Dear Editor,
I am not a politician but I did made contribution to the process in the 2011 election that helped to create a parliament in which the ‘win-only’ attitude of the ruling party came to an end. Before the 2011 election the ruling party with its majority always showed respect to the parliamentary procedure and accepted its decisions. The combined opposition did the same.
However, the 2011 elections result brought a change of power, giving the combined opposition an opportunity to be heard and respected. This transition to my mind cleared the way for a win-win solution to be utilized.
The cutting of the budget could have been avoided had the ruling party taken the transition of power seriously and given the combined opposition the intellectual respect it deserved through accepting suggestions at the beginning of the process.
But the nature of the ruling party with its ‘win-only’ attitude for so long took the combined opposition for granted and so it suffered its first budget defeat after many years of success.
Having been convinced of the changes in the Tenth Parliament the ruling party decided to use the court so it could continue its ‘win-only’ attitude.
For this reason I shall quote the words said some years ago in the USA by Senator Fulbright, a Democrat and a lawyer by profession: “You can’t change society too much through the courts. Most of it has to come through the political system. Even if it takes longer it’s more likely to stick.”
Yours faithfully,
Lennox A Whyte
