Premier Andrew Fahie called for greater transparency in government as he reported April 16 on planned measures that would establish a legally binding ministerial code of conduct. “The ministerial code …
April 24, 2020
October 14, 2019
EDITORIAL: Sentencing guidelines are huge, but more reforms should follow
Kudos to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court for introducing its first set of sentencing guidelines. The new system should help ensure that justice is administered fairly and consistently in the …
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June 27, 2019
EDITORIAL: Premier should start holding open press conferences
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 …
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June 19, 2019
EDITORIAL: Recommended election reform is long overdue
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 …
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April 2, 2019
EDITORIAL: Bullying won’t silence the Beacon
On March 23 Virgin Islands News Online published a bizarrely vicious attack against The BVI Beacon and our reporter Genevieve Glatsky, making outlandish false claims under the guise of an …
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March 18, 2019
EDITORIAL: Campaign finance reform should come by next election
Imagine that a foreign billionaire wants to influence a Virgin Islands election because of a lucrative investment opportunity he wishes to make in the territory. To do so, he secretly …
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March 5, 2019
EDITORIAL: VI wants change, and new government must bring it
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 …
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January 28, 2019
Technically, pier project ‘audit’ was not an audit
During a press conference on Jan. 21, 2016, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith promised to commission an audit into the cruise pier project, which had given rise to allegations of impropriety …
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January 14, 2019
EDITORIAL: A new year, a new Virgin Islands
It’s a new year, and the Virgin Islands should strive to make 2019 the fresh start it desperately needs. To that end, the time for excuses is over. Instead of …
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November 12, 2018
EDITORIAL: Government should account for all Irma donations ASAP
As soon as possible, the government should keep its promise to provide a comprehensive account of how it used the donations it received after Hurricane Irma. If it doesn’t, other …
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October 8, 2018
EDITORIAL: Kudos to Cabinet for releasing weekly updates
We are pleased that Cabinet has finally started publishing basic information about its decisions, many of which were previously kept under wraps. The promised weekly updates, which will keep the …
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October 4, 2018
First Cabinet decisions made public
In a long-awaited move to increase government transparency, the first set of weekly Cabinet decisions was released to the public last Thursday. “The publicising of Cabinet decisions marks another milestone …
September 18, 2018
EDITORIAL: A communications director is needed now more than ever
At this pivotal time in the hurricane recovery process, it is troubling that the government suddenly has no communications director. On Aug. 20, Arliene Penn, who formerly held the position, …
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June 15, 2018
EDITORIAL: Kudos to the marchers. Here’s what should happen next
The Friday march in Road Town could have benefited greatly from a clearer message and more-realistic demands, but we were delighted that residents took to the streets to push for …
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June 5, 2018
Marchers to protest government on Friday
On the heels of last month’s march against a United Kingdom bill requiring overseas territories to establish public registers of company ownership, a different, loosely organised collection of community activists …