Every rule, they say, has an exception. In a democracy, however, one sometimes wonders whether the exceptions have become a privilege reserved for those who make the rules. The average employee must retire at 58 or 60, but politicians often continue well into their seventies or eighties. Legislatures meet for only limited days each year, yet remuneration continues throughout the year. Political dynasties flourish despite speeches against nepotism. Public office is meant to be a sacred trust, not a catalogue of privileges. Citizens seek fairness, accountability and one simple principle: the rules should apply equally to the rulers and the ruled.
Nelson Lopes, Chinchinim
