Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) was a science fiction writer of some note. Some of his stories were written purely for the pleasure, but some of them had something to say about the society in which he lived and wrote. Mr. Heinlein was essentially a right wing conservative in his political views and, in some cases, his writing reflects this characteristic.
In particular, his story “Starship Troopers” displays many views on a form of government and laws that were then (and most certainly would be today) generally unacceptable in a much more liberal general society.
At one point in the story, the hero is admitted to Officer Candidate School. As part of the curriculum, he must pass a course titled “History and Moral Philosophy.” Passing the course does not involve passing an examination, but rather satisfying the officer instructors that the officer candidate is potentially qualified to serve as a legislator, since only veterans can vote or hold office.
‘In the Virgin Islands’
As a part of this course, the instructor argues that many of our rules consist of “paired dualities.” One such pair is the combination of “authority and responsibility.” And, in reality, we here in the Virgin Islands have had all too many examples of situations where the pairing has been less than successful.
In no small measure, the situation in which we find ourselves today results from the failure of the previous government to exhibit the fiscal responsibility conferred on it by a crushing majority in the 2007 election. In fact, if you believe the slim facts that were occasionally mentioned over the subsequent four-year period, our financial control was so poor that we had accumulated deficits in the order of $150 million. Our reserves were severely depleted, as was clearly seen in the refusal of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to approve the $15.7 million Caribbean Development Bank loan for repairs to the infrastructure.
There was probably no question that the loan was needed and even less question that the repairs were needed, but we were, by that time, too far beyond our borrowing limits and, in all probability, a very poor credit risk.
There was an unconfirmed rumour in circulation after last November’s election that, given a different result, the FCO was possibly prepared to take drastic steps to correct the handling of the local economy. According to the rumour, the Turks and Caicos Islands approach might have been a model.
UK control
We have possibly had several examples of the level of control that the United Kingdom government is prepared to exercise. During the former VI government’s term, it became necessary to select a new governor. As usual, the VI government was either not consulted at all or consulted only to a minimal extent. Three prominent government leaders complained bitterly, to the point of possibly threatening civil unrest. The FCO paid a “courtesy” visit at that point in time, and the inflammatory statements abruptly stopped.
After last November’s election, the incoming premier had to spend several months and considerable time in the UK to convince the FCO that the new government was prepared to be much more conservative in a fiscal sense and that it was committed to better financial controls. Leaders got the CDB loan, but only after agreeing to stringent controls over the way the funds were spent and signing the Protocols for Effective Financial Management. It is to Premier Dr. Orlando Smith’s credit that he managed to convince the FCO that a continuation of the past four years of financial mismanagement would not be tolerated.
There may still be some question as to how the runway extension will be handled with respect to the protocols. Only time will tell on that matter.
But there was no question when it came to the cruise ship dock expansion. After an FCO representative visited, the dock was abruptly put on hold and put out to bid. Any bets that there was no input from the FCO? Further, it is surprising that the bids for what seems to be a job costing more than $75 million can be completed and submitted in less than two weeks. As Donald De Castro said in a recent commentary, there is every likelihood that the bids are not much more than window dressing from a selected contractor. If this is the case, then further input from the FCO can be expected. Gone are the days when we could do as we pleased and get away with it.
And how did we react to the application of the control that we were forced into in order to get the CDB loan? Obviously we screamed about slavery and outside control. We started the old, old litany of independence. Sounds a bit like “I no longer like the rules of the game. Gimme my ball; I’ll go play by myself!” In this respect, Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool seems to be a sore loser.
However, I note that the prospect of independence was thrown out in the recent Speech from the Throne.
Mr. Vanterpool is indeed correct in one respect. Any country such as the VI should be keeping a constant eye on its relations with the mother country. At some point in time, it may become both practical and beneficial to become independent of the UK. I do not believe that the appropriate time is now.
If we became independent, the following would probably happen.
1. Without the de facto backup of the UK, the VI’s financial markets might take a pounding simply because of doubts in our ability to provide stability and control.
2. We might lose the ability to use the United States dollar as our standard currency. What happens then? Would we develop our own currency? What would be the market value of the new VI dollar? Ten cents?
3.Who would be willing to loan us any money? Our financial resources are most likely severely depleted, and we have an economy that rests on tourism, a rather dubious pillar at the moment.
4. Do we become more than an observer of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States? We want no part of more relations with the group at the moment, but could we exist alone?
This is most certainly a place for a stringent cost-benefit analysis. It is rather difficult to see any benefits other than our release from what some feel is slavery. But, in our day-to-day lives, the only slavery is the exercising of a modicum of control that we seem to be incapable of providing ourselves.
Realistically, the costs might be extreme — especially in the current poor economic times. And what if the worst comes to pass? Do we go back to the UK with hat in hand and say, “Sorry, we goofed! Can we come back in?”
The government would present a stronger picture if the ruling party exercised more control over its members and their statements. It is obvious that this is not a dictatorship, but neither should it be a bunch of loose cannons charging around the deck. We should really keep our dirty laundry to ourselves. Statements that come from Cabinet members have a nasty tendency to sound like approved policy.