COMMENTARY: COI a shock to ‘highly entitled’ Virgin Islanders
By Dickson Igwe, Contributor
The BVI Commission of Inquiry (COI) is a shock to a number of ‘highly entitled’ Virgin Islanders.
One reason for some of the anger by a tiny number of people against the COI is the simple reality that the Commission has revealed that their perceptions of power and privilege are indeed flawed.
As the COI shows the ‘high and mighty’ as vulnerable as any other suspect under investigation, one official even had the absurdity to assert, “how dare they?”
Another of these ‘untouchables’ stated that this old boy was out of place for making assertions on the ‘arrogance of power’, and stated that the COI should return to the UK and fix matters that require fixing in the United Kingdom.
One key observation made by this writer that may well be flawed, since no commentary can be validated by hard numbers and statistics, is the simple fact that the public response to the COI is based upon social divisions.
Virgin Islands natives who are the beneficiaries of government largesse are not keen on bashing conflict of interest and impunity; for clear and obvious reasons. And this old boy ignores completely the wails of Virgin Islands natives on the other side of the political wall; as he is almost certain that, were they in power, they would do much the same as the incumbents.
Now migrants who are the clear majority in the population, and many ‘outsiders’, who have observed firsthand the unfairness and injustices in this ‘entitled community’, are fully enjoying the revelation that the high and mighty are fallible, and certainly not above the law. The preceding social group, this writer is certain, are in full support of the COI. There is one other group.
These are Virgin Islanders who are not members of the ruling class, and Virgin Islands migrants who have lived in the territory from early childhood.
The majority of these have also been first-hand witnesses of the socially ‘second-class status’ they hold, owing to the fact they are not part of specific families or powerful political native subsets. These natives are also very grateful for the clear, incisive, and thorough manner the COI is bringing justice to their homeland.
The present investigation is finally revealing just how divided this community actually is. It is a community made up of various social sets that live side by side but that hardly interact with the other. That has been a fact of this society no one wants to comment on: that this is a society made up of separate communities that hardly respect or love each other.
The preceding is the key reason all the pontificating on racism and colonialism rings hollow. There is as much of the preceding evil inherent in the way one group treats the other, especially against ‘down islanders’.
Hopefully, after the COI report and the political, constitutional, and legal outcomes of this volatile period of Virgin Islands history, reality will set in, and residents will, at last, recognise all people are equal, and the need to treat one another with true respect and dignity, and not pretend there is ‘BVI Love’.
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Well said.Dickson!
Why do blogs print nonsense from this man. The use of English is very poor, and there does not seem to be any plan or structure. It is more like a stream of unintelligible nonsense than a reasoned article.
V*** is reporting that the Govt is going to change the name of the Francis Drake Highway.
The CoI appears to be conducting itself in such a manner to fit the draft report that Gus wrote before he left, and leading to the UK leaving the BVI Government technically in charge but taking over the Ministry of Finance. The CoI is only looking at evidence that supports that draft report, and will leave huge holes of unexplored issues (such as the number of young belongers with no apparent income and yet owning big houses, big boats, big cars, and lots of gold jewellery).
Maybe the Francis Drake Highway, which is also full of holes, could be renamed the CoI Imperialist Way.
What has got into you. I used to hate what you wrote. Now You’re the best thing since sliced bread. Your commentary is 1000% on point. The Belonger status needs to go to make a homogenous society where everyone has a voice. The elite, racist regime needs to go.
When a lion is threatened he attacks – same with those in the Government or previous Government having to answer for the allegations made against them – they revert to attack mode of the CoI instead of realising how their actions look to the people of the VI.
This man should be Premier and then he can ban all politicians and Government Officials from having contracts with themselves or their family members or close friends.
I don’t always agree with your angles but this one is absolutely right.
And, the people of the BVI now it, too
I agree with you
Let’s hope that emerge a meritocracy coming out of the COI experience.
It seems to me that mr. Igwe is correct in what he says. To my mind though the dividing principle is money. A wealthy immigrant has almost as much pull as the ruling classes whose publicly funded largesse keeps them in power. The race issue is just a stick which hurts.
That is equivalent to saying that a wealthy migrant in the US has as much pull as a Kennedy in the US.
Naaah .everywhere has its elites and is inclusive of roots that money can’t buy.
Trump can never trump a Rockefeller or a Kennedy.
This is only the second time I have agreed with you, but this was an excellent piece. Very glad your eyes are open! Keep it up.
Well written Sir, lets pray for that BVI Love and One Love for all.
If you could get past your own social vengeance angle you might see that colonial powers colonize. If you feel marginalized now by an ‘untouchable’ local class, how will you feel to be marginalized by South Africans & British aristocracy? You probably prefer that. But you will be worse off, b/c you are married to a local & get benefits but not the status you desperately seek. So I agree the community is divided by would be usurpers who fled their indigenous homes due to frustration and hope that UK loyalty will grant them greater status here, and those who are proud of their independent mindset and land ownership. Benedict Arnold sought the same. Brigadier General of the British Army was his title but his legacy and name is mocked as a forever Traitor who’s story is told every July 4th in the US.
Never read, saw or heared any commentary any where across the globe belittling the Brits, Americans Europeans, Australians, white South Africans and Nigerians of being ENTITLED.
Afterall, they will tell anyone and all in clear language that it is their right to be entitled.
But, some how, BVIslanders, when demonstrating certain rights, are stigmatized for doing so.
Those who do not wish for us to be ouselves and exercise our human rights, should not live among, but leave.
We do not act, behave or any other entitled way more so than any other country’s group of people.
Chose words more carefully. Stop belittling us while eating the bread from our table.
Please cut the BS! As a multi-generational BVIslander I am completely ashamed watching the COI proceedings lately. Being wrong has no colour or nationality and we cannot be wrong and strong just because we are entitled. We have a right to be proud of the BVI and proud to be BVIslanders but are you really proud of our roads? Schools? Capital? Waste management? Education system? Come on, we spend over $300 mil a year, have some shame! NO WAY you can tell me that you are proud of what we look around and see. Also we are so proud, entitled, patriotic but when backed in a corner we put on the victim hat and talk about being a young government and young Territory. The fact is we praie mediocrity and denounce progress which is why we are in this place right now.
Your diatribe attack against has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with the words and their meaning of my post. What a shame.
On the other hand, i too am in shock, for years now, especially since the 1900’s when there was so much money available.
The BVI should have had a class A infrastructure, sewage and garbage disposal system in place years ago, but the money disappeared.
Many hide behind blogs pretending they are who they are not. This one seems to fit nicely.
Paragraph 7….Migrants ts who are clearly the majority of the population…
Therein lies the conflicts….The majority in the VI arrived of late as nobodies with nothing to give but like yourself filled with criticism and needing and wanting and lacking gratitude and overpowered by envy.
Monaco and St Barts are majority migrants but no poverty or crime
The choice of migrants is our folly.
The reason their is no crime in those places is cause people don’t just ruck up when ever they feel like, you let any down islander or caribbean in with out checks cause the skin is the same colour , yet you make europeans jump through hoops to come here , this place is barely holding up and you better pray that no war happens and the shipping is disrupted , you would never survive
Why is it that every opportunity is taken to bash BVIslanders? The majority of BVIslanders are quiet, non-assuming, God-fearing people. Why are we being labelled as ‘entitled, disrespectful, undignified and lacking love? In my humble opinion, the COI is indicative of one thing and one thing only, the people of these Virgin Islanders made a very, very big mistake when in poor judgment the majority voted into power, Our Honourable Premier Fahie and his motley crew of ‘Yes Men’. What needs to happen and it should be now as we have all the evidence we need, is the Premier should be asked, like CB Romney before him, to vacate his seat and leave our House of Assembly. Their performance and the greedy, dirty behaviour of their close followers is not, in my view, indicative of the mindset of the majority.
Those who will sell their soul for the almighty dollar can be found all over the world and this small dot in the ocean is no exception. Love, however, BVI Love, true BVI Love can be found if our visitors truly get to know the indigenous people of this country that they choose to migrate to and stop counting the blessings that God has showered on this country.
why don”t the thumbs up or down register when I click them?
Because small, narrow and dictatorial mindedness decides.
Power!Greed! Envy!Maliciousness! Have brought the BVI to bowing on its knees to the WhiteMan
This is what the definition of “ BVI Love” has done to the country under its new leadership. What a disgrace !! This should have never happened
There is no equality in BVI. There are the rich who want more power and more money and don’t care where that comes from and do not car about the poor. The FSC alone used to pay the Government $300 million per year and although this figure reduced after the hurricanes in 2017 it is still a huge amount of money. Where did, and where does, all this money go?