Nearly dozen persons seek to become At-Large candidates for VIP
Opposition Leader Andrew Fahie. (BVI News photo)
By Davion Smith, BVI News Staff
Congress (executive members) of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) will be convening on Saturday, December 1, to select the four candidates they want to run for an At-Large seat in the next General Election that must happen by April 16 next year.
The 76-member Congress has been tasked to select the VIP’s quartet of At-Large candidates from a group of eight persons.
Party Chairman Andrew Fahie did not name those eight when he made the announcement on Monday. But, in explaining the selection process, he noted that those eight had made their political interests known to the party’s Congress by mid-October this year.
Each candidate was then required to visit with VIP Congress members who are scattered in groups across the territory’s nine electoral districts.
During this visit, they were required, among other things, to provide ‘solutions to the territory’s problems’, suggest ideas for the creation of new industries, show a ‘willingness to work as a unified team with all previously ratified VIP candidates and the Congress of the VIP’, and add value to the proposed VIP legislative agenda, which according to Fahie has to do with “restoring of accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance” in the BVI.
“This process is extremely important as it is a shift from the process that took place during the last snap General Elections where potential candidates were nominated from the floor [of the party’s internal meeting] and after presenting a short speech, the Congress voted and selected the four candidates,” Fahie said.
A late contender
He added: “One more person has recently stated their intention to seek the support of the Congress to be considered as one of the VIP’s Territorial At-Large candidates. Given that the deadline for submittal had passed, the individual would have to be nominated on the floor on the 1st December,” said Fahie who however noted that the retroactive contender has been encouraged to seek out members of Congress and present his ideas ahead of Saturday’s meeting.
Once the VIP’s four At-Large contenders are confirmed, the party would only need to select a candidate for the Second Electoral District to have completed its round-up of the candidates that will contest the 13 electoral seats in the upcoming general election.
Coupled with the VIP, at least three other political parties will present candidates for the election — the Myron Walwyn-led NDP, the Julian Fraser-led Progressives United, and the Ronnie Skelton-led Progressive Virgin Islands Movement.
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Well thank god Bvi news post this because that other online news acting bias and unfair.
It was reported long ago on that same online news, you all to love to spread rumors.
This is the HEAD LINE
“VIP Congress votes to finalize At-L
arge Candidates
-as Hon Fahie reminds ‘I have no say’ “
I see the VIP winning 3 seats
I see why your name is blind man because anyone with sight would have seen the VIP winning no less than 10 seats.
I dont know what to think . Is it a coincidence that we have an add for an African Spiritual Healer opposite this promotion for the VIP who also offer to heal all our love , happiness ,marriage ,etc problems and give us all what we desire . I wonder which comes with the lower price tag .
Great Leadership Hon. Fahie.
The VIP is the most organized political party in the BVI.
What I like about this VIP process is that the Leader of the VIP has clearly defined the process and all involved are clear of the rules and procedures upfront. This is AWESOME. Kudos to the VIP.
In order to get to the pie, the/a process must be delivered for the public for to swallow. If the public accepts, the path to the pie becomes a reality.
If the public says take a piece of the pie, mission was accomplished.That’s what’s all the “think the people are fools” activity are about.
Was born and grew up with VIP leadership. Was different and great leadership then, even though some political underhandedness were perhaps active.
Today, it, the moral political interest-scape is muddy, dirty and uninspiring. This is primarily due to a shift in the personal political paradigm, where self interest, accumulation of huge monetary wealth, and being easily bought by the richest Caucasian is now standard mechanism of business politic.
Meanwhile, our interest and land become pawns in for the rich as our elected official become mere conduits for the achievement and solidification of their goals, the reclamation of that which some feels is inherently theirs, our lands, seas and economies..
So, when leaders of the current VIP state out loud that “Iam in it for me,” and others demonstrate same, but in more subtle ways, if they are elected, the territory and its people are going to be taken to hell for a long time to come.
Meanwhile, the coming election day will be met with one sentence on the minds of most, “who the hell can i trust to look out for me, my interest and that of the country?”
Any of these? the resounding answer will reverberate in quickened emergency as, probably not!
But it is not just here in Nature’s Little Secrets, but as in all over the capitalist world, our politics have been invaded by the human propensity to engage in such deficiencies as selfishness, self interest, monetary accumulation.
We have become a nation of wealth seeking folk masquerading as genuine leaders.