Vexed Bermoothes

The Bermuda Sun picks up on one of Bermuda’s biggest vulnerabilities:  the ability of politicians to override at will any regulations or decisions made by the civil service.  This unchecked power was originally provided for in Bermuda law, to be used with great discretion, to maintain the island’s flexibility.

The problem is that political overrides are being used with great frequency – and often in contravention of established Government routine and the clearly-articulated public desire.

This practice is asking for trouble as it undermines our democratic checks and balances.  The Sun opines:

Just about every examination of corruption I know of, from those made by the World Bank and Transparency International to “On the Take”, the classic study of political corruption by William J. Chandliss, point to indicators of corruption that are alarmingly similar to what we see here.

Among the most significant indicators are haphazardly enforced regulations and the political over-ruling of regulations – because they make it clear that decisions aren’t always made “by the book”.

Other indicators cited by these sources include lack of transparency and a resistance to auditing, which makes it easier for corruption to take place without anybody knowing, and can be used to cover up corruption if it is already taking place.

So what we’re talking about here isn’t just irritating politicians and sports awards.

We’re talking about something much more fundamental than that, like whether our society is going to run well or run badly.

Bermuda’s governance standards are slipping.  We need reform.