POLITICS IS INEED THE STUFF BETWEEN OUR FINGERS !

POLITICS IS indeed the stuff between our fingers ! Whether it is a small island nation, a third world developing country, a developed country  or a member of a G8, the game of politics remains the same. It is only the degree, at which it is played that changes.

Coming from a small island nation in the Pacific, I must say that even though we receive the bulk of our education funding from Australia and other aid donors and it enters the country as “clean money” , the politics is underlying the true intentions that initiated the aid are very shady. For the student, it arrives in the form of an award letter and a monthly stipend into a local account.

For the community member it comes in the form of a new water tank, a solar panel, an OBM, a new health center, health or school and in return, some customary land is lost to investors through lack of enforcement( or rather willingness on the part of the government to turn a blind eye on the law) of the land use and land lease procedures.

For the government it comes in the form of brand new shiny vehicles, overseas trips to sign treaties  that do not necessarily concern us and which we do not fully understand ourselves and accommodation in high class hotels for a mere two weeks.

All this in return for our government`s signature –another petitioner on the list.

The WTO: cheap goods at the expense of the local economy, at some point  we will end up with less that 10% exports and more than 90% imports- We knew that but we signed anyway!

Frequently, the governments that have been formed have always accommodated  the included floor-crossing, either to the government side from the opposition or vice versa, the sacking of MPs  and switching of ministerial portfolios  as the such the continuance of musical chair  or grasshopping politics.

The majority of our honourable members can barely read and are expected to sign a document that they themselves cannot even begin to comprehend – Oh but wait! A new house, an added 200k bonus, a holiday in Europe- And all of a sudden, our conrable members can read and write in fluent English and understand the contents of the documents  for signing trips overseas for what purpose?

The tax free entitlements and other benefits that members of Parliament alone know the contents of, such is politics.

It is obscure whether the current government will do away with the shady dealings or else we will topple in the same pit again.  Lets wait and be disappointed,  Naf nao!