Whenever I feel convinced I’ve seen and heard it all, something new always pops up to jolt me back to reality. Consider our prime minister’s recent televised revelation of what had long been common knowledge: his government’s continuing diplomatic relationship, despite recent history, with famously generous Taipei.
What took many off guard was how the prime minister introduced his one-choice decision: he not only leveled in absentia several uninvestigated outrageous allegations at Taipei’s former representative Tom Chou, including the suggestion that the Taiwanese government had conspired with him to place millions of dollars in the pockets of Stephenson King and his Cabinet colleagues, but Saint Lucia’s prime minister also repeated for the umpteenth time that a former president of Taiwan had since 2008 been serving prison time for corruption.
Meanwhile, he totally overlooked current world headlines featuring the once powerful party leader in the city of Chongqing Mr Bo Xilai, who has been charged with “a long list of moral and criminal wrongdoings.”
Also hot news is Xilai’s wife Gu Kailai, recently convicted for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. According to a Washington Post report: “The moves represent a desire by China’s one-party government to forcefully put an end to China’s biggest political scandal in years amid an era in which Internet and social media have given greater voice to public dissent and underscored the challenges to political stability.”
I mention the above with admitted perplexity: what was our prime minister’s motive for choosing to resurrect yet again the Taiwanese president’s incarceration while withholding the truth about the recently accused amoral and criminal Xilai and his murderous missus? The prime minister also was silent on the unforgettable Tiananmen Square massacre of 15 April 1989—maybe because time heals all wounds, especially when you and the butchers have for more than half a century been staunch supporters of each other’s policies. Perhaps Harry Truman was right after all: just because Somoza was a son of bitch to the rest of the world didn’t mean the American president also considered him a son of a bitch. Some people will also tell you what great guys were Hitler and Idi Amin—as were Saddam and Noriega, if only for a time!
Bo Xilai is soon to have his day in court, but his wife had actually confessed to poisoning Neil Heywood. More important, however, is the fact that Taipei and Beijing have both demonstrated their intolerance of official malfeasance—something neither of our two main parties can speak of with credibility. Indeed, it may legitimately be argued that both the United Workers Party and the Labour Party, at one time or another, had actually embraced election candidates known to be the exact opposite of the images they projected from their political platforms.
Some have been so arrogant as to dare their critics to “take me to court,” self-convinced as they are that the most repugnant behavior is acceptable to those who at election time profit from pretending to be deaf, blind and dumb. Even when dubious candidates are required to account for their suspect reputations, their handlers unabashedly point out that as egregious as was the behavior complained of, it was either settled out of court or it did not rise to the level of crime or it could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Besides, when politicians are effectively their own judges and juries, who needs executioners anyway?
Which brings me to yet another disgrace: Her Majesty’s so-called opposition. Do we really need these people? What for? I, for one, cannot think of a House opposition that in recent times had saved the people from an unjust law, an unfair government policy, unconscionable wastage of public funds and naked nepotism. The way our parliamentary system is set up stands in the way of useful opposition, even if we had one so disposed. I could question the purpose of our overseas embassies that swallow up millions of our tax dollars every year in return for delivering Don Quixote speeches in our name . . . but this particular issue which was recently underscored by the Canadian immigration authorities requires an article all its own.
It remains to say that in the people’s House, the incumbent ayes always have it. In truth, having delivered their predictable speeches MPs on the government’s side could easily retire to their private quarters for a nap on parliament’s top floor, until it’s time to cast their predictable votes.
What a farce. What a mockery of democracy. What a sick joke perpetrated by we the people on we the people. And for that privilege we annually fork out unaccountable millions. To think we the people could, with a little togetherness, a little courage, a little self respect, have our governments doing what they were elected to do: always to place our nation’s best interests first—or else!
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My man Rick, here you go again: “It remains to say that in the people’s House, the incumbent ayes always have it. In truth, having delivered their predictable speeches, MPs on the government’s side could easily retire to their private quarters for a nap on parliament’s top floor…. What a farce. What a mockery of democracy. What a sick joke perpetrated by we the people on we the people.” Mr. Wayne, wasn’t all the above already a fact while your fat, useless “boy scout” led his troops in Parliament? Did you yourself just wake from a “nap on Parliament’s top floor”? I would never have imagined that you, the great Rick Wayne, and a beggar like Peter Josie, could become Siamese twins.
Democracy is like the bible, all lies, there is not a single democratic society in the world. The rich elites and the ruling Government abuse the majority with lies and promises.
My Man Jojoman: If you’re going to take time to respond to what I write, then at least get it right. I referred to all opposition parties and the system that governs them, even if they wanted to oppose. Also the ayes always have it, regardless who forms the government. But then with the whole damn country in the red you can be forgiven for seeing everything en rouge. Lol
My man Rick, you know that I always take time to understand you, and have stood by you, through thick and thin, though the Heavens fell here in UK. Even in UK, I still defend you among the Red and Yellow-eyed heathens, who only see En Rouge and En Flambe. You promised to “Bring the truth to light” and the truth is not only the truth when En Rouge is in power. Yes, the “ayes always have it”. But you got the point. Why is it that it’s only at this 11th hour that you bother to remind us of what we already know? Even En Flambe can see that you’ve simply become a Labour basher. En Rouge.
Well written article by the master himself. Rick Wayne has become the conscience of our country. I have been reading articles written by this man since the 1970′s, and inspite his political affiliation, which has changed from time to time, his writings are a cut above the rest, they invoke deep thought and promote intelligent reasoning. Rick tells it like it is, beholden to no one. A refreshing testimonial in an otherwise polarizing society. Keep up the good work man.
Silburn
To my man Botox; to assume that the Bible is ALL lies is a stretch. Have you read the Bible from cover to cover? Have you fact checked every story, every situation referred to there in, every thought and idea put forward? Only after such an exhaustive exercise can you be absolute in your conclusion. Sometimes it is better to be quiet and be thought of as a wise man, than to write without thinking and be proven to be a kuncklehead.
Silburn J. Callender I do not waste my time reading science fiction, I prefer the movies. God is a big fat lie, but I know that lies are very comforting to your sad life. And by the way, wisdom is an experience, it has noting to do with ego boosting, I could not care less what anyone thinks of me, so I will be a knucklehead, I can’t help myself , I am helpless.
I wrote in a previous post:
“No longer can we depend on the developed world to come to our rescue. The fiscal signs are in danger territory. The accumulated debt of St. Lucia (now in the $2 billion range) along with the precarious debt/GDP ratios of Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Vincent and Grenada are staggering. Eventually investors will shun OECS debt and massive layoffs in the public and private sector will be the result.
By then the snake oil salesman would have disappeared to greener pastures and his accumulated pensions to pop up his head occasionally to give “advise” after being the main destructive agent of St. Lucian society.
“St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Kitts now have recurrent expenditure outpacing recurrent revenue with the result that public servants are being paid out of borrowed money. All investment income is borrowed.
VAT is shortly to be implemented in St. Lucia and I predict will fall far short of anticipated revenues due to a moribund economy that the Labour Party and their economically clueless leader have battered with inconsistent and “old time” fiscal policies. This means borrowing of between $250 – $300 million by the SLP Administration next year to cover the huge gap. Already the borrowed money this year adds interest payments in 2013 of around EC$15,000,000.”
The above is what I said in a previous post and it is now beginning to come to past:
Standard and Poor’s (the American credit rating agency) just downgraded Grenada’s foreign currency sovereign credit ratings on Grenada to ‘SD’ from ‘B-/B’.
In other words it is junk!
This has forced the beleaguered Grenada Prime Minister Tilman Thomas to come out to ASSURE INVESTORS that they will honour their obligation on the reginal securities market.
Right – and I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn!
St. Lucia is shortly to face the same issues because of the billions borrowed in the name of our children by Kenny/Tony and Phillip.
Another prediction:
Kenny/Tony and Phillip will go cap in hand TO THE TAIWANESE to borrow or beg for $100 million within the next year to shore up the country’s finances.
One of the reasons that Kenny stayed with the Taiwanese is that he knew they were the only ones who might be willing to lend St. Lucia that type of money every year!
Final prediction:
That incompetent narcissistic failure known as Barrack Obama is toast come the next elections. This complete liberal/progressive ideological failure – a construct of the liberal American media like the New York Times is going to be clobbered on Nov 4th.
I already have $300 at odds of 11/4 on this clown losing.
His loss will mean nothing because (1)he did nothing for them as President (2) they will still continue their love affair with the Democrats who have destroyed their culture and (3) they will still continue to shun the Judeo Christian value system that made the Western World great.
i agree .hussein is a fraud.the democrat system keeps you enslaved to government.republicans are no better but they have better talking points.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebOTc-7shU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-CrNlilZho
Correction on above: “his loss will mean nothing for African Americans”.
In fact it will be a blessing because an all fronts African Americans particularly the black middle class, have lost all their gains for the past 20 years because of Obama’s cluelessness.
The issue is not that the definition of “Opposition” as it is in the Constitution is a problem. One of the American founders once said that democracy as structured will not function effectively if the people themselves lack certain attributes or values.
Whatever the makeup of our constitution I guarantee it will not function properly because “we the people” lack the cultural value system or ideological makeup to make it work. We will always find ways to scam the system.
The “Opposition” cannot work as it is now because they lack credibility. The “Opposition” could not work before because it was led by a discredited failure who mismanaged the economy and failed at…
Hey Jojoman: What I write speaks for me. It has never mattered to me who thinks I support this or that party. Truth matters. I support ideas or people I think have ideas. When I discover I over-estimated them I say so. I’ve written countless times about the stupidity that passes for government and opposition in our islands. And doubtless will again. Besides,are you saying that if you happen to know something that’s a reason not to write about it, if only for the benefit of those not as knowledgeable as you?
Botox surely you could do better than that pathetic response you gave Mr Callender. Remember there are those of us who look forward to these posts for inspiration!
When you are discussing topics like the Bible and God, I understand that people have invested their whole life in accumulating good deeds so that they my enter the kingdom of Heaven, so when someone has the guts to tell them that their investments are worthless, I am never surprised that there is anger and resistance to my message. So no matter how I explain it, they will always be sick to death after wasting their whole life doing the things that someone told them that God wanted. There is nothing I can say to a fool who clings to hope of a better life after death.
Rick, great penchant to inspire the youth to any greatness they might produce, but it is pitiful to ask moron Botox to elevate his thoughts. As for your writing the “truth” as a principle, shouldn’t your exposure of truth be intended to contribute, directly or indirectly, to the betterment of St. Lucia? Journalism is ultimately, an element that should contribute positively to development, as did your journalism for example, in the dismantling of dictatorship in St. Lucia. My beef with you arose when your journalism supported your FAT MORON, “unfit to lead…boy scouts” to return to the PM’s seat in Lucia. You hailed truth, yet supported mediocrity? We deserve better from Rick Wayne.
My truth supported mediocrity? That’s a mouthful my man Jojoman.
What has to amaze us is the willingness of segments of our people to regulaly support complete political failures based on their effective control of political parties.
In spite of their failure at management, governance, fiscal descipline, social cohesion and a clear lack of moral rectitude or any kind of “backbone” we still choose to just accept the failed pronouncements of Kenny and Phillip.
It is amazing the horror that is being inflicted by the VAT which has been effectively caused by the bankruptcy of St. Lucia caused by the billions borrowed by Tony and Phillip over the past 15 years.
Jojoman just how the hell do I elevate discussions on the Almighty God? You don’t want to hear something you know deep down inside you is true. God is dead.
The other point is that I am amazed that St. Lucians can day in and day out read articles in the Star yet refuse to respond in any way to the information that they receive from the articles. Do we learn anything?
They only read papers for the “roro” much as they listen to the talk show hosts for maypuis and gossip.
There must also be a high level of frustration from writers who consistently point out the hypocricy without getting any responce.
My, my, my…..why can’t we all just get along. Indeed sad that intelligent men can’t seem to make a valid argumentative point without the insinuation of personal attacks on individuals.
all the action is in the comments.What would be life without comments??lol