Wednesday, July 02, 2008 Editorial: Partial compliance isn't
THE owner of Queensland Lodge has finally broken its silence and apologized "for its unintentional violation of certain laws government the creation of land from the say by way of reclamation" even as it lashed at its detractors saying they have not been remiss in trying to comply with the requirements for such development such that they have already in fact partially complied with all the requirements.
We say, partial compliance is non-compliance because along with partial compliance is partial non-compliance, and this is where a lot of good intentions become breeding ground for corruption, unintentional attacks on the environment, and even disasters.
According to the lodge owner, they plan to make the area a tourist attraction. That's good. It's just that, one cannot go ahead with any plan without abiding by government regulations. That's what government is for, to regulate, and to be aware of all that is happening in its territory.
Going ahead with one's plan without knowing the procedures is but a lame excuse for thwarting the law. As has been said over and over again, the road to perdition is paved with good intentions, like Queensland's grand plan for Times Beach.
Why it took such a long time for a private entity to make known its plan is but a peep into how much more developments from other private entities could be going on right under the government's nose -- all well-intentioned but not necessarily environmentally viable. It's also a peep into how government can look the other way while heavy equipment chug along a major beach area.
If a big investor like Queensland claims not to know that there are requirements for reclamation projects, what else does it doesn't know in terms of environmental impacts of whatever project they put in along the city's shores?
The best that the City Government can do is to say: Stop! And then pick up the pieces from there, like attending to the hundreds of others who have been violating laws all because we have all brushed these aside as simply being too difficult to implement.
It may be cliché‚ but it still holds true: The law may be harsh but it's still the law.
And for our officials who are tasked to uphold the law, we say, the very reason you're there is because you chose to be there and along with that choice is the responsibility to do the hard work.
