Although it remains a divisive topic, this newspaper has taken the stance in recent years that people who have committed crimes and paid their debt to society should not be barred from running for office.But that does not mean that a candidate who has committed a crime for which he has not yet been dealt with, let alone paid any kind of debt, should be “given a second chance”.But that appears to be what is happening with Makai Dickerson, a Progressive Labour Party “rising star” who has been selected to take on One Bermuda Alliance Leader Craig Cannonier in Devonshire South Central.Mr Dickerson was arrested in September when he was stopped by police and found to have drugs in a cigarette packet in his pocket. Mr Dickerson claims that although the drugs were in his possession, they did not belong to him.Nonetheless, he was charged by police and bailed to return in December where he claims he expects he will receive a caution.It would seem to be obvious that people running for office should respect the law. If elected, they will swear an oath to uphold it.Beyond that, as National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief said yesterday, the PLP has a “zero tolerance” policy on drugs.Mr Perinchief conceded Government is considering a caution policy for minor possession, but he added: “At this point, I must emphasise that it is still an illegal substance and any amount of it is illegal and it's illegal to be in possession of it.”How does that square with Mr Dickerson, who has admitted the offence and will be dealt with, in some form or another, in December, just days before the General Election? It is a direct contradiction. How does that make sense for a party that seems to have based its whole campaign on allegations that its opponents have taken contradictory positions?Even if one is as charitable as possible to Mr Dickerson - that he is young, that he made a mistake, that he has admitted the mistake and that he deserves a second chance - there is still the question of his judgment.Mr Dickerson has been classed as a rising star of the PLP, a young candidate being groomed for greater things. Presumably the party's leaders have seen something in him that shows he has the intelligence and judgment to help to lead this country and to make good decisions on its behalf.But if the PLP really only learned about this “a few days ago”, what does that say about Mr Dickerson's readiness?Mr Dickerson was arrested before he was announced as a candidate. Shouldn't an aspiring young politician's first call have been to the party to inform them of the problem he had encountered and to offer not to run in order to save the party the embarrassment that was sure to come?But Mr Dickerson did not do that. He sat on a stage at Alaska Hall with his party leader and Premier and let himself be introduced and praised as a candidate.Mr Dickerson's biggest problem is not the offence he committed. Mr Dickerson's biggest problem is that he seems to have decided to pretend that it never happened and to somehow slip through the net to the election.He may have thought it would not matter, since he was unlikely to defeat Mr Cannonier.It might be thought that he is young and simply panicked and could not figure out how to tell his party once he had been introduced.But when a party nominates a candidate, it is stating that it believes that person is ready to take office and to lead. If Mr Dickerson did not recognise his obligations to his party and country, then he is not ready for office and should do the right thing and withdraw as a candidate.He may deserve a second chance, but it should not be in this election.