Dear Editor,
“Those who don’t know the value of loyalty can never appreciate the cost of betrayal.” Equivalently, when trust is broken, this level of infidelity cancels all concepts of integrity. Presently, the country is in a descending mode and based on this current trajectory, the behaviour of this government will persist until they accomplish their selfish motives.
When Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs proudly announced that she will bring a different style of leadership to the NA party, who could have imagined this blatant deception that the country is witnessing today? Who would have thought that the party that prided itself as being committed to the people could allow an egoistic lobbyist in parliament to control them completely?
So, what is the trade-off between MP Rolando Brison and this government? Apart from getting his ego massage every time he grandstands on the floor of parliament, what exactly is he receiving from government in exchange for his performance? Is it a monetary compensation or has he already been recruited by NA, in the hope that the party become a replicate of the DP, as a one-party government?
What is this missing link that the 14 other MPs are not envisioning, to have the majority of them portrayed as incapable? Why is MP Rolando Brison this desperate to return as the chair of parliament and why is government working overtime to reinstate him? Yes, Prime Minister Jacobs, the population is aware of what length you went through to resolve that technicality to get rid of Chairlady Grisha Heyliger-Marten.
Prime Minister Jacobs, your actions are so contrary to the moral values that you preach about every day. Is it not the chairlady’s role to honour the requests from Members of Parliament, whether the invites are from the opposition or those who support the government? If calling meetings that the opposition have requested is a bother to the government, is this not corruption to the core, Prime Minister Jacobs – the promotion of unethical values and favouritism?
This why MP Ludmila De Weever thanked Chairlady Grisha Heyliger-Marten for being impartial regarding the handling of the meetings, unlike MP Rolando Brison, who keeps the government away. So, now that the technicality has been resolved and the threat to oust the chair is imminent, what is Theo going to do? Is he going to choose MP Roland Brison over Chairlady Grisha Heyliger-Marten? We’ll see.
To illustrate further how this government has repeatedly discounted the role of parliament, the meetings surrounding the ongoing crisis at GEBE said it all. When it wasn’t an excuse by the PM to attend another meeting that she scheduled intentionally, she refused to send answers to parliament on time, or she found it fit to saddle the MPs with a barrage of information regarding the role of the various boards of GEBE and what government could do or couldn’t do.
All these unethical tactics were used to delay the vote of no confidence against the VROMI [Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure – Ed.] Minister Egbert Doran. So, if it is important for parliament to understand and respect the role of the management and supervisory boards of GEBE, then why isn’t the same value being placed on The People’s House? Oh, how I missed the intense and educational deliberations by former MP Claudius Buncamper. Surely, the atmosphere in parliament would have been completely different.
In my observation, Chairlady Grisha Heyliger-Marten gives the prime minister too much leeway. Instead of asking her how much time she needs to answer the questions posed, the response should be: Prime Minister, you have the floor. Let her bear the responsibility solely and hold her to her obligations. This lack of assertion is her biggest obstacle in parliament. And, being too lenient with the PM has come back to haunt her.
Look at how last week Wednesday’s meeting went down, when Prime Minister Jacobs refused to answer the questions on GEBE and also totally disregarded the authority of the Chair, when she explained to her that she is moving away from the norm. This is the blatant disrespect to parliament by this government, under the reign of Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs.
Prime Minister, I ask again: Would this ruthless efficiency become the norm of this country? Is this the behaviour that you want to communicate? Is this the style of leadership that you wished for the young people to imitate?
Joslyn Morton
