UPDATE - Governor appoints Ralph T. O’Neal as Opposition Leader
According to a press release issued today, His Excellency the Governor Boyd McCleary, CMG, CVO appointed Hon. O’Neal, OBE in accordance with section 70 of the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007 on November 14.
In the article published on Nov. 12, this news agency was informed that in a closed door meeting held on Thursday November 10, 2011 by the four elected members of the now opposition of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), a decision was taken to have 9th district representative and former Premier named as the Opposition Leader.
Under the rules and constitution, a majority in the Opposition will have to make a recommendation to the United Kingdom appointed Governor as to who will lead the members of the opposition party. Only members of the VIP make up the Opposition bench.
The Opposition members are 1st district representative and former Minister for Education and Culture Andrew A. Fahie, 2nd district representative J. Alvin Christopher, 3rd district representative and former Minister for Communications and Works Julian Fraser RA, and 9th district representative and former Premier and Minister for Finance Ralph T. O’Neal OBE.
In the November 7 General Elections, Hon. O’Neal’s VIP was defeated by the now ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) in a 9 to 4 majority.
The VIP lost two cabinet Ministers including the Deputy Premier and former 8th district representative Dancia Penn QC who was knocked out by new comer Marlon Penn and Omar Hodge who served for 32 years and represented the 6th district and was the former Minister for Natural Resources and Labour.
Hodge was defeated in a land slide by new comer Alvera Maduro-Caines, one of the biggest up-sets of the 2011 elections. The VIP also lost all of its three At-Large seats, with wins by the NDP’s Dr. D. Orlando Smith, Ronnie W. Skelton, Myron V. Walwyn, and Archibald Christian. The NDP also picked up the 4th district seat with Mark Vanterpool, and 5th District seat with Delores Christopher. The 7th District Representative Dr. Kedrick Pickering retained his seat.
Tenure of Ralph T. O’Neal as Opposition Leader
It is Virgin Islands News Online understanding from its many sources around the Virgin Islands (VI) that an agreement has been discussed with the four VIP elected members to have Mr. O’Neal hold on to the Opposition Leader’s post for 18 months. However, we were unable to obtain a confirmation as of press time.
It is also unknown if the recommendation signed by all three opposition members ( Fahie, Fraser and Christopher) to recommend Mr. O’Neal for the post of Opposition Leader in the VI second House of Assembly has been advanced to Government House. However, Virgin Islands News Online has confidence in its many sources and as usual will be accurate.
Ralph Telford O’Neal, OBE, born 15 December 1933 was the first person to be appointed to the newly titled office by the Governor on 22 August 2007 under the Virgin Islands Constitution adopted in 2007 after leading the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) to a landslide victory in the 2007 General Elections two days earlier.
Ralph O’Neal also served a previous term as Chief Minister of the Virgin Islands (as the office was referred to under the old constitution) from 1995 (on the death of H. Lavity Stoutt). He won the next election in 1999, but then subsequently became Leader of the Opposition in the 2003 General Elections, and has held a seat in the House of Assembly, formerly the Legislative Council continuously since 1971.
He was educated at University of Oxford where he studied Economics.
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