All politicians are the same. This is what some people firmly believe based on the negative impressions and expereinces they have gotten from a corrupted few. It is like the old saying goes ‘One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.’ A lot of people use this type of thinking to rationalize why they do not participate in general elections.
To say it in another way, some people actually refrain from exercising their democratic right to elect a government of their choosing because of the ‘one bad’ apple thinking. Now, the right to vote is not some overnight achievement.
Our ancestors fought for it thus affording us the opportunity to have a say in who we put in office to govern the affairs of our country and people. Let that soak in a bit. Politicians are elected to office in offering themselves up for national service; not for themselves, their family members, associates or anyone who fits whichever category of close relationship.
They take oaths of allegiance and office; a customary public practice which displays to us that there should be no room for selfishness, ill-will and overall no corruption. This is serious business. This is no joke. Most recently, under the previous government, there were many allegations levelled against that Harris-led administration such as the stem cell, ‘watch and shoes’ and Hushpuppi passport drama.
Even when the Team Unity coalition broke up, the public fallout saw fingers pointing among those ex-colleagues, and of course ‘Corruption’ became a topic. For some staunch party supporters, they would not even entertain the thought that certain claims were true because for all they know, it could just be propaganda.
Even when certain officials, credible sources, chain of events that could make them raise an eyebrow, they choose instead to turn a blind eye. Now this editorial piece is not aimed at sifting for truth or pouring gasoline into the fire but rather to explore how we function as a people.
Do we pick a side and question nothing of those who owe us accountability and transparency? We all aspire to want to do better within our personal lives when we think ahead of future generations to come. What about national pride?
Do we want better for our country? Following the August 2022 General Elections, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party was voted into office, and continuously the Dr. Terrance Drew ledadministration applauds the electorate for picking the ‘ATeam’ to lead the country and return good governance and stomp out corruption.
From what it understood, individuals from various political backgrounds brought about this change. Now that is the true essence of unity. The SKNLP candidates ahead of the elections all signed a Code Of Ethical Conduct document.
That is commendable. So, this week under the new SKNLP government, the Anti-Corruption Bill had its second reading in the House of Assembly, and many people are probably wondering how meaningful this would be to our society.
Everybody has a part to play. We cannot just be pointing fingers at the politicians and other public officials expecting them to walk a straight and narrow path but it is free will and do as we please in our own lives. Of course public officials are viewed in a certain spotlight as that is a given but we too must choose to have integrity in our personal and professional lives.
It is about time that ‘rotten fruits’ stop spoiling goodness. May we as a society plant seeds of positivity and provide the proper nurturing for fruitful harvests for generations to come.
