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by pltm
(PLTM) - The position of Opposition Leader has once again become a public issue issue for the Opposition Virgin Islands Party (VIP), with sitting Opposition Leader, Hon. Julian Fraser firing back at his party.
Hon. Fraser, who was removed as Chairman and replaced by Hon. Andrew Fahie at the party's Congress in November, said that he has decided to end his silence after seeing a press release by the party that is riddled with falsehoods and fraught with presumptions.
In a statement today, January 18, he said that petitioning a Governor to remove and replace a sitting Leader of the Opposition by a political party has no basis in the Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007.
Hon. Fraser noted that the only provision that is constitutionally within the Governor’s remit is section 70 (2) (a), that the Governor shall appoint as Leader of the Opposition, a member of the House of Assembly recommended by a majority of the elected members of the House, who are members of any opposition party, whose numerical strength in the House is greater than that of any other opposition party.
The Opposition Leader noted a section from the Constitution, stating that, “opposition party” means a group of members of the House of Assembly in opposition to the government, who are prepared to support one of their number as their leader."
"The Governor has no role to play in this matter and he knows that I know that. It is ludicrous for anyone to expect the Governor to be guided by a local party’s internal politics," he stated.
However, as reported back in July 2015, it must be noted that Governor John Duncan was asked to intervene in choosing an Opposition Leader by using the discretionary powers conferred in the Governor under the Constitution.
"Despite allowing a period of one month and one day for further reflection and consultation, I regret to announce that the members of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands have been unable to agree on the recommendation of a Leader of the Opposition in accordance with section 70 (2) (a) of the Virgin Islands Constitution," the Governor said at the time when he appointed Hon. Fraser.
He said, "In these circumstances, I am obliged to exercise the discretionary powers conferred on the Governor by the Virgin Islands Constitution to appoint a Leader of the Opposition."
Meanwhile, Hon. Fraser in his statement today said that at the time of elections to the executive on November 30th 2016, he implored on the delegates to make winning the next general election their goal, rather than winning the chairmanship.
"I further went on to tell them that, depending on their choice for Chairman, the party can fragment, thus diminishing any chance at a general election victory. Well, in the end as it turned out, the delegates did what they went to the Congress to do."
He said, "Ever since the elections of November 30th, I’ve watched from a distance, that very fragmentation I spoke of unfold, with charges of a rigged election and a letter sent to the Governor seeking to have me replaced as Leader of the Opposition, in just 9 days after the new Chairman publicly stated that he was not going to pursue the leadership of the Opposition. All this time I considered it destructive to the party should I get involved."
The Opposition Leader argued 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” is inaccurate.
"The VIP Constitution instead states, Chairman of the party will be the titular head/ political leader of the party and serve as Chief Minister, if so elected to the Legislative Council. It does not presume a post while in the Opposition. And besides, where was this logic when in June of 2015 after the general election the party’s position was the exact opposite."
Hon. Fraser argued that the party's statement that, “as far as the party is concerned, the decision on who would lead the Opposition or become Premier was made on November 30th 2016”, shows a severe lack of depth in the Virgin Islands Parliamentary Democratic System of Government.
"Parties don't decide who is or who isn't the Premier or the Leader of the Opposition; elected members do. That same flawed thought resulted in shameful embarrassment coming out of the general elections of June 2015," he said.
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