Dickson C. Igwe. Photo: VINO/File

Well, he was standing in a bank queue on January 14, where he bumped into one of those good to great fellows who live their very comfortable lives ensconced in first-class cabins and lounges for much of the year. This was a very high official in the British Virgin Islands.

As expected this election season, the conversation immediately went political. The Great Man stated—to the great curiosity of the bank’s customers and tellers—that it was time to end the party system in the British Virgin Islands. The party system has ‘'severely damaged the community,’’ were his words.

This Old Boy’s response was his usual diatribe on two-party politics and how ‘’terribly difficult’’ it is to change that political mould.

In response, the great man went as far as stating that there should be constitutional change to ensure that there is no longer pre-election collaboration and that legislation should be written to outlaw the party system.

This Old Boy pondered on the man’s lofty sublimity, and high ideals, with great admiration. High ideals and great causes are the opposite of the ‘’what is in it for me‘’ Virgin Islands, pocketbook, politics model. Idealism and patriotism are not high on the priorities lists of Virgin Islands voters.

Now, politicians who preach from the Gospel of Transparency and Accountability must ensure key numbers are widely available and accessible to Joe Public. Speeches should be composed of hard economic numbers, not ‘’waffle’’ also termed ‘’Cow Dung.’’

And the following numbers offer the public insight into how well the economy is managed and should be offered annually, from an effective statistics office.

First, annual Public Spending numbers over a consecutive three year period, broken into appropriate, core components, will offer the voter a glimpse into how well taxpayer cash is spent by Julius Caesar and his ‘’cronies.’’

Then, three-year annual consecutive budget forecasts, and actual spending linked to those budget forecasts, whether under or over the projected budget, will offer the taxpayer an idea of whether assertions by Caesar on development spending are realistic, or pie in the sky numbers, for political leverage, advantage, and expediency.

Gross Domestic Product numbers over a consecutive three years are critical in the quest for transparent governance. Public access to GDP numbers offers the taxpayer an idea of economic performance and economic underperformance. GDP is a great tool to determine the viability of various export and national revenue streams, and whether or not a specific market is underdeveloped, requiring public investment, or whether an export market is worth the investment.

Joe Public is entitled to annual population evaluation numbers, those are different animals from there population census figures. The nature of the population is the business of every resident.

Population evaluations must be ongoing. Core demographic numbers are derived from everyday official activity and interaction, and cross-collaboration, between government agencies, and private organizations. For example, the Ministry of Education and Culture has an idea of the population of children and youth in the Virgin Islands, owing to compulsory education laws.  Various government departments should be able to evaluate population numbers from their daily activities.

Population and demographic evaluations offer an assessment of the composition of the population, migration patterns, and changes in the demographic composition of the population. These numbers are crucial for economic planning, budgetary allocations, and spending projections. Demographics are the platform for effective economic and social planning.

Public and private debt numbers are critical to gauging consumer confidence, business confidence, and economic growth.

Is the present private debt leverage sustainable? Is the public highly leveraged- debt-burdened- which in itself can lead to a slower economy and economic recession?

Again, the office of statistics should have been compiling these numbers over consecutive years, from links with the territory’s banks, businesses, and the Ministry of Finance.

Then high national debt to GDP may impact the economy negatively as it means that government revenues are overwhelmingly spent on interest payments, and that means less cash for physical and social development.

Home repossession numbers are also important math telling voters of the health of the Virgin Islands housing market, and the effect of private, long term debt, on taxpayers and consumers.  High home repossession is frequently accompanied by high bankruptcy and bad debt. This is a factor in the economic cycle, pointing to the economic recession. 

Transparency and accountability depend on the access voters have to the preceding numbers, and the understanding the public has on what specific numbers mean.

It is the duty of the public official, through the media, to feed these numbers to residents if transparent governance is the objective. The truly transparent politician will ensure that he or she explains these economic and social numbers- math- that measure effective governance, succinctly, simply, honestly, systemically, and with good intent.

Political speech must be backed by hard numbers, not ‘’bull foot soup.’’

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