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Hon Ralph T. O’Neal OBE will remain Leader of the Opposition
Sources close to the VIP one of two Opposition Parties in the House of Assembly have confirmed this today.
The source told our news site as of now and come this Friday June 13, 2014 at the 7th Sitting of Third Session of the Second House of Assembly Mr. O’Neal will be in the House as the Opposition Leader.
“He still has work left to be done as he has to pilot through the Public Accounts Committee report.” The source refused to answer whether Hon. O’Neal the 9th District Representative will remain in the post until the next general elections, which he would not contest - a story firstly and accurately broken by this news site.
Last month the veteran Legislator and first Premier of the Virgin Islands announced in a national broadcast that he will not seek another term in political office when election comes due in November of 2015.
Hon. O’Neal the 80 year old Leader in office since 1975 also did not contest the seat for the VIP Chairman a seat he held for 19 years following the death in 1995 of the party founder the first Chief Minister of the Virgin Islands H. Lavity Stoutt.
The Chairmanship was won by Third District Representative the firebrand and popular Honourable Julian Fraser RA, who many ordinary residents and voters already see as possibly the next Premier of the British Overseas Territory.
How does one select an Opposition Leader?
In order for the Opposition Leadership to change they will need to have a simple majority out of the four members and the majority will advise the United Kingdom appointed Governor in writing of the change. The Governor will assent and make the appointment while advising the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
Currently, the VIP has three Members in the Opposition; Hon. O’Neal (R9) Hon. Fraser (R3) and Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1). The People’s Empower Party has one seat that of the Honourable J. Alvin Christopher (R2).
When Virgin Islands News Online called the Leader of the Opposition Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE to ask whether he would be giving up his seat as the Leader of the Opposition at the next sitting of the House of Assembly, he did not confirm or deny but simply told us, “that you would have to wait and see.”
VIP has a chance of winning the next election
When ask how he felt about his party chances of winning the next general elections constitutional due by November of 2015, the longest serving politician in the English speaking Caribbean said “they have a good chance”.
However, he was still asking that we wait and see as it’s still too early….but “we still have to wait and see.”
Hon. O’Neal the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee will be laying on the table of the House of Assembly come June 13, 2014 a damaging Report on the Cruise Ship Port Development Project.
In the Report there is compelling evidence of corruption, conflict of interest, violation of the laws of the Virgin Islands, usurpation of the role of the BVI Ports Authority Board, absence of transparency, and even accused public officers of lying to the Committee and withholding information.
Many believe that the report is serious enough and gives raise for the Governor to conduct a Commission of Inquiry and bring criminal charges against some involved.
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16 Responses to “Hon Ralph T. O’Neal OBE will remain Leader of the Opposition”
In the mean time, I think it is good that O'neal hang on a bit longer until the elections because I find people have been worried about how loud Fraser has become and it is making some uneasy. This is not a "war" as Fraser states it. If he is a leader, then let him try to bring people together instead of driving them apart. Too bad there isn't someone else in the wings with a more quiet powerful demeanor that can reassure change more confidently and calmly.