Decisions, decisions

With any hope, this editorial will be outdated by the time you have read it.

It is being written on a Friday, for a Monday publication date.

That gives Premier Danny Williams and his Education Minister Joan Burke 48-60 hours to mop up the mess that's been made over the handling of the appointment of a president to Memorial University.

Given they have only two scenarios to consider, it should not be difficult for them to make a decision and then act on it.

The first scenario would see Joan Burke apologizing for her interference in the hiring of a new president of Memorial University, begging forgiveness of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Board of Regents of Memorial University, and awaiting the recommendation of a candidate from the Board of Regents.

Given that 17 of the 30 members of that Board are appointed by government, the Conservatives should be content with that level of control.

The second scenario would see Premier Danny Williams shuffling his cabinet to move Burke either a) out of the Education portfolio or b) out of cabinet altogether, apologizing for the minister's actions, begging forgiveness from the province's citizens and the Board of Regents, and announcing he is awaiting the recommendations of the Board regarding a new president for MU.

If neither of them chooses either scenario, then we are left to deduce a myriad of scenarios.

We will have no choice but to conclude that while Burke committed a blunderous transgression in her decision, she has gained the approval of the Premier.

We might also conclude that Burke's decision was, ultimately, at the direction of the Premier's office; that she was merely the face and voice of a choice made in an office on the eighth floor of Confederation Building.

We can also conclude that given this level of government interference in the hiring of a university president, the Williams government hopes to put a particular person at the helm of the university - a person, perhaps, with strong ties to the Progressive Conservative Party, someone who will be the eyes, ears of Williams and raise the cane on academic voices that dare to initiate debates and discussions that appear to contravene the 'wisdom' of government.

However, the most disturbing conclusion of all in this wretchedly pathetic display of political arrogance, is that we now know we have a government with a paranoid determination to control.

Premier Williams has been known to personally call editors and letter writers who offer criticism of him and his government's decisions.

While his stated aim is to "set the record straight" the tactic probably leaves ordinary letter-writing citizens with the sense of "better be careful what you say because He is watching."

This government, quite simply, likes to control the message.

It also likes to attempt to control public debate and opinion.

We saw evidence of this last year when the premier threatened to sue anyone who dared to say anything that was - in his opinion - libelous against his ministers. It left everyone to wonder whether it was safe to offer honest opinions on government policies or challenge ministerial decisions.

Mind you, the qualms about speaking openly didn't last long. It took only a few good nights' sleep for many to realize the Premier's threat was irrational. But one second of second-guessing about a citizen's right to freedom of speech is still one second too long.

Though that didn't stop government from trying.

We saw blatant evidence of its high-handedness just a few weeks ago when Justice Minister Jerome Kennedy and the Premier, complained about the conduct of Madame Justice Cameron during the ongoing inquiry into faulty hormone receptor tests.

Cameron was handpicked by the government to lead this inquiry. Someone, obviously, had faith in her ability.

However, considering her treatment by the very people who hired her, what, do you imagine, a government-appointed, hand-picked-by-the-minister president of Memorial University would be subject to if that hiring process is controlled by the provincial government?

In her latest defense of her decision, in a press release issued at 4 p.m. on Friday, Burke showed no signs of backing down; regardless of the continuing criticism, from learned quarters, including former premiers of other provinces and from the Canadian Association of University Teachers.

"The province has not submitted any names for consideration, or instructed the board on who must be hired," said Minister Burke. "This is not about political patronage."

So why, then, is the minister so insistent on having a hands-on role in the hiring process? If Burke would have us believe this is not about patronage, or hand-picking the new president, then the best way to prove it is to step back and let the Board of Regents carry on with the task.

Beyond that, Burkes, and Williams', only decision to make is how to word the next press release conceding her mistake.