COMMENTARY: The tyrant’s last stand

By Dickson Igwe, Contributor

Politics is the last refuge of the scoundrel, and Xenophobia is the tyrant’s last stand.

Now, anyone with the barest of observation skills must notice the rising level of angst, anger and frustration, on the Virgin Islands street. 

Some weeks ago, this old boy met up with two old friends, illustrious and influential men in this tiny society, and on two separate occasions. 

Interestingly, one man was a member of the governing party and the other a prominent opposition activist for the opposing party. Their anger at the Commission of Inquiry moving into the territory to investigate governance was palpable. 

But what caught this writer was their bitter hatred for UK officialdom, and their willingness to condone the worst if things “have to go that way”.’ It was all about the UK wanting to stir up trouble in the Virgin Islands, and take over. And anyone listening to political rhetoric in past months will clearly hear the drumbeat of ‘us versus them’.

This is a clear attempt to drive a stake through the heart of due process as driven by the Commission of Inquiry’s modus operandi. It is a simple attempt to negatively impact the outcome of the inquiry in the public space. 

Dividing society into segments through rhetoric and emotion is a classic control tool utilised by devious leaders everywhere to sow confusion and anger. The idea is to throw a fog over the community and blind residents to what is really going on under the proverbial blanket. 

This divisive politics is frequently engineered elsewhere for illegitimate purposes, such as election rigging, ensuring votes of base supporters, or worse to stir up the mob, and create chaos and breakdown in the social order, such as Donald Trump’s supporters storming Congress after Trump lost last November. 

Support for mob culture

One of the reasons for a culture that tolerates street crime, and illegitimate behaviours such as illegal scooters, trucks without mufflers, and cars that are clearly illegal to drive, is the silent support for a mob culture by leaders for their own dubious agendas. 

Then the latest assertions coming out of the mouth of specific politicians, and on all sides of the political spectrum, is the allegation that specific people in this society are attempting to undermine Virgin Islanders, and make natives feel ‘inferior and overwhelmed’.

Native rhetoric that endangers non-locals

The narrative asserts that natives have a right to this and that, and are entitled to that and that and that a number of outsiders and aliens are to blame for this society’s troubles presently. 

Natives come first is the assertion, and are required to be specially protected. The problem is that that type of rhetoric places the 80 percent that are not native in peril, in terms of their human dignity, human rights, quality of life, security, and even safety. 

‘Them and us’ is usually the well-sung song offered by desperate politicians before a general election, although it is impossible to tell whether or not an election will be held within the two years post the Commission of Inquiry’s findings, report, and recommendations, and His Excellency the Governor’s final decision. 

Ethnic and social division

Driving ethnic and social division, in the case of this territory, it is Belonger/Virgin Islander versus migrant/expatriate, is indeed a very dangerous game. 

In terms of international human rights laws, purposely and intentionally driving a wedge between social and ethnic groups, in order to drive up anger and division for a specific agenda and dubious purpose, may indeed be a violation of human rights conventions, and international law. 

It is something international investors watch closely, and that local politicians best be aware of, before a human rights lawsuit gets dropped on the territory and government. 

That is a possibility under the UK Human Rights Act, which could apply to an Overseas territory of the UK. 3 The irony is that a specific set in this territory continually pontificate on racism, discrimination, and colonialism. 

No different from those they oppose

However, any intelligent observer will swiftly assess that the statements coming out of the mouths of local leaders smack of just the same discrimination, prejudice, and racism, and overtly. 

These leaders, by their own rhetoric and assertions, drive the racism that they themselves protest against. That is simple hypocrisy. 

In any event, assertions being pushed on the street corners to residents who really could care less about international affairs, include; the UK may cut the Public Service if it intervenes; the country could be swarmed by UK Citizens from the UK mainland who will be given Belonger Status, and the Virgin Islands will be taken back to the era of pure colonialism. Any resident with any iota of common sense will swiftly appreciate that the preceding is a fairy tale being told for nefarious purposes. 

And stirring up a street mob to stall due process is a very bad idea indeed, as when the Bastille has been stormed, the mob will finally realize that it has been had and that the Bastille is made of cardboard, and is as fake as the perpetrators of the riot.