Editorial – January 24, 2013 :
As election talk begins to fill the air, it is perhaps not surprising that the talk arises just about every any gathering you find yourself, from work to church.
But, because of the absence of campaign talk or campaign, the talk surrounds often, depending, on the fact that few seem to know who the potential candidates are or will be.
Often the concern is mainly that there is no sound of an organised ‘opposition party’ to the incumbent party.
However, there are several possible reasons why the situation is as most people perceive the concerns. Recently, there was this unusual but probably real reason why there are few names of people actually making announcements that they intend to contest the next election. The word, ‘fear’. We have suggested the existence of that dreaded condition, before in other circumstances, but indeed it has been expressed in other forums. At one press Minister raised it and asked why there is the fear for people to express themselves on any matter.
We also ask though what is the fear about? Is it of something or someone? We often draw attention to the religious or Christianity that Montserrat likes to associate itself. One would then think that Psalm 27:1 would obliterate that condition. A translation reads: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, I will fear no one (whom shall I fear, O whom shall I fear). The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.”
But it is real. What really is the reason that anyone will say, “About 95% of the public servants have a mortgage of one kind or another.” That is a main reason given for the fear of expressing themselves and speak out in whatever way against what is wrong. There are so many arguments to dilute the need of fear for such a reason.
The fact that there is so much concern that there seems to be little organised campaign and candidates are not announcing their intentions, sends a message that no one yet suggests. There is something unusual about the question as we don’t see the concern. Can it be that there is an anxiety or a ‘fear’ among the electorate they will not give afforded a choice? From an incumbent perspective, there should be concern rather than any sense of security.
On the issue of ‘party’, we share the view that party politics is failing and has failed Montserrat. Our system of elections and the circumstances which exist, the requirement for good government, is a few ‘honest’ and incorruptible people of integrity are all that is needed.
This will begin a change in the style of campaign where some people are calling it culture, the malpractices and the kind of disrespect shown by politicians and their cronies. We remind there is good culture and there is bad culture. Time to get rid of the bad culture of bribery, which by the way, is illegal.
The other concern expressed is the disbelief in the Premier’s public utterances as to a September 2014 election date. This is so, because of reasonable accounts of utterances that the election will be called for no later than the end of April, since the hint that the birthdate in March is no longer practical now. Then again, in the last 13 years, only one of the three elections was called in regulation.
