Ex-ministers ‘cash for influence’: How Democracy Corrupts....?

The latest storm to hit Westminster, after the MPs expenses scandal, is the revelation that several former cabinet ministers were allegedly trying to sell their knowledge of government workings to the highest business bidders and claims they would even use their influence to approach former colleagues in government in order to influence policy.


Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon have all been suspended following reports in the Sunday Times and a Channel 4 Dispatches programme over claims they were prepared to influence policy for cash. Undercover reporters filming the former ministers uncovered the full arrogance of the ministers for hire. At the same time Hundreds of breaches of parliamentary rules by MPs who accepted free overseas trips from foreign governments was uncovered by a BBC investigation.

However, this behaviour is not new. In the mid 1990’s the Conservative Party was dogged by similar allegations of cash for questions.

These allegations come after other recent revelations that Tony Blair reportedly took £1m fee from the Kuwait’s ruling family and may have profited from advising an oil firm that struck an oil deal in Iraq.

Again, this is nothing new. After leaving office, many Conservative and Labour ex-ministers received lucrative directorships in companies that are profiting from government contracts.

People always say never mix religion and politics but the western cocktail of money and politics has caused huge problems in personal behaviour, in society’s values and in global peace and security.

The Islamic system takes the money out of politics. The democratic electoral circus that comes around every four or five years positively encourages the growth of money in politics forcing politicians to either raise tawdry amounts of money for re-election or maximise their own wealth before they get booted out.

The Islamic system though not immune from the temptations on offer, seeks to actively detach both finance and the interests of corporations from politics.

Whereas capitalism and democracies are fused at the hip in the west, so creating a class of politicians who are either personally corrupt or beholden to a corporate class, no such influence is permitted in an Islamic political model where strong restrictions surrounding relationships and influence are in force.

The Islamic economic system is also the complete antithesis to the capitalist economy, putting the problems of the ordinary man above big business.

A Khilafah state is the only vehicle to establish this Islamic political system and today provides a unique opportunity to show that there is a better way to manage politics. The Muslim world, when it implemented Islam in its politics, was a giant in global affairs, led in science, prosperity, healthcare and helped Europe emerge from its dark ages.
 
Source: HTB