Stop damning Gov't for finally listening to our wants

The big changes we need in Government — things like greater openness and sharing of power beyond the Cabinet — involve big changes in the way our leaders act.

But they probably involve even bigger changes from us.

We are so used to secretive, autocratic Government that we do not know how to think when information is shared, when consultation takes place, when alternate opinions are sought and — shock, horror — actually listened to and acted upon.

Take the infamous Land Licence Bill.

Critics complained it was unnecessary, unfair and so badly written lawyers did not know how to advise their clients.

Now Government has delayed its implementation.

Is this proof the critics were right and it was a sloppy piece of work from the beginning?

Or is it evidence Government is actually listening and responding?

Take the law change introduced a week ago that will allow police to hold gun suspects for up to a month for questioning without charging them.

Draconian

Government modified its proposal at the last minute after Opposition MPs said it was draconian.

Now gun suspects can be held without charges while police continue their investigation — but not for questioning — and everybody is happy. But are they?

The Premier used his Facebook page to attack his critics.

The Bermuda Democratic Alliance, meanwhile, complained in a statement that Government tried to “bulldoze bad legislation through Parliament and then castigate those who expose the truth”.

Is this an example of Government at its best? Or at its worst?

Is it Government backing down or Government opening up? Is it Government incompetence exposed?

Or are we exposing the childish gloating of people not used to a Government correcting its mistakes? The forces on a political leader not to change are quite incredible.

If you change, you run the risk of being accused of making a mistake in the first place. You lay yourself open to claims your policies failed.

If you introduce legislation and then actually listen to criticisms and make modifications, or drop the whole project altogether, you risk being accused of being careless, sloppy, illinformed or wishy-washy.

You also face the wrath, or at least the irritation, of whatever Cabinet colleagues and anybody else who was pushing for the legislation in the first place. We are still at the stage in our development where leaders and their supporters have too much pride riding on whatever it is they propose.

We are still at the stage, too, where leaders — and a lot of the rest of us — have the notion that a strong leader is the sort of guy who will trample his foes, not negotiate with them.

We are still at a stage where any course change or correction is far more likely to produce taunts, gloating and sarcasm than a polite “thank you”.

The Immigration Minister, while agreeing this week to delay the Land License Bill, used the occasion to attack the lawyers who requested the postponement.

Incompetence

“If members of that profession cannot follow simple instructions and adequately advise their clients, then perhaps they should seek a different line of work,” Col. David Burch told his fellow senators.

“To simply criticise the law at this eleventh hour is really an admission of incompetence.”

If we are ever going to end up with a Government that is truly open and willing to listen to others, we are going to have to stop this kind of talk.

Debate and questioning legislation should be normal. Listening should be normal. Changes in direction, policy and legislation should be a normal and completely acceptable result.

It is not winning or losing, disloyalty or weakness. It is just good government.