Fraser unbothered by calls for his retirement
Deputy Premier and Third District Representative Julian Fraser has said he is not offended by public calls for him to step aside, but highlighted that experience and institutional memory remain critical to leadership in the BVI.
Addressing the House of Assembly during the 2026 budget debate, Fraser said remarks about his age and suggestions that he should “go home” do not bother him.
“You see people there on the street, it doesn’t bother me. They say, ‘Fraser is old, he needs to go home. Why don’t he leave the job to a younger one?’ Hey, that’s okay,” he told legislators.
Rather than bristling at the criticism, Fraser used the moment to urge younger, aspiring leaders to appreciate the value of experience, warning that wisdom accumulated over decades cannot be rushed or replaced overnight. He said societies often find themselves confronting the same challenges repeatedly, and it is only by “rolling back the times” and learning from past experiences that progress is made.
More mentorship needed in public service
Fraser used the public service as an example, pointing to what he described as a lack of mentoring, where young public officers receive little guidance and are forced to develop systems through trial and error. As a result, it can take a decade for them to truly master their roles, time that could have been saved through proper mentorship.
With guidance, he argued, they would be “20 years ahead instead of 10 years behind.”
Turning to new members of the House of Assembly, Fraser encouraged them to observe closely how proceedings unfold and to recognise that leadership comes with a steep learning curve. Experience, he suggested, allows leaders to navigate complex issues with a depth that only time can provide.
A personal annecdote
To further illustrate his point, Fraser shared a personal anecdote from his early days as a draftsman. As a young man, he recalled looking at an older colleague and questioning why the man did not retire. Years later, when he found himself doing the same work, Fraser said he finally understood the depth of skill and judgment that had once gone unnoticed.
“Everyone has to go through their own process of experience,” he reflected.
Fraser is widely regarded as one of the territory’s most respected veteran politicians. His political savvy is often credited with helping to steady the BVI at a critical moment following the 2022 Commission of Inquiry report, when the United Kingdom threatened to impose direct rule.
Fraser was reportedly instrumental in proposing a bipartisan approach that brought together members across the political divide, a move accepted by the British and one that paved the way for collaborative implementation of key governance reforms.
In that context, Fraser suggested that calls for renewal should not dismiss the value of seasoned leadership, but rather seek to pair youthful energy with hard-earned wisdom for the benefit of the territory.
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Your speech is pure trash Fraser you need to learn about succession planning, and stop bad mouthing the new recruits to them P.S. talking about that 10 years non sense. the public service have more education and working experience than all y’all in government
You really think we forgot you put stop lights around a roundabout.
You really think we forgot Ralph had to take the airport from under your portfolio cause he already know you would do some dumb s***.
Fraser’s presence is more of a negative than a positive for the BVI at this point. His district is poorly represented and instead of using the so called experienced and institutional knowledge for good he is busy licking Natalio’s rear end to keep his job as Deputy Premier. It is time for him to give a younger leader a chance. He doesn’t care about people. Let him take his big greedy bill money and go sit down.
This man despises expatriates and their children. Somebody needs to tell Fraser that the BVI has changed. Almost every person is connected one way or another to someone who is from another Caribbean country. This 1950 mentality thinking matches the ridiculous hair that he is wearing.
never sleep
https://www.bvibeacon.com/fraser-dodges-the-blame-for-project-in-scb/
n stop disrespecting the public service
Lets look at the experience he is talking about, Very Bad Bi-water deal. street lights in the roundabout, the egg at the entrance of the TB Lettsome airport, the Sea Cows Bay harbor, this guy has spent more time I the HOA than anyone and of this day hasn’t done 1 good thing for this territory that has a positive effective on the lives of the people.
He is also unbothered by calls to cut his hair, allegedly.
seems like he is just simply unbothered. If he would be honest, he knows his time is up but money is his motivation, just like all the rest of them.
We can tell you are unbothered. You are not worried about a thing, including your new Audi driving on that Sea Cows Bay road. But, oh, I forgot, Government has to maintain it and buy all the expensive parts to fix the front end.
Persons are calling for your retirement in the blogs yes, but I think you already retired in your heart and mind. Because the state of your District is horrific. Water settling constantly right outside your business place and District Office and the state of those roads, well, just tell them you have already retired so they can leave you alone. In fact the entire Government seems to have left their posts unattended and spend everyday either in the HOA meetings, other meetings or on a plane. No time to do real work, no focus on country. You all have retired, but the FS still pays you big money for your nonchalance to the serious positions that you have. No conscience, that’s how I put it. None of you have any conscience.
If yall notice a lot older people who working government in positions of power…they long pass retirement age but refuse to retire… they mostly disgruntled, power hungry, toxic, and always complaining about the workplace and its workers…
for the life of my i dont understand why such people dont retire and live the rest of their life in peace.
but instead they hold on to positions keeping young blood and fresh faces from moving in.
Then i understood why…when these type of people retire they have nothing left in life.
work was all they know. work was the highlight of their life.
they got no hobbies, no interest, nothing.
so many times you would see these type that retire and are still showing up at the work place for whatever reason,
still talking about their workplace and their “glory days at work” they just home bored out of the mind with no purpose.
so they refuse to retire cuz work is the only exciting thing in their life no matter how disgruntled they are and some just want to keep getting payed bi weekly forever despite being in work for donkey years..
a lot of retired govy workers still end up working again somewhere else
just cuz them bored
and some bcuz retirement payments too small to live on
but in fraser case he got the greedy bill so he set.
Just there now to reap more money and be around cuz work is his only entertainment.
Another article stoking the embers of whatever movement there is to boost the esteemed one into the seat.
With guidance, he argued, they would be “20 years ahead instead of 10 years behind.”
with all the guidance our politicians been doing for bvi and we still to this very day 30 years behind….. real 3rd world country mehson
just greed and flexing
followed by youths who look up to it and get greedy and need to run drugs or thief to continue flexing
rinse and repeat
He needs to open a consultancy firm to provide counselling, experience and wisdom TO THE PEOPLE. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A LEGISLATOR TO OFFER ASSISTANCE TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE. HOW CAN HE BE FAIR? Politicians passing laws and telling people they have to go home at the age of 65, AND THE SAME POLITICIAN COME TO THE PEOPLE AND ASKS THEM TO GIVE THEM A JOB AT WHATEVER AGE. HE REMIND ME THE AFRICAN POLITICIANS LIKE PAUL BIYA OF CAMEROUN, ROWEE MUSIVENI IN UGANDA, TINUBU OF NIGERIA, OBIAH OF EQUATORIAL GUINEA. LEAVE GRANPA ALONE!!!!!!
Step aside Unc !
Fraser been winning since 1999…..The handful of ayo haters aint enough to remove him from power
He needs to be bothered about a haircut, but seriously this man should have retire two elections ago, he has done nothing for his district for years
he ain winning this time, could tell you that, he ain do nothing for anyone since he win the last one. a whole lot of households he lost.