Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025

Premier calls out 'hypocrisy' in claims of nepotism & cronyism in VIP Gov't

Calling the Opposition debates a 'facade' over claims that his Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government is involved in nepotism and cronyism, in addition to victimising and dismissing board members since taking office, Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew Fahie (R1) has fired back at the hypocrisy coming from especially Opposition Members of the past National Democratic Party (NDP) government.

Premier Fahie was at the time speaking at the Thursday, November 14, 2019, Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) in Road Town, Tortola when he moved to wrap up the motion for the appointment of Rosemarie Flax to chair the British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) Board of Directors.


NDP 'mash-up' previous boards - Premier Fahie

He told the House that it was the first time in his history of politics, to hear that no selection for a Board is good unless the status quo who 'mash it up' approves. "Unless they tell you is good, is not good," Premier Fahie said.

"All of a sudden they become integrity police, to tell you what's good and what's not," Premier Fahie told the house in relation to the VI Opposition.

At a November 13, 2019 Opposition called press conference, Leader of the Opposition Hon Marlon A. Penn (R8) had accused the Government of nepotism and cronyism and claimed that under the NDP his government was never involved in any such practice.


'We never Victimised' - Hon Penn

"We never victimise persons... Persons are afraid to go even on social media to express their opinions, they get letters from their boards and their CEO's when they express their point of view," Hon Penn alleged at the press conference.

At the Thursday, November 14, sitting, Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) further said that it was unfair that Board Members are now being replaced under the new government after serving several years of service.

According to Hon Fahie, "All of a sudden they know about accountability, all of a sudden they telling you to leave the past, the past", the Premier said.

He said he believes that some members of the Opposition are employing scare tactics to prevent the government from carrying out its mandate and to coerce members of the public service to go against the government.


NDP & Accountability

"I remember when I was over there toiling with the member for the Third [Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3)] and the first things they did when they get in was to get rid of the lady from Labour and she couldn't even report to nobody because she was the Head of Labour," Hon Fahie said.

Premier Fahie also noted the dismissal of the wife of Hon Fraser, Mrs Kharid T. Fraser from the post of Accountant General when the NDP took office.

"I don't know how the Member for the Third could sit down over there and stomach it," Hon Fahie told the house while pointing that the NDP opposition has had no concept of integrity given a long list of unethical behaviour.


VIP Gov't wants Integrity - Premier

According to Hon Fahie, the Government is only seeking to find new Boards who will operate with integrity, "Yes there is going to be some mistakes here and there but we will try to correct them," Hon Fahie told the house.

"I’m not going to sit here and let anybody throw a set of mud on the wall and hope that it sticks on this government with things that are not factual."

He said the Opposition has a right to get up and defend who come to them, "but not with so many allegations and accusations and insinuations.... going after people’s reputation, no, that is wrong,” the Premier told the House.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
×