Accountability

Word of the week.

Accountability. It's been popping up in conversation around many issues and Government and Local Government are being exposed  for the lack of accountability that occurs after major events or decisions that affect thousands of New Zealanders.

It is not a new problem but may be issues like the Mount and alleged lies by public servants have brought the problem to prominence in the media and a bit of sunlight has exposed how bad things are.

Historically accountability of civil servants has been a 'too hard' to deal with issue .We can't sue and the public service carries on as though nothing has happened.

Following Gabrielle fingers were pointed , behind the scenes shifts occurred , jobs reallocated , lots of muttering and excuses but no accountability. Nothing. Nada.

It was hard to get a hold on who was in charge and who made decisions. No one wanted to front up and if you asked questions there was silence.

Last week I happened to be having a wide ranging conversation with a local friend and the comment was made, "he made the decision "

I was stunned .Whaaat ? I asked. Yes he made the decision.

So from a random conversation and by sheer coincidence I found out who made the decision to draw a line through our community causing angst and pain, pitching local against local during a time of extreme fear and upheaval.

The Category 3 ID was a line drawn in haste . It was totally unnecessary and was one of those hasty decisions that was made by the hidden shiny arse brigade in Wellington with help from information supplied by local public servants.

I had tried to find out who made the decision and now I know.

It confirms in my mind that the process that evolved all to quickly following the flood was ill conceived and though well intentioned had such a drastic affect on our community (and others) that it should never be followed again.

The disconnect between the people and the bureaucrats has never been greater and accountability will never occur with the current setup.

I will not divulge the name of the decision maker because he is but one in a chain of command that is possibly implicated in many Government decisions that have had major impacts on communities.

Suffice to say it helps put the picture together for later reference.