It is common knowledge that there’s an almost total lack of accountability for policy failures, and for disregarding the rule of law on the part of our political leaders and senior officials. This is a main contributory reason for the country to slide progressively to this low depth over the last few decades.

Although segments of the private sector also suffer from this malaise, that doesn’t affect the whole nation. I think this feeling of impunity is promoted by our constitution itself!

We have Article 28, which specifically says there are no remedies if the state – meaning the executive, legislature and judiciary, being its three arms – do not deliver on the duties and responsibilities that are very lucidly and grandiosely set out in Article 26, which makes this part of the constitution meaningless.

In fact, an impartial assessment will lead us to conclude that successive governments have quite often worked against delivering on those responsibilities. We pass laws and take policy actions without anybody publicly and transparently quantifying the expected financial or qualitative benefits.

Outcomes are rarely measured or assessed objectively, and nobody is held accountable when the objectives are not met. At that stage, there is a lot of pandering to the egos of policy makers, preventing course corrections.

Long gone are the days when ministers resign when policies fail. These days, they keep finding excuses and it is always someone else’s fault.