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This is just a brief note of encouragement to all those who are trying to do the right thing. The revelations have been astounding - and so has the reaction.

A long list of allegations have been made against Cabinet Ministers, including the Premier Dr. Ewart Brown.

The attempt to answer them or rebut them has hovered between half-hearted to none at all.

The reaction, instead, has been to gag the media, raid newspaper and television offices, attack the Opposition, threaten to sever relations with the Governor, and ask the Governor to hand over all police powers to Cabinet Ministers.

The strange and painful set of affairs is typified by the fact that Scotland Yard has been called in to find out who leaked reports of wrongdoing - but not to investigate the wrongdoing itself. It cannot possibly go on like this: The secrecy, the underhanded dealings, the desperate efforts to conceal and silence, and the Government's pretence that everything is normal and as it should be.

It is not.

Nor will it be, until the details of the Bermuda Housing Corporation affair and the continuing cover-up are thoroughly laid out in the open, for better or for worse.

Until that happens, the people of Bermuda will be left with a justified fear that they are being used and abused by their own leaders. They will be left with the belief that wrongdoers are above the law if they happen to be in Government. And that any behaviour by elected officials is acceptable, as long as it is not successfully prosecuted as a criminal offence.

Bermuda's elected officials will be left with a new, low standard of leadership. Wrongdoers will know there is no accounting; good MPs and Cabinet Ministers will be undercut by public suspicion.

It cannot go on like this, and I think most of us know it.

Each of us has a part to play in setting things right, and each of us must play it.

The media must not be intimidated by a Government that wants to bully it into silence.

It must probe, investigate and report the truth, vigorously and accurately, and defend in the courts its right and obligation to do so.

Those in positions with knowledge of the misconduct of officials - or knowledge that any accusation is false - have a duty not to be intimidated either.

Whether in government or elsewhere, they have a moral duty, to themselves and their fellow citizens and the future of their country, to make sure the truth is known.

Governor: Time to govern

The Governor must not be intimidated either. It is easy to avoid confrontations and defer to the elected Government of Bermuda, and usually it is wise. But here is a case where he could - and should - use his powers to ensure a fair, thorough, impartial and non-political accounting of the BHC affair and aftermath.

Those in the Opposition, of course, need little encouragement to lay Government misdeeds bare to the public.

Their challenge is to do what is necessary for the good of the country, without deviousness or glee.

Those in the Government party, and especially those who sit in Cabinet, are in a far more difficult position.

They must struggle with loyalties and friendships and confidentialities, and the often unspoken pact that they will stick together through thick or thin, right or wrong.

They must fear that their party will be weakened if misdeeds are revealed, and worry that the good their Government can do will be undone.

But in the end, their party will be weakened much, much more if they publicly fail to stand up for what is right, and their good works will be buried beneath scandal and suspicion.

The facts that are known so far about the BHC affair, and the accusations that are yet to be publicly proved or disproved, are disturbing and damaging enough to their country that silence is not an option.

Finally, none of the rest of us should be intimidated either.

The citizens of Bermuda need to take this seriously, and keep their outrage alive until they are satisfied their Government is honest and open and free from any suspicion of corruption and wrongdoing.

It is easy to let the first wave of outrage settle down into a dull scepticism.

But the steady pressure of citizens is essential if we will ever get the high standard of government that we need and deserve.

There has been much said and written in recent weeks by those concerned with Bermuda's reputation for integrity and stability.

And it does matter what other people think of Bermuda, and whether they respect and trust us.

But what matters a million times more than that is whether we are able to respect and trust each other.

Painful and difficult though it will be, we must be true to our conscience and true to our duty, and

do what is right for Bermuda.[[In-content Ad]]

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