PLEASE allow me space in your column to comment on the above matter.
My comments, I hope, will give another perspective from the view points given by David K. Wate and L. A. Fakaia in support of the intending candidate for west Honiara Constituency, Namson Tran.
Please go back to David K. Wate and L .A Fakaia’s articles of 12/03/10 and 15/03/10 respectively for back ground information.
I will respond to these two writers in brief.
Firstly, according to Wate what Namson is doing is part of our culture and he supported his idea by referring to a court judgment between John Moffat Fugui vs Alfred Maetia.
Please note carefully that giving and taking in our cultural context, is a way of supporting each other regardless but in the case in question, Namson is doing what he is doing because he is eyeing or vying for a political leadership position.
There is a marked difference between our culture in this sense and bribery which by its own nature is foreign to our culture.
We must be careful not to use our culture to support illegal activities that doesn’t help in the long run but in effect will eventually kill us.
The effects of such practice are already evident today and David K. Wate and LA Faikaia have unfortunately found themselves among such delusions.
Secondly, L.A Fakaia’s use of the “Good Samaritan” as an example to support Namson is totally out of context.
The Good Samaritan did not help the wounded man because he wanted to be elected into power rather it was “out of Love”.
He did not ask for some kind of payment afterwards or a ballot paper, directly or indirectly in return for the help rendered; and so your use of the Good Samaritan to justify Namson’s “illegal” activities is pathetic to say the least.
All other explanations do not hold water and amounts to confabulation as is found in patients with korsakoffs syndrome.
While I respect your rights to publicly express your views, like you did on this particular issue, your comments, however, clearly showed that you both lacked knowledge about what underscores our poor socioeconomic and financial situation in the country; and that you do not have a clue to what good leadership entails and the kind of characters we need as leaders to bring us out of the mess we have found ourselves in; as a country in the last 31 years.
In a nut shell let me clearly put it this way “our country is now facing a socioeconomic and financial crisis situation because we voted people like Namson Tran into positions of political power absent mindedly’.
Candidates of Namson’s character are people who give now but the real motive is so they can get into power to serve themselves later.
It is not a “cultural practice” neither a Good Samaritan act.
It is a fact in this day and age that “NO ONE GIVES SOMETHING FOR NOTHING”.
In this regard Namson is giving with the motive to be elected into “political power” which according to section 72 of National Parliament Electoral Provisions Act Cap 87 is synonymous with “TREATING”.
Question: If someone can be so indifferent to the laws of the country to overtly or publicly bribe and influence people now (when he or she is not yet a leader) how much more corrupt would he or she be in corrupting our laws in the corridors of power? You answer this yourself.
If you voted a candidate because of some kind of help given to you during pre-election time, then you are as guilty as the corrupter.
Past experience of like manner from numerous constituencies in the country testify of the fact that what you received now is all you will get for the next four years.
You cannot refute this observation as it is common knowledge in many constituencies in the country.
A very pertinent example of this, is the incumbent for East Honiara constituency who when people visited him told them in the face that he had already paid them.
Let me remind anyone and everyone who reads this article that the moment you vote for someone because of some kind of help, whether big or small, without carefully considering the candidates character and background, you have essentially reduced your status from a human being (without a mind) to that of a commodity that can be sold or bought in the markets.
In other words you have by your own choice decided to remain poor for the rest of your life. This is a very sad situation that is increasingly become a reality in Solomon Islands.
Many people are voting for what they can get now over what they can become from the right use of our resources.
Ignorance and slothfulness that forces us to opt for the easy way out now will pay dearly at a later date not far distant into the future.
These are not prophetic in nature but common sense.
Money taken in isolation of other factors is not a good determinant for electing good leaders for our country and any country on planet earth for that matter.
And so to assume that Namson is going to be a good leader because of what he is doing now, by dishing out help to communities in west Honiara and other constituencies for that matter; does not in anyway confirm that he is going to be a decent, capable, accountable and transparent leader later.
Judging from who he is now and what he is doing in trying to buy his way into political power goes against your assumptions that he will become a good leader.
His own actions and that of his agents confirm to everyone that he is the opposite of a good leader.
History revealed that Charles Dausabea and others (supported by Namson) who also displayed the same kind of attitude, now displayed by Namson, (before being elected) performed very pathetically as leaders.
At best they are and were self serving during their time in power.
There is no better way of calling what Namson and his cohorts are doing now than “daylight bribery and corruption”.
The very elements that undermines good governance in this country: that the government, RAMSI, Leadership Code commission, the office of Ombudsman, Transparency Solomon islands and other institution are trying to fight on behalf of people like David K. Wate L.A Fakaia and those who are bent on supporting corruption in this country.
I will be coming back soon to explain some more about the nature of what Namson is doing as an intending candidate and what the electoral system can do to avoid people buying their way into power.
Leadership cannot be bought or sold it is rather made and acquired through life’s experiences.
Finally please remember that anyone who uses money wrongly for purposes of buying power; is public declaration enough that he does not have the qualities required of a leader.
You cannot and you will never buy leadership; and a person who does that with the motive to acquire power is already corrupt before he is elected.
Good luck brother K. Wate and L .A Faikaia in your support to Namson under the pretext of “cultural orientation” and the “act of a Good Samaritan”.
By DR GEORGE MANIMU
Honiara
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
