After hours of discussion in the House of Assembly Friday, opposition members Julian Fraser (R-D3) and Andrew Fahie (R-D1) are still looking for answers from Premier Dr. Orlando Smith and his government, they said Tuesday morning.
“In no way do we intend to oppose just for opposing’s sake,” Mr. Fahie said.
Neither Opposition Leader Ralph O’Neal (R-D9) nor their fellow opposition representative Alvin Christopher (R-D2) attended the press conference.
Mr. Fahie said that he and Mr. Fraser – the only two representative who voted in favour of a the no-confidence motion – raised several points in the discussion that went unanswered, such as the appearance of a conflict of interest when government does business with entities affiliated with the BVI Investment Club, and government’s “disregard” for the Protocols for Effective Financial Management.
Mr. Fahie also called for Dr. Smith and the other members of government to apologise for leaving the House of Assembly chambers without being excused by Speaker of the House Ingrid Moses-Scatliffe.
Mr. Fraser said he disagrees with Ms. Moses-Scatliffe’s direction to the House that future motions for a vote of no confidence should come from the opposition leader, citing the Standing Orders and the Constitution, which both state that any member of the House can bring a motion forward for vote or debate.
In a written response calling the motion a “healthy sign of democracy,” Dr. Smith said, “The arguments put forward more than established the weakness of the motion.”
See the Aug. 1, 2013 edition for full coverage.
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