Last Friday's House of Assembly “debate” on drug testing marked a low point for Government MPs in this new Parliamentary term.

The only good thing that can come out of it is that this Parliament still has another four years to go, and that may be long enough for voters to forget this act of hypocrisy.

Opposition MP John Barritt out a motion that MPs should agree to be drug tested.

In theory, a vote in favour of the motion would have enabled Bermuda's elected representatives to show that they will lead by example and uphold the laws that they enact for the rest of the public.

It is hard top argue with the idea. Even those politicians who would be prepared to admit that they favour weakening drug laws or decriminalising offences like cannabis possession surely uphold those laws now.

But for reasons that have still not been adequately explained, the Government chose not to debate the motion, killing it before it could be debated. It may be that they did not want to be undergo the tests.

It may also be that they did not want to be seen voting against it, since the Government certainly had the votes to defeat the motion following debate. But it was presumably easier to kill the motion without having to give a public opinion.

Admittedly, this is not the kind of act that is going to put roofs over people's heads or educate Bermuda's children.

But the Government would have had a chance to set an example to others that it can live up to its words. Instead it ducked the question. That's not leadership, its cowardice.