In the Virgin Islands, if an elected representative has stepped off the path of wisdom, residents can take to talk shows, the local press or sing calypso songs to air their dissatisfaction.
But as in many other Commonwealth countries, if a representative commits a crime or some other serious act against the public, he or she likely will remain in office, forcing voters to wait out the politician’s term in office, said Education and Culture Minister Myron Walwyn during the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Conference for the Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic region on May 16 in Kingston, Jamaica.
It doesn’t have to be that way, Mr. Walwyn said during a talk on the topic of recall elections, which give voters the power to remove legislators from office.
“If we have representatives that are not responsibly conducting the public’s affairs, there should be a means to check those individuals,” Mr. Walwyn said, adding that care should be taken to prevent abuse of the system to harass or intimidate representatives.
See the May 24, 2012 edition for full coverage.
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