"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
The fragmentation of the two-party system has left the Virgin Islands Party the undisputed powerhouse of VI politics. The opposing three parties are a work in progress. However, of the …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Lessons learned from general election”
Fratricide — brother killing brother — appears endemic in black communities in the United States. That sad narrative has also visited the shores of the Virgin Islands. Our paradise is …
In the heat of the Virgin Islands’ general election campaign, the one matter that appears overlooked amidst the thrusts, hustings and rhetorical shuffling of electioneering is how politicians intend to …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — ‘The 800-pound gorilla in the room’”
A certain politician loves pontificating on the beauty of these Virgin Islands. Most aliens arriving on these shores swiftly appreciate the safety, beauty and wholesomeness of life here. These islands …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — VI seen to be ‘under threat’”
All nations depend on outside countries to fill in crucial links in their supply chains. This fact is at the core of modern-day globalisation. However, when crises such as war …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Voters urged to consider food security”
It is a well-worn cliché that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This advice should guide leaders who want a wholesome, happy and lengthy tenure in office. Sadly, it …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Governance ‘impunity’ called out”
Wise residents fully understand that United Kingdom oversight of the Virgin Islands is required at this time. Complete culture change towards an honest society is the singular route to self-determination …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — UK ‘oversight’ still seen as needed”
Politicians who enter the arena of power with a vendetta may last a long time, but they seldom end up well. These people are a key source of poor governance, …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Revenge seen as bad politics”
Post the 2023 elections, intelligent voters understand that the next Virgin Islands government must completely adopt the Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations for governance reform. That will mean working in partnership …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Ideas offered for voting wisely”
As the Virgin Islands enters the season of talk and promises, in another land far away and across the vast Atlantic, elections will take place this month. In that other …
Continue reading “LETTER — Voters urged to use ‘honesty test’”
The choices voters make at elections in any free democracy mothball into the social and economic outcomes of a country or territory, all things being equal. The choices made by …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Voters urged to choose wisely in coming election”
A country or territory without an appropriate set of guiding values and principles — invisible rules of conscience and morality that sit in the hearts and souls of its residents …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — VI urged to swallow COI ‘medicine’”
Culture change and changes in social behaviour are the prerequisites for a safer and more wholesome society. A society is simply the sum total of individuals, families and communities that …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Call made for change in New Year”
The road to a safe, secure and prosperous Virgin Islands is honest and accountable governance. Recently, there has been a lot of talk by the media and others on the …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Honest governance linked to success”
In today’s highly interconnected and networked world, collaboration prevails over competition. This is despite the pushback against globalisation by a number of authoritarian rulers and states. After leaving the European …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — In Europe, lessons for VI, USVI”
The most important factor in Virgin Islands prosperity is public, business and investor confidence in the society and economy. Public confidence drives the value of everything in the economy. Confidence …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — COI reforms seen as election issue”
Poor social and physical infrastructure is costly to residents, and it causes inflation to inflict greater woe on a society. In the Virgin Islands, the list of such issues is …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — VI blasted for infrastructure woes”
Price controls and reducing taxes will not alleviate the inflation burden in the Virgin Islands. Only charity and handouts to the needy will help contain suffering. The world has entered …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Residents urged to ‘budget wisely’”
At the root of the male youth crisis in the Virgin Islands are adults who inadvertently support their misdemeanors and poor behaviours. The issue of poor male behaviours in the …
Continue reading “LETTER — Adults blamed for ‘male youth crisis’”
The term “the silent majority” is much used by politicians who attempt to identify where the mass of voters and other residents sit on any matter. Commentary and activism are …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY— ‘Silent majority’ seen as influential”
The one clear and straightforward route to Virgin Islands independence is through a referendum. So why are the “elites” shirking from a referendum and yet pontificating on the subject of …
The culture of “wrong and strong” is a Virgin Islands folly that will be the territory’s undoing. Currently, a significant subset is averse to the new reality of correctly imposed …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — COI came ‘just in time,’ writer says”
Following the release of the Commission of Inquiry report, there are only two options for Virgin Islands governance over the next four years: direct rule or indirect rule. Either option …
Owing to the highly publicised Commission of Inquiry and the arrest of the former premier on drug trafficking allegations, the Virgin Islands will be under the global microscope for many …
A certain politician in the Virgin Islands enjoys pontificating on national news and social media about how we got here to this sad place. The great man is clearly intelligent …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Call made for ‘national morality’”