Nowhere in its 100-page Manifesto does the ABLP mention corruption or nepotism.
The wordy vision of the future briefly commits ABLP to what all politicians promise: strengthening enforcement against misconduct and abuse of office, emphasizing that laws must apply to everyone and that there should be no impunity among public officials.
It’s as if the past 12 years never happened.
Not even an implicit discussion of nepotism
Reading the manifesto as a whole, there is not a hint to acknowledge, let along fight, the nepotism plaguing government ministries and contracting.
- No acknowledgement or critique of favouritism toward family or close associates in public appointments, contracts, or CBI awards.
- No proposals or commitments for specific safeguards that obviously and directly target that pattern (e.g., bans on family contracting, disclosure rules for relatives, wife as Housing and Works Minister, deals with son, etc.).
What we do see are general governance tropes
- Emphasis on “fairness,” “equality of opportunity,” “public trust,” “accountability,” and “the law must apply to all” in sections on justice, security, and public services.
- Statements that the Renaissance is about “fairness, respect, security and confidence in national institutions”, and that government must act “in the interest of the whole people.”
Those are boilerplate good‑governance language, not a veiled or concrete treatment of nepotism, a problem clear as day.
All the ‘good government’ references fail
- They fail to talk about Browne family ties, conflicts of interest, or favouritism;
- They fail to propose institutional mechanisms that are clearly aimed at nepotism;
- They fail to articulate an internal reform agenda about patronage.
In promising more of the same from the past 12 years, the Manifesto essentially promises more nepotism.
Leave a Reply