Considering the Virgin Islands Government’s majority in the House of Assembly, wouldn’t it have been more effective for His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition to remain in the session on Tuesday, October 31st?
This question was posed to the Opposition members by 284 Media on Thursday, following public criticism of the Opposition’s walkout.
The most senior members of the Opposition, Leader Honourable Ronnie Skelton and Member for the 3rd District Honourable Julian Fraser, seized this opportunity to elucidate the necessity and impact of the walkout.
Skelton explained that the walkout was somewhat of a last resort in the Opposition’s limited toolkit for dealing effectively with the Government.
His position is that the Government has been obstructing the Opposition’s ability to ask questions in the House of Assembly or hold the executive accountable through the public accounts committee, necessitating action from the Opposition.
“The Opposition will have their say, but the Government will have their way,” he said, highlighting that while the Opposition can make valuable contributions in the House of Assembly, the Government, holding the majority, will usually win a vote.
Honourable Fraser emphasized that the Opposition has reached a point where they need to make a stand. He urged the public to understand that the decisions made by the Opposition are in their best interest.
