Can’t stop… bribing

Lee Kuan Yew’s book “From Third World to First” – describing how he achieved that for Singapore – should come with a warning for aspiring national saviours –  the chapter on clean government requires more than washing your hands before distributing campaign goodies!! His central lesson was that trustworthy institutions of the state are absolutely necessary to give development a foundation!! Public SERVANTS are named that for a reason – they must SERVE the public – and the rules that govern the institutions must survive encounters with men with deep pockets!!
All of which makes the allegations surrounding Opposition Leader Sanction Man rather more consequential than another episode of our long-running political soap opera!! The US OFAC indictment that he and his Daady are fighting tooth and nail – plus fangs and claws!! – alleges that they bribed customs and other officials here right, left and center –  to facilitate a gold-export scam that deprived Guyana of billions in  taxes and royalties!! Your Eyewitness won’t even mention them doing the exact dirty on their stable of Lambos and Ferraris – plus bribing for votes!!
Now on top of all of that, police allege the LOO bribed a constable G$800,000 for surveillance footage in the denouement of his stalking of Spy Chief Prem Narine!! This of course, his shill denies –  he’s (well) paid to do so, innit??!! – and insists the videos are from public-spirited sources, including senior police officers. That the policeman’s mother returned $300,000 she was given after her son splurged the rest, kinda suggests they’re lying in their teeth, no?? But then when a dog gets used to sucking ganda eggs….!!
Well Sanction Man’s been charged and if proven, the implication would be devastating – an opposition leader seeking to run the state treating its employees as privately purchasable accessories!! Today, a flash drive, tomorrow  the Bank of Guyana codes??  Apparently, to Sanction Man, institutional reform means finding the right institutional price!! But, dear readers, bribery does more than enrich an official – it teaches every honest employee that integrity is a financial disadvantage and every ordinary citizen that equality before the law depends on the thickness of his proffered envelope!!
Now back to the matter at hand, your Eyewitness insists that  clean institutions also require the police to disclose all relevant evidence and withstand scrutiny themselves – so the footage’s contents deserve examination, whatever its source!! Lets the chips fall – and the bullets hit – where they may!!  We can pour oil money into roads, hospitals and schools – but if public authority becomes merchandise, we’ll be getting First World infrastructure with a backdoor cashier!!
Lee built a state whose credibility attracted investment and we must beware of anyone whose relationship with the state resembles a shopping expedition!!

…democracy
So what’s with Flávio Bolsonaro-  who arrived in Miami after losing to Lula in Brazil’s presidential elections?? Seems to your Eyewitness his departure combines fear of prosecution with an attempt to preserve his political leadership from abroad!! Now, while there was a court order demanding he surrender his passports for alleged financial wrongdoing, this doesn’t make him a fugitive!!
For the US, the stakes are kinda higher since Lula might see it as a serious breach of trust and encouragement for Bolsanaro to claim his electoral defeat was illegitimate – thus making democratic acceptance harder. Lula can trumpet he’s protecting Brazil’s sovereignty while Bolsanaro’s undermining it if the US recognises his rival presidency, imposes sanctions or obstructs judicial cooperation!!  For us in dear ole Mudland, your Eyewitness’ concern is the creation of an additional fault line between two of our most  important partners –  Brazil and the US.
Your Eyewitness suggests we respect Brazil’s certified electoral result – stressing CERTIFIED! – and judicial independence – while strengthening relations with both democracies!!

…the money tree
ACDA mobilized to lobby for King Charles be persuaded to apologize for the sins of his forbears in the African slave trade!! But aren’t they double-dipping when demanding the Guyanese state to also pay reparations??