Complete letter by Dr Bittar, Gabriel,
published edited in The Islander, 2011.05.12
in relation with Councillor Walkom’s Personal Statement of 2011.04.13, its censorship, then expurgation.
parts in bold-italic have been suppressed by the Editor of The Islander “for legal reasons”, without advising the author of the letter.
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Since being elected, Councillor Walkom has persistently questioned the business-as-usual attitude of council administration and of the old-guard elected members. In the process he has ruffled some people who don’t want to act decisively on the two most urgent and vital matters for the Island: fire safety and public finances.
He found himself facing a brick wall when asking necessary questions from administration, and too often, when some sort of an answer was given, it was useless blah. To make him toe the line, an unprecedented character assassination campaign was launched against him by the now “released” CEO, propped by the mayor and other councillors, and also by the Editor of this newspaper. Despite what appears to be a dismissal, the campaign of intimidation is ongoing and renewed, and actually running against both Councillors Walkolm and Chirgwin.
In this most unpleasant context, Councillor Walkom made a crucial Personal Statement at the Kangaroo Island Council meeting of 13.04.2011. He stated concisely what he aimed to achieve, in what way council is dysfunctional, and the vengeance treatment that is trying to squash his determination.
His statement was included in the council minutes as per usual practice, but within a day was taken off the council website: the CEO had censored a councillor. Now she has been “released”, and council has decided to reinstate the statement… but expurgated.
This is a very slippery slope, that should be a definite no-no. Councillors are supposed to be free in their questioning and in their opinions, and it’s in diversity that a democracy is supposed to operate. Note the expurgated parts are not libelling, just lucid questioning. To allow ratepayers to be informed and make up their own mind, the unexpurgated statement can now be found on two island websites:
www.kangarooislandpost.com and
www.kanguroo-island.net/kanguroo-island_polis/
Note for the latter that is meant to be a ‘u’, and it is not the police…
Dr Gabriel Bittar
American River
Published edited in The Islander, 2011.05.12