With a day full of self-righteous tittle-tattle from other parties, the resignation of the President of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque comes as no surprise. However, with time to reflect, questions do need to be asked as to why, one Mayor, among so many others who have been investigated for corruption, including high-level officials and other party leaders/officials both home and abroad, should be singled out for such overpowering autocracy.
What do they have to fear?
Have any of the other ‘possible corruption candidates’ been slung in jail for the night? Did they think he would jump into a racing car and speed off, where?
Have any others been forced to endure a flight on a transport plane where the only onboard facilities are a bucket and if you are very lucky a plastic curtain? Is our Mayor a hardened criminal who needs to be flown around as if he is on ‘Conair?’ Or is someone getting a kick throwing their weight around?
Who leaked the documents? Surely this shows a breach of protocol and the trustworthiness of those working on the case. Not to mention corruption. How much money was offered for the document to be leaked? Surely a condemned man, and remember this is a man who has not stood trial yet, should be allowed a fair trial and not one based on the outpourings of social media or the fact that this and possibly many other documents are leaked causing unfair basis, perverting the laws of justice as well as swinging the jury into making a pre-ordered decision.
Why is one man being treated like a hardened criminal whereas other miscreants are treated with kid gloves or allowed to remain in or shunted to another post?
Has a lack of success proven too much so that one man can be used in a Stalinesque show trial of strength to the European Parliament? Why all the media attention, and the manpower for a handful of grubby little deals that someone obviously didn’t get a cut in?
Why, when laws dictate that someone is innocent until proven guilty has a man been subjected to such humiliation?
So really, whether he is innocent or not is not the question at the moment. But with such furor and political indignation, my last question is, what’s being buried underneath this ‘mega-operation smoke screen?’
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
