Turnbull Criticises Politicians’ Focus on Personal Legacies
D2 Representative Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull. Second District Representative Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull has criticised politicians for focusing on building personal legacies, saying elected representatives should concentrate on meeting residents’ needs and let their work determine how people remember them.
D2 Representative Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull. Second District Representative Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull has criticised politicians for focusing on building personal legacies, saying elected representatives should concentrate on meeting residents’ needs and let their work determine how people remember them.
Appearing on the National Democratic Party’s The National Conversation podcast, Turnbull said he had heard government members and other politicians discussing the legacies they wanted to leave. “Legacy is not what you say about yourself. Legacy is what people say about you when you’re gone.
Legacy is you doing the work necessary for people to speak about,” Turnbull said. “But if you’re talking about things to say, I’m building this legacy, then it’s about you,” he added. Turnbull said elected representatives had a responsibility to serve the people of the Virgin Islands, address their concerns and improve their lives and the territory’s development.
He argued that seeking personal praise amounted to serving oneself. His remarks followed comments from NDP Chairman Marlon Penn, who questioned spending on projects meant to build politicians’ legacies rather than meet community needs. In a separate interview on the People’s Leadership Movement’s The People’s Mic podcast, former NDP member Mark Vanterpool discussed leaving a legacy while explaining his decision to seek office again.
Vanterpool said his motivation involved public service and sacrifice, and that he wanted to contribute to the territory’s future. In the meantime, Turnbull said the NDP would continue to press the government on several issues affecting the BVI.
Primary source: BVI News