President Gerald Ford, during his oath of office, eloquently opined, “Truth is the glue that holds government together, not only our Government but civilization itself.”
Here in the Virgin Islands of the United States, diversification remains a challenge. Far-reaching, game-changing, impactful legislation is obsolete; prices remain high, and opportunities low; all while white-collar crime with consistently low levels of crime detection continues to foster widespread institutional weakness.
The Jeffrey Epstein saga is of no exception and presents another thorn in the territory’s side of “Truths.” It is, without question, those we hired with our votes. (Politicians), tasked with leading our territory into its next dimension, allowed greed, lack of a moral compass, and decency to take precedence in the exploitation of young children for financial and political gain. This is all against a heightened, colorful backdrop of corruption, violence and $300 million in tax relief benefits…
Where have our gatekeepers gone, and who will hold these persons responsible?
The continued silence by the first branch of government is deafening. Complicit and morally repulsive describe the actions of those that we entrusted and elected to lead the charge with our votes. The territory currently sits in a position, absent of true executive leadership and is operating on the premise of auto-pilot. The socio-economic elite and those with special interests have always been against the liberation of education as it comes as a threat. Hence, Journalists and Thought leaders are repeatedly being attacked for lending voices to the victims and the edification of the public.
We must guard vociferously against such attacks of self-aggrandizement in our politics, as with an informed population comes a more accountable structure of governance.
As per an August 18th Source article, former AG Denise George, in her recent depositions, accuses Governor Bryan of terminating her for not instituting a travel waiver on convicted child molester Jeffrey Epstein’s behalf. The excerpt read, “He expressed his position but he — but he asked me to make a decision,” George said. “But didn’t tell me what the decision was.” George concluded in the deposition that it “appeared” Epstein was flexing his “political Influence” by having the governor make the request rather than doing it himself.
Innuendo and inference have no place in a court of law.
The Separation of powers doctrine was created and added to the Constitution in 1787. Its purpose is to dilute the concentration of power and provide for accurate checks and balances among branches of government.
This case is a perfect example of why I am of the opinion that until legislation coupled with election reform is placed at the forefront, resulting with the Attorney General of the Virgin Islands no longer being nominated or appointed by the governor but rather elected by “We the people.” Then and only then will violations of moral turpitude, including the advancement of political agendas, influence and greed, no longer be a factor.
Good leaders encourage people to see the future and ignore useless gutter politics and discourse that leads us absolutely nowhere but into a constant state of distraction. Great leaders remind us of the moral and spiritual values that make us unique and unite us as Virgin Islanders.
Instead of deflecting, I would encourage the powers that be to invest time and efforts in ways to first rebuild and then enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the White-Collar Crimes and Public Corruption Unit. This may include advocating for increased resources, collaborative efforts with international and regional partners, improved coordination, enhanced training and technology with the VIPD, as well as stronger oversight mechanisms.
