The silence throughout the territory about the Wall Street Journal article that shed a less than complimentary light on V.I. businessman Jeffrey Prosser and the Virgin Islands is interesting, to say the least.
Even the usual commentators – those who always have something to say – are not returning phone calls. Those few who do speak have little of substance to say.
We are not entirely sure why.
We suspect shame is part of the reason. It is human nature to hide when embarrassed, especially when the disgrace is public.
We also suspect that fear is playing a big part in the silence. We find that frightening in itself. What are we afraid of? Who do we think is going to call down retribution upon our heads if we call it the way it is?
When the sale of Chase Manhattan Bank’s Virgin Islands assets to Mr. Prosser was announced, people were afraid to comment then, too. We found ourselves asking then what happens to a community that is controlled by one man? "Fear and silence are what we see in the aftermath of reports that St. Croix businessman Jeffrey Prosser is buying the Chase Bank operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands," we wrote.
Fear and silence abound again in the aftermath of the Wall Street Journal article on Prosser.
We repeat: One man with too much power can control an entire community – but only with the community's consent.
And what about corruption?
The article said outright, "graft is common" in the Virgin Islands. It quoted U.S. Attorney James Hurd's statement that the "biggest priority in the Virgin Islands is public corruption."
So, why is everyone hedging the issue, pretending that they're not sure this is true?
The closet is wide open now. There is nothing to hide from anyone. While many business people continue to do business here without paying people off — and many government employees continue to provide public services without seeking or expecting payoffs — it is now common knowledge among the country’s movers and shakers that "graft is common" in the Virgin Islands, so much so that the U.S. attorney has identified it as his No. 1 priority..
This knowledge provides a golden opportunity for us to change it; to stop accepting the status quo; to expose it, prosecute it and slow it down, if not stop it entirely.
But first we must stop denying it.