by Deepa Bhookhun

Run little people, run to make ends meet. While you are toiling everyday, you have your ten private parliamentary secretaries (PPS), who have been nominated to make your lives easier. They were chosen because they were members of the Parliament (MPs), elected by you. As such, they remained in office with all their privileges as long as the National assembly was alive. Until of course, a decision was taken, extending their tenure of office. And you, the people were conveniently not consulted, even if you continued to pay their salaries and everything else that went with their titles.

In the meantime, the opposition leader deems it fit to take the very matter of their staying in office to court. And surprise, surprise, the matter is treated in a very sober manner by government. PM Bérenger diplomatically says it might be a different interpretation of the law. Already, this should have awakened our senses that something was definitely wrong? and then? PM Bérenger announces at his press conference on Saturday that he will ask the PPS to step down until the court hears the matter.

Hum, hello? What is this supposed to mean? That he is agreeing that the decision to keep those people in office was actually an abuse of ? well of everything that good governance is about? That with those people acting as political agents in many constituencies, the elections would be anything but fair? And what did he mean by ?step down?? In actual fact, they did more than ?step down?; they resigned. But before doing so, the PPS went to court yesterday morning - and at that material time - did not know what their next move was going to be. Until a meeting with the PM later during the day after which they all went tails in between their legs to hand in their resignation letters.

The people would like to be reassured on what exactly this latest move entails: have the PPS given back their cars, their mobile phones, their bodyguards, their drivers and their innumerable facilities? As of yesterday? Will they stop taking their paychecks by the end of this month? Will they be paid on a pro-rata basis this month? And what about money they have been paid after the dissolution of Parliament? Think I?m being rude? I beg to differ; I?m talking about taxpayers? money - yours and mine.

And a few more questions. Is extending the term of office of the PPS the kind of attitude that may be qualified as arrogance? The arrogance to think that there is no limit to what can be done when one holds power. The arrogance to think that those in power need not be accountable. The arrogance to think that one can continue to derive monies from public funds, if one deems it fit. And the arrogance to think that we, the people are fools.