Should officials resign because of scandals?
Dear Editor,
In 2011, two St Lucian UWP parliamentarians resigned ahead of their elections. The Opposition SLP had consistently accused the then ruling party of not channelling Taiwanese funds through the consolidated fund as required by law, but paying out monies directly to town and village councils to undertake community projects.
In October 2012, politics in the UK centred on the chief whip, a broken Andrew Mitchell who quit, abandoning a month-long fight to save his career and deflect claims that he had referred to a policeman as a “pleb”. That’s it! He called a policeman a “pleb”.
In December 2013, local media in Turkey reported there were several resignations from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) amidst a high-level bribery and corruption probe. Meanwhile, in Australia, in mid-August 2014, two liberal MPs were forced to resign from parliament over corruption allegations against them and a confession by one that he lied to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
In September 2014, a member of the British Parliament also resigned from the government amid allegations that he sent X-rated photos to an undercover reporter posing as a Tory party activist.
In independent Jamaica, we have had an overwhelming preponderance of evidence in at least 20 scandals that make the ones in England, Australia, Turkey and St Lucia pale in comparison. Unlike these countries, are we rewarding and elevating our officials for creating distractions and sideshows?
Some of our officials seem to be emboldened by scandals, displaying arrogance and brashness in a bid to hold on to their positions. Officials resign for several reasons but I must side with President Obama who, when asked if he would have resigned over a certain scandal, remarked, “When you get to the point where, because of various distractions, you can’t serve as effectively as you need to, at the time when people are worrying about jobs, and their mortgages, and paying bills, then you should probably step back.”
Now, on to Outameni. If you truly believe that your business is to serve the people of Jamaica, amidst the Outameni whine, you must resign. With this Outameni flak, you must step back. Don’t hold on when you should be gone. If you’re no longer fit, you should quit!
Sandra M Taylor Wiggan
sandra_wiggan@yahoo.co.uk
