Disciplining our governors
Ian on Sunday
By Ian Mc Donald
Stabroek News
November 23, 2003
The trouble with politicians who gain power is that they only too easily get above themselves. Delusions of their own high merit soon dissipate any humility they may have had on entering office. One problem is that a minister on his elevation is at once surrounded, as a honey-pot is surrounded by wasps, by a swarm of buzzing yes-men who assure his august person daily that he is God's greatest gift to the people, who should be eternally thankful, etc, and that his every word is the distillation of purest wisdom. Being human, he soon finds it very easy to believe such nonsense.
One test of a properly functioning democracy is when this tendency of those in power to get above themselves is held severely in check. Of course, the ultimate check takes the form of elections which give ordinary people the chance to pitchfork the overweening politician from his high horse to earth in the most salutary of all ways by tossing him out of office. But elections, let us face it, are few and far between. Other ways must be found in the spaces in between to keep a tight rein on the ambitions of incipient tin-pot dictators, not to mention those of any really threatening Hitlers who may be about to rear their heads.
It is a continual task, this supervision of those who hold power. To keep a factory running well needs daily maintenance, not simply a general overhaul every so often - so does a democracy require unremitting repair between elections. This is why institutions of countervailing power to the nation's executive are so important in any society. A legislature in which opposition views can be vigorously and regularly expressed and actually given attention and weight, religious and professional bodies with strong convictions strongly held, an independent civil service, an independent judiciary and a free media are all absolutely vital in keeping politicians effective, honest and accountable in the exercise of their power.
But perhaps we in Guyana should use our imagination and go a bit beyond the usual checks and balances which ordinary citizens should have become accustomed to demand. We should consider introducing a whole new system of disciplining politicians who let the people down. Let us put in place a disciplinary code which will keep them strictly to the straight and narrow as they go about their duties on our behalf using what, after all, is our hard-earned money.
The sort of thing I have in mind is that any high official who cuts a ribbon or unveils a plaque inaugurating this, that, or the other new public project, if the project subsequently fails hopelessly, should be required to return for another ceremony at which in full view of invited guests he or she is immersed ten times, as in the old days at the ducking stool, in one of Georgetown's filthiest trenches.
Or, reverting to another good mediaeval idea, what about setting up the stocks again? Officials found over-spending their budgets or caught out in corrupt practices or guilty of allowing incompetence and discourtesy to run riot in his or her ministry or department or corporation would be marched to the public stocks and imprisoned therein for a day or two during which time the citizens at large would be permitted to throw non-lethal, but all the same highly unpleasant, objects such as rotten eggs or decomposed passion fruit at the miscreant servant of the people from a distance of no less than, say, twelve paces. This 'throwing of the muck' as it might be called, would take place in the busiest market places and children would be allowed to watch and told the reason for what was happening, as part of their education.
Ridiculously optimistic estimating will require particularly harsh treatment. This is necessary to combat the awful tendency those in authority have of projecting great successes and mighty accomplishments which never come to pass, thereby spreading cynicism and confusion throughout the land. Any finance minister for instance who projects fiscal utopia, only to have us all suffer the consequences of a dismal failure to meet targets, will be required to eat his own words quite literally by consuming in Parliament the entire written text of his last Budget Speech.
It is difficult to devise a suitable discipline for the President if he goes wrong. After all, the constitution elevates him to a position which makes him slightly more invulnerable than God the Father. But perhaps it would not be completely lese-majeste to require him, caught in some outlandish mistake, for an obligatory period of six months to write out himself - not allowing some pitiable scribe to do it for him - those completely boring and hum-drum messages to other heads of state that are sent on the occasions of their national days with such solemn regularity and uttered with such dreary sameness. That might be a suitable penance.