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Treat constitutional review as if it's 'the last one'- Hon Fraser

Veteran legislator and Opposition Leader in the Virgin Islands (VI) House of Assembly, Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) has called on the commissioners of the Constitutional Review Commission to treat the process as if it would be the last for the VI. Photo: Facebook
The members of the Constitutional Review Commission have been challenged to produce a constitution that is so advanced and sophisticated there will not be another need for a constitutional review. Photo: CRC
The members of the Constitutional Review Commission have been challenged to produce a constitution that is so advanced and sophisticated there will not be another need for a constitutional review. Photo: CRC
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI– Veteran legislator and Opposition Leader in the Virgin Islands (VI) House of Assembly, Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) has called on the commissioners of the Constitutional Review Commission to treat the process as if it would be the last for the VI.

“I am not sure that the next constitutional review is going to take place in 10 years. The way things are going, it may not take place in the next 15-20 years.” Hon Fraser stated at the launch of public consultations for constitutional review on November 11, 2022.

He said with the support of the Leader of the Opposition and Premier Dr The Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), the commissioners can therefore stretch the envelope.

“Look at this particular constitutional review as if this is the last one, and therefore you have to be bold,” he remarked.

The Opposition Leader said he had no doubt that the Commission was a capable one and that the commissioners were many and their qualifications exemplary.

Make Constitution advanced & sophisticated- Hon Fraser

“Like I said before, I do not know when the next one will be. It may not be 10 years from now, it may not be 15 years from now, it may not be 20 years from now, so let’s make this one so advanced and sophisticated that there will not be another need for a constitutional review."

Hon Fraser said the United States Constitution, for example, is dated 1789 and has stood strong for over 230 years, although there were amendments.

“We can at this particular juncture of our development produce a constitution, or have a constitution produced, that will hardly need any further review. It may need some amendments but given the quality and calibre of commissioners I see on the list, people who I know, are capable of developing such a constitution," the Opposition Leader stated.

12 Responses to “Treat constitutional review as if it's 'the last one'- Hon Fraser”

  • good idea (14/11/2022, 10:54) Like (1) Dislike (17) Reply
    FRASER FOR PREMIER!
  • ... (14/11/2022, 10:54) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    if we have it at all!
  • desa (14/11/2022, 11:36) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    great idea [abc](https://www.abc.net.au)
  • not nice (14/11/2022, 12:36) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Si true
  • josiahbay (14/11/2022, 12:46) Like (0) Dislike (11) Reply
    To get our Constitution to a state that Mr, Frazier suggests, infers, or implies would mean freeing ourselves of the UK as our administering power. It means creating our own Constitution without UK's restraints, reserved powers, or imposed Orders. This will mean self-governance and the ability to function as a sovereign state. This will put us in a state of semi-independence until we referendum over into complete independence. We'll never get to that state under the UK's rule. They have the power to give us that leeway but they choose not to. They are looking to hamstring us with more Governor's reserve powers and less governance autonomy. Independence is our only road to achieving that status.
  • Drowning people.. (14/11/2022, 14:19) Like (18) Dislike (0) Reply
    Will hold on to a straw, it seems like the constitution they believe is the only thing that can save them from going to Jail...They already have the evidence on all of you!
  • @ drowning people ???? (14/11/2022, 16:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    so in other words , what you saying is / those guys are drowning ( as in going down ???? ???? ) if this is a game of chess , then this is where those aristocracts can let ( all ) their * sophisticated knowledge & skillZ that they poSSes , HANG OUT / and be tested tested for INTEGRITY ???? ( as the 3rd district they were tested and their QUALITIES were EXEMPLARY so let's do it
  • Mustang (14/11/2022, 16:52) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    I predict the new constitution will be a tweak of the boiler plate constitutions used in all the OTs. The UK will force feed what gets included in the constitution. The UK as the Administering Power should be assisting the BVI moved towards a full measure of self-governing. Instead, the constitutions are molded in the colonialism control image. The BVI is a dependency model constitution with the UK holding unilateral power. The new constitution should be based on a zero based approach, ie, start from scratch, from ground zero. The next constitution should meet the long-term needs of the BVI and BVI people, not the needs of the UK. The constitution is the foundational document on which the territory is governed and it affects the daily lives of the VI. Consequently, the BVI people must show deep and engaged interest, not indifferent, in it. Indifference is telling the UK to do as you like for we don’t give a damn. But people should give a damn.
  • Really?!! (20/11/2022, 23:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I can’t hear nothing past that hairdo!! Somebody come take Fraser to the barber pls and Thk u and Merry Xmas!!


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