Change We Could Use...

Austin Jack Warner now finds himself at the heart of a scandal that may be too big even for him, such is his teflon reputation that regardless of the glaring evidence against him and the many willing to testify to his less than honest practices he always walked away unscathed. That may not be the case in this situation but as the writing is not yet writ on this act I will refrain from further comment on that particular matter.

Unlike many who are happy to see his blood in the water as it were, I find myself unconcerned as these are not the issues that matter to me. Jack Warner is a member at the highest level of a global organization that regulates itself as much as it regulates world football and while I have my opinions on how it is operated, those opinions do not matter in the grand scheme of things.

My concerns are with Jack Warner the politician in as much as he is and the further destruction to the integrity in public affairs his presence at that level brings. He was never good for the politics as is the case with many others before and since, and while the past may indeed be the past, I still find myself upset that our systems allow for men of such questionable character into the legislature and access to power over the people.

This is a situation that warrants much scrutiny, intervention and redevelopment if we are ever going to advance as a nation. We simply cannot be looking for Robin Hoods and other fictional characters to solve our problems but should insist and the systems should guarantee that integrity and ethics not be diluted to fit expediency, friendship or appointment.

It has been said that when we rationalize we tell ourselves rational lies and this has been the road to our ruination in this regard. We are far too willing to excuse today's abuses because of yesterday's wrongs and all that effectively does is poison tomorrow.

Many a staffing mistake has been made in haste yet we caution our children to measure thrice and cut once. We may need to take our own advice where these matters are concerned and secure for ourselves and our nation men of the highest caliber of morality, integrity and character as demonstrated by an unblemished career, experience, ethics and a patriotic love of country as the qualifying benchmark.

There can be no shades of grey here where these appointments are concerned, and it is high time that we stop playing politics with every little thing. We are badly in need of a Standards Committee to look at the prerequisites to High Public Office as they currently exist and see if they need rewriting, rewording or scrapping and redrafting altogether. I suggest that this be put under the purview of the President's Office to convene, with equal appointments from the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the President. These appointees to this committee should not be active politicians as one should stray as far as possible from himself regulating himself.

One only has to look at the current scenario to realize how ineffective a policy that already is.