MPs convicted for breaking the law in a democracy

Reading the Courier Mail made me think that Fijian citizens must keep fighting for their Democracy so that all coup perpetrators can be convicted for the act of treason carried out on the 5th of December, 2006. Here in Australia Gordon Nuttall is the latest in a long list of Australian politicians jailed for serious criminal offences in the last 22 years. Gordon Nuttall gets 7 years for receiving secret commissions. The other 12 former MPs including state premiers have been convicted of serious crimes ranging from accepting bribes, stealing from the public purse, sex offences, falsely obtaining money from parliamentary travel account, stealing through false travel claims, for travel rorts, rape, fraud, bribery, electoral fraud and blackmail. These are serious crimes, so it should be a foregone conclusion that those who have accorded Frank’s regime “legitimacy” and have taken up positions should be convicted when the time comes. Gordon Nutall’s ignominious demise has demonstrated that the state of Queensland’s criminal investigation and justice system does work. The same can happen when Fiji is out of the murky world of the military regime, the conviction and demise of Frank and his team will also demonstrate that Fiji’s criminal investigation and justice system is working at its best and so should be the death of the coup culture. These criminals should never be allowed to get away with anything and must be hauled in before a criminal trial and subsequently jailed. Like Nutall, Frank and his men demonstrates both a hide thicker than a bullock’s and a complete disconnect with reality and the standards expected of people elected to public office let alone couped to get there. They should never be given another chance to serve as a member of parliament in any democracy. These people are “bad apples” and should be dealt with severely but sadly it will only be after the rotten fruit has fallen to the ground. Gary WhiteQLD