“When the herd, it moves”. This sums up British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s demise circulates around his resignation, following a string of resignations from his Cabinet, some 58 of them, inclusive of his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak and the Health Secretary.
The issue at hand is the question of ethics in politics. We hear the words of Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, when he launched his People’s National Movement(PNM) in the 1950s, who chastised the then Albert Gomes for ethical values in the management and in leadership in governance.
Johnson did not measure up in terms of integrity, truth and ethical values, all of which he did not maintain until recently.
So ethics and integrity are not the sole domain of the metropolitan countries, notably the British Government today.
But his default should not give leaders, particularly in the Caribbean, and more specifically Trinidad and Tobago the chance and opportunity to ignore serious ethical, moral and spiritual values in the governance process.
Raping the treasury in its manifold forms is not the only reason for continued leadership. World leaders should take note of the state of politics in Britain today.
The electorate around the world must revisit their thoughts and allegiance to any leader.
The resignation of Boris Johnson, despite the fact that he won a major landslide in 30 odd years in 2019, must not be viewed as a simple issue, but it forms part of world history, and political commentators and historians would view this incident with great interest.
The fact that he failed to apologize to the British people for any alleged mishaps in office as he gave up, “the best job in the world…and that no one is indispensable in politics”.
PARAS RAMOUTAR\
TORONTO