MY congratulations to the Government on its hard-won pay increase and the accompanying pension bonus.

As you self-appointed emperors stroll the island, confident that your inflated bank accounts will now see you through your golden years, I hope you remember that yours is not a lifelong position.

It was amazing to see the speed with which you pushed through this particular piece of legislation when so much business has wallowed in Parliamentary muck for ages. A shame such a level of importance hasn't been attached to the anti-corruption legislation proposed after the Bermuda Housing Corporation scandal.

In the wake of that outrageous affair, former acting Director of Public Prosecutions Kulandra Ratneser, the Police and Auditor General Larry Dennis said that there could have been more prosecutions if the island's corruption laws had been modernised earlier.

The amendment wasn't deemed a priority by Attorney General Larry Mussenden, who said in April: "Last year the House debated a motion on whether Bermuda required more anti-corruption legislation similar to that which exists in other countries.

"The Government argued that the internationally recognised institutions that by their presence in a modern democracy combat corruption, were already present in Bermuda, such as a high standard of living, a free press, an effective judiciary and justice system and proper reporting."

Free press? Not sure it's part of Government's genuine wish ? several politicians have suggested the need for a tighter rein on what we can and cannot print.

According to , backbencher Ren?e Webb has already implied a sanctioning of sorts: "If (Phillip Wells' online blog) Limey in Bermuda is being offensive, then bring it to the attention of the Minister and action will be taken," she told the House of Assembly in March.

Effective judiciary and justice system? Not always. Consider Rebecca Middleton. Consider Steven (Pepe) Dill. Consider the case of Kevin Leroy Butterfield, a defendant who failed to show up for his Supreme Court robbery trial this week after his premature release from prison in May.

Proper reporting: As if. My colleague Gareth Finighan contacted a Ministry of Works & Engineering spokeswoman asking who had received the contract for the new police station and court building. The official Government response: "As it relates to the police station/court building, the Ministry has declined to comment on this matter."

A FORMER Transport Control Department clerk was jailed last week for taking cash in exchange for providing licences to unqualified drivers. The conviction was the first of its kind in 99 years of record, falling under a law which makes it illegal for those in public office to accept bribes.

According to Mr. Ratneser, the wording of the legislation makes it difficult to prove such charges, hence the low conviction rate. That revelation led to renewed calls for its improvement.

I bet the first pay cheque will hit MPs' bank accounts long before they make strengthening anti-corruption legislation a priority or the promises of the 2006 Throne Speech are fulfilled.

There is so much that is wrong with our beautiful little island. What we've heard over and over again is that Government can't fix it all, but aside from faster ferries and lower air fares, what has been accomplished?

We've been warned that our social programmes are ill-equipped to deal with the pressing needs of families. Affordable housing? It comes with a price tag of $450,000. Violence is increasing, racial epithets are flying, the island is consistently highlighted in the foreign press for its "unusual business practices", branded no more than a tax haven.

The average senior citizen is fumbling around in the dark, hungry, or living out their final days in an unregulated nursing home. Are our teachers able to provide all our children with the education they deserve? I wouldn't bet on it. Jury duty remains a hindrance to entrepreneurship despite a promised Government review of the practice and its requirements. We haven't seen pictures of crack houses made ready for the homeless.

And then, of course, there's the Government's undeniable failure to "facilitate and support the Human Rights Commission, CURE and Non-Governmental Organisations in a major race relations initiative". I'm sorry, throwing $95,000 at CURB doesn't count when politicians have stated their desire to advance the interests of a single race.

We're being preached to about sustainable development ? the Premier took the bus to set an example to the uncommitted ? yet Government still owns its massive fleet of cars, all of which add to traffic congestion, pollution and the general waste of public funds.

To whom does the Government answer? Certainly not the people who elected it in, the very same people who will now bear the cost of this ridiculous wage increase.

I suggest we all consider the words of Premier Alex Scott who declared some time ago: "Don't go by our press, go by our practice."