Pubdate: Mon, 12 Jan 2004
Source: Surrey Now (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc., A Canwest Company
Contact:  http://www.thenownewspaper.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462

GOVERNMENT STILL HAS QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

As the stunning criminal investigation into top B.C. Liberal
government appointees unfolds, we take the police at their word that
no elected officials are under scrutiny.

And in B.C., that's practically a novelty, if not a
relief.

But word that at least one key Liberal advisor and government
appointee is under investigation for involvement in cross border drug
smuggling and breach of trust in the privatization of B.C. Rail
concerns us.

It makes the Liberals risk looking like former U.S. Ronald Reagan
during the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s. Back then, it was said
that if Reagan knew members of his administration were engaging in an
illegal arms for hostage swap involving the sale of weapons to
unsavoury Central American guerrillas, he was complicit in their
criminal activity.

But if he didn't know, he was a sandwich short of a picnic in keeping
proper track of the people who worked for him.

So, too, for the Liberal cabinet. If top political appointees, who by
many accounts are also friends of heavyweight B.C. Liberals, were
involved in illegal activity, presumably right out of their
legislative offices (why else would the police raid these offices?)
and their political bosses did not know about it, they don't exactly
look like astute employers.

If our elected officials knew this was going on, their complicity is
shameful. If they didn't know, their claims to being superior managers
to the previous government are about as serious as Bedtime for Bonzo.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin