A strong stance against corruption, full respect for the separation of powers and more public ownership rather than privatisation are key aspects of the governance section of the manifesto released last Thursday by the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP).

The 62-page document, the first from any of the parties planning to contest the upcoming general elections, saw a greater role for public ownership.

“Private interests have ruled the roost for far too long. The result is a society scarred by inequalities of power and wealth, and a planet plundered of resources and damaged by pollution. Those elites with power and wealth have done very well; everywhere else there is agony. Politics has fragmented communities, public institutions have weakened, people’s lives are dominated by insecurity, and prejudice is rife. We live in a price-tag society – and if you can’t pay the price, too bad. In racially divided consumer societies like ours, the common good has been forgotten. So much government has been put out to tender, and corrupted. The reins have been handed over to the unfettered market and corporate interests. Things that used to be done by public agencies have been outsourced.