Opposition slammed for ‘throwing punches while govt was out the ring’
Premier Andrew Fahie has slammed members of the parliamentary opposition for hosting a series of public meetings while he and a delegation of government officials were away on business in the United Kingdom.
The Premier whose visit to the UK was to discuss their loan guarantee offer for the BVI’s hurricane recovery, among other things, said the Opposition never mentioned having any concerns prior to his departure.
“The Opposition never raised their voice, they never said ‘well, alright let us discuss’. As soon as we get up in the plane they started – which is their democratic right, might I add – holding public meetings and they throwing a punch while we were out of the ring,” Premier Fahie said.
“Well, I am back in the ring. I’m back here so they can throw the punch now that I am back in the ring because we know we’re going to answer based on facts.”
Opposition trying to destabilize us!
Premier Fahie said the move by the Opposition was an attempt to destabilize his fledgeling administration.
“We understand what the Opposition is trying to do. They are trying to create an environment that they are trying to make people think that the country is destabilized for their own selfish gains,” Fahie said.
He added: “While they are doing that, they are trying to make sure that they speak to any entity that they feel they can team up with to try to dethrone the government, for their own selfish reasons. I understand clearly what’s happening. I am in politics for quite a while.”
The territory’s leader said he believes the Opposition was also hoping that their UK trip was unsuccessful.
“This the same country they love, but they were hoping that we got nothing done and we’re going to come back and talk, talk, talk and nothing happen,” Premier Fahie said.
Opposition’s meeting was to discuss serious concerns
In the meantime, the meeting held by the Opposition across Tortola and on Virgin Gorda was to address issues such as the relationship between the BVI and the UK as well as the Recovery & Development Agency.
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn said that the move to host the meetings is not about the Opposition going after the government, but to simply ensure that there is transparency.
“We are very concerned, and we believe the public needs to get all the information. There is a lot of half information and cherry-picking that is happening with the dialogues, and we need to be able to put everything on the table so persons can be able to make informed decisions on these matters as they come up,” Penn said at the time.
“We are having the meetings to have an open dialogue on our issues of the loan guarantee, the RDA and we have a serious concern right now in terms of the discourse that is happening between the UK and the Virgin Islands and our relationships. We are concerned that this has some implications for relationships with the United Kingdom,” he added.
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Trouble and tension brewing in the house of cards. The cat step away and the little mice will have a field day.
I Didn’t know that the opposition needed your permission to do their job.
I want to see the opposition keep the heat on and keep us informed. To much lies coming out of this administration.
Further, this “this for that” style of leadership also needs to stop. I find this Premier to be very thin skinned.
I have heard Obama’s name get dragged through the mud never once he thought it was necessary to comment. Even Dr. Smith at times chose to ignore alot of hot air.
But this Premier, every f..king thing bothers him. Grow the hell up and leader for once and enjoy it while while it last for we are not making the same mistakes next election.
Learn to read and tell the truth. Also do proper research because obama, Orlando and others responded many times to some of their vritics.
Get yourself a real deputy and no matter where you go you will always have full, informed and capable representation at home.
We getting tired of this low level petty nonsense.
Maybe its a good thing he was out of the ring or he would have been knocked out cold.
I agree with the Premier.
I do not want to hear a word from the opposition because when they were in government they never kept public meetings to keep us informed. Just mere mischief they are up to.
That was a #sneakmove.
Clearly Marlon and his opposition gang have amnesia. They are the ones who have messed up the BVI. They need to shut up.
Many of you can attest that I have not been 360 with government operations. The rush to impress has not always worked out. Nonetheless, politics should end at the eate’s edge. It was opportunistic to hold talks on issues that the Premier was in London discussing. It was not courageous action. It can be viewed as deception and lack of strength. Things should have occurred Mano a Mano. What good is talking to an empty chair, unless one except to get more response from the chair.
Wasn’t the oppositions meetings public and streamed live? So I don’t understand all this talk about having meetings when the Premier is away. So should the premier not have meetings when the opposition is away? In fact he had a house of assembly meeting with 3 opposition members away so go figure. Didn’t hear the opposition in the public space complaining about that.
The BVI is a democracy and the opposition has a job to do and they should do it and should not seek permission from the premier on when to engage the public. That’s a dictatorship, which seem to be the way the premier wants to lead this country.
I never heard more Boloney in all my life.
Where was marlon voice when he let his ndp government that he was part of take our sewage money of $8 milllion and let Mark go with it and put it in the pier park project while leaving the people of east end/long look still swimming in filt. He needs to exit stage left and be silent.
So this justifies the premier and his gang pillaging our treasury and territory. Is this what our country have become? The NDP has paid with their missteps, they’re out of power. By the time you people wake up the BVI will be burnt to the ground by this Government
If the premier so cared about east end/long look and sewage why haven’t he started the project. But he’s spending 86k month on security, while the high schools don’t have furniture and leaking. His cronies get consultancy left and right to do nothing but your ok with that?
Stop their play blind and twiddle your thumbs while BVI burn. I will see you on the other side of the ashes.
People the same corruption and hiding of information by the very same opposition members who were in government for the past eight years is why the now government has the battle they have with this matter. Now those who caused it want to make the most noise. This is unbelievable.
The Premier is championing the cause of the people of the BVI to ensure that whatever is done gets done in our best interest. If the ndp had done this then we will be further ahead as a territory. Keep up the efforts Premier Fahie, we like the efforts of you and your government.
The vip government hasn’t been in office for 8 months as yet and the ndp opposition want them to fix everything they the ndp destroyed in the country over their 8 yrs in office in only 8 months. WOW!
You running a country and worrying about petite non sense. This is becoming tiring.
If the NDP wants to hold public meetings, that’s their prerogative. they shouldn’t have to ask permission form the premier to do so. The premier on the other hand need to stop been so petti about everything and just do his darn job. Get a deputy already and stop playing dollyhouse with the government.