Speaking during the First Sitting of the Fourth Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HOA), the veteran legislator questioned the commonalities that bonded legislators and remarked about its absence in the Governor.

“Seventeen of us here. Look at us, what do we have in common? What do the 17 of us have in common? But no, you have a Speech from the Throne and somebody else have to come up there and give it [who] has nothing in common with us,” Fraser said.

“You’re comfortable with this?“ he asked.

Fraser was one of several legislators who were keen to emphasise that the speech was the government’s agenda and not that of the governor.

But he wasn’t the only legislator against the antiquated system of the throne speech being delivered by the Queen’s representative.

Fourth District Member Mark Vanterpool also commented on the antiquatedness of the traditional address, calling for it to be discontinued.

He pointed out that the Speech from the Throne is, in fact, not the Governor’s speech, but is the Premier’s agenda for the territory as prepared by the government of the day, but delivered by the Governor as has always been done traditionally.

Vanterpool said he was keen on ensuring that the wrong impression wasn’t given that the throne speech represented what the governor wants for the country instead of what the government of the day wants for the country.

“I personally don’t believe that this tradition should be maintained, I wish that it wasn’t the case and I will say that publicly,” he stated.

“The Premier of the country, the leader of the government needs to present his agenda for the country,” Vanterpool added.