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My last issue of Voices expressed concerns with regards to the operations of the Tobique Casino. In general, the feedback was extremely positive and community members expressed a desire to take action on the recommendations and suggests offered in the newsletter. Thank you for the positive feedback! However, I did receive two email messages that expressed disappointment in the way I introduced the topic to community members. I would like to share one of these messages with you and my response to that message. Dear Mr. Perley, It brings me a great deal of sadness to see the propaganda in the community with your name attached. It saddens me because it comes from a man who believes that he is walking on the red path, the one that the Creator has designed for us. Unfortunately your actions are contrary to what you want people to believe. How so, for you to ignite and spread such negativity in the community is not only shameful but against all teaching of the Creator. If you want justice for our people, the work towards positive initatives. Do not feed the negativity in our community, it will only cause more damage. Do not ignite anger in people based on half truths and deceit. Yes, Deceit, you are not accurate in stating we made 14 million in revenues, don't forget pay out, operation costs and expenses.... I am going to be honest with you Mr. Perley since you chose not take the time to come to see me, I will tell you why I could not support you, I don't believe you are using the great mind the Creator blessed you with, you seem to be easily influenced by other people, it doesn't seem to me that you use your own mind to make decisions but rather go on what a select few tell you. That was apparent in your speech on Nomination Day and throughout Elections, be careful who you trust, chances are they will turn on you too. Those that work in the negative seek out the negative in people. That was not the intention of our Creator when he put us here on the glorious earth. Follow your heart and find some solitude to reflect on your behavior, you are not demostrating any leadership qualities in spreading propaganda to acheive your means. Please stop promoting and feeding the negative in our community, positive work is more contagious, always seek the good, not bad. I ask this of you as a sister of the Nation. We all have to live here, please let it be peaceful. If you need to put out newsletters, talk about the good in the community, talk about things that make the members proud of who we are. That surely goes alot further. Choose a path, because your feet are on one and your mind and heart are on another. (End of email message) Dear xxx??: Thank you for your response to my newsletter covering the operations of the Tobique Casino. I was certainly surprised to receive a response from you considering the fact that, at one time, you also held the same values and ideals that were expressed in my newsletter. I remember when you were opposed to any political and administrative system that did not adhere to the principles of honesty, accountability, fairness, and equality among members. You protested and expressed a strong voice against corruption, unfairness, and political greed. Yet, here you are defending the same system that you strongly opposed at one time! Do you truly believe in your heart that the situation has improved in the past two years? How is it that your views have changed so drastically in the past two years? Why is it that you cannot see the greed and unfair practices of the current system? The feedback in general has been positive and community members agree that they share my concerns and agree with the suggestions offered in the newsletter. Unfortunately, your response seems to suggest that a fair distribution of net profits would not be a good thing for Tobique. You seem to be upset with the suggestion that net profits from the casino operation should be targeted for specific items. Furthermore, your response seems to suggest that I was wrong in making a recommendation that the managers should be held accountable and that they should provide monthly reports detailing all revenues and expenditures. Finally, you seem to be disturbed with my suggestion that councilors should be removed from the daily operations of the casino. Your response to my suggestions is certainly curious considering the fact that you embraced similar values at one time. I am also curious why a request for accountability and fairness would be considered to be an action that "ignites and spreads such negativity in the community". I would think that all honest, concerned, fair and community-minded members of Tobique would demand strict adherence to the principles of accountability and fairness within the operations of all programs. You claim that my newsletter contains half truths and deceit. However, you did not identify specific areas in which your claim is based; in other words, where was the half truth and deceit? Is it deceitful to demand accountability and fairness for all community members? Is it only a “half truth” when I reported that managers have used casino funds for political purposes? I think that your argument would have merit if you or the casino managers would provide detailed financial information to counter observations made by me as well as most community members. In fact, I would challenge you and the managers of the casino to submit a detailed financial report to the community members that would support your allegation. I suspect that this report will not be forthcoming for obvious reasons. Your response also claims that the newsletter “ignited anger in people”. In general, I have found the newsletter to be well received. It may have ignited anger among those who have unfairly received direct benefits from the casino funds under the leadership of your Chief. This is not surprising considering the favorable treatment they have enjoyed for the past few years. They want to maintain the status quo because it would be to their advantage to support a system that is not legally obligated to follow guidelines and regulations. As you know, the current system gives complete control to the Chief and the two councilors appointed by the Chief to manage the casino. In essence, only three people (Chief and two councilors) have authority to decide who will receive casino funds. As I mentioned in my newsletter, this is a dangerous situation because it gives too much power to three members of the council. I believe that all requests should be submitted to the Chief and Council and a full discussion among council members should accompany each request. I also suggested that the Council could develop guidelines in consultation with the local membership. I doubt that people would be angered if the casino would adopt and implement the recommendations contained in the newsletter. You also accuse me of reporting an inaccuracy regarding the amount of revenues generated by the casino. You did not dispute the actual revenue amount reported in the newsletter but you brought to my attention that I failed to report “pay outs”, operation costs and expenses. Furthermore, you accused me of being deceitful because of this omission. Again, I challenge you and the managers to share this information with the local population. What are the “pay-outs”, operation costs and expenses? Who has received casino funds in the past year? You seem to have inside information on these matters. Have you been appointed manager of the casino as well? If it is so important for you and the managers to ensure that they are not being deceived by my newsletter then you have an obligation to set the record straight. I would suggest that you read my newsletter carefully and with a little more objectivity. If you remove the political blindfold, you will find that my newsletter makes suggestions for distribution of net profits for specific areas. I appreciate your honesty regarding your political support for the current Chief in the last election. You seem to suggest that you did not support me because I “did not take the time to come and see” you. I cannot believe that this was the only reason why you did not support me. I did not see all of the 348 people who voted for me and yet they supported a platform based on the principles of accountability, fairness, and responsible government. It was obvious that you were committed to my political opponent by the time nomination was held and the campaign was in full gear. I was unable and unwilling to compete with deals that were offered to a number of voters by my opponent. My morals did not allow me to offer specific deals for support. Thus, I took the “high road” and refrained from questionable and immoral campaign practices. It has come to my attention that “deals” were made between certain voters and the current Chief. Some examples of “deals” that came to my attention included future fulltime employment, housing units, repairs, special needs, and other favors. It is your view that I am easily influenced by other people and that I do not use my own mind to make decisions. You further claim that this was apparent in my nomination speech. I admit that my speech was influenced by concerned and community-minded people of Tobique. Prior to nomination day, I conducted home visits and noted the concerns expressed by the electors of Tobique. By nomination day I had visited the majority of family units and subsequently itemized common concerns and issues. I was in full agreement that a few of our loggers were abused while the politically connected had access to quality lots, equipment, regular paychecks and timely trucking service; our fishermen were also abused; accountability was and still is lacking; everyone should benefit from casino funds as well as forest royalties, tax rebates and revenues generated by our businesses. I was in full agreement with the ideas presented in my visitations and therefore drafted a speech based on feedback. I listened to all who wanted to express their concerns and their suggestions were reflected in my speech. It is my view that an effective leader listens and gives voice to all members. Their voices should be reflected in the policies, programs, and initiatives developed and implemented by the local government. It is also my view that a leader “who uses his own mind to make decisions” is dictatorial and will ultimately abuse his or her power. Dictators tend to ignore the concerns of the people and forge ahead in the direction they have imposed upon community members. They also rely on political puppets to assist them in maintaining a corrupt, unfair system. I would love to report the positives of our current leadership but I am unable to identify any to include in my newsletter. It would be a breath of fresh air if I were able to report that your Chief has committed himself to bi-weekly Chief and Council meetings; monthly “band” meetings; financial and political accountability; changes in the administration of the casino; availability of financial reports at the casino/administration; willingness to resolve outstanding issues with our loggers and fishermen; eliminating conflict of interest situations; and development of program guidelines based on fairness. I am looking for positives in the political and administrative operations of Tobique and as soon as I identify an initiative that benefits all community members, I will certainly give it front page treatment. Perhaps there is one item that I can include in my newsletter that would be considered to be a positive. I think that the newsletter should recognize and acknowledge those councilors who have been diligent in their pursuit of accountability within the administration and political decision-making process. I believe that Councilors who are dedicated to the principles of accountability, fairness, and honest government should be honored as champions of the Tobique cause. They have not compromised their principles despite the fact they have been offered “carrots” for their political support. As you may know, these carrots have conditions attached to them and require a shift in allegiance from community-mindedness to individual greed. They have persevered and they continue to be our voice at the Chief and Council meetings as well as the administration office. I am certainly proud of their commitment and relentlessness in the pursuit of community goals. Thank you for the suggestion! As a final note to your response, I would like to address your comments regarding the Creator of Life and the path that Creator has designed for us. You seem to suggest that you have a direct communication link with the Creator and he/she has informed you that I am not walking on the red path. The Creator has also informed you that my actions are not consistent with the teachings of our Creator. Of course, we know better; you do not have the ultimate moral authority to judge others. At the end of the day, I will be judged by our Creator and not by self-righteous individuals who believe they are above others because of their close association with the current Chief. I have a clear conscience pertaining to my political and community activities! I am comfortable with the path that I have chosen and I will accept the judgment handed down by our Creator. I feel comfortable in knowing that on judgment day I will be able to make the claim that I did not compromise my principles to satisfy individual greed. Without making moral judgments on your own personal path, I believe that the Creator would expect us to pursue fairness and justice for all. I believe that Creator would expect us to stand up for those who are abused and oppressed by a corrupt system. I also believe that Creator expects all leaders to set aside their personal interests and give priority to the well-being of all community members. Finally, I believe that our Creator does not condone individual greed and selfishness as we carry out our political and community responsibilities. The Medicine Wheel Teachings require a life-time of service to the community. Furthermore, the principles of sharing and respect are emphasized as we continue our life journey in the physical world. In addition to sharing of our time for the good of all, we are also expected to strive for a community vision that emphasizes sharing of community resources among community members. Community resources and benefits flowing from those resources should not be concentrated within the greedy hands of a select few. All members should benefit from our community initiatives. I fully embrace the Medicine Wheel teachings and although you may disagree I truly believe that my actions reflect the teachings of our ancestors. I will wait for the Creator to make that judgment. Woliwon! David Perley I wish to emphasize that the intent of the newsletter was not to generate anger within the community but to remind people that we are shareholders of the casino operation and we have a right to information on revenues and expenses as well as a right to a share of the profits. I encourage all shareholders to attend a meeting within the next few days. This meeting will examine our options to force accountability, management changes and profit sharing from the casino operations. An announcement will be posted. Wisdom of Our Elders “No person among us desires any other reward for performing a brave and worthy action, but the consciousness of having served his nation.” (Joseph Brant, Mohawk) “In all your deliberations in the Council, in your efforts at lawmaking, in all your official acts, self-interest shall be cast into oblivion.” (Constitution of the Five Nations) “Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations.” (Constitution of the Five Nations) |