autonomy for St. Croix in the form of a system of local government will feature
prominently among the provisions of any future constitution for the Virgin Islands.18

 However, the key to the form and content of a constitution for the Virgin Islands
is the future status for which the citizens of this territory opt. This is, in itself, a difficult
issue to resolve as recent experience with it has clearly demonstrated. There is a
distinct possibility that, in the face of such difficulty, the status quo may well prevail with
the consequence of the Virgin Islands, for a long time, remaining without, and being
governed by, a constitutional instrument not substantially crafted by its people.


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