"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
The House of Assembly and Governor Daniel Pruce should be ashamed of themselves for leaving in place absurd rules limiting the public’s access to HOA members’ Register of Interests. In …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Register of Interests a shameful COI fail”
For decades, successive governors and other United Kingdom leaders have pressured the Virgin Islands government to be more transparent. They are right to do so. But the UK must also …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: UK minister missed the mark on transparency”
Over the past week, legislators passed four out of five bills designed to improve the governance of statutory bodies as the House of Assembly addressed its final reform recommendation from …
The House of Assembly began tackling its final Commission of Inquiry reform this week as legislators debated the first of five bills designed to improve the governance of five statutory …
We are disappointed that the government and the governor missed their Aug. 31 deadline to complete the Commission of Inquiry reforms, but the delay does not detract from the extensive …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: COI reforms must be finished, then followed”
Kudos to the House of Assembly for passing legislation this month to help reform social assistance in the territory. But leaders must not stop now. The Public Assistance (Amendment) Bill, …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Recent assistance reforms a good starting point”
A week after Governor John Rankin released his most recent quarterly report on the Commission of Inquiry recommendations, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley defended his government’s progress on the reforms …
The recent report from election observers should serve as a reminder for the new government to tackle long-needed reforms before voters head to the polls again. We were pleased that …
Despite the recent change in overseas territory ministerial leadership and the pending change of governor early next year, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said on July 25 that progress on …
Virgin Islands leaders will have to speed up governance reforms to meet an important May 2024 deadline, Governor John Rankin said on June 9 while giving an update on his …
Continue reading “Rankin: COI reform progress ‘still too slow’”
Reforms to governance, education, environmental protection, health care and other areas are among the government’s legislative priorities for a new House of Assembly session that started Tuesday, Governor John Rankin …
Continue reading “Throne speech promises wide-ranging reforms”
Make no mistake: The people of the Virgin Islands are fed up. For decades, they have watched their elected leaders waste taxpayer money, reward cronies, shun transparency, and otherwise break …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Reform detractors should put up or shut up”
This democracy dodged a bullet on June 8. Kudos to Virgin Islands and United Kingdom leaders for mapping a route to comprehensive governance reform without resorting immediately to a partial …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Virgin Islands democracy has dodged a bullet — for now”
Government leaders said last week that they hope to ease the burden of rising costs for food, gas and other resources by slashing import duties. But they urged business owners …
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The annual deliberations of the Standing Finance Committee should be open to the public. Unfortunately, our pleas have fallen on deaf …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Once again, SFC meetings should be public”
In response to allegations of poor governance aired during the ongoing Commission of Inquiry, Premier Andrew Fahie last week described a pattern of systemic problems with the Virgin Islands’ constitutional …
Continue reading “Facing COI, Fahie explains rocky UK relationship”
Without an enforcement mechanism ensuring that rules are followed by government officials, good governance is a mirage. Virgin Islands residents are today witnessing the true meaning of the rule of …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — COI called ‘enforcer of good governance’”
Kudos to the House of Assembly for making steady progress in recent weeks on a raft of legislation designed to improve governance in the territory. We hope to see all …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Governance bills a test of leaders’ promises”
The first House of Assembly sitting of 2021 is scheduled to kick off this week with a packed agenda that includes a slew of bills in the digital sphere up …
When then-Governor Gus Jaspert announced the commission of inquiry into possible corruption in the territory last month, he spoke about a longstanding need for legislative reforms designed to ensure good …
Continue reading “Premier again promises to reform VI governance”
We find ourselves in thought-provoking times and not just because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This December will mark 70 years since the local legislature was reconstituted and local elected representation …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Constitution seen as a means to an end”
On March 17, Premier Andrew Fahie and Deputy Premier Carvin Malone promised to keep the public informed about the coronavirus pandemic by holding weekly press conferences on the topic and …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Press conferences needed as Covid questions go unanswered”
Premier Andrew Fahie should start holding regular press conferences that give journalists a chance ask about topics of their choosing. Though Mr. Fahie occasionally has met with the media about …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Premier should start holding open press conferences”
The international team that observed the February general election has provided a sound roadmap for badly needed election reforms in the Virgin Islands. If the new government is serious about …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Recommended election reform is long overdue”
The people have spoken, and the message is clear. The Virgin Islands Party’s win was a ringing declaration that voters want a change. It is also clear what form they …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: VI wants change, and new government must bring it”
