COMMENTARY: The Incumbent’s DNA

By Dickson Igwe, Contributor

Anyone invested in Virgin Islands politics and society and not acknowledging the well put together machine that is the Virgin Islands Party will be caught off-guard. That error is already taking place with the lack of any sustainable effort to form a credible opposition late in the game of a General Election to be held in 2027.

The VIP has in the past been heralded as the party of the grassroots. That assertion is valid. It is the party of the building contractor and small businessman, the skilled artisan and the working man and woman.

The people who are deemed to earn between $15K – 60K. Clearly these numbers are not science but simple observation. However, the reach of the VIP into the nooks and crannies of Virgin Islands geography are impressive. In past elections that grassroots connection has delivered rich rewards.  

The VIP is also far more disciplined than any of the other political groups, and is able to unite behind a leader once that leader has been chosen in a transparent and democratic process, unlike the other parties. The VIP is not a one man show. Any leader who attempts to usurp power in the VIP frequently hits a barrier.

Then the reality is that the BVI remains a party system politically. Independents hope to change that arithmetic. That is highly improbable. Politics today is about teamwork. Voters are not about to change their habit of voting party notwithstanding how unpopular the incumbents may be at present.

The main opposing party the NDP had a strong structure for years. It is unclear if that structure can be maintained. Ambition is a good thing until it becomes a bad thing.

The VIP in spite all of the criticisms and public anger on a number of policy failures continues to have a small advantage. That advantage comes singularly from its discipline and structure. Any challenging force in 2007 will have to at least match that structure to win the election.

Then there is history. This investigator frequently states that we ignore history at our peril. The VIP and NDP led the Virgin Islands into a two-party system. The NDP appears to be negligent of the fact that it is a huge beneficiary of this two-party system. The VIP has never been under any illusion that it is a beneficiary of the party system. Consequently, its constitution and management understand that it must continue to evolve as an organization within the Virgin Islands two party eco-system.

The evidence of the preceding is simple: Virgin Islands Party Politicians have enjoyed a degree of success in and outside of power unmatched by their rivals. In past years, the easiest way to become a member of the House of Assembly was to join the VIP. That is fact. A number of talented people would have been well entrenched politically had they joined the VIP in past years.

Finally, there is a belief that the Virgin Islands Party has understood and exercised power more skillfully than the rest. That is an assertion the voter alone can determine.  

The lesson for the voter: never be surprised at the politician who goes off the rails. It is rare indeed for any politician to maintain integrity in a world that offers such huge temptations. Twenty thousand–dollar trips, access to local billionaires, and the ability to decide who gets what contract is a huge motivator to ‘DANCE TO THE TUNE OF THE MAN AT THE TOP.’

This story is not to let any politician off the hook for having an enormous appetite for luxury. It is written to warn the voter of the human dimension in politics. We can all be bought, potentially.