Dear Editor,
Several years ago I asked, why do our people in government continue to be unscrupulous where the throwing down of governments is concerned? At that time someone told me the answer is between those who are responsible and those who should be held accountable. I know the saying “when you want to hide something from we people, put it in a book”. I want them to know so I am going to put it in the paper. Definition of accountable: of a person, organization, or institution required or expected to justify actions or decisions.
So, being the primary cause of something and so able to be blamed. Definition of responsible: Having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone, as part of one’s job or role (in charge of). The difference between accountability and responsibility is that responsibility can be shared, but accountability cannot. Being accountable not only means being responsible for something but also ultimately being answerable for your actions.
After going over those two definitions and after reading that Minister Irion wants evaluation of SGs, I said to myself it took a while, but we are on the right track, because not too long ago another young politician mentioned the same thing to me. I told him about the responsibility and accountability. But as you know, with me is out with the old and in with the new, so hopefully this becomes a trend. Chacho started it by showing that he is a man of his word, which is the direction I think that any self-respecting person in government should go.
It seems that all of a sudden the same things that were proposed and disregarded are suddenly being dealt with. I have always said that efficient secretaries create good bosses, but they can also cause their demise.
But my initial intention was not for writing about SGs because I have decided years now that they should be held accountable. Wiser heads thought they knew better, but we all know what has happened in the last nine going on ten years.
My intention is to call government’s attention to what is going on with the children of Sundial School. I do not think that using and screaming obscene language to each other from one side of the road to the other is becoming anyone much less schoolchildren, within earshot of their school. The person to whom I gave a lift said to me, “You did not hear anything yet.” Some bus drivers lock the bus door because they do not want them on the bus. And when you see that even the Chinese from the supermarket don’t want them in the supermarket.
The last paragraph was hearsay, but I definitely heard the use of obscene language. I know that the former Minister of Education was looking for a solution for the unacceptable behavior of the schoolchildren in the St. Peters area. I think a solution should also be sought for the Sundial School area.
Now this last week an auto mechanic asked me to explain him about the lights on a motor vehicle, because he refused two jobs to put what he thinks are illegal lights on a motor vehicle. One thing brought the next and then he asked me if I was willing to find out what will be legal during the political campaigning, because he is seeing cars with all color lights in the back as well as the front, some flashing, you don’t know whether they are turning or not. Lights flashing red in the back you don’t know if it is hazard lights or what.
I told him he could be a traffic police, because he knew just as much about the illegal lights as I do. But his reason for asking me that was job motivated, because he explained that if all this time the police are not doing anything about those cars with all different color lights all over the cars, just now every political party is going to put on the lights the color of their party, so he does not want to lose out on cashing in for some jobs.
So, I told him whether the police are or are not doing anything about the illegal lighting on motor vehicles, that should not stop him from being responsible.
Russell A. Simmons
