Vexed Bermoothes

Once again, major Government announcements are being made from the PLP party website instead of through official channels.  The controversial layoff of nine civil servants from the Department of Tourism’s New York office was announced on the PLP website last night.

The Royal Gazette e-mailed Dr.Brown’s Press Secretary Glenn Jones and the Tourism Ministry’s press officer to ask for a statement on the subject.  We received no reply.  [Note the RG has subsequently printed an apology as a statement from Glenn Jones was received but not passed on to the reporter.  Someone needs to have a better channel for press releases.]

Followed by the bizarre denial:

Despite the fact the PLP website publishes most of his statements in full, the Premier’s Press Secretary Glenn Jones says he does not know who is responsible for the website.

In most democratic countries, strict separations between Party and Government exist as a control to ensure that Public power is not applied to Political ends. Blurring those lines leaves room for abuse, and also breeds the nasty environment of suspicion that pervades Bermuda.

I really don’t understand why the PLP pushes the envelope in this way.  They gain little from it, and it will ultimately come back to haunt them.  Their complaints that Bermuda’s old power structures bent the rules are discredited when they stubbornly do the same.

Political leadership changes over time, and political agendas bloom and fade.  But the institution and processes of Government should remain constant, transparent, and non-partisan.