'rj
te
FOrurr
March
2004
Opinion
7
Political
corruption
thrives
in
dark
corners,
in
dank
recesses,
and
under
slimy
rocks.
A
door
is
opened,
a
rock
overturned
-
government
and
party
officials
frantically
flee
for
cover
like
beetles
and
centipedes
caught
in
the
sun.
The
most
recent
revelations
have
to
do
with
the
"sponsorship"
scandal
in
Quebec
that
implicates
high-level
members
of
the
federal
Liberal
government
and
involves
the
misappropriation
of
more
than
one
hundred
million
dollars.
Prime
Minister
Paul
Martin,
who
was
Minister
of
Finance
at
the
time,
as
well
as
an
MP
from
Quebec,
denies
all
knowledge
of
the
alleged
corruption.
Former
Prime
Minister
Jean
Chretien,
conveniently
abroad
when
the
scandal
broke,
also
denies
any
involvement.
Other
Liberal
MPs
scatter
off
into
the
darkness
and
don't
return
phone
calls.
Closer
to
home,
we
had
the
RCMP
raids
at
the
end
of
December
on
the
offices
of
officials
in
the
provincial
Ministries
of
Finance
and
Transportation,
as
well
as
individuals
linked
Perhaps
most
disheartening
to
ordinary
Canadians
is
that
these
are
only
the
scandals
which
have
been
brought
to
light.
There
is
every
reason
to
believe
that
much
more
has
been
concealed.
to
both
the
provincial
and
federal
Liberal
parties.
The
raids
are
said
to
have
been
prompted
by
information
uncovered
in
the
course
of
a
drug
smuggling
and
money
laundering
investigation.
Once
again,
Cabinet
Ministers
scurry
away
and
disappear,
and
the
Premier
is
coin-cidentally
on
vacation
in
Maui.
More
recently,
there
has
been
the
investigation
into
alleged
funding
irregularities
in
the
Provincial
Ministry
of
Children
and
Family
Development.
But
corruption
is
not
a
new
problem.
Nor
is
it
confined
to
the
Liberal
species.
One
of
the
factors
that
brought
the
previous
NDP
government
crashing
down
were
allegations
of
corruption
directed
against
Premier
Glen
Clark
(although
Clark
was
later
found
not
guilty
of
criminal
charges).
Prior
to
that,
NDP
Premier
Mike
Harcourt
resigned
in
large
part
because
of
the
Nanaimo
Bingogate
scandal.
And
then
in
the
1980's,
there
was
the
ongoing
flea
circus
of
scandals
that
destroyed
the
Social
Credit
government
of
Bill
Van
der
Zalm.
Federally,
in
the
1980s,
the
Progressive
Conservative
government
of
Brian
Mulroney
was
involved
in
so
many
questionable
deals
and
scandals
that
a
journalist,
Stevie
Cameron,
devoted
her
entire
book,
"On
the
Take",
to
them.
In
Saskatchewan,
sixteen
officials
of
the
Grant
Devine
government
were
charged
with
criminal
offences,
with
several
being
sent
to
jail.
And
the
list
goes
on
and
on.
Perhaps
most
disheartening
to
ordinary
Canadians
is
that
these
are
only
the
scandals
which
have
been
brought
to
light.
There
is
every
reason
to
believe
that
much
more
has
been
concealed.
Putting
aside
the
political
posturing
from
various
quarters,
this
issue
is
of
concern
for
all
sectors
of
Canadian
society.
Indeed,
a
recent
editorial
in
the
Toronto
Globe
and
Mail
newspaper,
entitled
"Another
Day,
Another
Outrage"
suggests
that
"soft
corruption
has
spread
like
a
plague
in
our
society"
and
that
the
"mismanagement,
waste
and
conflicts
of
interest
fostered
by
such
behavior
make
citizens
deeply
cynical
about
the
political
process."
Is
the
problem
simply
one
of
a
few
bad
individuals?
After
all,
every
house
Jf
xSiyillllJW&
iJv-'0
i'
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Warn?
X
has
a
few
beetles
hiding
under
a
sofa
or
a
sow
bug
or
two
lurking
in
the
basement
drain.
If
it
is
just
some
individuals,
why
does
the
problem
keep
recurring?
It
is
clear
that
we
are
facing
a
systemic
problem,
one
which
involves
the
electoral
and
political
process
itself.
The
party
system
and
representative
government
are
descending
into
crisis.
As
things
stand
now,
political
parties,
which
represent,
at
best,
2
or
3
of
the
electorate,
select
candidates
in
meetings
restricted
to
party
members
only.
That
in
itself
is
an
invitation
to
"deal-making",
"stacking
of
meetings",
and
control
by
"backroom
boys",
and
the
corruption
that
inevitably
accompanies
such.
Instead
of
being
vehicles
to
educate
and
inform
the
public
about
issues,
parties
often
become
little
more
than
"election
machines"
open
to
the
highest
bidder
or
most
persuasive
interest
group.
The
current
electoral
and
political
process
allows
voters
to
cast
their
vote
once
every
four
or
five
years.
But
after
that,
they
are
told
to
go
home.
Once
a
political
party
has
"won"
power,
it
can
do
almost
anything
it
wants
for
the
next
four
years,
much
of
the
time
far
away
from
the
public
eye.
The
current
electoral
and
governance
process
is
an
invitation
to
flagrant
corruption
and
graft,
precisely
because
the
people
are
kept
out.
People
all
over
the
world
are
demanding
to
be
empowered,
demanding
more
control
over
the
electoral
and
political
processes
that
loom
over
them
like
alien
creatures.
Yet,
"mainstream"
political
parties,
whether
they
are
"right",
"left"
or
"center",
refuse
to
relinquish
their
power
or
change
their
practices.
"We
know
what
is
best
for
you"
is
the
essence
of
their
political
message.
But
they
don't.
And,
as
a
result,
we
have
scandal
after
scandal.
The
solution
to
political
corruption
is
more
"light",
not
less.
And
that
means
more
political
accountability,
more
voter
empowerment,
more
direct
citizen
control
over
the
electoral
and
political
processes.
Let's
shine
more
light
into
the
corridors
of
power
and
government.
Let's
develop
open
and
democratic
processes
that
will
keep
the
insects
away
and
that
will,
amongst
young
and
old,
foster
respect
for
and
participation
in
political
life.
Slimy
Rocks
and
Politics
Peter
Ewart
Peter
Ewart
is
an
English
professor
at
the
College
of
New
Caledonia