To all our MLAs in the Wonderland of Labou Mok La Mar!

I do not give a heck whether someone has been an MLA for 1 day or 40 years. As a taxpayer and patriot, what I am more interested in is his/her effective delivery in the highest interest of the nation. From that angle, I find it totally repugnant and sickening to hear people (however good the intention and the statement) who have been in Parliament and in power for so many years steal public opinion space to harangue us about what is rotten in the governance of our country and what should be done to redress the situation. Totally indecent!
First thing what I would suggest those reactive and opportunistic politicians and their lackeys to do is invest urgently in a culture to ensure their imminent departure/retirement and leave room for a proper succession planning so that a new generation of politicians can emerge to bring meaningful changes in the governance of this country. Not just in words or slogans.
Secondly, instead of reacting through rhetorics to score mere political mileages why not get a bipartisan approach and start the cleanup of the appalling abuses and wastages that some of our rules and laws perpetuate in this country? For instance, I hear in the heat of the current controversy surrounding the Alvarogate that the President should step down and out. And, this is making a buzz in this dodoland. And the same MLAs are ashamedly not telling us what a jackpot (with impunity and immunity) it is to be a President or Vice-President of the Republic in this country and to walk out, even after 24 hours in office. This is the highest legal abuse about which all the big shots in the public opinion sphere and in politics/unions consider such a taboo to ever mention or denounce. A classic example of dogmatic ‘respe pou nou bann institision’ and wallowing in demagogy !
Why don’t they sit together from both sides of the house and put some real sanity in that sinecure called Presidency? The time is NOW. Doing a real stock taking of the money and benefits paid to date in the upkeep of that so called paramount institution, the total number of people earning the benefits of President/ Vice-President, past, present and dependents, and what is the real-value added to this country?
Are MLAs and Ministers, so many civil servants/officers, advisers, lackeys, ambassadors etc not enough to promote the interests and image of this country on the world stage?
Dear Honourable MLAs, please get together and urgently amend the constitution and rid this country of (1) the post of Vice-President (2) amend the privileges and immunity clauses pertaining to the President. The minimum period that one has to serve to be entitled to lifetime state pension/ benefits for the post and thereby abolish the ‘transferability’ of such privileges to spouses etc. Regarding immunity, I do not think it should be absolute, especially when our justice system says that everybody is equal before the law of the land. That notion of absolute immunity is anachronistic in a true democracy. If I am not wrong, this notion comes from the centuries old dogma that a monarch should be sovereign and absolute because he/ she was deemed to be the representative of God on earth. The parameters for immunity for the President or any other officers should be clearly spelt out. Not a blanket dogmatic shield (3) Sanitize this rotten political culture of ‘partaz gato’ with public fund. One Prime Minister is enough. Get rid of all those pompous and cumbersome titles of Vice-Prime Ministers put in place in the enthusiasm following the 2005 general elections victory.
Reform is not merely about economy and infrastructure. It is important to also have credible, efficient and effective institutions in place with high-calibre people at the helm, with proven sense of integrity and patriotism. Is that too tall an order? If it is, stop then manipulating us with endless slogans about values!
Anyone ‘shocked’ by the above decent proposition, please share your views and state why these changes cannot be brought and would not benefit the country.