Credit where it's due

There was much made in recent weeks of some federal government members using their party's logo on, or personally signing, the big novelty cheques they hand out when making funding announcements.

It's not the party's money, so why is the party getting credit for it? It's not the MPs' money, so why are they getting credit for it?

The idea is something with which Newfoundlanders should be familiar. Many signs erected at building and construction sites have the name of the minister who heads the involved department on the bottom.

Why?

Some might argue that these politicians 'championed' these projects through the bureaucratic system and therefore deserve a public pat on the back.

The reality is that's what politicians are paid for - to help their constituents and the public at large, to champion projects that are for the greater good and to generally run government. Do they really need public commendation every time they tick something off their to-do list?

The other reality is that these politicians did not do most of the behind the scenes work for many projects for which they then demand to take credit.

When a town like Port aux Basques or Rose Blanche, for example, gets approval for a project worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, it's because of the success of a proposal that was written by a local person or people. That proposal took hours of discussion, work and research to put together.

If that proposal should be accepted and approved, the local people who worked on it are often not allowed to say anything about it until some politician has a chance to make the announcement, effectively taking the credit for the whole idea.

It's true for the federal government and it's true for the provincial government.

The reason why they do it is simple - they hope to associate their name with a positive development in their riding.

They hope that positive association will last through to the last election. They hope that when that resident is in the voting booth facing a ballot with several names, they will remember that one of them was 'responsible' for the roadwork that made their drive home smoother, or the renovations at the public building they frequent, or the new ferry serving their community.

Politicians would garner a lot more respect from the public if they were to share the limelight, and the workload, with the local people who deserve it rather than just swooping in for the photo-op.

People may then notice them for doing a good job, and isn't that the best PR in the end?

editor@gulfnews.ca