-
by pltm
(PLTM) - The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) and its President, Dr. Natalio 'Sowande' Wheatley, have outrightly denied claims of its Chairman, Hon. Andrew Fahie fighting for power in relation to the position of Leader of the Opposition.
In response to the allegations being made on other medium, Wheatley in a statement issued this evening, January 17, said that he (Wheatley) wrote officially to Governor John Duncan, informing him of the results of the VIP's Congress.
Hon. Julian Fraser, who was removed by the party delegates as Chairman at the Congress, is the current Opposition Leader.
"Honorable Andrew Fahie and Honorable Julian Fraser RA are both members of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) and, therefore, must abide by the decisions of the party. On November 30th 2016, the Congress, which is the highest decision making body of the party, overwhelmingly supported Honorable Fahie for the position of Chairman of the Virgin Islands Party," Wheatley said in the statement.
He went on to state that the Constitution of the VIP makes it clear that the Chairman of the party shall be the titular head of the party and will lead the party within the House of Assembly.
"This position was confirmed by His Excellency the Governor, who, in his pronouncement in 2015, among other considerations, relied on the seniority of the post of party Chairman to determine the holder of the post of Opposition Leader. Despite Honorable Fahie’s stated discomfort with the perception of “fighting for power", I, as President of the party, insisted that we abide by the statutes of our Constitution and I received the backing of the Executive Committee administrative arm of the party. Party members placing their individual desires above the needs of the party must never be a condition for unity and sets a dangerous precedent."
Wheatley noted that given these facts, "It is reasonable to conclude that there is not a “fight for power” within the Virgin Islands Party; rather, there is a struggle for all members to submit to the leadership of the party. As far as the party is concerned, the decision on who would lead the Opposition or become Premier was made on November 30th 2016. Reliance on improper unilateral decisions of 2014 and from the past cannot be the basis for moving forward."
The VIP's President said that on December 9th 2016, he informed the Governor of the results of the November 30th, 2016 election.
"On December 19th, 2016 the VIP Chairman sought to gain the acceptance of the former Chairman (Hon. Fraser) regarding his intention to abide by the Constitution of the party and the decision of Congress and seek the position of Leader of the Opposition, notwithstanding his earlier announcement," Wheatley explained.
"The communication level between the Past-Chairman and the Executive Committee seems to be extremely low to nonexistence, and comes at a time when the policies and decisions of the Virgin Islands Party must be represented in the House of Assembly by the Chairman."
Wheatley said failing concurrence, it is now within the powers of the Governor to make a decision.
"Let us not allow this matter to distract from the work that the Opposition and we, the people, must engage in, which is holding our government accountable and demanding good governance," he said.
Wheatley said, "Those who seek to shift the focus of the people from the pertinent matters of the day are indeed working against the interests of the people and their true intention shall be known for what it is."
-----
Copyright 2023 by Virgin Islands Platinum News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
