Transparency and accountability are required of elected officials to justify their existence in the public space. Their stewardship is scrutinized by the subjects over whom they govern; we require no less. That critical and detailed examination of their actions is required at all times; if they fall beneath the bar, then consequences should follow.
This applies to both government and opposition, because when you assume the position of government, public transparency and accountability become mandatory watchwords.
Recently, there has been a flurry of information regarding the president’s corrupt acquisition of a large farm on the highway; this allegation has been made by the opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed himself. He comes onto the scene as an overly concerned opposition leader, who has suddenly landed on a smoking gun story that would certainly bring Dr. Ali and his government down.
He peddles his story with all the sensationalism that a politician of his ilk can muster, but is this the true picture painted in the media? I think not, because a true assessment of the political climate of this fugitive offender turned concerned opposition leader shows a man who is trying desperately to save himself from extradition to the United States to face corruption charges.
So, as the noose tightens around his neck, he is trying every which way to stir up trouble for the Ali Government while hoping somehow that his personal troubles will go away.
But what I can tell Mr. Mohammed is that this is no new phenomenon when it comes to the opposition’s stance against the PPP/C; the corrupt blame represents a prime strategy employed by the PNC during the Jagdeo presidency.
It was one of the PNC’s main deceptions in their arsenal of tricks. They hounded Jagdeo both locally and internationally; Pradoville readily comes to mind as their accusations reached melting point. So, this latest attack on Ali comes as no surprise. The point is that the opposition is going to use every clever subterfuge to distract from the real issue here, which is his imminent extradition.
There is an integrity commission to which all public officials must declare their assets, and all allegations of corruption should be directed to that statutory body. The Integrity Commission has the power to investigate if there is any evidence of misconduct in public office.
Dr. Ali, in a show of transparency and accountability, has made his declarations to the integrity commission, and that is all that matters. Then it behooves us to ask the question: Is Azruddin Mohammed of the mistaken belief that he is exempt from the said commission? Is he exempt from declaring his assets while making accusations against the president? I think not.
Are we witnessing another episode of the biblical character Eli and his sons? Eli’s eyes could have been wide open to see the so-called inebriated lips of the praying sister; however, those eyes were conveniently blind to the evil deeds of his sons. Is Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed a reenactment of that biblical father and son story?
Azruddin Mohamed is pretending to have morals and virtues that he does not actually possess, because he points the accusing finger when he himself is the epitome of corruption. I leave my audience to judge.