EDITOR:
The Island is beautiful, but its politics are ugly. The total and utter disregard for the will of rural Islanders puts to shame any pretense that this government cares for the long-term viability and well-being of the 65 per cent of Islanders who live in rural areas.
The arrogance that Wade MacLauchlan's Liberals have shown through the school closure process and the recent amalgamation debacle is shameful. This is a government that works in secret, side-steps democratic principles and creates a sham of public consultation processes, then cynically manipulates and legislates to attain its pre-determined goals. That fails to learn, respond or address its critics in any meaningful way.
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Democracy is under attack by the very body we elect to uphold its ideals and standards-the provincial government. If you do not have very serious concerns about the kind of government Wade MacLauchlan is running, you haven't been listening.
Islanders deserve better government, a government that responds to its wishes and implements policies from the bottom up. A government that doesn't ramrod unpopular policy from the top down. A government that believes in the success of all Islanders, no matter where they choose to live. A government that listens in a real and meaningful way to the voice of ordinary Islanders and then acts according to their wishes. A government that believes in equitable services and applies this idea across the Island, that realizes centralization is a failed and dated idea and potentially the most harmful current policy to rural revitalization.
Richard Toms,
Georgetown
