Premier Fahie said some residents continue to oppose of his government’s move to take certain legislation to the House of Assembly.

“I want to tell people of the Virgin Islands that I will not shun from bringing anything to the House because I do not have the authority to deal with these things on my own and those who telling them otherwise should stop and put them to read,” he said yesterday November 1, while debating the Public Procurement Act, 2021.

He said: “because some persons want this country run on emotions and run it through Facebook. While they have their place on Facebook it cannot overtake the laws of the country and it cannot overtake of what is expected of how we implement and adhere to the laws of this House to make laws.”

Premier Fahie said even some of his members of government have cautioned him.

“We have brought legislation here and even more to come and some Members tell me ‘those things heavy’ and I tell them yes we have to get them done.”

He noted that they intend to bring more bills such as the Integrity in Public Life, Police Act, Human Rights Commission and Freedom of Information Act.

People No Longer Fearful To Speak Up

Meanwhile, the Premier said residents are no longer fearful to speak up. He said this is a shift from what took place under the former National Democratic Party (NDP) for some eight years.

“I have seen the other government in place where you couldn’t say a word, you couldn’t say you were against anything that government was doing and it go public and hear it, you would have been dealt with or you would have felt the pressure coming on you,” he claimed.

The Premier added, “so a lot of people avoided that for nearly eight years. So now we come with a government that says well alright you express your views, I won’t blink an eye at them, do it peacefully, do it respectfully.”

However, Hon. Fahie said persons must understand that government cannot run a government based on emotions and they must not take advantage of that freedom.

“When you try to allow freedom to reign some persons take advantage of the freedom that they have and use it the wrong way. This is not to say that they don’t exercise their rights.”

He continued, “but at the same time understand that we cannot run a country on emotions, you have to run a country on laws, and you have to come to the House to pass those laws. You have to run it with money and you have to come to the House for the money.”