Here is a contemporary biblical interpretation: Christ was asked his opinion about the death penalty. His response?.. "LET HIM WHO IS WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE!!"

    Mr. Shaun Douglas, by all reports, did a lot of harm to himself, family, party and government. For say three weeks he was hammered and crucified in the media… or part thereof. He eventually resurrected, sought forgiveness, and apparently got it. That was so, if only because just about every sinner had already cast every stone.

    This piece is not intended to revive the agony of Mr. Douglas; nor is it in his defence. I believe that if you have embarrassed yourself and all those persons, and institutions already mentioned, then you should resign, or be dismissed by one or more of the person(s), corporate or unincorporate, who suffered such embarrassment.

    But let me leave that to the party. A little revolt in the party, an implied or express ambition to be leader of the party, some indiscretion in the party - all that is the business of the party. Let the party take care of that.

    I did not hear Mr.Douglas' comments; even to this day. I hear that he was carried away by the lucrative returns that overseas travel allows the public servant, politician included. I replay all that in my brain… I listen to some of the people who "put blows" on Mr. Douglas.

    Are some of those people hypocrites? Do they have a problem with honesty? How many of them depend on overseas travel to make their cash flows do? The truth is that they go abroad with and sometimes without the capacity to contribute meaningfully to the meeting. But the overseas travel allowances provide enough to make them forget whose means they live beyond. Or is it the case of the proverbial thief who hates to see his comrade carry a bag?

    Perhaps at a more serious dimension, we need to review the pay of our Parliamentarians and public servants. We should demand productivity from them and reward them for their effort, with intent to reduce their dependence on such allowances.

    Meanwhile, I wonder which politician has the moral authority to cast the first stone in that matter, or in any other circumstance.

    I was once made happy and humbled by the Hon. Earl Williams, shadow Minister of Communications and Works in 2000. At a parliamentary session, he put it in the Hansard, that in my capacity as Dominica's nominee on the OECS Negotiating Team, I returned from every meeting and handed him or his ministry a report and account of my stewardship.

    When the new Labour/Freedom Coalition took office, I handed in my resignation. Some time later I was re-appointed. Hon. Earl Williams added his own political spin concerning that. He went on to say that the new administration foolishly vacillated about re-appointing me, but that wisely, it eventually did. Party politics aside, I am grateful to the present and past ministers for Communication, Mr. Reginald Austrie and Mr. Earl Williams respectively. They and their administrations gave me the unique opportunity to be of service to our region. In that regard, I have been fortunate.

    What both men may not know is that I traveled only when it was necessary, or when I had a unique contribution personally to make, or when I had to give our country some representation in terms of regional policy determination.

    When it came to travel in my capacity as NTRC Chairman, I determined who should travel on the basis of who would be best to benefit the country consequent on the travel. A lot of the time it would not be me. I leave it to you to speculate how many of us use our position to that effect. Clearly, that propensity to travel because it complements cash takings is not one of my sins. This is one of several reasons why I will die a pauper.

    The Shaun Douglas affair is bigger than him. We should not unwittingly, caricature that big issue. It is this:

    WAS MR. SHAUN DOUGLAS BUGGED? IF YES, IS BUGGING A GOOD THING WHICH SHOULD BE CONDONED, AND EVEN ENCOURAGED?

    Bugging here means listening to and taping one's private conversation without one's knowledge or permission.

    We must be careful lest we get trapped in our own jouboum and contradictions.

    In recent years there was a bugging issue, which featured on and off and on again, and distracted the nation over a period of years. I did not believe the loose talk then, and I do not believe it now that Hon. Edison James was merely a mischievous fellow who authored the story himself.

    I believe that he was misled and misguided and for some time he genuinely believed that there was some intention to bug. The episodes distracted the nation, not because we glorified bugging, but because we condemned it in principle.

    There is even a recent attempt at inventing a mitigating circumstance, viz, a public person deserves no privacy. For example, a politician may be bugged with impunity. I refuse to give any credence whatsoever to that imported Americanism. If bugging was wrong then, nothing has transpired since to validate it now. I should add that we tend not to import or to emulate the good things that make "America" great.

    Since our politics seem tainted and infected by party tribalism, let us leave Mr. Douglas and take a neutral example. A badly battered spouse confides her secret. Should she hear her private plans betrayed and re-played by radio?

    Remember we should stand on principle or fall for any old unprincipled thing.