Long-serving Legislator, Third District Representative, Hon. Julian Fraser has called on Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon. Andrew Fahie to show leadership on the ill-fated BVI Airways deal.
Hon. Fraser has alleged that there is a “coverup” taking place surrounding the deal. He first made the allegation in the House of Assembly on October 17, but has since taken to social media in what appears to be an attempt to further drive home his points to a wider base.
Hon. Fraser has accused Premier and Minister for Finance Hon. Andrew
Fahie of covering up the details of what he discovered about the failed BVI Airways arrangement since becoming Premier. In fact, during the sitting the Opposition Member declared: “Mr. Speaker this is becoming a norm where one administration keep covering for the other.”
This accusation was quickly shot down by the Premier who announced that he was warned to be quiet because the matter was before the court.
Hon.
Fahie pleaded with Hon. Fraser to wait for the information.
“When the time comes whatever it is to be revealed will be revealed. If we can get back the money or not I don’t know. I can’t say who innocent or who guilty or if anything went wrong or it was just procedural errors I don’t know. The Member for the Third could rest assured that when that time comes he would know and so would me and everyone else. So please member don’t feel like anything is being covered up,” the Premier added.
However, in his social media statement on November 2, Hon. Fraser expressed the view that the Premier could have said more on the matter. Hon. Fraser alluded to the fact that Governor Augustus Jaspert during a press conference on Friday promised that an Auditor General’s report on the BVI Airways matter will be made public.
Further the senior Legislator stated that the Premier should have said something in the House of Assembly on the BVI Airways matter because the forum provides for such disclosures.
“Section 82 of
the Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007 gives the Premier immunity to say anything he pleases to say in The House of Assembly. So why is he not telling us what the heck is really going on?” Hon. Fraser asked.
Further, the Third District Representative said, “My message to the Premier is to show leadership and step out in front by publishing the facts about BVI Airways, and don’t let the Governor embarrass you by being the one to inform the public on this very important matter.”
According to Hon. Fraser, the various developments in the BVI Airways matter has resulted in different approaches to the situation by the Premier and Governor Jaspert. He stated that the BVI Airways fiasco has so far resulted into a tale of two cities.
"One pitting our Premier in the unenviable light as one who is covering for the apparent sins of a past Administration by flat out refusing to answer questions in the House of Assembly regarding the disappearance of $7.2 million in relation to the still awaited Airline which was supposed to fly commercially between Tortola and Miami. And the other is our Governor who is essentially challenging the transparency or lack of transparency of the Premier, by telling us that he will publish the Report on the Airline,” Hon. Fraser said.