Premier did not get a mandate to run the territory — Fraser

Fraser

Third District Representative Julian Fraser has suggested that Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley and his government did not receive a mandate from the electorate to govern the territory.

Fraser, while pointing to the wealth of political experience on the opposition benches, said it was opposition members that held this responsibility instead.

According to Fraser, the Premier needs to be aware of the number of years served by the opposition members in parliamentary and ministerial posts. Fraser also warned the Premier not to reduce or minimise the opposition’s importance.

“This [opposition] group that you’re looking at here… I’m preaching to the converted because the Premier did not get a mandate to run this country,” Fraser said at a recent opposition press conference. “This group got a mandate to run the country from the people. So we have a responsibility and I think we all take it seriously.”

Opposition members recently staged a walkout from the HOA as a result of the government’s decision to relegate the opposition’s questions to the end of the order paper in the House of Assembly (HOA).

The government, in turn, complained that there were over a hundred questions submitted by the opposition and public officers requested additional time to help government ministers respond to them.

Fraser protested that it was up to the opposition to ask as many questions as it needed in order to keep the government accountable.

He also rebuked the Premier for allegedly suggesting to the House of Assembly that the number of questions posed by the opposition should be reduced.

“You don’t dictate to the House of Assembly how they should conduct their business… If it’s in our opinion that we need to ask 10 questions, 10 questions we will present. And those 10 questions we expect to ask. If it happens to be 40 questions, it will be 40 questions,” Fraser asserted.

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