Following Black History Month, I would like to share a piece of my maternal family’s history with you. I’ll start where my journey began. My maternal family has been in …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Land dispute history recounted”
Following Black History Month, I would like to share a piece of my maternal family’s history with you. I’ll start where my journey began. My maternal family has been in …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Land dispute history recounted”
What was the common denominator for countries and territories that kept the pandemic to a minimum? Unlike in the United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom, draconian action and effective …
Props A Beaconite, like many residents, has been critical of several aspects of the government’s Covid-19 response. Some missteps were clear: failing to thoroughly explain the disbursement of the $62.9 …
I applaud the theme of the BVI National Commission for UNESCO World Poetry Competition 2021: “Perspectives of Our Past: Unsung Heroes.” So often our lips declare that “we stand on …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Call made to honour VI heroes”
Some individuals may not want to acknowledge that there are ties which bind the United Kingdom and the Virgin Islands, and I think I can understand why that would be …
The decision to take the Covid-19 vaccine or not is primarily a personal one. However, the effect and outcomes of not doing it may not exactly be so personal after …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Residents urged to get vaccine”
Impeachment A Beaconite watching the Senate impeachment trial of former United States President Donald Trump last week was captivated by the important role played by Stacey Plaskett, the delegate to …
In August 2020, I wrote a commentary discussing the Constitution being a tool for good governance, and it turned out to be a prelude to current affairs. The launch of …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Governance questions posed in light of ongoing inquiry”
Next week marks the beginning of my 50th year in the Virgin Islands. In the early days, I was busy working to provide you with modern communications, and I did …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Troubled projects listed as inquiry gets under way”
I couldn’t believe it when I turned on the radio to listen to the BBC News last week and heard that there was to be a commission of inquiry in …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Gov’t defended as COI starts”
The apparently unprecedented events taking place in the world during our lifetime actually are not unprecedented in life, for there is nothing new under the sun. What has been will …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Inquiry described as a step toward self-determination”
An entitled minority must never again be allowed to control Virgin Islands governance, politics and society without full citizen and resident participation. Had full citizen participation been the governing culture …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Probe called ‘a very good thing’”
Podcast On Friday, the Beacon launched a podcast, “The Wave.” The first episode, which was posted on the Beacon’s Facebook page, featured a recap of 2020’s biggest articles from each …
In the dying days of the Donald Trump presidency in the United States, the State Department designated Cuba a “state sponsor of terrorism.” Regrettably, the measure will slow efforts by …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — US urged to drop Cuba sanctions”
There will be no greater autonomy or independence in United Kingdom overseas territories until their residents trust local government. Recent crises in OT governance in the Turks and Caicos Islands …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Better governance seen as key to independence”
The biggest failure of the modern evangelical church — especially in the United States — is the failure to preach truth to power. Modern evangelicals have bought in to the …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Evangelicals called cowardly”
Housing hiatus A Beaconite found it somewhat shocking when government announced retroactively this month that the Housing Recovery Assistance Programme was no longer accepting applicants as of November because …
Last year was a disaster for Caribbean tourism. Estimates suggest that visitor arrivals to the region fell by 75 percent in the last three quarters of 2020, causing overall Caribbean …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Full Caribbean tourism recovery seen as a possibility after 2021”
We are continuously being told by our leaders that qualified Virgin Islanders and belongers must come first in any employment stakes. Last week, the premier rants on for three hours …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Questions raised about exotic-dancer warning”
Gateway glitches For the first time in two years, a Beaconite has family visiting her from overseas, and she has been using the BVI Gateway application and learning about the …
Massive global debt is a serious concern for banking and finance. One would have thought that after the banking crash of 2008, banks would have learned the bitter lessons of …
Foxy’s Tamarind Bar on Jost Van Dyke was in the news because his famous Old Year’s Night party was cancelled. They just had dinner and dancing for a few. That …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — A tale of Foxy’s ‘first real phone’”
19 calls A Beaconite has already complained on this page about the government’s “Customer Care Service Centre,” which in May replaced the former system of switchboard operators who were …
It is hard to know what the future holds for Venezuela, its opposition leader Juan Guaidó, or the present United States-led policy that emphasises sanctions and isolation. Last week, as …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Post-election, Venezuela’s future considered”
The 2008 financial crisis showed the Milton Friedman economic model of a laissez faire, production-oriented, trickledown, austere and financially driven economy to be a paper tiger. The idea that the …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Need seen for ‘big government’”