Rules for Ordinary Maldivians:: Dhivehi Observer

Editorial
Rules for the ordinary man, not the influential

Dhivehi Observer, 14th May 2005

Power or influence knows no system of government; Rules apply only to the ordinary man.

Each organisation seems to have its own set of rules. The hospital would say that the consultation is up to certain time; the doctors are fully booked and, if a patient wants to see him, he should seek reference from another. A government department would have three days to reply a letter no matter how urgent it is. A foreign mission would say to one that a particular service would take so many days subject to certain conditions, and would do that for another of influence the same day without any condition. But, irritatingly, all the rules and conditions apply to the commoner, not to those in power, regardless of the type of organisation, private, government or diplomatic.

A foreign mission in Male was approached for visa, which was subject to three or four working days to be processed. This was not acceptable to the applicant who had important business to be conducted the following day. He did not give up! He sought the influence of a friend of his in the local government knowing very well of the weakness of the foreign missions, regardless of how powerful are their countries, find themselves submissive to the host country. The visa that was to take four working days was issued the same day. The applicant realized that rules work only in the case of the ordinary man, not to men of influence.

This is true of the world’s biggest democracies. They find themselves incapable of treating every one equally. The power of the influence knows no system of government. It works whether a democracy or a dictatorship; a private company or a public enterprise. When it comes for fairness no system makes a difference. After all, systems depend on people; not people on systems. Democracies are based on the concept of fairness, but it is not any fairer to the ordinary man than is a dictatorship.