Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

UK oversight steadies an unruly vessel

UK oversight steadies an unruly vessel

Wise residents fully understand that UK oversight of the Virgin Islands is required at this time. Complete culture change towards an honest society is the singular route to self-determination for the territory. Until then, UK oversight is necessary for the Virgin Islands.
Observation of the House of Assembly of February 21 2023 and the proceeding back and forth of the Virgin Islands Media made this resident ponder. It was as if the Commission of Inquiry into Virgin Islands Governance never happened, and nothing was learned from the trauma.

There was even a hint at justification for some of the financial iniquities over contracts and such in past years. There appeared to be an attempt to taper over the seriousness of allegations made by the Public Commission. Treating as mere distraction, matters of gross financial misconduct is a culture of politicians.

There was evisceration and avoidance of key matters of the recommendations for governance reform in debates.

OK. The preceding is unacceptable and risky. Why? Because it could trigger the suspension of the Virgin Islands Constitution by the Privy Council. The Privy Council is the final court of appeal in the UK and Overseas Territories, further serving the Commonwealth.

Reform is most critical at this time. There can be no "foot-dragging" Obfuscation is dangerous for the territory in its quest to avoid UK intervention. The avoidance of direct UK intervention in the form of constitutional suspension required swift and nimble footwork by the Virgin Islands Premier and his Advisers.

Now the erstwhile Prime Minister of Barbados is an avid student and observer of the past: a brilliant intellectual. Her pontifications on slavery, colonialism, and imperialism, coupled with a deep sense of injustice offer her deep respect in the southern hemisphere. The irony is that her assertions are very commonplace, especially in black postcolonial society.

The tendency to blame every evil in black majority societies such as these Virgin Islands on colonialism and racism is a very common ‘’malarkey.’’ It is meaningless talk leading nowhere. These continuous ‘’sermons’’ on an ugly past are in essence an excuse: a useful crutch. Colonialism and racism are the convenient bogeyman and scapegoats for a lack of integrity and dishonest governance in these countries.

The irony is that while black societies rage over supposed injustices committed over one hundred years ago, northern white majority states pursue honest governance and science, that alone lead to social prosperity.

Northern free societies are relatively honest and transparent in spite of incidences of corruption that also handicaps at intervals. The issue of honesty and corruption is one of degree. Most societies contain corruption in one form or another. The problem with black societies is the far greater degree of dishonesty inherent in the culture.

Colonialism has become a mask: a Band-Aid to cover corruption and poor governance. However, modern postcolonial countries sink or swim on the quality of governance they possess, and on their social and economic cultures.

Honest cultures prosper because taxpayer cash is spent on the needs of those societies and not on ‘’schemes’’ that benefit the governing elite. Worse still, stolen outright from national treasuries. Systemic dishonesty is expensive and ultimately disastrous: a country like Nigeria offers the best example.

When we all understand- resident and native alike- the reality that honesty is the best policy, then we see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of social and economic development: El Dorado. Developed societies learned this fact the hard way. Developing states in Africa and the Caribbean are still learning.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×