Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Fraser Brushes Aside Replacing Penn

Fraser Brushes Aside Replacing Penn

The National Democratic Party (NDP) may be splintered at the moment, but Hon. Marlon Penn is likely to remain the Leader of the four-member Opposition in the House of Assembly.
Third District Representative, Hon. Julian Fraser, who himself staved off a challenge to become Opposition Leader following the 2015 general elections, was recently questioned about Penn remaining Leader of the Opposition given the departure of Hon. Alvera Maduro-Caines, the Sixth District Representative who crossed the floor to join the Virgin Islands Party administration last month.

"I don’t think that is something I want to discuss at this point," Hon. Fraser stated.

Further he said, "I mean I never thought of it , you (reporter) brought it up so I cant respond at this point."

The NDP still has the majority in the Opposition with two seats, including Fourth District Representative, Hon Mark Vanterpool who penned a resignation letter before changing his mind and was sworn-in following several trips to the court.

Fraser is the leader of the Progressive United (PU) party while the fourth member of the Opposition is Second District Representative, Hon. Melville "Mitch" Turnbull, a former NDP representative, who is the lone member of the Progressive Virgin Islands Movement to have won a seat.

According to Hon. Turnbull, he has held discussions with Hon. Fraser, but not about the change in Opposition Leader.

"Hon. Fraser and myself, we have discussed even before the departure of Hon. Caines, as a matter of fact we have all discussed together that we have to work as an Opposition to support the Leader of the Opposition in his current position to build a force to hold the government accountable," Hon. Turnbull replied when asked about the possibly of replacing Hon. Penn.

He added, "I know again in the minds of the people we strive on contention and we strive on negativity where I am right now my position is to ensure that we hold the government accountable . Hon. Marlon Penn is the leader of the Opposition unless he says otherwise I don’t see anything changing."

The Territory has seen three Opposition Leaders in the past four years. Former Governor John Duncan had selected Hon. Fraser as the Leader of The Opposition following a stalemate with Hon. Andrew Fahie who was the only other member in the Opposition at the time.

One of the grounds cited by Governor Duncan for his decision was Fraser being the leader of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) at the time. Months later, Hon. Fahie defeated Hon. Fraser in VIP's internal elections to become leader of the party. Hon. Fahie was subsequently appointed Leader of the Opposition.

Then in late 2018, a breakaway group from the NDP led by Hon. Ronnie Skelton and included Hon. Turnbull and Hon. Archibald Christian crossed the floor to become Opposition Members. Skelton was subsequently appointed Opposition Leader.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×