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. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin