We Need to Get to the Root of Our Problems Here
I called Bonnie and Kelly today to ask if I could publish Kelly’s brilliant letter to the VI Daily News. Bonnie and I never got to that, but at the risk of being scolded by either of them:
‘Demockary’ – new word for PSC decision-making
Kelly Gloger
Thursday, October 15th 2009
I have been searching for a word to capture how most people feel about their interactions with the V.I. Public Services Commission.
Unable to find a single word in the dictionary that would encompass the essence of the public’s feelings, I stumbled upon a combination of two words, with one letter change, that seems to get to the heart of it: Demockary, from democracy and mockery.
A definition of this new word would read: “Demockary – when the actions of democratic governments or their agencies make a mockery of the democratic process, as in denying citizens participation in decisions that will significantly impact their lives.”
The PSC meeting to decide whether to approve the Alpine Energy Group’s contracts for two petroleum coke plants is a case in point.
Putting aside the question of whether the PSC made the right decision on this matter, the question that is fundamentally more important is: Did the PSC and WAPA use the right process to reach their decision?
I contend that the organization of the PSC itself ensures that the right process – one that truly makes the interest of Virgin Islanders the primary focus of its decision-making – will never be used.
A commission that is appointed by one person, the governor, and is accountable only to him/her, not the public, seems more reminiscent of the structure of colonial governments than a mature democracy in the internet age where the opportunity for citizen participation and input is greatly enhanced via information and communication technology.
The PSC’s structure means the process will always be flawed, regardless who sits on the commission. Non-elected officials – with no direct accountability to the public – making decisions for the public is a recipe for poor decision making and breeds public mistrust and contempt.
As publicly financed and owned entities, both the PSC and WAPA work for all of US. Both of these entities could have, over the last few years, demonstrated that they actually understood this reality by involving V.I. residents in a true dialogue on the territory’s energy future through a series of ongoing public meetings, interactive websites, webinars, etc. dedicated to the an open debate and analysis on this topic.
Instead, the PSC and WAPA offered citizens three to five minutes of comment at the end of a two-year process – and only after the signing of $440 million worth of contracts for two petroleum coke plants.
Was it Democracy or Demockary at work in the decision-making process of the PSC? Think about it.
Since we live in a democracy, we can easily fix this situation by asking our Legislature to immediately put an end to the PSC’s colonial organizational structure by passing legislation before Christmas that would require that all PSC members are elected; not appointed.
Elections of board members should take place within three months of the passage of the legislation, and all current PSC board members should be asked to step down immediately thereafter.
Senators, are you listening?
- Kelly Gloger lives on St. Croix.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Yes, an excellent letter. And I think there is more that should and will be said about the PSC’s role in this.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Hey Terry- never to scold. We need all the good words and enlightened ideas to permeate.
This notion of pet coke as the only solution is not yet a slam dunk.
You and Michael have been very vocal and consistantly active in expressing your opinions.
To me, persuing pet coke in 2010 is like buying an 8 track cassette deck while the modern world is on iPod nanos.
Thanks for putting this up- I know Kelly wouldn’t mind and would be pleased actually.
October 21st, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Don, I wonder about if a class action suit is an appropriate place to start.
Touche Bonnie with the 8-track cassette comparison.
With all of the possibilities, the fact that they would go with this particular option is absurd. Not to mention the questionable procedure used to get this done. This is something that will affect our island residents for decades, and there was no way for the public to comment until it was too late….
Highly suspicious.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Not to get off track here, but I think Kelly’s term is applicable to most of our socio-politico-economic situation these days. It’s all pretty much a demockery. Its high time we re-label a lot of what’s going on. Lets start with the ‘right’. What’s up with that? From my perspective you’ve got the left-wing and the wrong-wing, there’s very little, if anything, ‘right’ about it. And don’t even get me started on fundamentalists, they’re all screwed up. I may get some flack for putting this in print, but from now on, I’m referring to them all as wrong-wing fupduckmentalists.
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