The last few weeks have not been the best for this moribund government. A few incidents, which betray unmistakable signs that the Prime Minister is losing his grip on his own Cabinet, have made different sectors of our civil society see red.
The sleaze associated with the alleged granting of marine licences to hundreds of people who were prepared to pay kickbacks, rather than sit for exams, did not surprise anyone who is realistic and knows to what low levels the governance of this country has sunk under the PN administration. The questions being asked by decent citizens today is, “Which ministry will be the subject of the next story of sleaze?”
More than the sums of money involved, what is important in these cases is the fact that they undermine the moral fibre of our society. Many ask themselves, “If civil servants who are paid by taxpayers’ money feel safe enough to take risks and abuse the power they wield as a result of the trust we place in them, why should we law-abiding people feel obliged to honour our commitments to the State and pay taxes? When people justifiably ask such questions, one knows that we are scraping the bottom of the morality pit.
Why did the Prime Minister fail to demand a visible acknowledgement of failed accountability from those who are politically responsible for such incidents? Why do we continue to abuse the trust the people have placed in the government and the officials appointed by it? Why to we still tolerate political cronies to populate our ministries and wield power as though they have some god-given right to fleece taxpayers’ money?
The machine of government has become totally dysfunctional. It completely ignores public opinion and tramples on the sensitivity of the quiet majority to satisfy the greed of a few speculators whose only interest is to make hay while the sun shines. Our country deserves better.
The Labour Party has spoken openly against these and other shameful examples of bad management of our country, and it therefore supports the initiative of all civic-minded citizens who register their disapproval in a public and visible way against improper decisions that ignore the public interest.
During the next few months our electorate will have to take a very important decision for the future of our country. Do we stick with this degenerating style of government that has outlived its usefulness, or do we change course?
The PN propaganda machine will no doubt go into overdrive mode to convince the electorate that, despite all its warts, this government is irreplaceable. It will continue to say that Labour is not making any real proposals that are different from what is already being done by the present administration.
But the electorate has a unique chance to show this government the red card it deserves for abusing the people’s trust. If decent law-abiding citizens want to put a stop to this abuse of power, they need to send a clear signal of support for Labour even if they traditionally do not support this party.
One of the issues we need to face in the next election is whether the possible election of the PN for another five years of government will endanger the democratic system of our country, a system that thrives on alternating administrations to ensure that those who wield power on our behalf are held accountable for their actions.
Labour is prepared to serve. Labour will not betray the confidence of those who see in it a means of stopping the rot which has set in in the governance of this country as a result of having a party that has overstayed in power for far too long.
cmnagion@keyworld .net
www.mangioncharles.com
Dr Mangion is deputy leader of the Opposition.