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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
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The Political Campaign Season is Open

Dear Source:
The Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands is reenergized with the realignment of the senators from the Democratic Party. The leadership of the party is predicting a big victory in the November general elections. They are bragging about their great achievements. It appears that they believe carrying out the functions they were elected or appointed to do is sufficient reason to be proud. They fail to acknowledge their failures in so many critical areas nor to give credit to others whose initiatives produced some of the benefits that they ascribe to themselves. The democrats who have been in power the longest are responsible for many of the deficiencies in government, of the failure of the government to provide basic and critical services to the community. If we look at our educational system, the physical plants of our schools and the consequent low scores in standardized tests. The deterioration of our law enforcement in the territory, conditions of our public roads, the economic stagnation of the district of St. Croix are all failures of the democrats who have been in power.
The Democratic Party to the best of my knowledge have not taken a position on some critical political issues, such as status, political reorganization, election reform, law and order, among others. I have heard some of the leaders of the party bragging about their legacy. A legacy of a fail school system, with deteriorating buildings, low-test scores and graduating illiterates. Inadequate mass transit system and unregulated taxi services.
Rising crime rate and little or no law enforcement. All three branches flaunting the laws. I do not understand why the democrats would be so proud of such a legacy.
The ICM Party of the V.I. has been reorganizing. In spite the fact that it has dropped to third place in registered members it has been able to have continuous representation in the legislature. Presently there are three ICM senators in the 26th Legislature, two from the district of St. Croix, and one from the district of St. Thomas/St. John. It is expected that those ICM senators would assume their leadership responsibilities in building the ICM Party. The ICM Party has suffered the lack of adequate leadership from elected representatives and it is hoped that would be corrected and the party would assume its rightful place in the history of political development of the US Virgin Islands.
The Republican Party of the V.I., although it is second in the number of registered members at the Board of Elections, has not been able to get a representative in the Senate nor other elected boards except for the Board of Elections, most recently. What is happening with the Republican Party? I would suppose that in addition to the perception problem they have a leadership problem as well. I would hope that both the Republican and the ICM parties would get their act together and offer the electorate viable alternatives to the Democratic Party. I suspect there is a lack of courage to take a stand on basic issues and that is unfortunate that we do no have people with vision, integrity and courage willing to assume leadership in the political parties. It is up to the electorate to seek the right people to represent them well, a grass roots movement. The people have rescued their own community, now!
J. J. Estemac
St. Thomas, V.I.

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