Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

The powers of our governor is part of a system oblivious to BVIslanders

The powers of our governor is part of a system oblivious to BVIslanders

Opposition Leader Julian Fraser, in his contribution to the Commission of Inquiry (COI) debate in the House of Assembly (HOA), has raised discontent with where the powers of the governor and the legislature come from about making laws in the territory.

The senior legislator said that under Section 71 of the Virgin Islands Constitution Order (2007), which the COI mentioned, the legislature shall have the power to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the Virgin Islands subject to the Constitution Order.

“Now, here we are looking at a document, 8 June 2022 laid before parliament on the 9th of June 2022 saying the governor, acting in his or her discretion may make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the Virgin Islands,” Fraser said.

“Now, there is a little irony here, because when it talks about the legislature asking to make laws, it says ‘subject to the constitution’. When it speaks about the governor making the laws, it says ‘acting at his or her discretion. Do you see where we are going with this Small minds think that I am wasting my time but the well-informed understands,” the Opposition Leader said.

A system oblivious to Virgin Islanders


The senior legislator, who is also Third District Representative, noted that people have a lot of maxims including ‘ignorance is bliss’ and ‘what you don’t know can’t hurt you’. However, he said if he knows and does not inform the public, then he is worse than the person living in ignorance.

“These kinds of things rub you the wrong way and I want the governor to know that it does not matter who is sitting in that seat right now because I am not speaking about you… a particular governor. I am speaking about a system that is oblivious to the realities of the Virgin Islands,” Fraser said.

“I am speaking to a system that is oblivious to the people of the Virgin Islands. I mention this, dear Governor, I applaud you for having a conscience and without a conscience, no country in a struggle can get out of the struggle. It depends on the conscience of the people to who you are appealing,” he continued.

The Member for the Third also explained the Virgin Islands is being treated like a government department where someone – the governor – is appointed to lead them. He said he could not even compare the situation to the United States or the United Kingdom because the President and the Prime Ministers are democratically elected individuals put in by the people to serve.

“But this individual, whoever, the Governor is, whether it is he, she or someone else. It is someone who is appointed. So, they are treating us like a department. Like you would treat a department in your ministry. Put somebody to run it. A head of department. That is essentially what we would become and that is not something that I see myself or anyone who sought the freedom that we have attained over the centuries to place under,” Fraser said.

“It is ironic that we are going through our emancipation in a few days. A few days ago, we celebrated our first Virgin Islands Day, something that we have all been proud of. A few days from now we will be celebrating our emancipation and I think everybody knows what emancipation means. So, when I was here last week, I was going to debate the same document. It was because I could not afford for our people to go through emancipation and not know about it. I wanted to go in emancipation with the consciousness of knowing that with the stroke of a pen, they can take it away from us,” the Opposition Leader added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×