Years come and go. Progress in many fields is achieved, man develops greater and better skills but human nature doesn?t change. At the end of the day, it is the survival of the fittest in the human jungle. Every man for himself. Man will strive to accumulate wealth, in a bid to claim ownership over his environment, to affirm and reinforce his ego. It is simply the animal instinct in all of us.

The politician, stripped of his glitter, refinement and aura of power, becomes the primate, whose history is familiar. Is it then so surprising that he gives in to corruption and, while doing so, shows the utmost disregard for the welfare of others? Should we be shocked?

Of course we should. In the natural order of things, we look for a leader, somebody to head the herd. This shepherd has the mission of nurturing and protecting his herd from outsiders. Thus, in our quest, we elect a government every five years or so. Why? May be because we need someone to do the dirty work for us or because we abdicate our responsibilities. In any case, it is both a privilege and a responsibility that we grant to those we elect.

The simple difference between the animal and human kingdoms is that, more often than not, animals pick the deserving one to lead. And the chosen one is, more or less, up to standard.

We, on the other hand, have repeatedly made the same mistake in choosing leaders - our politicians have turned out to be every bit as weak, greedy and opportunistic as the rest of us. Whether it is called evolution or devolution, we have switched from autocratic monarchs to communism and now to democracies.

We are now paying the price. Nobody is willing to accept being trodden upon by rulers. People want a decent life with all the basic necessities. A few ?basic luxuries? are a welcome bonus.

People do not like being fooled. At present, in this country, they are. For lack of option, in terms of new rulers, they may continue to be for a long time to come. Unless and until the ?chosen? ones decide to use what has been freely given to them: their conscience and their intellect. Maybe they will then redeem themselves.

We are all familiar with the saying that any degree of power corrupts to the same degree. No one can pretend to eradicate corruption. It is and will always be as long as Man exists.

But, when the ?rulers? come to their senses, may they realize that what goes around comes around. It is all very well to unashamedly seek further gains, to make it a consuming obsession that uses and abuses the institutions they were given the responsibility to look after and protect.

But the time will undoubtedly come when, if things are not halted, the consequences will be more far reaching than any of us could expect. Issac Newton?s most basic law of physics, that of relativity, states that ?Every action has an equal or opposite reaction.?

Ladies and Gentlemen of the ruling class, stop abusing this country and its people. Or the rotten state of affairs prevailing now will just be the tip of the iceberg. Remember the opening phrase of Shakespeare?s Hamlet? ?Something is rotten in the state of ?.?? Bear in mind the ending of the play and commit it to memory. And think again: ?To bring us all salvation. For we shall all be guilty as charged when the time comes.?