UPDATE: Premier confirms that Flax-Charles reassigned! Swaps portfolios with deCastro
By Kamal Haynes, BVI News Staff
Moments after the BVI News report that government legislator Shereen Flax-Charles was being bumped from the Junior Minister for Tourism portfolio, Premier Andrew Fahie has confirmed the reshuffle with his administration.
In a media release on Tuesday, November 26, Fahie — who is also the Tourism Minister — said that effective November 25, first-term legislators Sharie DeCastro and Flax-Charles will swap portfolios.
This means Flax-Charles is officially reassigned as Junior Minister for Trade and Economic Development while DeCastro is reassigned as the Junior Minister for Tourism.
“This initiative is about capacity building in the government and preparing our junior ministers to not only excel in their performance in this term, but to serve in future terms of office and at higher levels,” the Premier claimed.
READ: The Premier’s full statement on the reassignment of junior ministers
PREVIOUS PUBLISHED STORY
Information reaching BVI News is that Premier Andrew Fahie will be removing Territorial At-Large Representative Shereen Flax Charles from the post of Junior Minister of Tourism.
This is according to highly-placed sources who shared the information on the condition of anonymity because of fear of victimization from the Fahie administration.
Our news centre was told that the reported plan to remove the junior minister from the post is believed to be a form of punishment which reportedly stems from comments she made in a recent sitting of House of Assembly.
In addressing the House, Flax-Charles — who is a resident of Virgin Gorda — had decried the poor state of the roadway leading to the Taddy Bay International Airport on the sister island and had also voiced concern about the parking lot which needed paving.
Disapproval
Inside sources within the VIP camp told BVI News that her comments reportedly did not sit well with the Chairman of the BVI Ports Authority, Nathaniel Isaac.
Isaac — who served as President of Fahie’s First District Campaign Committee during the recent general elections — reportedly expressed disapproval at the comments while he and a delegation of local tourism officials attended the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association conference in Puerto Rico back in October.
In a room which was at the time occupied by the Premier and other delegates, Isaac reportedly told the Junior Minister that she has been publicly speaking about Virda Gorda ‘too often’. Sources said he further told the junior minister to desist from the practice.
It is reported that Isaacs also claimed responsibility for getting the junior minister elected and therefore demanded her compliance. When BVI News contacted Isaacs on whether he made the aforementioned statements, he said: “I have no comment”.
Reported reshuffling
BVI News now understands that the reported discord within the Fahie administration has set plans in motion to relocate Flax-Charles to the role of Junior Minister for Trade and Economic Development and have Territorial At-Large Representative Sharie DeCastro assume the role of Junior Minister for Tourism.
Tourism officials mum
When contacted, Flax-Charles declined to comment on the matter; only stating that she has not received any written notice that would indicate any switch in portfolios.
A WhatsApp message sent to Premier Fahie by BVI News seeking confirmation was not answered up to publication time.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
A man abusing his power. Nothing new.
Is he a member of the government.
Past me another cup please.
Abusing power how? To shuffle a cabinet? Stuupes.
Sweetie, there is always a reason behind the Premier’s madness.Time will tell. From what I heard, they are fighting like cats and dogs in house.
If you try to please everyone it will surely backfire in your a**.
Shereen to out of order! Outta order. Move her!
She right. Men always want to run over woman Fahie is a dictator. What isaac have on Fahie???? We want to know
This is a joke right? Decastro as Jr tourism minister? Let’s get serious here ppl.
I don’t understand what the joke is in that. She is more than capable of making a meaningful contribution to the tourism industry in BVI. We are in need of new, innovative, fresh ideas. Let the young people lead. She ran and won. Why do we want to hold her back.
It HAS TO BE A JOKEEE! LMAO
Monies still owed by VIP for jobs.
Fahie have no call putting she and her sister to work. Fahie have no call putting a daycare worker to chair tourist board. Flax Charles behave like a perfect p– when she round people. Anybody disagree just as bad.
Ah ha !!! Teeth and tongue fall out now. Trouble in the camp
What trouble? How a cabinet reshuffle become trouble? Allya just looking for trouble.
Call wolf man.
This young lady is a one time senator.
This isaac guy gonna make things harder for fahie and his government to get re-elected TRUST ME!
The VIP pick up a bag if trouble.
Because of a reshuffle? Y’all like to cry trouble ey
When one thinks they can bully everyone who they hate and they now say they get bullied then it is a matter of her getting a dose of — — poison.
Flax-Charles is not an easy person to get along with.
Maybe for you but you can not deny her dedication and priority she has set for the BVI. One of the most honest (wether you want to hear her truths about you or not), hard working and dedicated to the BVI.
She puts BVI first, above self.
That’s what you want from your leaders. That’s what you cry for.
Your comment is useless.
Go sit down.
People can say what they want to about her but she isn’t like the majority of the persons in high places; she works, she analyse, she not only has ideas but she acts. She should have been District 9 Representative not him. Up to now people in Anegada do not know where he is coming from…
No medivac at night we hear
Well what are you going to do about this Vincent Wheatley?
Tell us as we want solutions and we want them now
Bvinews. Always reporting fake news.
Go siddung your VIP-Trump rammmmmm!
Fake News What??!!
Thank you BVI News because the other site wrote a little cushy piece on the move trying to fools us even though we know the place stinks!
Is Nathaniel Isaacs a Member of Parliament or a contractor.
He is a donkeyhole
So there’s an official government release on this just a few minutes after this story and the At Large Minister doesn’t know she is being moved?! They must take us for fools or jack donkies!! Which one is it? Why was she moved from her position? Are we getting played along in family drama and hysterics with this government? Well they did say they were unconventional. Let them keep it up.
No they will see who they are working with, now the ball will begin to roll on getting rid of her sister, I luv it when a plan comes together, the A team.
Lmao the circus show continues. What a thing to tell the King!? Isaac ain’t playing around. Lol now VG sees who run things around here.
COME OVER AND JOIN US. YOU WILL BE WELCOMED AND APPRECIATED
Cross the floor Hon. Flax don’t deal with that foolishness. After you cross, one more, then we go back to the polls and fix the mistake we made last February. Cross the floor please.
You really have to say thanks to BVI news reporting of this story. Capacity building my behind! LOL
Unconventional government the people wanted right…
I’ll wait until VINO get this before I believe it. This don’t make sense at all why remove somebody for complaining about the roads when everybody including Fahie had been complaining about this for the last few years.
GIRL SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE AND CROSS THE FLOOR
“water was boiling for fish but the fish didn’t know”
good for them um, they kept the esteem out for she now let them take that!
Great move Andrew. It needs someone strong to head the tourist board. It is our main pillar that employees the most people in the territory, not a joy ride. We need innovative ideas to go forward.
Hon Shereen is part of the 9 th District and in case you all bumped your coconuts on the deck, tourism in BVI is heavily dependent on VG and Anegada
Yes take a moment
Let that sink in for a moment
Not Tortola!! Any Minister for Tourism should focus significant attention on the issues surrounding these 2 islands ( and the District rep … hint hint VW)
Hon Shereen as an At large rep did not overstep her boundaries as she represents within her portfolio all islands and people in the BVI
We have to learn how to treat each other. Embarrassing people is not how to conduct yourself. We don’t know the specifics but this is no way for officials to behave on both sides.
Fahie an innovative leader. I trust his judgement
Selecting CSC as his Chief advisor at a unheard of $100 minus $200 for 6 months is innovative alright; without bringing forward what he was bringing to the table other than a grossly over-run pier park and taking the government to court for not extending his contract with the port.
The same thing with choosing the speaker, who in turn cost the Tax-payers hundreds of thousands; just because he could or felt or thought that Financial Services would keep on pouring in money into government coffers indefinitely; not withstanding the many issues the EU has been floating our way.
Innovative alright! I rest my case
Nonsense!!!!!! 8 months with a portfolio and you want to convince people that it’s a swap related to capacity building? What has either of them accomplished since being Jr. Ministers of their respective areas?
The tourism board needs a shake up!
Yes, tourist board doing the same things expecting different results, truly some of the personnel really lazy people
Seeing that we are capacity building now, when will Health, Comms, Education do their swap so that they can capacity build? Why isn’t Hon. Neville Smith included in the building? lol
Fahie promised you all that he would be unconventional, and innovative. That’s what we’re getting. I approve.
Flax-Charles’ sister is in the tourist board… that should never have happened.
I think that this switch was needed.
There is more in the mortar than the pistle; there is always at least 3 sides to a story. What is the real tory? If the rumors are true about Hon Flax-Charles comment in the HOA, the response was short-sighted. If the Hon Flax-Charles, as an At Large Rep, cannot opined about an area need in the HOA (the People’s House), where can she? So what if she is advocating for VG, a part of her constituency? So because she is a Virgin Gordian she cannot advocate for VG? Nonsense! Nuffness!
Moreover, there is value in rotating ministers and junior ministers. This process give them overall experience and knowledge of processes to move easily and effectively into any ministerial area(s). The two junior ministers who are women are being rotated into different junior minister ministerial portfolios; will the 4 ministers who are all men also be What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Further, rotating people in jobs for three months is better than nothing but not very effective. What kind of high level experience are ministers getting with 3 month stints as Deputy Premier? The Deputy Premier is not a full time job, for ministers have full time ministerial responsibilities. Hon Premier Fahie, be courageous and just appoint someone as DP.
There are 13 elected offices in the HOA; 8 VIP, 3 NDP, 1 PU and 1 PVIM. Basically, government controls 8 seats; opposition, 5. 7 seats are needed to form and continue to function as a government.
The VIP came to power with the mandate to rebuild the BVI in a post Irma and Maria state. IMO the government is trying to be all things to all people. Trying to please all 30,000 is an impossibility; trying to do everything at once means nothing is being done well. Continuing down this path can be costly for government. Instead, government should focus on bread and butter issues, health, education, economy……etc.
1. Did she advocate for anywhere else besides VG?
2. Is she a good diplomat and a team builder when representing us abroad?
Maybe these two questions are what the swap was all about.
When Shereen talking about Virgin Gorda, she’s doing what the people voted her to do. How can you fight her down for that?
“publicly speaking about Virda Gorda ‘too often’”
That makes no sense
She’s their representative. If she’s not allow to voice the issues affecting Virgin Gorda in the House of Assembly then point us to a more appropriate platform!
She was elected as an at-large rep, vg has a rep— hon wheatly. She needs to include the entire virgin islands in her portfolio.
Hon Shereen is an at-large rep not District 9. Hon. Vincent is the rep for District 9 please get that straight.
Let’s put this into perspective. So you reshuffle junior ministers when one is currently out of the territory on duty travel, and the effective date of the reshuffle was Monday 25 November , 2019. So when exactly would the junior ministers get to finalise anything they are working on, debrief or hand over. Some of us actually have a brain and this isn’t about capacity building. If it truly was it could have waiting until January 2020 why reshuffle ministers in December as November is practically finished when it would be more effective based on the governments reasoning to start a fresh in 2020.
Dear Mr.Priemer, Issac is going to cost VIP the next election big time.Ahhhhh, Mr.Priemer, enjoy the sweet taste of having all the power in your hands.It is slowly comming to an end.
You men keep thinking women is fools and trying to keep women down when they speak up. Mark my words Issac is going to be VIP DOWNFALL. THERE IS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS INVOLVED IN A BET THAT VIP WILL NOT BE RE ELECTED NEXT ELECTION.
What is all the outcry about. Allya have nothing betta to do? Why can’t a government shuffle a cabinet. Why are we always ready to jump on this side or that side. Flax-Charles herself might have wanted to be moved. And why would her move prevent her from continuing to have an opinion. Get a life. You all overthinking this thing
be humble
She got pulled into something she should not have.I hope this does not affect her Political aspirations. Or,is Foy setting these women up to fail or take a fall.Time will tell.
So…. the VIP ran on the premise of change and renewal, and their track record shows that they have been working for the people. Why fight the change?
It is wrong for the premier to try to ensure that he has
the best possible team of ministers, in their best possible positions to serve this country?
Besides, we need young minds in tourism – fresh ideas.
Maybe the fish was too old and tough and the extra heat was needed
How can we expect to get change without making changes? I agree with this move.
The director of the tourist board is Flax-Charles sister. They should have never been in control of the tourist board!! Now we will get a better chance for transparency and accountability.
The shuffle allows Fahie test and strengthen the young talent by giving them experience in different
departments. If he thinks Ms DeCastro will perform well in tourism, Flax-Charles in Trade whats the real problem???
Thisleader have all right to do her duty and talking about vg she is 100% correct becouse taking out vg from the bvi not much left.
I’m disgusted by the clearly divisive tone of this article and the fact that it has effectively caused my people to fight! doing exactly what it was intended to do! why have we forgotten that unity is how move forward as a people! when have we become so hateful of each other! why have we allowed politicians and these propagandist’s to make us fight each other! so there’s a change! but isn’t change what we wanted? we voted these guys in and before them we voted NDP in because we wanted change! have we gotten change yes! are we getting change? yes! will we like all the change we get? no? but change is the price of progess! don’t let this article drive you to fight against each other. My BVI people we are better than this! don’t let the enemy succeed in breaking us apart. love each other give strength to each other! We are ONE people!
I have always felt that some legislators are not used to party loyalty since the party system is fairly new. I saw it with Mitch and I’m seeing it with the VIP. You cannot go on radio and criticise anything since it’s your party on power. You have to take your grievances to the caucus and thrash it out there. You say to the premier I see XYZ wrong in my district how can we deal with it? But you CANNOT go in the public and say it. You have to work behind the scenes and push for what you want. Mitch was sooooo out of order with his beef I used to ask if he was for real. If you do not understand party loyalty well then you need to come out!!
Why deh hell should it be private when deh public involved? That’s just brainwash tactics. Where is the country loyalty? The public voted, the public can see, the public should know who is for them and who is ah darn fake.
When are we going to stand as one and stop allowing men to dictate our future and hold us down from progressing. You stand up as a woman and they label you as a Bi**h,troublemaker and erratic. Funny thing,a lot of women is sitting back encouraging the nonsense.
Hate to read when people type crap about rookie politicians put BVI first. When in fact they are just learning the the office, the finer points of it, public policy and speaking.
Further, what they can get done for people, they chose who they get things done foe.
At the end of the day, whether it is the NDP or VIP, it appears two big s**ts one toilet bowl… Some get to eat and s**t in the bpwl while others continue to, well wait to and struggle, beg and wait, beg and never get by.
Flax is a great lady. She us just an outspoken person and there are times we need exactly that. Dcastro is also a great female and both will handle their task just right. This is a great accomplishment for tqi young vibrant and intelligent females. God bless the both.
If deh darn roads need fixing they need fixing. The problem in this world today is people look fools to follow and support their bull shite.
What did Mrs. Flax-Charles say that was so wrong that warranted her removal from her Ministry at Tourism?
Mrs. Flax-Charles hails from the ninth district -Virgin Gorda, and have the right to speak about issues regarding Virgin Gorda.
Who best to represent the ministry of Tourism like those Flax girls?
When I think of BVI tourism, I think of Virgin Gorda and those ladies represent the BEST this country has to offer.
The high end resorts are all preety much on Virgin Gorda!
I personally am not pleased about this, Premier Fahie! I supported you because Mrs. Flax-Charles was on your ticket.
That you had her removed is not good for you Premier! Rethink this position, Premier. You were elected because you PROMISED to look out for the outer islands, and Mrs. Flax-Charles appointment to that Ministry was a reflection of your commitment!
I am dissappointed and will redirect votes as I see neccessary, because of this pronouncement!
Very Disappointed!
Ausar I often agree with your posts, but I am surprised at you. We all know that a PROMISE is a comfort to a Fool! And they think we are fools apparently.
The “unconventional” BS is just an excuse for the ludicrous and not having a clue behavior. So when they make a boo-boo, they remind us that they are an “unconventional” government. I wonder how long that smokescreen will last for. The people got the government they deserved.
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. This unconventional governing nonsense is hogwash. Stop the crap. It is quickly pushing the Premier and VIP into being one-termers. Experience, norms……etc matters. They have moved the BVI from a little sleepy hollow to having the potential to being a thriving small territory. By the way, history is unkind to one termers.
Let’s see. A duly elected member was advocating for VG, part of her constituency, and was allegedly “hog up” by an unelected, pompous statutory board member. Ah me ah here! Hope she put his rass in he place. Here is a news flash. Legislators job is to advocate for their constituents. Ministers and junior ministers have the same level of ministerial operational experience——9 months. And supposedly ministers are being reshuffled for building capacity. Nonetheless, only the 2 women junior ministers are being reshuffled. Is this sexism? Is this retaliation? Does the premier advocate for D-1 folks? Yes.
Stop the unbecoming, unconventional nonsense; it is a vehicle for one term. Instead, the Premier should take inventory ( this should be done before election), determine what is practical and affordable, what can be done in Year 1, 2, 3 and 4, develop work plan, budget , appropriate/authorize funding, execute………etc. Stop the running around like a chicken with its head cutoff. Stop blaming the NDP. NDP is history; VIP batting now. So bat with some discipline yet scoring runs for the victory. The building capacity in this case is a farce. Flashing red light. It requires 7 members to form a government; it is not a one man band.
Something more than stinks in the State of Denmark. This “unconventional” mantra they are singing is just an excuse for their cuckoo behavior! Its quite apparent this government will not get any serious work done by the end of their term because they are busy being unconventional and not effecting anything positive.
Where are the real plans for stimulating this economy in the short and medium term. And you VIP moron bloggers don’t tell me about the Budget, that was just fancy talk! There are sensible people here observing this nonsensical actions of this government.
VG was the NDPs favorite child. Now its time to feed Tortola Pickney dem.
These two done rich in family asset’s… don’t worry
..dem good.
Hon. Flax-Charles I have a new found respect for you. You called out what needed to be called out. If there were ill motives at work (which you would know being on the inside) know that somethings actually happen this way to bless us and others around us…Joseph in Egypt and Mary going to down for the census. These things make us stronger and I hope you see it as that. #Just-a-strong-woman-becoming-stronger!
I always respected her as an individual,for her mind and passion for what she believes in. Now if she sits with this government after being slapped and stripped for simply expressing herself, then my respect for her is lost. Her sitting down silent and taking this is a no no in my sight. I see her as a champion of causes, nearly a revolutionary.
Hon Shereen you are a strong lady and note the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and he said, “The Time Is Always Right To Do What is Right.”
Flax-Charles makes some good points about the Virgin Gorda airport. The road leading to it has no signs, is in terrible condition and the parking lot is a downright hazard. It is an embarrassing way to welcome tourists to our island and she is right to bring it to the forefront.
Good for you Shereen! Thank you for fighting for VG.