7- 8. Double Standards
Continued from yesterday
7. Mighty words, minor action and double standards
When you hear the PM talk about getting rid of corruption the words are mighty. No one can disagree with what he says and there are many minor cases of this government taking action. In particular against public servants – well done. They are all minor cases, though. Where is the massive corruption the former prime minister was involved in?
They have also left themselves open to perceived or real double standards. There are too many to mention (think Francis Kean, the AG’s brother, Mahen and tax). I felt the big turning point was when the PM paid himself back pay. The numbers did not stack up and no one believed it. He was either negligible in his duties and should have resigned for never having taken leave or he was simply lining his pockets. Double standards. A true leader would not have done it. It is still not too late to reverse these decisions.
8. Clever by half
The charter process started out OK. I was involved in this as well. But much of it was pre-written by John Samy. Minister failed to turn up. The process was never going to work. The voting on the acceptance was a complete joke. I remember clearly the day our housekeeper (yes, I have a house keeper, nothing sinister in that) came to me scared that the military had arrived and asked her to sign the charter. She is a reasonable reader but said she wanted to read it and thought it might be hard to understand. Maybe it was a good idea to start with but it became a farce. The final copy I have still starts out by talking about ‘respecting the constitution and rule of law’
Other examples of clever by half included calling for dialogue then excluding anyone with a alternate view. The latest example of clever by half is the spin on Mahendra Chaundhry. It is different now. It’s the RBF, it’s different charges. No one believes it.
- Continued tomorrow ... Click "Comment" below to comment and see others' comments.
2 comments:
The quote from Sir Winston Churchill on the right hand side about stumbling over The Truth from time to time, but "most men pick themselves up and hurry on by" is first class and true. Along with the undeclared conflicts of interest, failing to recognise 'The Truth' when it stares us in the face, is surely the trigger/tipping point that sets us off on 'The March of Folly'? The fact that this comment was made by one of the greatest yet also most unlikely wartime leaders known to the modern world, should give us all pause. A great quotation, Croz. Worthy of many 'Thinking not Sleeping' hours!
Intersting insight free of spin. If only Frank could
surround himself with people who call it
like it is......rather than yes sir, no sir
military men and the like.
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