Wednesday, November 06, 2013

상원의원 3명, 결국 자격정지 결의- Roadkill?, 누가 누굴정죄.





결국 그들은 옷을 벗지는 않았지만, 상원의원 직무정지라는 무거운 형벌?)을 받고 말았다.  


정직된 3명의 상원의원은 현수상 Steven Harper가 지명했던 사람들이다.  그들은 정치 초년생들이었었다.

언론인으로서는 출중했었으나, 정치꾼으로서의 자질은 그래서 함량미달로 생각된다.   노련한 정치꾼들이었었다면, 구렁이 담넘어가듯, 이번 문제를 지혜롭게 피해 갔을것으로 생각된다.  그런 행동을 바라지는 않지만 정치꾼으로서 살아남기 위해서는 그런 지혜가 필요 했었다고 생각되기 때문이다.

앞으로 2년간 즉 현재 개회되여 있는 회기가 끝날것으로 예사되는 2015까지 이어질것으로 본다. 

그들이 돈이 없어 과다한 지출을 불법으로 청구하여 사용한것은 아닌것 같다.  지금은 사임한 현수상의 비서실장과의 어떤 관계가 있어, 합의하에  비용지출을 청구한것으로 보인다.

Mike Duffy같은 경우는 그의 항변을 보면, 마치 국민학교 어린이 같은 순진한 면이 보인다.   Facts가 있다해도, 금방 소유한 자료를 들이대면서 나는 깨끗하고 하자가 없다라고 열을 올릴일은 아니였다.  3명의 상원의원들은 이시간 현재까지 2년간 정직당하는 수모를 당하느니 차라리상원의원직을 사퇴하겠다는 소신을 밝힌 의원은 아무도 없는것 같다.

내년 이후로 닥아올 총선에서 현수상 Steven Harper의 보수당은 재집권 하기가 무척 어려울것으로 예상된다.  한번 돌아선 민심을 되돌리기에는 시간이 짧아 보이기 때문이다.  사람들은 본능상 잘한것 보다는 잘못한것을 더 오래 기억에 담고 필요시 활용하는 동물이기 때문이다.

2개의 야당중, 지금은 형편없는 자유당이 집권할 가능성이 많이 보인다.  자유당의 리더는 전수상 Trudeau의 큰아들로써 아버지의 후광을 많이 받고 있기 때문이다.  그의 정치적 실적은 거의 없으나, 지난번 당수 경연에서 경륜있는 경쟁자들을 쉽게 물리치고 당수에 오르것을 보면, 아버지의 그림자 덕이었음을 모두가 인정하고 있음이다.

또다른 야당NDP당수 Mulcair는 지금은 고인이된 Jack Layton이 지난번 선거에서 제일 야당으로 천지가 개벽할 정도로 성장 시켜놓은 그위에서 당수가 된것이다.  그의 정치적 실적 또한 미지수나 다름없는것 같다.  아직까지는 국민들의 정서가 NDP에 나라를 맡길 정도로 믿음을 주는 정당은 아니기에  말이다.

이번 표결을 위한 토론에서도 상당수의 의원들이 반대를 한것으로 보인다.  심지어 어떤 상원의원은 아예 투표에 기권까지 한것으로 보도됐다.  

서방세계의 정치판이나 고국의 정치판이나 정치꾼들의 도덕성과 전문성은 자꾸만 바닥을 기고 있는 형국임을  그들 스스로 보여준다는점에, 내가 힘들게 벌어서 그들에게 월급을 준것만큼 되돌려 받지 못한다는점에서 많은 국민들의, 나도 같은 심정으로, 믿음이 멀어져 감에 안타까울뿐이다.

Senators' suspensions reveal rifts in Conservative ranks




The Senate’s Tory leadership has cast out three former Conservatives from the Red Chamber, but the controversy over those senators’ expense claims has exposed rifts inside the party and has put Stephen Harper’s office at the centre of questions about what role it played.
The Senate voted Tuesday to suspend Pamela Wallin, Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau without pay over allegations that each claimed tens of thousands of dollars in improper expenses. The senators will be allowed to keep their life insurance and medical benefits but will lose their paycheques and other Senate privileges until the end of the current legislative session, likely in 2015. The contentious motion revealed fissures in the Tory caucus, with several Conservatives arguing the government did not give Mr. Duffy, Ms. Wallin and Mr. Brazeau an adequate opportunity to defend themselves. And the suspensions raise questions about the future of the institution as Prime Minister Stephen Harper seeks to move on from the controversy.

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But many senators say the episode has left the institution itself damaged and exposed the need for immediate reforms around accountability. And with senators like Mr. Duffy now on the outside, there are new questions about the role of the Prime Minister’s Office.
On Tuesday, Mr. Duffy made public a letter from the RCMP to his lawyer asking for e-mails and documents that would back up the Senator’s version of events. Mr. Duffy had earlier told the Senate that the Prime Minister’s Office gave him media lines telling him how to speak about the repayment in public.
Mr. Harper’s former chief of staff, Nigel Wright, left the job earlier this year after it was revealed that he had given Mr. Duffy about $90,000 to pay back questionable housing expenses. During more than two weeks of debate on the proposed suspensions, Mr. Duffy revealed that his legal fees were covered by the Conservative Party of Canada in addition to the cheque from Mr. Wright.
All three senators have argued that they are victims of political expediency and were not given a reasonable opportunity to defend themselves or be heard fairly. All were appointed by Mr. Harper, making it more difficult for the Prime Minister to distance himself from the controversy.
Claude Carignan, the government leader in the Senate, accused Liberal senators on Tuesday of approaching the proposed sanctions in a partisan manner by opposing a Tory bid to limit the debate, even though both party leaders said they allowed a free vote on the suspensions.
“The decision to suspend these senators also means putting aside partisan interests,” Mr. Carignan said. “Unfortunately, over the past two weeks, the Liberals have shown that partisanship is more important to them than the greater interest of Canadians and of the institution.”
Mr. Carignan’s words closely mirrored a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday night, which said the Liberals used “delay tactics” to slow the suspensions. “These senators have been found by auditors to have claimed inappropriate expenses. They should not be collecting a public paycheque,” Jason MacDonald wrote in an e-mail.
Four Conservatives abstained on all of the suspension votes. Two others abstained on Mr. Brazeau’s suspension motion, but voted with the government to suspend Ms. Wallin and Mr. Duffy. Daniel Lang, one of the two who abstained in the vote on Mr. Brazeau, said on Monday night that he believed the allegations against the Quebec senator were less serious than the those faced by Ms. Wallin and Mr. Duffy.
Hugh Segal, the only Conservative to vote against the suspension motions, said he tried to speak for those across the country who believe in due process and the rule of law. “You don’t get to win every battle, and in our system, majorities count. There was a strong majority on the other side and I accept that, and I just move on.”
Conservative Senator Don Plett, who spoke against the suspensions, said he knew “we had no chance of winning this.” Mr. Plett abstained on all three votes.
After the vote, Ms. Wallin told reporters she wanted to thank senators who abstained. “It’s an extremely sad day for democracy. If we can’t expect the rule of law in Canada, then where on earth can we expect it?”
James Cowan, the Liberal leader in the Senate, said he does not think the process was fair to the three senators.
“I think we’ve been clear on our side that we don’t respect the process, we don’t think it was a fair process, and we think that it was more designed to suit the political purposes of the Prime Minister to shut these three senators up before they could get out any more damaging material which destroys, or further destroys, the Prime Minister’s credibility,” he said.
Most Liberals voted against the suspensions, but a handful chose to abstain. Only one Senator Paul Massicotte, voted in favour of the suspensions.

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