Every Virgin Islander who understands the dynamics of the new economy should jump at any reasonable offer to privatize the Water and Power Authority.
During the last 20 years, many jurisdictions have privatized their utilities (power generation, electricity and water) as well as their garbage collection, health care and, in some cases, educational system.
Privatizing a utility or an institution does not mean it failed to function well in the past. It simply gives such an entity a greater opportunity to participate in a global arena, where the limited resources of government are at a disadvantage. All over the world, governments are relinquishing themselves of entities that can be better run by private individuals and companies — with, of course, the proper governmental oversight body, such as our Public Services Commission.
In the Virgin Islands, we can point to the ferry system providing transportation between St. Thomas and St. John as a system that works. Two local businesses provide a service that is on time, dependable and has an excellent safety record. If it were a government-run operation, I often wonder if that would be true.
WAPA has survived because it is run by a board of directors and an executive director outside the mainstream of the government. This semiautonomous agency has served us fairly well, but maybe the time has come for us to place the running of this utility in the hands of experts on the cutting edge of new technological advances in power generation.
While I was president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, potential investors repeatedly questioned me about four specific areas:
a) The crime situation on the islands.
b) The wrongful discharge law.
c) The lack of compulsory, or no-fault, automobile insurance.
d) The reliability of constant, dependable power.
None of these concerns are more relevant to an investor than they are to those of us who reside on these islands. We should dispel the myth that we do everything to please those coming from the outside.
The acquisition of WAPA is not rocket science. It is simply a situation whose time has come. Government's first orders of business should be the safety of its people and the creation of a climate that encourages new investment and economic growth.

Editor's note: Christopher Brathwaite is founder and president of C.E. Brathwaite & Associates and past president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce.