by Eileen Dupuch Carron
The following Tribune editorial is reprinted with the kind permission of the author.
PLP OPPOSITION leader Perry Christie is anxious for a summit meeting of the country’s “best and brightest minds” to assist in finding solutions to the global challenge that has shaken the Bahamas.
“The PLP is ready, willing and able to be a a part of any such summit or to meet with the government independently in this regard,” Mr Christie said.
In the House of Assembly yesterday, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham presented a 28-page mid-year Budget report (pdf) outlining the “deteriorating global financial and economic crisis” and how it has affected the Bahamas. Mr Ingraham outlined government’s interim plans to meet the challenge — plans to protect the country’s financial services and cushion the effect of job losses.
He warned that it was important for government to “maintain steadfast vigilance over public finances in order to maintain our relatively favourable debt position going forward.” He said that meant that in the near term the stimulus provided must be “cyclical in nature and not lead to an increase in Government’s structural fiscal deficit.”
He said his mid-year progress report was being circulated to House members with the mid-year Budget statement to show the progress for the first six months of the 2008-9 fiscal year — July 1 to December 31, 2008 of recurrent and capital expenditure and recurrent revenue. He said the purpose of the data was to enable the House to assess the progress made to date through the 2008-9 Budget across the whole range of government spending and revenue. Graphs were also attached.
Monday, March 2, has been set for the opening of a three-day Budget debate. This will be a golden opportunity for the Opposition to show its sincerity in wanting to be a part of the solution to the country’s problems and not itself to be a part of that problem.
Yesterday morning, time was wasted — as it always is — on procedural matters and a verbal exchange on whether Government informed or consulted with the Opposition on how the debate would proceed. The brownie point-tit-for-tats should be settled behind the scenes and not before a television audience many of whom are disgusted by the pettiness of many of these time-wasting legislators.
Monday is the Opposition’s chance to show that it sincerely wants to be a part of the debate. It should come with concrete ideas to assist the country in the worst crisis it has ever had to face. Opposition members do not have to meet independently with Government on this matter. This meeting should be held in front of the Bahamian people in next week’s three-day debate. Bahamians would like to see how well the Opposition would perform if the political shoe were on the other foot.
According to Mr Christie, government had options open to it when discussing the layoff with owners of hotel properties which could have saved thousands of jobs.
It would be interesting to know what those options might have been. How can one keep a person on a job that has disappeared? Obviously Mr Christie had the answer. He should let the public know so that government can be better prepared for the next round of lay-offs — should a worsening economy force such an unwelcome outcome.
Mr Christie claims that the FNM government appeared not to have appreciated the consequential results these layoffs would have on the financial markets, the social services department, the public school system and the public hospital. Of course, they recognised the results — it was so obvious that a congenital idiot would have recognised them. However, it is one thing to have recognition of a problem, but another to know how to deal with it. The solution to this dilemma is now the world’s problem. And no one seems to have the answer.
However, to listen to Mr Christie, he and his PLP party have the solutions. He should let government and the Bahamian people in on the secret and while he’s about it he can share it with President Obama. This would certainly secure him in the Guinness Book of Records as the man who solved the world’s economic and social crisis.
We are also tired of the continued flogging of a dead horse — “government’s decision to stop, review, and cancel $80 million worth of public works projects contributed significantly to the slowing of the economy to a trickle,” according to Mr Christie. It raises the old argument that if Mr Christie had not taken so long to make up his mind about these approvals, all of them could have been started before the FNM won the government. If Mr Christie had done what he should have done, Mr Ingraham would not have had the opportunity to stop anything.
Next week’s three-day debate is the Opposition’s time to shine. We are not interested in political histrionics; dragging old skeletons out of closets, finger-pointing, one upmanship, a recitation of problems that we are all aware of, or even what caused them — we all know that too. We want solutions.
The Opposition keeps teasing us with what they have to share, what they would do if they were government. On Monday we want to know what those great ideas are — we hope that they will not disappoint us.
The Tribune editorial - Thursday, February 26, 2009.
