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Orlando the flamboyant & Karl the trustworthy

Dickson Igwe. Photo: VINO/File
By Dickson Igwe

Two party politics in the British Virgin Islands is getting increasingly entrenched into the social geography this early 2015. The two main parties are led by two men who, apart from the unexpected, will go into the next General Election leading their troops against the army of the other.

In this Old Boy’s opinion the two men are very different characters. Both Leaders possess identifiable economic perspectives that differ from each other. They further possess definable social backgrounds when set against the backdrop of Virgin Islands history.

The man who prevails will become the Premier of the country for 4 years. He will preside over a projected GDP of over $4 billion during his term of office and a country whose income per capita has been put at 40K, but with great wealth inequality. He will directly manage public revenues in excess of 1.2 billion during that term. His decisions will determine the economic and social route the country takes up and until 2020.

The following story is the first of two narratives. It attempts to define the politics of the National Democratic Party through the style of the Party Leader. It is the simple opinion of the writer. It is not an endorsement of any political party, or politician.

The two part story assesses the two main political leaders in the BVI going into a General Election in the coming months. It uses Virgin Islands social history as a pointer to what drives both leaders. The Virgin Islands Premier is profiled in this story.

There is a preamble to the proceeding story. And a rumored prospective candidate running either as an independent or for the Virgin Islands Party is also introduced into the 2015-16 General Election narrative.

The second story in the narrative will appear in the coming weeks. It will profile Honorable Julian Fraser, the Leader of the Virgin Islands Party.

OK. Dr Karl Dawson is a household name in these Lesser Antilles. President of the Hamilton Lavitty Stoutt Community College, Dr Dawson comes from a family of community stalwarts known for their high moral integrity and Christian virtue.

On a personal level, this Old Boy went back to college when he was in his late 40s. He studied management, leadership, and strategy at HLSCC. He will state here that apart from the excellence of faculty, it was the regular encouragement of Dr Dawson that got him through years of sweat and toil.

The Dawsons are a large family of Believers: not the rendition to hypocrisy and avarice that has become the order of the day in much of modern Christendom. Dr Dawson, a Christian Minister, has over the years managed the Territory’s only tertiary academic organisation.

The Hamilton Lavitty Stoutt Community College has come to symbolise professionalism and high standards that are a source of great pride in these Virgin Islands.

Dr Dawson is a moral trendsetter who sets high benchmarks for others to follow. The name Dawson is synonymous in these Virgin Islands with honesty, integrity, competence, and community service.

For voters who want to vote for a clean, moral, corruption free man, a faithful husband and great father, and a public official who will not be easily swayed by the ubiquitous bribe, Karl Dawson PhD, is their man. It is frequently stated that were Dawson the Father alive today his heart would be overwhelmed at how well his children have turned out.

When it was whispered into this Old Boy’s "itching ears", by the proverbial "street corner gossip" that the Senior Academic was looking at a career in politics, his heartbeat skipped a beat, his temperature rose, he broke into a cold sweat. He had to take a seat at a nearby watering hole, unbutton two of the top buttons of his shirt, and gulp down an ice cold drink.

It is well known that the National Democratic Party has an At Large Team that is "politically savvy". Was the Virgin Islands Party able to rope Dr Karl Dawson into its team as an At Large candidate? It would boost the VIP’s At Large prospects. Well, that would be a coup indeed. 

The story on the street is that the VIP is making sure that its At Large Team meets the mark of the high calling of governance. Enough said! Time will tell. Time always does.     

Now, Honourable Dr Orlando Smith OBE is Premier of the British Virgin Islands. Smith is the Leader of the National Democratic Party. The BVI Premier is a complex personality. He is highly cultured with a natural but understated flamboyance. Smith is a genteel, reserved, thoughtful type, and an exceptional mediator. The Political Leader of the Virgin Islands is a soft spoken, brilliant surgeon: suave, sociable, and sophisticated.

He is a tall and lean man, and remains a fit, healthy, and youthful seventy something. Smith is a shrewd politician never to be underestimated.

On any romantic and breezy Caribbean night, with the usual smiling moon above - and the Virgin Islands are blessed with picturesque, intoxicating, and enchanting evenings- this Old Boy enjoys nothing more than watching the Great Man twist and turn, and then twirl, spin, and shuffle, or simply waltz the night away with his wife, or any one of a number of charming and beautiful women, on the dance floor, at any number of auspicious social occasions.

Smith is an exquisite dancer: flawless. His timing is impeccable, his footwork nimble and impressive. Surrounded by his official retinue, the man is the center of gravity at any social occasion.

When Smith dances, even the palm trees nearby sway to the beat of the calypso; the palm fronds rustle in tune with the music. His presence on the dance floor signals the start of the party. Smith walks with a subtle but powerful swagger. The man possesses classic cool. Smith is a Great Ambassador for these Lesser Antilles.

Now, Smith is the product of the Old Road Town BOURGEOISE. This was the Mulatto, fair skinned, class. It was an elite class that began with the process of the transfer of some of the power and wealth, from the White Plantation Owner, to the Native, post slavery in the late 1800s.

Smith has not himself articulated any defined social and economic position. His personal philosophy is unknown to many. It would be a great thing were party leaders to define their personal visions and missions for the country, apart from the usual party manifesto propaganda.

However, observation of Smith’s government and his clear position favoring foreign investment places him on the right of the right, center, and left, political measure.  

Foreign Direct Investment has been crucial to the global economy since the 1950s. It has enabled US corporations to grow exponentially by enabling them to locate in low cost countries. FDI has allowed investors to build their wealth by sitting their businesses and cash in low tax locations in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. FDI has pulled countries out of developing status to first world status. Singapore is the perfect example. FDI is fuelling strong economic growth in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Smith is a globalist. He favours opening up the British Virgin Islands to foreign direct investment, from places as far away as China. Globalism is a free market economics driven by technology, and the removal of trade barriers, and geopolitical obstacles to trade. Globalism has turned the world into a technological and commercial village. Smith is strongly protective of the BVI’s financial services credentials.

Globalism is a child of Supply Side Economic Thought. Supply Side Economics is producer focused. For example, the NDP’s policies on airport and seaport expansion are meant to boost economic growth through the creation of infrastructure that supports business.

Supply Side Economics uses a top down social model. It asserts that what is good for the businessman and businesswoman, and the private sector and private investor, is automatically good for the economy. The businessman drives economic growth nationally, whether he or she is local or foreign. Government exists primarily to support business and commerce. Businesses that are doing well prosper the country as a whole.

There is a caveat. Supply Side Economic Theory has been blamed for creating global wealth inequality, where 1% owns over half of global wealth, and controls 90% of global wealth.  

Supply Side thinking is also said to be at the root of slow economic growth post the Great Recession of 2008, as it destroys consumer demand with its "passion" for cuts in social spending and deficit reduction.

The wealthy are savers. The wealthy 1% does not spend enough of its huge cash pile to build the type of demand that leads to job and economic growth. Supply Side Economics is the model from which austerity and trickledown get the blueprint.

The next story will assess the politics of the Chairman of the Virgin Islands Party: the Populist Julian Fraser.   

To be continued...

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8 Responses to “Orlando the flamboyant & Karl the trustworthy”

  • Billy Goat (25/04/2015, 10:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I think Dr Dawson would make a great candidate, however, I would love to see him put out the Old Guard in the 2nd District.
  • 123 (25/04/2015, 10:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    see how they push out karl...but the word is a circle
  • ccc (25/04/2015, 11:47) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Vip going bang them bad!!!
  • aaaa (25/04/2015, 22:32) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Since when olando got flamboniat?
  • fox (26/04/2015, 12:31) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    is this man launching Karl??? well saw
  • open wide (26/04/2015, 12:58) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    We need to figure out what it is about you calling Orlando Smith flamboyant????? very far from it!!!!
  • weed (26/04/2015, 20:20) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Do not believe everything you read.
  • two cents (27/04/2015, 10:15) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    Them buffoon are ah joke and we keep enabling dem by giving dem the opportunity to divert attention from dem well documented self serving shameless plunder of the country....NDP will go


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