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Political campaigning in the [British] Virgin Islands

Edgar W. Leonard is a native Virgin Islander (British), an amateur freelance writer, and a graduate of Florida A&M University. Photo: Provided
Edgar W. Leonard

Politics and politicians as an institution is consistently rated at or near the bottom; it is muckraking and bottom dragging. For example, a 2017 YouGov poll conducted in the UK on field expertise politicians ranked last at 5%. Their consistent low rating is due primarily to self-interest, corruption, poor performance, egregious behavior, etc., by too many politicians and is a reflection not only of the politicians but also voters. Nevertheless, politics and politicians is vital to governi

A general election is constitutionally due no later than the summer of 2023; it can occur earlier if the incumbent government calls a snap election as allowed under the constitution. It seems unlikely that the government will call a snap election; nonetheless, for the serious and savvy political aspirant, a snap election should not be a surprise, observing the conditions on the ground. Political aspirants should anticipate snap elections, for they are an advantage for an incumbent government. Consequently, a date specific for the election is needed to level the playing field, as is the practice in the UK. The Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) perhaps can add this to its long list of issues.

Additionally, the CRC needs to address the glaring democratic deficits in the current constitution. Nonetheless, this commentary or rant is about political campaigning in the VI. Moreover, I started writing this commentary before the release of the Sir Gary Hickinbottom Commission of Inquiry (CoI) and the arrest of some senior VI government officials. I had to adjust it post-release of these events. The CoI is dangling over the VI like the swords of Damocles. And consistent with the agreement between the Unity Government and the UK, it will influence the political campaign and governing for at least the next two years.

Nonetheless, political aspirants should proceed with bud speed with their campaigns. The election winds are quietly swirling, the temperature is rising, and the fever level is rising and spreading. Several candidates have already pitched their hats in the political ring and are ready for battle. Others may be waiting for the election campaign pistol firing before joining the fight, perhaps not wanting to show their hand and peak too early.

Political Manifesto/Policy Positions

Political Parties/individual candidates in VI typically used a manifesto to put forth a series of ideas, opinions, positions, or views that they wanted to implement if successful at the polls. A political manifesto is similar to a policy(s) position platform/document. The question is how influential political manifestos are, their current relevancy, how closely followed, etc.

Duration of Campaign and Modes of Campaigning

Many political campaigns in the VI start too late, perhaps to be effective. Serious campaigns should start months, if not years, before a scheduled election date. Pursuing elected office is, in essence, a sales job. It takes time to motivate voters to buy into one's message. They try to convince voters that the choices offered are more cost-effective, practical, and attainable than competitors' offers. Politicians are sales agents(some may attribute other names to them) who voters interview to determine who represents them in the House of Assembly. As such, they must be an integral part of the community, not just live in the community. Serious politicians must be fully committed, all in, to the serious game of politics. They must be more than election-season political aspirants.

Too many politicians discover or rediscover parts of the community during election time and may be viewed as opportunists, playing politics for a vote. Many modern technological tools, i.e., television, radio, Facebook (META), other social media platforms, etc., and transportation are available to communicate the campaign message to voters. However, the traditional ground game, i.e., wearing out tennis shoes knocking on doors, face-to-face discussions with voters, etc., is still the most effective campaigning mode in the VI, a small community. The VI is a small community, and political aspirants should be able to engage with most voters personally in a district and territorially. Retail politics, retail politics, must be the friend of every politician.

Critical National Issues

The VI should be farther down the growth and development road than it is. It has had the means and opportunity to be farther down the growth path, and it is not too late, but the window of opportunity is closing fast. Consequently, whatever government is elected will have an arduous task and must have an effective plan of action to substantially attack the myriad of critical issues and crises. Undoubtedly, no government will have the resources to address all the problems in either one or two terms. This situation highlights the urgent need for a structured, voter-approved national development plan to address longer-term issues. There are no excuses for not picking the low-hanging fruit. The following is a list of issues the new government will have to address. The list is not in priority order:

  1. Health and safety, b. education enhancements, c. economic deepening, strengthening, and diversification, d. agricultural production and food insecurity, e. natural resources and environmental resources management (200-mile economic exclusive zone, 12-mile territorial sea), f. skyrocketing cost of living, g. constitutional review and modernisation (removing/improving democratic deficits, more self-governing authority), h. internal security and public safety (police, fire, ambulance), i. disaster preparedness and readiness, j. arresting violent and property crimes, k. judicial improvements and strengthening, l. governing reform, m. operations and maintenance and capital budgeting, n. labor and immigration, o. civil service retirement unfunded liability, p. energy, public works programme, r. housing, s. physical infrastructure: electricity, water, wastewater (sewage), stormwater (drainage), ports, roads, and transportation (air, ground, and sea), t. social services, u. sports and recreation, v. history, heritage, customs, and culture preservation, w. tax policy, etc.

It is a long list and may seem to suggest that issues in the VI are in a critical state. The needs are significant, exceeding resources, capacity, and capability. Consequently, every party and the individual candidate must offer a structured plan for attacking these issues with a) a coherent plan of action and milestones and b)funding sources. It is a campaign staple for politicians to overpromise and often underdeliver. It is a truth in politics that if a candidate doesn't promise anything, it is likely, that they will not get elected. It is easy for politicians to meet voter demands by overpromising (some may call it lies), for when the chickens come home to roost, they will be long gone, and the problems and repercussions will have to be dealt with by current successors. Politicians generally will not give voters a hard, strong dose of medicine/truth, preferring to procrastinate and postpone unpopular policies to win elections. In the modern era, standing for election is a contest in packaging, advertising, and spinning.

Nevertheless, the voters are responsible for weighing and assessing all the information provided and then deciding. The voters, the press, etc., are the interviewers and must get persistently engaged and ask the right, relevant, and probing questions and demanding answers to their questions. Every proposal, project, etc., should generate a series of how, what, when, where, and why questions, including how much it will cost, where the money will come from, what is the impact on the economy, if any, what is the effect on the budget and taxes, what is the timeline for the project, etc. The VI people must demand a description, discussion, debate, and decision.

Edgar W. Leonard is a native Virgin Islander {British],  and an amateur freelance writer. 

8 Responses to “Political campaigning in the [British] Virgin Islands”

  • Good Read (10/08/2022, 08:38) Like (8) Dislike (1) Reply
    Hope the candidates are taking notes along with the voting public!

    Totally agree candidates must quickly step forward and engage the people! We need a better 13!
  • Historian (10/08/2022, 08:58) Like (1) Dislike (4) Reply
    ANOTHER GOOD BIT OF YOURSELF OR YOUR KNOWLEDGE WAS EXPOSED ,SO MORE POWER TO YOU ( WHAT PITY WHEN UNCLE ANDY WAS LEADING HIS FLOCK OF PUPPETS , YOU SAID NOTHING ????
  • zoe (10/08/2022, 11:29) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    Another great read brother
  • RealPol (10/08/2022, 15:52) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
    E. Leonard, good read. But neither political candidates nor the electorate will pay little to know attention. We will fall prey to same old political nothingness and spin. One of my take from the commentary is that we as the interviewers, the voters, must drill politician on their proposed projects, focusing on the source of funding, timeliness and so on. Another away is that we force discussion, debate, and decision on issues. The performance of the people we vote for is an uncertainty but we must do our homework to minimize the level of uncertainty.
  • Fellow Virgin Islanders (10/08/2022, 16:59) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    Fellow Virgin Islanders, good day! I come to you from the top of Sage Mountain with a pleading. The BVI is at a grave hour and probably one of the gravest hour in its history. Simply, it is in crisis; the ship of state has ran aground. And consequently, it is our responsibility as voters to unground and safely float it and set it back on the right course. One of the processes of ungrounding and floating the grounded ship of state is electing 13 elected members to the House of Assembly(HOA). The opportunity will come sometime next summer. Righting the ship is a huge task. As such, we must be very focused and selective about whom is sent to the HOA. However, campaigning will precede voting. Fellow Virgin Islander Leonard gives us somewhat of a blue print to follow as the campaign heats up. If you don’t like his blue print, craft your own or seek out other sources. In any event, we must do the work to elect the best qualified, experienced, capable, etc candidates to the HOA. Hope you read this and take action.

    Fellow Virgin Islander.


  • Diaspora.13 (11/08/2022, 17:30) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    The BVI is at a crossroad is a well worn phrase that many commentators have used but indeed the BVI is at a crossroad, being at one of its lowest point in its history. The political campaign is one the first step in putting an elected team in place to correct course. Mr. Leonard has said much about the fundamentals of campaigning so I will not make any further comment. However, I will comment about the importance of voters in an election as well as the role of government.

    The people provide the power to govern through a social contract between it and elected officials. As such, the elected officials are accountable to the people and the people should have the people to legitimately remove an elected official(s) for cause. The constitution must provide the ability to recall an elected official(s). The role of government include: a) preserve rights to freedom, life and property, b) take actions in the interest of the public good, and, c) bring people to justice who have violated the rights of other citizens.

    Voters have a great responsibility and cannot shirk away from it. They must embrace the responsibility and run up to the plate and do the right thing.
  • Political Observer (PO) (12/08/2022, 04:17) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    This is a good read on political campaigning in the BVI. Can we anticipate a follow-on piece, eg, on the way forward? Ok. Festival is over and election is right around the corner, so when the campaigning going to start in earnest. Voters need to hear what the plans of actions are for moving forward to chart a new course. Voters need to evaluate the different plans of action and decide on whom has the right stuff. I personally am ready to ask the how, when, where, what, why, who, etc, questions. Talking about questions, will the Unity Government run as a team? What are the current political parties? Are VIP, NDP, PU, PVIM, and UP intend to run full slates of candidates? Are there any new parties in the offing? Will the next government be a unity government? Does the westminister structure needs adjusting/adapting to meet BVI needs? Is the westminister system flawed? Does the current westminister promote ‘Peter Principle’?
  • Undercover Observer (14/08/2022, 16:22) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Good read. It is August so when will the political campaigning start. Will members of the Unity Government campaign against the policies of the government that they are a part of? The campaign will real interesting.


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