'You could end up with nothing'- Hon Fraser tells Premier Fahie
Premier Fahie was at the time speaking on what he called 'Successful negotiations' during his recent trip to the UK at the Eleventh Sitting of the First Session of the Fourth House of Assembly which commenced on Thursday, October 17, 2019.
'I acted in time' - Premier Fahie
Hon Fraser had sought to know whether the Virgin Islands had reacted before or after the UK ultimatum to take up the loan, to which the Premier said he reacted on time.
"I acted in time and informed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of our intention to access the guarantee. However, negotiations are ongoing since they are a couple of negotiation points yet to be resolved by the parties. Through these negotiations we were able to achieve flexibility in the September 30th deadline," Premier said.
Following more questions, the Premier said, however, that while he achieved flexibility, he would not reveal too many details into the public domain which could hamper the ongoing negotiation process.
Hon Fraser responded, "You acknowledged the 30th as a deadline and sought an extension, but at the same time, you are saying it was a resounding success?"
"You don't know what the outcomes of these discussions would be, you could end up with nothing... how could it be a resounding success if you have nothing?" Hon Fraser said in questioning the role of the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) in the UK loan conundrum.
'People want to see us fail' - Premier
According to Premier Fahie, "I know that they are those who hope we end up with nothing, but one thing we [are going] to do is try, and one thing we [are] doing is to make sure that we try in the best interest of the people of the Virgin Islands (VI). I pray to God that we do not end up with nothing," he said in response.
Hon Fahie continued, "but if it comes to that point, I can go to the people of the Virgin Islands and then say... these are all the areas that I was fighting on your behalf and this is what we were able to get done or not done," he said.
The Premier reiterated that while the UK has been open and receptive, discussions are delicate and he cannot reveal the full details, "both sides are listening to each other, and the deadline has been extended so that we can discuss further to find common ground in some areas," he said.
The Leader of Government Business further noted that the deadline extension was a victory on its own and that the UK is accommodating and have since been reasonable throughout the negotiation process.
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9 Responses to “'You could end up with nothing'- Hon Fraser tells Premier Fahie”
Reparations YES !
Welfare NO !
It is a GUARANTEE for loans. LOANS that the people of the VI will have to pay back. The NDP mismanaged the debt situation to the point that even if we reach an agreement with the UK, we will not be able to borrow any money without going over the set limits. If we go over, the UK is waiting to come and take over.
Plus, the UK wants ALL capital projects managed by its RDA. If the UK is managing our whole development budget, what then is the purpose of saying we have devolved governance?
Some of you still in mental slavery.
Thank God Fahie have more sense than you all and he willing to stand up and fight for our children to hold on to their patrimony.