"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
Government is right to kick off 2025 by organising a comprehensive public conversation about the tourism sector. Now it’s the public’s turn. We urge all residents to participate in the …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Public input vital at tourism summit”
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”
The Virgin Islands, along with the sister overseas territories and the United Kingdom, is part of a unique family that spans the globe, covering nine time zones. Whilst each member …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — After VI visit, UK minister weighs in on Ukraine”
North Sound In the past, North Sound, Virgin Gorda had never been much on one Beaconite’s radar. Having moved to the Virgin Islands shortly before Hurricane Irma, her first boat …
I have been hearing the phrase “young democracy” in conversations lately when referring to the Virgin Islands’ development. I am not sure when the “birth” of the territory is being …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Call made for ‘legacy’ mindset”
Some years ago, then-Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur told me that unless regional leaders could agree on how to achieve economic parity between Caricom’s member states, a viable Caribbean Single …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — ‘The big fish, small fish problem’”
Make no mistake: Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely. And the one language power respects and understands is greater power. It is rare indeed to discover a politician or …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — COI seen to bring checks, balances”
Holiday schedule Because of the August Emancipation Festival holiday, the Beacon won’t print next week, but advertising and editorial deadlines will return to normal for the Aug. 12 edition. Beaconites …
Acting on acts A Beaconite was glad to see this week that more than a dozen laws received assent from Governor John Rankin. As legislators noted during last Thursday’s sitting, …
Museum hop On Saturday, a Beaconite climbed aboard a safari bus in Road Town that whisked him away to several Tortola museums, none of which he had seen before. The …
I didn’t realise how short of money we have become. The BVI Ports Authority puts out a tender and receives three quotes for old boats, not new ones. Where is …
For positive change in the era of Covid-19, a Commission of Inquiry that is throwing a fog over the future, and a terrifying new culture of crime, social democracy is …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Case made for social democracy”
No good deed… Last week, a Beaconite received a text message that no one wants to read: He had recently come into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. …
Register of interests A Beaconite was not impressed by legislators’ recent bragging about their commitment to transparency when they voted to make the Register of Interests available to the commission …
For the Virgin Islands and other British overseas territories, the weapons of diplomacy, tact and negotiation are better options in moving towards self-determination than banging an anticolonial drum. Indeed, tact …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — VI urged to use diplomacy with UK”
Ridge Road closure On Sunday, a Beaconite was on his way to surf at Josiahs Bay when he encountered a red plastic barricade that stretched halfway across Ridge Road. There …
This was the year when much of the Caribbean went to the polls. General elections were held in Anguilla, Belize, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Writer says democracy alone is ‘not enough’ in Caribbean”
In the past few days, Pfizer BioNTech, a German-United States company, and the US company Moderna have separately announced that the Covid-19 vaccines they have been developing have proved 95 …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Logistical challenges predicted to follow Covid-19 vaccine”
Censorship fail Since there are no news outlets based in any of the sister islands, a Beaconie jumps on opportunities to report there whenever she can. When she saw a …
In my recent commentaries, I have been imagining the Virgin Islands of 2030 through the eyes of a 10-year-old Guyanese girl named Maria, her older brother Zak, and their father …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Banking, policing seen through 2030 lens”
The training of Virgin Islands youth for the critical hands-on and vocational skills required by the economy is a necessity. There has been a lot in the news recently on …
Prospects for international cooperation have dwindled dramatically since 2016 thanks in large part to United States President Donald Trump’s animosity towards multilateralism. US shirking of international responsibilities has been enacted …
Continue reading “Commentary — ‘MAGA’ policies seen as misguided”
I guess the police commissioner can’t say no to the premier’s decision to allow larger motorbikes into the territory. So he suggests some conditions for importation and regulations for use. …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Bikes, bodyguards and pot draw fire”
Two in one Over the weekend, a Beaconite had the opportunity to travel to St. Thomas to cover Virgin Islands Friendship Day, a celebration of VI culture attended by representatives …