Do we have a government of and for Islanders? The answer is an emphatic no.
Many people heralded a new era when Premier Dennis King was elected. He was well known and apart from some earlier rather sexist jokes, seemed to be well accepted.
Well, he was accepted by enough voters to get elected with a minority.
He promised he would be different, would bring about cooperation/collaboration.
However, we are missing some rather important details. There were several candidates for the leadership. Yet the backroom boys selected and supported King.
That should have been the first flashing red light warning of more of the same to come.
Wade MacLauchlan claimed he would do government differently, but we continued the same patronage system of old.
Roundabouts galore and he was coronated as premier by the backroom before being elected.
Now we have another premier who was not selected by Islanders but by those same invisible backroom boys.
So why are we surprised that to date the new/old style government is not doing what they promised?
Nothing mentioned about proportional representation, no effective measures to reverse the Irving land grab, no visible or positive efforts to engage doctors, lots of talk, lots of promises but no actual doctors.
Refusal or stalling to release documents regarding the e-gaming ongoing court case.
It appears the Provincial Nominee Program scandal has been well and truly swept under the rug.
Does any of this seem like we are doing government differently?
It seems clear to me King is doing precisely what the backroom boys direct.
Voting for the two old parties, we are not electing candidates, we are handing power to those infamous backrooms, red or blue.
F. Ben Rodgers,
Abram Village
