It is our understanding that the Natives are the poorest people in this province, they experience the highest crime rate in the country, their young population are not getting an education(2), and yet our highest priority is self policing and self government.

As I am concerned, the emphasis on self policing and self government efforts are not going to cure the chronic poverty and deprivation of most of our Native population, rather these efforts will reinforce the spiraling corruption of our current Native leaders and the maintenance of an oligarchic and stagnant social system, similar to what we have in mainstream society.

We have been repeating many times that racism is not the problem of the predicament of our poor people, and that instead corruption and lack of citizenship are at the root of poverty, be among Natives or non-Natives. I am very happy to see that individual Natives are speaking out publicly as responsible citizens, and pointing out the ongoing corrupted mental models of their leaders who see in casinos(3), self policing and self government the only alternative to social and economic advancement.

In early August we had Virgina Favel expressing her disbelief on how Native leaders can talk about self government when they mismanage Native money and abuse their own people(4). And today, we have Leonard Iron coming out and stating that the gambling industry is a regressive and insidious taxation built upon the backs of the poor and therefore upon the backs of the Natives(5).

Let us hope we have more people coming out and denounce the rampant corruption of our leaders in our societies so that we can join forces and contribute to true democratic changes where people and values become more important than paper money and bribes.

Endnotes

1. Indian reserves make move towards self-policing, by Kevin O'Connor, The StarPhoenix, August 17, 2000, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

2. Honourable Eric Cline has not balanced the budget yet, he forgot our school-children, by Mario deSantis, April 2, 2000

3. Studies conclude that natives are vulnerable to gambling addiction, by Mario deSantis, July 21, 2000

4. The problem of poverty is not racism, just lack of citizenship, By Mario deSantis, August 5, 2000

5. Gaming surely not helping Natives, by Leonard Iron, Readers' Opinions, The StarPhoenix, August 16, 2000, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The illustration at the top of the page shows newly elected Matthew Coon on the extreme left Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations who replaces Phil Fontaine on the extreme Right in that role.