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by pltm
(PLTM) - Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr. Natalio Wheatley revealed that all Territorial at-Large members are tasked with representing all of the districts across the Virgin islands.
During a press conference on Friday May 13, Premier Wheatley expressed that since the First District is without an official representative, at-Large members, including Hon. Carvin Malone should ensure that the district is provided with support.
Although former Premier and First District Representative, Hon. Andrew Fahie has been arrested on drug and money laundering charges in the United States, Hon. Wheatley confirmed that Hon. Fahie is still the official representative for District one, but he was unsure about whether he was still receiving a salary in this capacity.
He also explained, “If you look in the Constitution, you will see how a member of the House of Assembly can be removed. It is very clear there. A member can resign, also if the member misses three sittings, they can be removed, and there are some other conditions.”
He noted that is up to the Governor’s discretion to determine if a temporary representative would be appointed to serve as the First District representative until a new representative is officially assigned.
Dr. Wheatley stated that ongoing projects in District 1 should not be neglected or abandoned since there was no official representative was on the ground.
“Hon. Fahie would have had been doing things in the first District and we are going to work out a system to ensure that they don’t suffer based on the fact that he is not there to represent them right now,” he assured members of the public during the press conference.
He also revealed that meetings are scheduled to take place with members in the first District, and extend throughout the Territory ascertain the specific issues and concerns that each District is confronted with, in alignment with his Government’s commitment to good governance.
