Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez yesterday strongly drove home the importance of parliamentarians adhering to a code of ethics that would be independently and objectively scrutinized from time to time.
He said as citizens of a Christian country, Bahamians must state categorically that certain acts are unacceptable.
“We need to say publicly that we will not tolerate certain levels of conduct – any part of it,” Archbishop Gomez said as he delivered the charge during the annual church service for parliamentarians at the Grants Town Wesley Methodist Church in New Providence.
“The public must have reason to believe that those who serve on their behalf are trustworthy, without question. They should also be passionately opposed to dishonest gain.”
As far as the archbishop is concerned, should parliamentarians fail to carry out their duties, there should be penalties.
With that he urged leaders on all sides of the political divide to choose good persons heading into the next general elections.
“I say to all the political parties in The Bahamas, look for God-fearing people to serve your party and your country,” the archbishop said
“A lot of Bahamians believe that to be a good politician, you have to be crooked. But we have a moral responsibility to raise the standard, to see to it there is a strong character reference-More people need to be concerned in The Bahamas about the extent to which we tolerate corruption and any form of wrongdoing.”
Parliamentarians, he said, must also recognize and accept their roles as representatives of the people.
The archbishop reminded parliamentarians that they are not in parliament to pursue their personal agendas, but to serve the people.
He said that at the heart of fulfilling this goal is genuine representation.
“We cannot carry out this function properly unless we know the people and we know the situations in our respective constituencies. Having gained the knowledge, we must have the interest and concern to respond to what we have learnt about what has been presented to us,” Archbishop Gomez advised.
He said parliamentarians must also take collective responsibility for the country’s national affairs.
The archbishop also reminded that the governing party is not in power to act on behalf of its organization and likewise the opposition does not exist simply to oppose.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
