Dear Editor,

I have found the stand-off between our major political parties regarding the purchase of Outameni by the National Housing Trust (NHT) to be very interesting. It could well be a life-changing experience for all of us.

The NHT is one of, if not the only reasonably well-run government institutions on the island, and it could easily be said that it is a model that could move the country to its next level of development only if our politicians could wisely recognise it.

As a result of its success, the Governance of both parties seem bent on constantly putting their hand in the cookie jar instead of just duplicating the successful managerial history.

Because of our politicians’ idiocy, they fail to see that it is a wake-up call for all of us, and a very strong message should be sent to them from this experience.

A precedent was set in 2003 and the leaders at that time were told that it was a very wrong move. Now the ghost still haunts us until this day. The legality of this move in 2003 was queried and promptly a directive to address that concern was made — and a Bill amending the National Housing Trust Act (NHT) was passed in both Houses of Parliament allowing the funds to be diverted in a one-off transfer to reportedly finance the upgrading of schools that financial year.

Since then, both JLP and PNP adminstrations have dug into the funds, while chastising each other for respective recklessness. What folly?

Let’s not go any further with this type of governance, it is wrong; laws are not to be tampered with for political mileage. We have created a mess and the time and place to deal with it is here and now. Let us do the right things and stop playing games for easy political gain.

Rupert Brown

aat2study@yahoo.com