You are building your country for your people not aliens
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We work to pass on wealth to our future generations. Well, that is where our work exertions ultimately reside. We want what is best for our offspring and theirs’. Therefore, we build wealth so that when we die what we own passes on to our children.
Another belief of this writer is that only ancestral citizens and those born in a territory possess freehold rights on land. The rest should own land leasehold, say for 100 years or two generations, before it returns to the national land bank.
It is a horrible anomaly – even criminal- that native Virgin Islanders cannot buy land at an affordable price. However, aliens with wealth can purchase freehold land and pass this on to others who may not even be citizens. The government must address this injustice with some vision.
OK. The silent cry of too many natives in the Virgin Islands against the influx of thousands of migrants over the last three decades is a valid one.
If countries with populations in the hundreds of millions cannot control migration to the point where there is civil strife, then why do these tiny islands in the Atlantic believe we can control the influx of aliens to the extent that these aliens far outnumber the native population?
Offering citizenship based on tenure is the root cause of this conundrum. Instead, as this writer advocates, offer a lifelong residency permit, with equal privileges with citizenship, but subject to revocation by the cabinet or the Governor.
Naturalisation or Citizenship can be revoked only through a very complicated legal process that involves an Act of Parliament. However, for an ancestral native or citizen born within a jurisdiction, revoking national status is simply impossible – unless the land is a tyranny. Once a migrant becomes a citizen, it is permanent for life.
What are the effects of a poor migration policy?
There is an impact on labour where there are complaints that the native youth cannot get jobs because migrants are taking them. That is a very valid assertion indeed.
The excuse that locals are lazy and do not want these jobs is a heap of bull, putting it lightly. An age-old excuse that is essentially racist. It was a tale of old colonial Britain for centuries that blacks are generally lazy. It has its roots in racism.
Employers argue that specific groups are better workers. Asians, for example. That is not valid, and it is very short-sighted. It is cutting off the nose to spite the face.
Train natives in ethics and work skills if there is a limitation in their work ethic.
The whole idea of a Virgin Islands economy and society is that it is for the benefit of Virgin Islands children and youth- our children. We are not building the economy for outsiders to inherit.
I am not saying people should not get the benefits of migrating to where there is a better life.
However, the sole objective of social and economic development is to pass wealth on to future generations of Virgin islanders and Belongers. When this fails, it is dumb policy!
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16 Responses to “You are building your country for your people not aliens”
The consequence of restricting land ownership to a particular class is that is limits the market for land owners who wish to realise the value of their land (and invest the proceeds of sale for the benefit of their heirs) to that limited class - who can then buy the land for much less that it would be available on the open market. This means that the elite families, like the one that the writer married into, can increase their landholding on the cheap.
Typical self interest from the elite. There is nothing wrong with self interest but please don’t dress it up as being for the people.
An analogy of foreign labour "the lionfish" into the local population, without preparedness for the impact in the long run.
If you introduce the "lionfish" (foreign labour): coming from an environment where the labour market is more impoverished; that is more cutthroat/more aggressive to survive, and unemployment is dismal. Given an alternative for a better life, they would exploit any opportunity to advance themselves, their families, and extended families.
Now, nothing is wrong with that, but a delicate balance and harmony for the local species must be struck. Every species has an Earthly right to eat to survive and live.
However, you introduce them, the "lionfishes" into the local species, where the environment is not similar to the lionfish. What do you expect will happen? Think! Our People. Think!
This is the case with what has been happening in the Virgin Islands, fully supported by some of our business entrepreneurs, to reduce cost and maximize profits, without measuring the overall consequences in the long run.
The leaders are to make sure the scale does not get too out of control that the local species is not completely wiped out, causing dire consequences for the environment overall.
Any leader who does not make sure the laws and systems are in place to strike the delicate balance of harmony between the evasive species and the locals, is a failed leader (politician).
The locals, living in their own environment, must be given every possible advantage to sustain the impact of the lionfish.
Nothing is wrong with progress and growth, but the outcomes and possible end results, must also be measured. And at what cost?
Happy voting! next election cycle. Yes Indeed!
My Stand-
Although the worst things that have ever happened to me in my life, have been done by my own people. But once one "innerstand" the state/law of mentalism, and what has been done to the minds of our people overall. One must continue to stand for our people to change the paradigms for future generations.
The Quote, "if you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything," rings a bell here.
There are strict laws regarding leaseholds in other countries. In the UK, the leaseholder a legal right to extend the lease for a reasonable price, as many times as they like.
Who would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for land that they had to give up in 2 generations or 100 years! Idiot!!!!!!
Consequently, the VI like other small locales should exercise policy development , governing intelligence and increase the rating of its governing IQ.