‘We’re ready for early elections! – Hon Julian Fraser RA
Speaking to this news site today April 30, 2015, Hon Fraser was reacting to Premier Dr The Hon D. Orlando Smith who announced earlier today that the House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands will be dissolved tomorrow, May 1, 2015, paving the way for elections to be held sometime in late May or June, 2015.
Premier Smith first made the announcement while speaking to ZBVI Radio. According to the Virgin Islands Constitutional Order of 2007, a general election shall be held at such time within two months, but not earlier than twenty-one days after every dissolution of the House of Assembly, as the Governor shall appoint by proclamation published in the Gazette.
VIP ready; early elections disservice to territory
“Make no mistake about it…the Virgin Islands Party will be prepared to contest the next general elections,” said Hon Fraser.
“The announcement by the Premier came as no surprise to me given the flurry of activity that has been taking place over the past few days,” he said.
“I am baffled, nonetheless, by what seems to be a premature election given that the territory had up to February 2016. It is a disservice to the territory given that there are so many things left undone. The administration had three years and six months to resolve the water distribution issue…they have a number of infrastructure road works going on none of which is close to completion,” he said.
Hon Fraser also spoke about the landside development of the cruise pier development project, noting that not all of the financing has been found. He said that with the territory possibly going into another administration it is a mystery as to where the balance of the funding is coming from for this project.
He said according his mathematics, the landside phase of the project is slated to cost $21 million and so far just about $9 million has been raised through loans and sale of debentures, leaving more than half of the project cost yet to be secured.
NDP out of ploys to deceive the people
Representative for the First District Hon Andrew A. Fahie said Government will calls elections because they have run out of ploys to deceive the people. He denounced the move by the Government saying that there are millions yet unaccounted for in the House of Assembly.
“Simply put, we called this long ago. The Government has run out of wool to pull over the people's eyes hence the need to abruptly call the general elections before the people find out what is really going on in our country,” he said.
He noted that the true state of the country is far more than what meets the eye. “It is totally irresponsible for the NDP Government to call elections without accounting to the House of Assembly for over one hundred million dollars of over-expenditures and other non-budgeted financial transactions. Many other concerns exist although they continue to try to programme the people's mind otherwise,” he said.
The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) was anticipating general elections to be called in early July but this will be sooner with today's announcement.
"According to the Constitution, once the House is dissolved the elections must be held within 60 days but it cannot be held 21 days before the House is dissolved. So between 21-days and 60 days the elections must be held....It looks more to me like May-June elections," Premier Smith said earlier today on ZBVI 780AM.
.png)
.png)
.png)
Follow Us On
27 Responses to “‘We’re ready for early elections! – Hon Julian Fraser RA”
It is funny to listen to these guys now. Vernon Malone was on their side and blasted them for how they handled the BVI funds.
Start to campaign tonight then! LOL!
The right team is going green
One direction forward
VIP knew this was coming and so obviously are not ready. Can we really expect them to form a viable government? The last term was a disaster of in fighting, bickering, and filibustering. Without serious reform and a new slate of candidates what we have is a lame duck political party
He looking pity party. Not this time around.
The truth will be revealed about the cruiseship pier, port authority, road works, sewerage, hospital. There's a big black cloud to be revealed after election.
If the government has the balls to dissolve parliament at will so that it can have the pleasure of influencing the date of election and probably its outcome, then people should demand that under democracy, a referendum can be held to do away with elected persons who are not doing what they should be doing. If you can't wait for four years how dare you think that we must wait for four years before we can vote you out of office?
While some of us might have reason to condemn the NDP and specific individuals, the problem, the real evil, is in the system allowing the government of the day to act in such a fashion. Is the government concerned with the residents of the Virgin Islands or with sneaking an upper-cut to the VIP? Remember that at the end of the day, it is the ordinary person, the duped one, who is going to be at the S...ty end of the stick you wield.
I don't know, but people should get up and protest against such a move. There is a lot of things people here in this place should protest against. For heaven’s sake are we still back in the early or mid-1800s. Is this why at the college which is supposed to be an institution of higher learning, not one course in political science is taught?
Keep blinders on the people.
We should ask if we are still enslaved. Has the plantation system changed or is it still alive and well?
Shame on you NDP -AND, IF THE VIP WAS THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY AND DID THE SAME WE SHOULD SAY SHAME, SHAME! Beware, one day the bad things you do will bite you where the sun don’t shine! Stop treating your people like mindless children
Interesting that so many of us call ourselves Christians but fail to follow the principles Mind you, even if this TRICKOOGY help you to be back in office, there could be a hell of a lot of unanticipated consequences. Recall the line from the poem you learnt back in the good ole days when we were simple, humble folks, when we did not have much in the way of material things! YOU CAN FOOL SOME PEOPLE SOME OF THE TIME BUT YOU CAN'T FOOL THEM ALL THE TIME. Beware when the sleeper emerges from his deep sleep. Remember the history of the BVI. Even slaves exercised individual power. Our parents, the old folks used to say, DON't PLAY THE FOOL TILL THE FOOL PLAY YOU! So what all this have to do with that poem which some people either forgot, ignore or are overlooking? I tell you in the poem, KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT OF CANTERBERRY, there is a line which goes something like this EVEN A FOOL MAY LEARN A WISE MAN'S WITS, One of these fine days, when you are so comfortable and so pleased with what you have brought about, people, the ordinary man or woman is going to see through the BS and do exactly what should be done.
That the government is elected to serve the people, in this country, seems not to be a common idea.
And, shame on the elected who seem to profit from taking advantage of people some of who may be uninformed, naive, apathetic, or some who just don’t care so long as they think that they are benefiting from the gravy train.