Dickson C. Igwe. Photo: VINO/File

Considering the political culture in the Virgin Islands, the first part of that assertion is clearly inaccurate. First Class Travel is a key perk of the Virgin Islands politician. In fact, for one or two it is the key reason they are in politics.

The second part is valid. The main attraction for the Virgin Islands politician is not patriotism. Any Virgin Islands politician expounding on patriotism- please run away from that man or woman fast. It is a simple scam.

Money is the key motivator. The control of budgets in the hundreds of millions of Dollars.

Now, the effective investigator is a rare individual in these parts. However, whether it is criminal investigation or investigation into subjects such as politics, economics, or society, there are common denominators.

Criminal investigators speak of motive, opportunity and evidence. The preceding three factors if well managed may get at a solution in a criminal investigation.

Even before these three cultures are adopted, the effective investigator amasses a load of data termed dots.

Dots are the evidence, related events, and human behaviors that when put together with his or her intelligence, and a degree of perception creates a narrative.

When the evidence, events, and dubious behaviors of suspects tie in together flawlessly then there is a case to be prosecuted. A good investigator will not pursue a case without tying up all the loose ends.

In the absence of polling reaching a solid conclusion or projection of an election in Virgin Islands politics is purely speculative.

It is the politics of the street corner and church gossip: in other words, it is VOODOO. OK let’s look at who will likely win the next Virgin Islands General Election adopting the culture of the criminal investigator.

What are the dots that are essentially speculative? The first dot is the fact that the Virgin Islands Voter is mainly interested in "what is in it for me.’’ Which politician will fix the road by my house; put up that retaining wall preventing a ghut from flooding my home; offer me a $20K grant so I can pretend to be a farmer or fisherman; offer me an advisory position at $10K a month for doing squat; and so on and so forth?

The second dot is that there is some degree of anger on the street: the culprit is the infamous ‘’ Greedy Bill.’’ A lot of voters appear to be seething at this awful document that was sneakily introduced into the public domain and in some cases tripled the salaries and pensions of specific politicians for an indefinite period.

The final dot to mention in this story is the woeful state of the national infrastructure. There is no hiding place for the politician when a voter gets a flat tire dropping into the ubiquitous pothole, fails to bathe in the morning owing to a tap that runs dry, or is terrified at the reality that most murders are not solved owing to the reality of a police force that is severely underfunded and under trained.