At the last election we had the “Independents” running with the majority under the umbrella of C4C. This election there is no C4C or C3C, or C2C or any number in the middle of CC.

However, there is a whole bunch of Independents running, and one of our local doctors, is behind the scenes pulling the strings and publicly making a strong case for Independents over the party system.

It is not often I agree with Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush but today I applaud what he said and I echo his words.

For the doctor, who once himself was an MLA, to be backing certain candidates, one in particular being Kenneth Bryan, is suspect and I can only ask why?

McKeeva warned of potential chaos caused when trying to form a government without a cohesive plan. He raised concerns about people seeking control of parliament from the outside by manipulating independent candidates!

He said he had served in the Legislative Assembly with so called independent groups and ALL were controlled by big backers who were more powerful and vindictive than any party today.

Blaming the party system for the perceived woes of today was not the fault of the party system at all. It was not the modernisation of the political system with parties that created the adversarial style of politics.

With the independents one had no idea what special interests they had nor who was backing them. With the party system you knew exactly who was with the party and who was not. McKeeva said a party is a group of politicians who have joined up with a plan to help the country.

The “anger and “bitterness” was already there in the LA long before the party system came to be, he warned, and criticising political parties were “misleading and providing misinformation”.

“Who will govern the day after the election if a group of independents who have no common policies are elected?” he asked.

Who indeed?

And I have a question to ask everyone who is running?

Do any of you have any civil or criminal charges pending?

I know of at least two who have DUI charges pending. I think all of us must know and every candidate must declare this on Nomination Day.

I leave the final words to McKeeva.

“All elected representatives hold allegiance to those who elected them before anyone else,” he said.

Take note, therefore, all those who were elected as being a member of a party and then crossed the floor months before the election calling themselves “Independent”.

They are independent only now because they believe they have a better chance of being re-elected.

They are not doing so because of the betterment of the country. It is for the betterment only of themselves.

And the person(s) pulling the strings they are firmly attached to.