Newly elected lawmakers should take PM's advice
The PM's cautionary advice to the newly elected lawmakers not to misuse their position is certainly a sobering directive for her future cabinet and gives hope for the ordinary people. She has asked them to be humble, to not consider themselves to be too powerful and to work sincerely. She has also warned against corruption and reminded the MPs that a third term victory obliges them even more to live up to the expectations of people who have voted for them. More importantly, she told her colleagues that the new government would have to work for all citizens, not only those who voted for "boat".
The carefully worded speech of the third time elected PM alludes, no doubt, to excesses that often come with excessive power. During the last term of the AL there have been allegations of such abuses of power and it is a positive beginning of the PM's new term that she has made before the new cabinet is formed.
We are in unison with the PM's observation that the ruling party's main challenge is to fulfil the pledges in their election manifesto. These pledges include a "zero tolerance for corruption" (which includes strengthening the Anti-Corruption Commission and Human Rights Commission), safer roads and a disciplined transport sector, expanding modern urban amenities to rural areas, ensuring employment for young people, developing a skilled and service-oriented public administration and people-friendly law enforcement agencies.
We cannot but help view such pledges with a little wariness considering the ground realities during the ruling party's last term. Corruption in fact has been the biggest impediment to development and unless the new government clamps down on its various manifestations in major sectors, it will not be able to keep its promise of unhindered development, a central point of the ruling party's election campaign. Violation of human rights, too, have been a major issue in the ruling party's last term and the government must make sure that such violations do not take place anymore.
We hope that the newly elected government will heed the PM's advice by exercising humility and restraint, by strengthening public institutions so that development and democratic values will progress hand in hand.
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