Alfred C. Frett. Photo: VINO File

Example - Although more persons supported concerns of the second march (Peoples’ March), they saw it just as unlikely to bring meaningful results, as the first march (Decision March).

The main issues seemed too connected to materialistic political subject matters that required long-term Parliamentary intervention, rather than addressing pains, needs and urgent solutions, longed for by ordinary People.

As a result, opportunity was robbed of meaningful credibility and the impetus to move the issues forward – We hope that the youthful enthusiasm has not died in the process.

It would be most unfortunate, not to have another opportunity to help persons address their needs at a time when the Territory is starved for solutions. It is no secret that we are fast losing our country, as those seeking to rule us are likely to be non-local Virgin Islander, who can never love our ‘People & Country’ the way we do - What makes it worse is that we are willing to accept this.

This mirrors a continuing failure to understanding that we elect representatives and not Leaders. If we understood, we realize that the supposed agendas of governments are really the imposed wishes of senior civil servants and both believe we are too ignorant to differentiate good, from bad. The result is, between them and Ministers Policies & Laws are created to hurt people.

When all is gone the People still remains:

Subsequently, as we sell out and are sold out, governmental inefficiency and deep corruption grow to the point of nullifying the lives of locals, including the same civil servants, who seem to take pride in destroying the efforts of others. They seem to exist in comfort zones, where they can steal fame and cast blame, so it is difficult for them to imagine our pain or hear our cries for help.

Nonetheless, our hurt is real, as we watch everything we grew up accepting as being our safety nets disappear in one generation – fishing is gone, farming is gone, tourism is diminished and financial services now face attack.

All left are the same people in whom leaders failed to invest but now seem intent on sucking them dry without understanding the domino effect they create.

They fail to reason that any breakdown in our Health and Education Systems will not be limited to here and now but is repercussioned deep into the future and every aspect of our society. Many harbour a false belief that, because Free Health Care is provided for Infants and since Public Students are not billed, this means these are non-recompense burdens on Taxpayers.

Instead, history shows that good health saves Pounds and good Education multiplies Dollars. Furthermore, the true value of a nation is measured by its People and the value of the People is measured by their health and level of their knowledge or education. This should leave no doubt, the costs of wellness and education are far cheaper than the price of Illness and Ignorance.

The way of the Child is the road to the Future:

Simply put, a sick person cannot perform in the same way a healthy person can produce and the well-educated child becomes a source of light that can touch other lives in the dark recesses across the nation. On the other hand, every child kept back or denied proper education becomes another anti-social, non-contributing burden on society, the State and their fellowman.

We have seen how the willful handicapping of our Health and Education systems, forced us to import workers with no interest in uplifting locals, since that would mean displacing themselves. Thus, it benefits them to create biased and unfair regulations and conditions to glorify themselves, while handicapping locals from meaningful progress—effectively locking us out of our own homes.

Furthermore, everything appears tied to this agenda and even seems to encourage a climate of unfairness and injustice within our legal system, as laws and policies seem developed for the harassment and incarceration of our children. They seem especially targeted, since it is easier to chop down a sapling than and an old oak – as our youth disappears no true Virgin Islanders are left.

To hurry this, locals are conditioned to participate in their own destruction by becoming easier to ‘fool and rule.’

All along the way, the removal of local rights and the imposing of undue fees and unreasonable regulations on local enterprise, ensure the alienation of our Lands, Real Estate and Businesses. It may not be long before Leaders offer to sell out our citizens’ rights for dollars.

Living in Fear & dying in Despair:

Some of us have seen the trend from infancy but have learnt to ‘see it but not say it,’ fearing that we will be punished for speaking truth. (Donald) Trump may be new, but his ‘Doctrine of Lies’ has lived in every Oppressor and Suppressor and has only been conquered by the timeless struggle of those believing that facts matter, and our youth need ‘Truth’ in order to perform and progress.

Unfortunately, too many still cling to the days when locals sent their children to school, so they could get a job working for the master, while masters sent their children to school so they would never have to work for locals.

As a result, we still fail to appreciate the importance of aspiring to become successful Employers, rather than settling for a lifetime as undervalued Employee.

Of course, the rhetoric of government and their agencies would have us believe they are trying to help, even as their actions show otherwise. Indeed, the help they appear to offer is not for those in need but for those who have already been helping themselves at the expense of others. Those in authority devise unscrupulous ways to ensure that foreign is given preference while locals fail.

We continue to see the openly and corrupt impact, of the Work Permit processes in Labour and Immigration, as government bureaucracy punishes local employers by terrorizing their workers for doing the right thing. It does not matter that the stench floats right up the chain of command and government agencies now acknowledge being broke, without admitting that they caused it.

We must stop the Bleeding or Hemorrhage to Death:

Much can be traced to Government’s decision to skyrocket the Work Permit Application Fees in every direction – not to improve services but in order to generate revenues for them to use and abuse. It didn’t matter that the effect would cause Employees and Employers, to be less able to meet their own financial obligations, thus making it impossible to pay government shakedowns.

As a result, more and more businesses are failing and more and more workers are unemployed or underpaid, even as government squanders money on unnecessary staff and property rentals. Rather than change their ways and offer amnesty, the trend is for agencies and regulatory bodies to double dip in the pockets of the poor, in their futile attempt to extract blood out of stone.

Be not fooled, our being broke is not by accident but by neglect, greed and corruption, where Virgin Islanders are being neglected by those in seats of power—who appear so consumed by greed, that too much is still not enough and corruption is allowed to spread like stage 4-cancer with no apparent cure in sight.  Virgin Islanders are forced beyond hurting to an existence of hopelessness.

A people lacking history is a people considered not to have existed and as our children see the hopelessness in our faces, they cannot envision their own future, so it becomes impossible for them to respect our past. This should never happen and I will continue highlighting areas needed to correct this because our youth need more than a façade – they require a real and new beginning.

 PS: I will continue addressing some of your Questions & Comments on Live BVP Radio Programs