In Mark 2:18-22 Jesus reminds of a situation we will experience in life on a personal level as a corporate level. "Be careful when are putting new wine in old wineskins." Take a glance back to 1960. One can observe that some of the changes being made in the name of development of the Territory contained challenges between self- gratification and needs of corporate good. This characteristic has grown like a creeper around some servants of the people, as well as groupings touting the philosophy "divide and conquer." I am sharing with one of the daughters of the soil's response and warning to that trend.
Dr Pearl Varlack speaks to the government:
"Success ascribed to government or constitutional change should acknowledge the contribution of individuals and corporste citizens. The efforts of these citizens work in tendem with government to achieve growth. Certain succeses do happen in spite of political structures. There is a strong tendency among British Virgin Islanders to discard what existed from a previous period in order to establish self- gratification with the "first ever policy" a favourite among B. V. Islanders. It is not prudent in history to draw sharp lines of demarcation between any period and the one which precedes it. The times point to an ensuing period that is different from the "status quo." The period involving more serious participation of all the people of the British Virgin Islands in moving from a dependent territory to a self governing state. The period faces a future of change which is the only certainty we can hold on to and within that change there will be many challenges which the territory will face."
We are experiencing "a changing of the guard" but there was no rehearsal and we are being tossed by again by" colonial waves." How are we going to face the on coming storm? We should learn lessons from the past that brought us to today, as we chart the future. How we love to delve in the past when undertaking activities in acdemia! But not in politics. We should be careful when imitating what others have done, the road others have travelled. What is good for the goose may not be good fot the gander. We live in a culture that is similar to other cultures yet distinct and unique. In making territorial decisions that uniqueness must be preserved and not destroyed through self- gratification. Unless our leaders are prepared to look deep under the "political skin" we may end up with the veneer of a solution that may be the chaf which will be blown away by the winds of time. Can we weather this storm? Yes we can and we must.
- Dr. Charles H. Wheatley.