Hon. Fraser lashes back at report!
The report which was issued by the Elton Georges led Complaints Commission, was laid in the House of Assembly on September 3, 2012.
There is an assertion in the report that the Sea Cows Bay Development Project currently exists in a state of mystery and creates a situation of confusion with the status of the Sea Cows Bay Land reclamation project.
Hon. Fraser in response to this said, “The Complaints Commissioner is obviously out of his league on this one, as he has neither the technical competence, nor the historical vantage to evaluate the Project. It seems that while attempting to address an applicant’s concern about the status of their application, the Commissioner felt the need to inject his own opinion as to the Development itself, and decided to mislead the public.”
Virgin Islands News Online asked Hon. Fraser whether he had indeed breached protocol in dealing with the Sea Cows Bay Development Project as was stated in the report and carried in a section of the media. He replied that, “statements like this speaks to the Commissioner’s ignorance of the project, because this project is not your typical Reclamation Development Project, being that there are only two in the territory, East End / Long Look Harbour being the other. His statement is obviously malicious with more intent to do harm than justice.”
The Third District Representative added that, “Persons in possession of land along the Harbour’s edge all made applications to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour and got approval to reclaim, on the condition that upon completion the property must be bulk headed in order to secure a lease. This process is still in progress. That is the only protocol I know.”
Further, the false impression that the Ministry is doing work without proper permits, is also mischievous and political, because nothing that has been done by the Ministry to date requires a permit. All reclamation work on all sites have been done by the Applicants and not the Ministry.
Discussing Hon. Fraser’s actual level of involvement in the Sea Cows Bay Development Project during his tenure as Minister for Communications and Works it was revealed that as Minister for Natural Resources and Labour in 2000 he had led a delegation which included his Permanent Secretary, to the OECS Headquarters in St. Lucia to discuss assistance for this project and the Brandy Wine Bay Beach, and as a result a Scoping Exercise was produced for environmental impact.
He noted that subsequently, an architect was commissioned to prepare a Design Concept for the Harbour, which by the way, was paid for by his Permanent Secretary, who was the accounting officer.
The Project, he explained, was then moved to the Ministry of Communications and Works where the Concept was introduced to the persons holding approval to reclaim for their acceptance, and was received unanimously.
It was then taken to the Executive Council for a decision on its adaption as the Sea Cows Bay Harbour Development Project.
Hon. Fraser emphasised that a directive was also included in the Executive Council decision that any future development in the Harbour must be in compliance with the Approved Concept.
He related with surprise that, “The Commissioner questions the authority of the Executive Council, which I find very difficult to fathom, giving rise to my question on the state of his judgment.”
He further explained that, “The decision of the Executive Council is Government’s Policy, and as Minister I [was] obligated to carry out that Policy.
“The Commissioner in exercising that same poor judgment,” Hon. Fraser added, “claimed that I had politically, extremely strong personal interest in bringing into being an extensive harbour development project, and in my ‘drive to achieve this goal’ I ‘bypassed’ and was ‘allowed to bypass the established system for carrying out public business’.”
The Commissioner’s report further stated that this could only happen because the Governor in Council enabled it and the Permanent Secretaries abandoned their responsibilities bringing into question the Minister’s true role.
The Commissioner, he said, is simply being mischievous in making believe he is an authority on the rules of Executive Council, by invoking the authority of the Governor, when in fact decisions are made by Ministers. “I must know, after all, I spent 8 years as a member in both Executive Council and Cabinet,” he declared.
Hon. Fraser felt in an effort to set the record straight, it was necessary to point out to the Commissioner and anyone else, that contrary to what they may think, or how a Permanent Secretary may feel, the Constitution provides first “The Governor shall, acting in accordance with the advice of the Premier, by directions in writing, assign to any Minister responsibility for the conduct (subject to this constitution or any other law) of any business of the Government of the Virgin Islands, including responsibility for the Administration of any Department of Government”.
Secondly, “Where a minister has been assigned responsibility under this section for the Administration of any Department of Government, the Minister shall (subject to this constitution or any other law) exercise direction and control over the Department, including directing the implementation of the Government policy as it relates to the Department.”
In parting, Hon. Fraser highlighted that, “The Commissioner said he spoke to past Permanent Secretaries, but I know at least one who he had not spoken to.”
He further asked, “I wonder why? Was he afraid of the truth?”
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52 Responses to “Hon. Fraser lashes back at report!”
Frazer can fool the un-educated ones with his big words but he forgot that their are more educated ones than him out here!! BAM!
It is people from outside your District like this same commissioner who waged that vicious campaign against you in the last election to get you out of office. Now that you are no longer a Minister I hope you exercise your rights under the law, and sue their behind for character assassination. The commissioner has said that the matter was approved by Executive Council, but yet went on to criticise you, which ment he was deliberately targeting you and wanted to be personal. If he wants to play politics, you should oblige him and show him that there are consequences.
GOD don't sleep, that is why all his dirt coming out!! MORE TO COME!!
There are no wrong doing and Frazer remains clean as a new born baby…..Time for Frazer to be leader of the Opposition and next time our Premier and tell them I Janet Williams say so!!!
See it’s ok for Myron and others, when they defame Fraser and his good name and charter but when the shoe is on the other feet they cry like crazy children and wants to shut down the media and the blogs. Too many hypocrites walking around in this place mehson, that is why I could never support the NDP and their dictatorship way of doing things.
So land owners and the minister can get together and do what they want without public input? Even if a development impacts them? How can that be? there is a bigger responsibility here. there still seems to be a lack of a paper trail to document what Fraser is saying.
On a different matter, He also said at one point that the money finally gotten by the current government was his since he initiated the $15,000 loan and he wanted to spend it. He is a loose cannon.
You all need to think for yourself. When the project is ready for construction I'm sure the necessary approvals will be sought.
And people like you, if you are going to try to cause mischief you should learn figures, $15,000 is fifteen thousand.
And as for the paper trail you claim doesn't exist to back-up what Fraser is saying, here is why the Commissioner Elton Georges can't find the trail, the same way he interviewed a (1) past Permenant Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Works since 2003. What happened to the other 5. From 2003 tiill when Fraser left the Ministry it had 6 Permenant Secretaries. If he was interested in the facts he would interview all 6. So that gives you a pretty good idea how hard he looked for the papers.
My other concern is why is The Commissioner Elton Georges questioning Government's Police unless it was political. He has no other reason for going there. My understanding is that a person who applied for reclamation rights was told on numerous occasions in writing that until the approved harbour plan was implemented all applications were on hold, and because they thought they could push the government hand they went to Elton, and that's all.
Why the Commissioner Elton Georges decided to follow the rethoric preached by the NDP during the last campaign is a mystery to me. Just Curious
Fraser needs to go and that is a fact but next time around we got him!!!
This guy is off the wall. I was at that meeting, it was a Ministry meeting, Garry Penn was there, the GIS was there, and his Private Secretary wasn there. These people cannot attend District Meetings. Is this how Georges reaches conclusions. Does he know how many meetings are held by Ministries and you cant find a single record of them.
But Elton is realy out to nail Fraser, you remember during the election campaign OJ was talking obout this project, and everything you heard him saying is in the report. Now turn out to be lies. So you can see that the Commissioner Etlon was feeding OJ information to klil Fraser.
Just like how Fraser cut OJ arss, he goin cut Etlon arss.
I think Fraser should seek legal redress on this one. He deserve some blood on this one.