There was nothing wrong with Fraser as Premier — Lorna Smith
Deputy Premier, Lorna Smith, said she felt there was nothing wrong with a proposal by Third District Representative Julian Fraser that he would have only formed an alliance with the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) or with any of the other parties if he was given the reins of the territory.
Smith sprung a surprise of her own instead when she bypassed negotiations held among leaders of the three other successful parties after the elections did not produce a clear winner. The former First Lady moved quickly to form an alliance with the VIP which allowed her to become Deputy Premier, slamming the door shut to any possibility of a Fraser-led government.
Fraser’s leadership pitch had been deemed as untenable by Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley, while Smith’s proposal appeared to have found fertile ground, much to the dismay of her fellow National Democratic Party (NDP) members and other colleagues.
Smith, while detailing the sequence of events that followed the close of polls, told JTV News that things may well have gone in a completely different direction.
The now-Labour Minister confirmed that it was left to party leaders – NDP Chairman, Marlon Penn, and Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) Chairman, Ronnie Skelton – for a decision to be made on whether there would have been a merger between the two and Fraser, who is the leader of the one-man Progressives United (PU) party.
But even as those leaders met in earnest to discuss the way forward, details of the VIP-Smith alliance emerged just after noon on the following day, after Smith felt the others were taking too long to come to an agreement. This is despite the fact that less than 24 hours had elapsed since the elections had wrapped up.
“At the risk of saying too much, the feeling was definitely that… in fact, it was more than a feeling that [Fraser] would be, of course, at the top of the ticket,” Smith revealed. “In principle, [there was] nothing wrong with that.”
The Deputy Premier reminded persons that a similar situation obtained when former Chief Ministers Willard Wheatley and Cyril Romney took the reins of the country even though they were both independent candidates at the time.
Smith revealed that, although she wasn’t happy about the conclusion of the election night negotiations, that was the decision that had been made up until that point.
Smith has been taken to task by residents ever since making the move to join the VIP-led government, with some expressing regret about voting for her and a sense of betrayal over her move to sit among the VIP’s ranks.
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In my opinion there would be everything wrong with Frazer being Premier
There she goes with the grasshopper tactics.. she is keeping her options open
We would have been doomed. Just too arrogant.
Ookay! Can we leave the could have beens, should have beens, and get on with what is? Labour Department needs sorting out. M8nimum wage needs to be raised. Population census, and the status of locals versus expats in the workforce. It’s t8me for more work and less talk if you ask me.
We need current in Mac Namara, its being two days. Start fight for something important..We are burning up. We are suffering..
If you both worship Almighty God and honour His name like you claim, remove that green cloth the former disgraced premier had put up on the pole across from The New View Inn.
Looks like the only one left in plain sight.
How many times people have to ask you to arrange for it to be taken down?????????
Remove it from the district.
Once it was not Smurf or Myron as premier and Mitch father not the speaker I feel very good
If Fraser was going to be Premier with the other side and this was known by all the other six of them from the night of elections, then what stop them from forming the government? It had to be most of them was not pleased with what was discussed and partially decided. Clearly it was not being fully accepted by all seven, but none wanted to be honest to each other. So, this is why they all started to entertain calls from the VIP as well as they started to call the VIP directly or through friends and family. It all makes sense now. Those six Opposition fellows did not tell the full story in their press conference. They have started by being challenged with the truth. A set of power hungry egotistically beings.
IMO, Mr. Frasier would have been ill suited to be Premier primarily because of his temperament. He is not a team player in my view.
With all that is going on with the country, there needs to be a cohesive team to the extend possible. I didn’t see Mr. Frasier as part of that cohesion based on his history.
The fact that he was a political party of one, himself, speaks for itself. I wish him well in life and in the Opposition.
Is this gossip news, the elections are finished we need to stop printing these BS.
looking at I am glad she did what she did. time going and people arguing about who should be in charge. Lorna is fundamentally an independent candidate. She has always said said she was an independent thinker and a person of action.
How delusional SMH
Please go straighten your wig and go siddung
Why are we still on this topic? Who really cares who jump ship like a kangaroo or not! It’s already done and a government has been formed let’s move on with the people’s business and revive the economy.
Sheesh man! Tired of hear who want premier and who cut a deal for deputy.
Ask the snake how she would have felt about Ronnie being Premier. This should silence the snake.
Lorna need to just go in her corner! Tired of she now. She betray the NDP. Plain and simple.
Yet another reason why the electorate needs to take away their votes from Lorna Smith’s name come next elections. Nothing wrong with Fraser being Premier she says? Woman plz. Fraser would not have been the better option. He is virtually an independent candidate with only one seat, himself. How would it be fair for he to demand Premiership when the other opposition members would not agree to that? Fraser does not have the support in the house to demand that, so let him get. The electorate by majority would not have wanted that.
You Lorna, you went behind your party leader’s back and went and gone and do your own thing. That move was highly disrespectful. You went and join the very same group of individuals you were speaking out against during the campaign trail. What a Hypocrite you are! There was no excuse for what you did. Even if the governor was made to chose, so what? That’s the tie breaker, and the party you spoke out against would not have been still in charge today.
Thk you Lorna for your unwise wisdom.
Stop wrongfully blaming the last Premier. This place have a set of people like you who get involve in foolish talk. I am not a fan of the last Premier while I must also admit he did plenty good for the BVI although some persons like you & a few others will disagree. At least he did not run for office. What I see as disgraceful is District Six people elected a man who has been arrested & who can go jail soon for corruption. This is disgraceful & unbelievable.
lorna just letting us know what was frazer motive had he switched
Frazier was not the issue. The issue was that there was no position in NDP for Lorna.
NDP underestimated this woman (this seems to be business as usual).
The woman created here own position. MOVE ON
This woman is not a good person period. An opportunist and Elitist who only has interest in power. She had her husband doing whatever she wanted when he was Premier. Now she is the Deputy she will make sure that her white friends are good.
Where are all those people that loves to organize a good march? Cline and Crew when is the march against this lady’s betrayal? There should be a march to the Governor’s office.
Not a clue.