UPDATE: ‘We have options’ – Opposition members
Chairman of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) and Representative for the Third District Honourable Julian Fraser, RA, Representative of the First District Honourable Andrew A. Fahie and Representative for the Second District and Chairman of the People’s Empowerment Party (PEP) Honourable J. Alvin Christopher at various intervals during this morning’s press conference said that they have options available to them when asked if they will be turning up for the Ninth Sitting of the Third Session of the Second House of Assembly scheduled for Thursday September 11, 2014.
Leader of the Opposition Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE (R9) who was also present said, “I see no reason why the opposition shouldn’t appear, they have been summoned to appear, I see no reason why.”
He further clarified that they can appear and then ask questions. “I said you can appear and then ask questions if everything is right with the Eighth Sitting and you can get it agreed then….then we’ll see exactly what is their intention,” he said.
Responding to questions of the possibility of legal action Hon Fahie said, “I know one thing that I can say is the Speaker cannot be challenged in the House but one still cannot abuse your powers in the House to make sure your ruling is inconsistent with convention and inconsistent with the laws because there are other laws governing your actions. So they are other actions we are considering… and you’ll know about them in the near future.”
Honourable Fraser said that he does not think it is a matter that requires court action but it is one that requires a level of judgment. “Like we stated for the sake of our predecessors and the history of the legacy that they have left the Speaker and the government have to do the right thing,” said Honourable Fraser.
He also noted that there is no way they can win in the House of Assembly because of the numbers on each side but that they have to wait until the House is dissolved when going into general elections.
“So it’s not a matter of us taking this to court but we have options, even at this late stage we have options which I am sure we will exercise depending on the outcome of this current proceeding and further discussions among ourselves,” he added.
Hon Christopher said that foremost are the issues of governance and dealing with matters that ultimately affect the livelihood of the people they were elected to represent.
He also noted that they must however find ‘The’ way of dealing with the matter at hand, “…and we will find it,” he insisted.
He reiterated what was said in the letter of the Speaker of the House Ingrid A. Moses, that re-convening the Eighth Sitting is not practicable. “But I also said that the House of Assembly has certain reserve powers which it can address the record of the Eighth Sitting to reflect what is accurate and right,” he said.
The members of the Opposition all also agreed that the letter of response by Speaker Moses did not address the matter they had written about.
See previous story published on September 9, 2014:
Boycott of HoA looming! Opposition outraged over Speaker’s letter
-Press conference to be held today September 9, 2014 at 10:00 AM at Maria’s By the Sea by Opposition Members
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - The clash between the Opposition Members in the House of Assembly (HoA) led by Opposition Leader Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE and the behaviour of the Speaker Ingrid A. Moses heats up.
Background of how we got here
The Opposition had considered the adjournment of the Eighth Sitting of the Third Session of the Second HoA, sine die when a quorum was lost during a recess illegal.
In response to this Opposition veteran politician Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE fired off a letter to the Speaker of the HoA Ms. Ingrid A. Moses about the illegal adjournment.
The decision to adjourn was taken by Acting Speaker at the time Honourable Delores Christopher (R5).
Hon O’Neal in his letter to the Speaker of the HoA dated August 27, 2014 said, “the matter was reviewed and research conducted and nowhere could I find a basis in the Standing Orders of the HoA or Erskine May which supports the action taken. I have also consulted with my colleagues and they have all corroborated my findings.”
In response to the Leader of the Opposition in a letter dated September 5, 2014, Speaker Moses claimed that the Speaker’s action cannot be appealed. Hon. Moses said that section 9 of the Standing Orders was put in place to safeguard against the issue of a quorum.
At today’s Press conference at 10:00 AM at Maria’s By the Sea in Road Town the Virgin Islands' capital city, the Leader of the Opposition is expected to call for a boycott of Thursday’s September 11, 2014 sitting.
First District Representative Honourable Andrew A. Fahie told our news site in a media invitation that the Opposition will be demanding that the matter be ratified before the next scheduled sitting of the House.
“The main topic of discussion is concern over matters related to the actions of the Speaker and House of Assembly especially, as it relates to the questionable procedures used in adjourning of the Eighth Sitting of the Third Session of the Second House of Assembly and the possible legal ramifications to the Territory, if not rectified forthwith before the next Sitting is convened,” states the invitation.
Opposition members declined to comment or confirm the boycott however one told our news room moments ago “all options are on the table…come with your questions”.
Low regard for HoA by public
The public and at least three former Legislators have already concluded that following the 2011 general elections in the Virgin Islands the House of Assembly has become the biggest embarrassment to the Territory and not a place residents or the youth can look up to for an example of leadership and upholding of laws.
There have been many incidents where Members of the House of Assembly have lied to the public, used indecent and unparliamentarily language, insulted each other and members of the public, broken the rules (Standing Orders) of the House and recently one member was accused of witness tampering, a crime which, in a civilian court, can land one to jail.
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20 Responses to “UPDATE: ‘We have options’ – Opposition members”
Members of the House of Assembly including the new Speaker of the House should know pretty well that Hon. Ralph Tilford O'Neal is the oldest and most seasoned politician alive right now and his departure will not sit well as Leader of the Opposition by breaking the laws and policies of the HOA. So my 3 cents to this government and only 3 cents I am giving back because we have Honourable Members and senior public Servants literally committing white collar crime which the Governor is about to do an inquiry on, is to listen carefully to the Leader of the Opposition and grant his wish for the good governance of the Honourable House. Now let me take my 97 cents and run because this place is about to explode on 911.
What chop logic am I hearing? Just because Ralph O’Neal is the oldest member does not make him most knowledgeable on constitutional matters. The issue is a simple parliamentary issue and one that it appears the opposition does not quite grasp. All these are tactics designed to rile up the people and get their minds away from the real issue which incidentally is; the VIP has no plan and no strategy except to launch criticism at everything. Noise does not win an argument and a lie repeated twenty times is still a lie.