Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Oct 28, 2025

Fraser says COI is constructive, offers support

Fraser says COI is constructive, offers support

Opposition legislator Julian Fraser has expressed that he believes the ongoing Commission of Inquiry (COI) is constructive in its efforts to improve governance in the BVI and said he is ‘all in’, regarding his support for the work being done.

“At this stage of my career and my long exposure to what obtains, I am not interested in listening to the same old stories, nor watching the same game over and over again. My belief is that the exercise you are engaged in is to be constructive, and as such, I’m all in. If however, I am to learn different, I’m out,” Fraser said.

The veteran legislator made the remarks in his written position statement on good governance that was submitted to the COI. He chose to submit his position independent of other members of the House of Assembly (HOA).

My opinion differs from other legislators


It was the COI who invited members of the House to submit position statements on good governance. And among other questions, the COI asked: “What steps do you, as Members of the House of Assembly, consider should be taken to ensure that the standards of governance in place will sustain public confidence in all elements of government?”

In response, Fraser said: “I have chosen to [dissent] from a joint statement on this matter of concern, because my perspective of the issues facing the territory particularly with regards to the topic of this questionnaire cannot, and is not expected to be that of other members, main reason being the disparity in experience.”

The veteran legislator said, “the longer you live with an ailment, the more likely you are to accept that it can’t be cured. There comes a time when something different ‘new’ has to be tried.” He believes the COI is, effectively, that ‘new’ effort.

He further expressed that there should also be forward-thinking and innovative proposals which he hopes will emerge from the COI upon its completion.

Two tier system for House Members?


Fraser offered that there should be a revamp of the current Territorial At-Large voting system in place. He suggested, instead, that there should a system where parties can either field candidates for district votes OR for At-Large votes.

In response to a question that asked about his role in ensuring that there is good governance and further, how he has carried out that role, Fraser responded: “Ask yourself this question. Who makes up the House of Assembly? And the answer is the Cabinet, namely the five ministers and the Attorney General; a cast of supporters namely, the two Junior Ministers, the Deputy Speaker and another back-bencher; plus the Speaker. That is a total of 11 out of 15 members. So, who are you kidding when you are trying to pin an unrealistic responsibility on the “House of Assembly” to hold the Cabinet to account? You know that this is nonsense, and you didn’t need me to tell you this. But you asked.”

Fraser said he is aware that the same system exists in the UK. However, he pointed out that the dynamics are vastly different.

“[They’re] different in the sense that they have diversity in numbers on their side. There is a parliament of 650 members, a strong and functional Opposition comprising of no fewer than 10 Parties — including a main Opposition Party — along with other Independent MPs, and they are also blessed with a bi-cameral system. So, for them, accountability can and is achieved. Not to mention, they also have the Press,” Fraser said.

Fraser also offered numerous other suggestions to the COI he felt could improve the execution of good governance in the BVI.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
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?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
×