin Islands, would suddenly, and disrespectfully decide to take such a dastardly action without first discussing it with government,” he said.
He said that while he believes it is too late for Government to do anything about the closing date, he thinks that if government has the will, and the interest of the community and the people first, they can exact some serious and meaningful concession from Rosewood Little Dix Bay Hotel and Resort.
We can't lose sight of bigger picture
“While our fixation is on the 300 employees, and I do agree that they come first, we cannot lose sight that the operation at Rosewood Little Dix Bay Hotel and Resort is a part of an entire industry which must now deal with the devastating financial consequences of the domino effects, which includes air land and sea transportation of goods and services, local vendors, including dining to name a few,” said Honourable Fraser.
The Premier must give the territory a full and detailed breakdown of what the Financial and Social impact this closure will have on the territory, he said.
“For too long government has been allowed to control the narrative on politics, the economy, and the truths, leaving us a people numb to any form of personal assessment to the point where we believe everything we hear,” he said, adding that it is hard for him to believe that only now is Premier Smith knowing about these developments of Little Dix Bay and others.
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37 Responses to “‘Rosewood Little Dix resort closure would have cost NDP election’ – Hon Julian Fraser RA”
VIP lost the election because you are the leader!
Wait there is more to come YCCS closing for 1 year or maybe more? and Bitter End cutting staff also? THING 2 TALK
Nevertheless, his saying that LDB closure would have cost NDP the snap election is just hyperbole. It just playing a what if if it were game. The VIP lost the election because the snap election caught it flat footed and it was not nimble enough to respond, 2) it did not lay out strong reasons for unseating an incumbent government, 3) its slate of candidates ( where are they now?) did not match up well with NDP's, 4) it failed to exploited NDP 's weaknesses, 5) there was lack of confidence in the leadership, 6) it lacked a strong cohesive plan of action and milestones for the future........etc. The electorate did not vote for the NDP; it voted against the VIP. Many candidates rode the anti VIP wave. The VIP needs a complete revamping to draw a strong slate of candidates for future elections. Some members may have to put their egos aside for the good of the party, if it were to experience a resilience. Sometimes to save a patient, the physician have to amputate a limb.
Moreover, citizens have higher expectations for service delivery and require more close up interaction with politicians and other government officials. As such though generally it is a private company's responsiblilty to apprise employees of changes in business operations, workers expect to hear from government on some business operations decisions. As such, consistent with a business' expected social and cooperate responsibility commitments, a joint effort with government in communicating with employees on some business operations changes is beneficial. The closure of Rosewood LDB for 18 months for much needed renovations in my view qualifies as a good joint venture..
they lost the election yet?
This must be a joke. The dead party he killed is the reason Mr. Fraise.
What would his father do?