In her biweekly column, “State of the Territory,” former Sen. Janelle K. Sarauw delves deeper into issues of concern for V.I. residents.
There is no shortage of headlines exposing corruption. There is no shortage of federal indictments or evidence. And yet, there is also no shortage of silence. In a small community like ours, the silence is louder than the courtroom testimony. Because behind every fraud scheme, every backroom deal, every confidential document passed in secrecy, there is someone who knows. Someone who stays quiet. Someone who looks the other way because calling it out would mean confronting a neighbor, a cousin, a friend’s spouse, a classmate.
This is the uncomfortable truth of living in a place where six degrees of separation is generous. In the Virgin Islands, it is more like two. That closeness makes us warm and resilient, but it also makes us complicit. When the evidence is public, when the transcripts are on the record, when the wire transfers are logged, we still ask, “But why now,” or “Why are they going after that one?”
We cannot continue to treat corruption like it is a matter of preference. We either want accountability or we do not. We cannot say we care about good governance, then make exceptions when the accused is from our circle or serves our agenda. We cannot cheer for justice when the target is someone else’s ally and call it a witch hunt when it is ours.
The latest federal trial unfolding is not just about one alleged act of fraud or bribery. It is about a culture of public service being twisted into self-service. It is about contracts awarded through whispers instead of merit. It is about public money being diverted for personal gain while schools crumble, hospitals wait, and residents hustle just to keep the lights on. And still, some of us cannot bring ourselves to name it.
Because to name it is to risk being ostracized. To name it is to go against the grain. But if we cannot speak honestly about what we see, then we cannot grow. If we cannot hold the people we know accountable, then we have no right to complain when nothing changes.
The executive branch holds enormous power in this territory. That power comes with access, with contracts, with jobs, with influence over who gets what and when. And when that power is abused, it is often protected by silence. Protected by political loyalty. Protected by fear. Public trust is not just lost in courtrooms. It is lost in quiet approvals and doctored evaluations. In who got what contract. In who got a free pass. In who gets fired for speaking up.
Every dollar funneled into a bribe is a dollar not spent fixing a school roof. Every contract given under the table is a missed opportunity for a young entrepreneur trying to build a business the right way. Every corrupt deal widens the gap between those who play by the rules and those who profit from breaking them.
Where are the watchdogs in government who are supposed to sound the alarm? Where is the accountability within the very offices that sign the checks and approve the bids? If those with power will not hold their own house accountable, then corruption is not just allowed. It is sponsored.
The media cannot just echo court filings. It must investigate, question, and connect the dots. Civic organizations cannot cherry-pick causes. They must be brave enough to speak truth to power no matter whose power it is.
Accountability cannot be selective. It cannot be weaponized only when it is politically convenient. It cannot depend on who the person is related to or which political side they stand on. If we want integrity in our institutions, we have to want it even when it hurts. Even when it costs us someone we once voted for. Even when it means the people we sit next to must answer for their decisions.
There is a quote that cuts to the heart of it all:
“The further a society drifts from the truth the more it will hate those that speak it.”
—George Orwell
Let that sit with you. Because in these Virgin Islands, we are not drifting from the truth. We are running from it. We do not hate corruption as much as we hate those bold enough to say it out loud.
The question before us is not whether corruption exists. It is whether we are ready to stop tolerating it. Whether we will keep whispering our outrage in private or demand accountability in public. Whether we want truth and justice or just the illusion of both.
Until that changes, nothing else will.
Editor’s Note: Opinion articles do not represent the views of the Virgin Islands Source newsroom and are the sole expressed opinion of the writer. Submissions can be made to visource@gmail.com.
