Vexed Bermoothes

The reporting from the Turks & Caicos inquiry into official misconduct and corruption must be heartbreaking to belongers of that country.

You might view it as a “morality play” of how  tolerance of the misuse of political office for personal reward – even minor – can quickly escalate to a culture of entitlement and impunity.  In the worst cases, this can lead to an outright pillage of a community by its so-called leaders.

A result of its freewheeling expenditures, this week the Government of TCI was unable to make payroll due to a cash crunch.  This is no mean failure when more than a third of belongers collect a public paycheck.

Everyone is willing to turn a blind eye when the money seems to be coming from someone else’s pocket.

But the truth is that public money misspent is ultimately money taken from your pocket.  Every nickel wasted or misdirected translates into a tax you must pay, or a service you will not receive.