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Is there an honest politician?
Lloyd B Smith
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Some time ago, a national survey in the United States of America revealed that the persons most distrusted by citizens were the politician, the used-car salesman and the journalist - in that order. Why? It is felt that such persons are perceived as frequent liars, benders of the truth and have a tendency to be dishonest.
Lloyd B Smith
The story is told that in ancient Greece, Diogenes, the Cynic, once wandered the earth most of his life, holding his lantern high and searching for an honest man. Of course, he never did find one. He thought the task was impossible because he believed that men and women lived their lives dictated by specific rules and therefore no one was truthful or honest.
Here in Jamaica, it has been said that the national psyche is laced with larceny. Anancyism is the order of the day and it is in such a scenario that our politicians reign supreme. Is there any among our 60 members of parliament that is honest? Are any of our parish councillors upholders of the truth? Is it possible to be truthful and honest when one becomes a politician?
According to Wikipedia, "Honesty is speaking truth and creating trust in the minds of others. Honesty implies a lack of deceit. A statement can be strictly true and still be dishonest if the intention of the statement is to deceive its audience. Similarly, a falsehood can be spoken honestly if the speaker actually believes it to be true. Conversely, dishonesty can be defined simply as behaviour that is performed with intent to deceive. Lying by commission, lying by omission, fraud, and plagiarism are all examples of this sort of behaviour. Other examples can be doing one thing and telling the other, as if you are hiding something. Honesty is typically considered virtuous behaviour, and has strong positive connotations in most situations."
To enter the political arena in Jamaica at this time to run for a seat in Parliament, a potential candidate has to put aside some $20 million to take care of campaigning and other attendant expenses. In other words, if one is thinking of entering politics one has to be well loaded. I have been told by many candidates who have run and lost that not only did they lose their representational bid but lots of money out of their own pockets.
In this context, it may well mean that when a politician is successful at the polls, he has to recoup on his monetary losses leading up to his victory, hence the need to come up with "creative ways" to ensure that he does not end up being a pauper after his five years in office. It is no secret that some members of parliament have had to give up lucrative practices or businesses during their tenure, and given the relatively paltry sums that they collect each month, one wonders how they are able to survive and project such upscale lifestyle.
That is why campaign financing must be kept on the front burner if we are serious about fighting corruption among public officials at the highest level. National Hero Norman Manley remains as an outstanding example of one who gave much to his country at tremendous personal cost. Indeed, it is said that he virtually died a poor man all because of his honesty and integrity. Nowadays, if one comes across as a broke or impoverished politician, the initial response will not be one of assuming that he was an honest politician, but that he was a damn fool not to have helped himself when he could!
MANLEY... gave much at tremendous personal cost
It is no secret that many of our current politicians started out their careers with modest means and are now rotten rich. After all, in Jamaica politics has become a business and it is most certainly not the people's business! Kickbacks, bribery, graft, under-the-table deals, the siphoning off of public funds as well as using taxpayers' money to wallow in the lap of luxury are commonplace features of our corrupt political system.
Against this background, the potent question as to whether or not there is any honest politician left in our midst may be best not answered lest we offend any and everyone. Needless to say, honesty does not only have to do with monetary matters. That virtue also has to do with the many promises politicians make on the campaign trail, in many cases knowing full well that when they come to power, they will not be able to fulfil those promises. The ruling Jamaica Labour Party fell into that trap leading up to the 2007 general elections when a plethora of wild promises were made to the electorate who foolishly gobbled them all up. Now even though the worldwide recession has taken its toll on the Jamaican economy, many voters still harbour high expectations of the Bruce Golding administration, insisting that they should stand and deliver.
Where to be bad is to be good, to be dishonest is to prosper and where if one plays by the rules one gets shafted, is there room for honesty? Several stories have been told about persons who have chosen to be honest but who were ridiculed and even ostracised because they decided not to take that which did not belong to them. Indeed, it is said that the only time one should be castigated and publicly taken to task is when one allows oneself to be caught. It's that bad.
In the final analysis, it is going to be up to civil society to assist those who want to enter or stay in politics with clean hands. Ways must be found to ensure that not only "broke pocket" and other persons with dishonest intentions proliferate the political landscape. As the chickens continue to come home to roost, the media must also remain vigilant as the main gatekeeper, daring to expose those who pillage and plunder the public purse. A poor country such as ours cannot continue to satisfy the seemingly insatiable appetites of those whose primary purpose for entering politics is self-aggrandisement. Enough said!
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...OLITICIAN_.asp
Lloyd B Smith
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Some time ago, a national survey in the United States of America revealed that the persons most distrusted by citizens were the politician, the used-car salesman and the journalist - in that order. Why? It is felt that such persons are perceived as frequent liars, benders of the truth and have a tendency to be dishonest.
Lloyd B Smith
The story is told that in ancient Greece, Diogenes, the Cynic, once wandered the earth most of his life, holding his lantern high and searching for an honest man. Of course, he never did find one. He thought the task was impossible because he believed that men and women lived their lives dictated by specific rules and therefore no one was truthful or honest.
Here in Jamaica, it has been said that the national psyche is laced with larceny. Anancyism is the order of the day and it is in such a scenario that our politicians reign supreme. Is there any among our 60 members of parliament that is honest? Are any of our parish councillors upholders of the truth? Is it possible to be truthful and honest when one becomes a politician?
According to Wikipedia, "Honesty is speaking truth and creating trust in the minds of others. Honesty implies a lack of deceit. A statement can be strictly true and still be dishonest if the intention of the statement is to deceive its audience. Similarly, a falsehood can be spoken honestly if the speaker actually believes it to be true. Conversely, dishonesty can be defined simply as behaviour that is performed with intent to deceive. Lying by commission, lying by omission, fraud, and plagiarism are all examples of this sort of behaviour. Other examples can be doing one thing and telling the other, as if you are hiding something. Honesty is typically considered virtuous behaviour, and has strong positive connotations in most situations."
To enter the political arena in Jamaica at this time to run for a seat in Parliament, a potential candidate has to put aside some $20 million to take care of campaigning and other attendant expenses. In other words, if one is thinking of entering politics one has to be well loaded. I have been told by many candidates who have run and lost that not only did they lose their representational bid but lots of money out of their own pockets.
In this context, it may well mean that when a politician is successful at the polls, he has to recoup on his monetary losses leading up to his victory, hence the need to come up with "creative ways" to ensure that he does not end up being a pauper after his five years in office. It is no secret that some members of parliament have had to give up lucrative practices or businesses during their tenure, and given the relatively paltry sums that they collect each month, one wonders how they are able to survive and project such upscale lifestyle.
That is why campaign financing must be kept on the front burner if we are serious about fighting corruption among public officials at the highest level. National Hero Norman Manley remains as an outstanding example of one who gave much to his country at tremendous personal cost. Indeed, it is said that he virtually died a poor man all because of his honesty and integrity. Nowadays, if one comes across as a broke or impoverished politician, the initial response will not be one of assuming that he was an honest politician, but that he was a damn fool not to have helped himself when he could!
MANLEY... gave much at tremendous personal cost
It is no secret that many of our current politicians started out their careers with modest means and are now rotten rich. After all, in Jamaica politics has become a business and it is most certainly not the people's business! Kickbacks, bribery, graft, under-the-table deals, the siphoning off of public funds as well as using taxpayers' money to wallow in the lap of luxury are commonplace features of our corrupt political system.
Against this background, the potent question as to whether or not there is any honest politician left in our midst may be best not answered lest we offend any and everyone. Needless to say, honesty does not only have to do with monetary matters. That virtue also has to do with the many promises politicians make on the campaign trail, in many cases knowing full well that when they come to power, they will not be able to fulfil those promises. The ruling Jamaica Labour Party fell into that trap leading up to the 2007 general elections when a plethora of wild promises were made to the electorate who foolishly gobbled them all up. Now even though the worldwide recession has taken its toll on the Jamaican economy, many voters still harbour high expectations of the Bruce Golding administration, insisting that they should stand and deliver.
Where to be bad is to be good, to be dishonest is to prosper and where if one plays by the rules one gets shafted, is there room for honesty? Several stories have been told about persons who have chosen to be honest but who were ridiculed and even ostracised because they decided not to take that which did not belong to them. Indeed, it is said that the only time one should be castigated and publicly taken to task is when one allows oneself to be caught. It's that bad.
In the final analysis, it is going to be up to civil society to assist those who want to enter or stay in politics with clean hands. Ways must be found to ensure that not only "broke pocket" and other persons with dishonest intentions proliferate the political landscape. As the chickens continue to come home to roost, the media must also remain vigilant as the main gatekeeper, daring to expose those who pillage and plunder the public purse. A poor country such as ours cannot continue to satisfy the seemingly insatiable appetites of those whose primary purpose for entering politics is self-aggrandisement. Enough said!
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...OLITICIAN_.asp