Hit the Road Jack...

There is a saying, 'mud thrown is ground lost'.

I think it's clear what the writer is trying to say, but the broader perspective tends to get lost amid the obvious.

Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley, in his role as 'Corruption Buster', is seeking to have the Parliamentary Code of Ethics enforced (and rightly so), while Jack Warner, paragon of virtue that he is, is trying to rationalize breaking those rules so as to accommodate him being both a Cabinet Minister and a FIFA vice president.

Trying to justify his position, he (Warner) is muscling his opinion through small talk and 'grand charge'.
Sprinkling pixie dust to distract and using smoke and mirrors to deflect clear judgement on what is a clear cut issue to even the most die hard UNC supporters, he has thrown everyone and everything up in defense and has even stooped to using Makandal Daaga as token mouthpiece extraordinaire to question the reason for the rules in the first place.

This must not be allowed to wash.

The Code of Ethics that was laid in Parliament and approved in 1988 is explicit in that it says ’6a) Ministers shall resign directorships in all companies, b) they shall cease to engage in professional practice; and c) they shall cease to be involved in the daily routine work of any business.’

Ironically, Article 6 of FIFA’s code of conduct requires officials to remain ’politically neutral’.

Does Kamla Persad Bissessar fully understand that, by standing by her man, she is risking lowering her own ethical standards in the public eye on this issue?

It should be clear to all and sundry that the Code of Ethics [adopted for the conduct of Parliament and its members] was drafted in the best interest of the country, and, the fact that it has been the rule book all Parliamentarians have played by for the past twenty two years is a testament to its validity in this instant.

We need a Code of Ethics because there are people devoid of integrity who will do anything to further their personal agendas at the expense of the people, and, in that nefarious pursuit, brings shame and dishonor to the highest institutions in our land.

We need to be vigilant against these onslaughts against our democracy. They should never be allowed to prosper, or we may well rue the day we opted for exchange.