It is indeed a sad day when a political party sees the necessity for and proposes a code of conduct for politicians and high officials in this country. It is an admission that standards of morality, ethics and decency have fallen to such an extent that principled behaviour, honesty and integrity have to be forced upon those who are supposed to be the exemplars in our society.
I understand the fear and desperation that those in power must feel with the recent firing of two government ministers, and others entrusted with great financial responsibilities accused of abusing their authority.It seems like the world has gone mad; our exemplars and trusted ones have lost their senses of propriety and morality and have fallen to power-madness and greed.
But let us not give up and throw in the towel. What is happening is a natural process, like separating the wheat from the chaff. It's almost like natural selection where, only the strong will survive, just like only the righteous will see God's kingdom on earth.
The laws of God which encompasses everything, are better served when written in the hearts and minds of people. Seeing that we do not have a culture of voluntary resignations when people in high office are compromised in any way, some people believe that creating a document with specific charges, would make wrongdoers more subject to disciplinary measures and bring about greater efficiency in doing so.
Personally, I do not care for that line of approach because I do not see it making any difference to what is already happening. Any shortfall in the law and standards of decency that come to light, should be dealt with speedily and effectively, and guilty parties should be asked to step down from office.
I imagine there are parliamentary committees, and also the Integrity Commission, and of course the Prime Minister who has the power of summary dismissal. I really do not see the need for a written code of conduct.
Joel Quintal
San Fernando