Thursday, May 21, 2009

A Thumb in My Eye!

By Mshaka

We heard today that the Minister got his wish: As the new Minister, he will move into new headquarters in a new noice building.

This is the same new nice building which was purported to have been priced at an annual rental sum of $800,000 per year that caused a loud, vociferous and passionate outcry by people from all strata of society... and from both sides of the political divide.

Now our Cabinet has decided that the Minister will get his new building… even in the face of the continuing opposition of the people including very loyal, dyed in blue supporters.

They decided that the old building needs fixing and that the renovations will take six months to complete. They decided that the new Minister in his new ministry will be housed in his new building for six months – or until the renovation of the old building is complete… Although they did not state that the new Minister in his new ministry would have to return to the old renovated building when it is finished… the unstated implication seems to be just that. Or does it?

We shall wait and see.

In the meantime, the new Minister has his new building as he desired. Now it is ironic that he only understood that the old building was not good enough for the Ministry since HE took up that Ministry. Apparently, it was good enough for the past Minister… or that seemed to be the indication when the New Minister was the old Minister who in his old capacity of fixing buildings... failed to and refused to do anything about the same old building which he now refuses to work in. But that is fodder for the mill.

What is more important is that Cabinet, our Cabinet, the people’s Cabinet, UPP’s Cabinet has thumbed its nose at the concerns of the people and has bent to the pressure and acquiesced to the will of the new Minister in his new ministry so that he could get his noice new building with noice new furniture.

The Cabinet has not only thumbed its nose at the people, it has also dug that thumb in the eyes of the people. At least, that is my opinion.

Now the Cabinet also decided that in the current economic climate, it would only pay ‘market rates’ for buildings that it rents.

Huh? What? Did I hear that right? So in other words, in other economic conditions it would pay higher rates?Ah... non-market rates? With gravy on the side?

Now, I also understand that since the rate per square foot has gone down to the ‘market rate’, the square footage of the building has increased! What? Yes… I personally know someone who tried to rent that building and was given a certain rate… at least 60% less than that infamous $800,000 per year. And the square footage of the building was said to be in the 4000 sq. ft range. Yes. Two thousand feet on the first floor… and two thousand feet on the second floor.

Since the ‘market rate’ has decreased, I understand that the square footage has increased… to 7000 square feet and counting…

But my guess is that the Ministry of Public Works will do its due diligence and verify the actual square footage of the building. At, least I hope so.

The more egregious, outrageous and very troubling factor however, is the fact that the Cabinet bowed to the bullying of the man who likes noice things. Not only did they bow to his bullying, they allowed a blatant and disrespectful thumb in the eyes of the Prime Minister to go un-addressed. The bully not only got his way with his noice building, he got away with his very purposeful and public insulting act to the Prime Minister.

Not only did he disrespect his Prime Minister, he implicated his own colleagues in questionable behaviors and activities.

So here his my question: These are the same members of the Cabinet, his own colleagues... who he implicated in questionable behaviors and the same Prime Minister that he insulted…

So... why did they agree to bow to his very public bullying tactics? What is it that they know and he knows that we the public don’t know? What is it that is hidden from our view?

What is it that we are not seeing… and cannot see? If this is transparency... then I can't see it.

I feel thumbed in the eye… first by the Minister… and now by the Cabinet...