by Adrian Gibson
First published in The Tribune on Friday, April 27, 2007 under the byline, Young Man's View.
THE present government has been one of great promises and little to no action. Their promised fresh wind went stale from the first year that the administration and its indecisive forces became the government.
Victimization, an old PLP trademark, came back in living colour. The Registrar General debacle illustrated just how low this government will stoop to exert control. The Registrar General’s office no longer had any credibility as the Supreme Court ruled that Elizabeth Thompson (former Registrar General) was improperly dismissed, then denied a request by the Attorney General’s office for a stay pf the ruling, but yet the government had not taken any action to resolve the matter. After much legal wrangling, Ms Thompson settled with the government and resigned.
Today, the public service has become the hub of political victimization. Political victimization in government ministries has been a governmental plague stemming from the Pindling era. Further, even Senator Ricardo Whylly said that he had heard the “complaints of victimization and undermining” of public servants by abusive permanent secretaries and undersecretaries. He had promised that they political victimizers would answer for their acts, but did they?
Almost immediately after assuming power in May 2002, the PLP became scandal-ridden. Certain PLP ministers did not seem to learn how to avoid looking as if they were involved in scandalous behaviour.
The ‘Harachji incident’ was the first shameful chapter of the PLP’s book of shame. Here, they initially denied receiving 10 million in campaign donations from Iranian businessman Mohammed Harachji, but then later admitted to receiving some contributions from Mr Harachji, whose bank was blacklisted under the FNM administration. After this scandal broke, the PM said that he didn’t think that it was significant whether they had gotten $10 million or $3 million.
More scandalous events were yet to come. Soon came the rape allegations and the refusal of a senior Cabinet minister to resign amidst these accusations, then the BAIC debacle, the Sidney Stubbs bankruptcy fiasco, the Korean boat affair, the Neville Wisdom’s bleachers scandal and then the secretive, land snatching Bahamar deal.
Whilst Phil Ruffin might have gotten his $147 million for the Crystal Palace properties, the government negotiated and sold the Radisson hotel, a contingent of buildings and beachfront property—an estimated 500 acres—for a mere $45 million dollars. The developers also stand to receive concessions such as stamp tax exemptions, customs duties exemptions on building materials, casino and property tax exemptions for several years, and marketing and promotional assistance from the government. What was the government thinking?
And what’s more, Bahamar has yet to get of the ground. All I see is about 40 trailers on the side of Cable Beach (road), presumably with construction material for restoration work.
Under this government, there has been a great giveaway of Bahamian crown land for a bag of promises and a plethora of concessions to land promoters without one verifiable investment to show for it.
The PLP says that they have brought $20 billion to the Bahamas, but where is it? Could it be in the closet?
The CSME and LNG debates have yet to be resolved and are still heatedly disputed among proponents and opponents of both matters.
Then came the Western Air fiasco raised many questions about former Immigration minister Vincent Peet’s motives for rejecting the applications of six Argentinean pilots and then deporting them. It was speculated that Mr Peet was upset that Shandrice Rolle, one of the principals of Western Air, would have potentially challenged him as an FNM candidate in the upcoming general elections. Although Mr Peet’s decision was reversed, was Vincent Peet using his ministerial portfolio to advance his personal political agenda?
What happened to Sir Jack Hayward and Edward St George’s one million donation to the hurricane relief fund? Wasn’t this money given to the Prime Minister on a trip to Grand Bahama? Wasn’t he told the purpose for which this money was to be used?
Last year, the government was further embarrassed when Keod Smith and Kenyatta Gibson, two ‘honorable MP’s’, resorted to school yard tactics and engaged in bullfighting in the Cabinet room – a room where crucial decisions governing the country is made. During the fisticuffs, two windows were smashed and the glass top of a large mahogany table in the cabinet room was broken.
Even more insulting was what appeared to be PM Perry Christie’s attempt to hoodwink the Bahamian public and downplay this matter as if we are collectively stupid!
More scandal came to the fore, when former minister of Immigration Shane Gibson hurried through a permanent residence permit for his friend, the infamous Anna Nicole Smith.
Mr Gibson attained residency status for Ms Smith in three weeks, although more deserving people had to wait for months and years. Even more insulting was Mr Gibson’s attempt to fool the public by claiming that Ms Smith hasty residency approval was an example of improved efficiency in his department.
Earlier this year, The Tribune’s ultra explosive front page photographs of Immigration minister Shane Gibson and the late Anna Nicole Smith stunned thousands of Bahamians, leaving many with wide eyes and dropped jaws as they stared at pictures showing a Cabinet minister embracing a woman to whom he had recently granted permanent residency status.
In January, legislation passed in the US requiring all American citizens returning to the states from the Bahamas and the Caribbean region to have passports was enforced. Although the country had two years to prepare for the implementation of these new requirements, the government seems to have dropped the ball as there were unaddressed questions about whether the country’s tourism market and economy could remain buoyant, concerns about whether the country had conducted an effective promotional campaign and whether or not more could have been done with regard to foreign relations.
The government also missed the boat on several other important foreign affairs matters. There was the indecision about the Cuban dentists, secret votes at the UN and the government’s failure to immediately engage in the EPA negotiations with the European Union. Their breakdown in such (EU) talks could possibly lead to Bahamian goods that are exported to Europe suddenly losing there duty-free status.
Although the Urban Renewal programme has given children in inner-city communities an opportunity to engage in extra-curricular activities, over the last five years crime has soared in the urban areas.
Under this administration, the education and healthcare systems have also been neglected, with schools in poor conditions and not opening on time and medicines and other essential items being unavailable at the hospitals and local clinics. In fact, the mortality rate has drastically increased over the last few years.
Bahamians will not soon forget Supreme Court Justice John Lyons ruling that the Bahamian judiciary was not independent and was therefore being unfairly infringed upon by the executive branch of government. Justice Lyons claimed that judges were not being fairly remunerated and claimed that a Constitution Review commission’s report was not followed by the government. Following Justice Lyons’ ruling, Attorney General Allyson Gibson responded, calling the ruling a “scurrilous and venomous attack” that she felt was “unwarranted”. This year, Mrs Gibson quietly withdrew a motion that objected to Justice Lyons sentiments.
There has also been mass union unrest over the past five years. Amidst the scandal, the teachers, nurses, police, defence force, prison officers, baggage handlers, utility workers and Bahamasair staff were all upset and either walked of their jobs or demonstrated.
What ever happened to an explanation about the bag full of US $100 bills found in Vincent Peet’s closet? A Bahamian—who happens to be a the Minister of Financial Services and Investments— confessed to being in possession of more than $10,000 in US currency and, he has yet to disclose whether or not he got exchange control approval!
Since the election is days away, will there be clarification on another brewing scandal, that the PLP is buying votes?
I predict that there will be several major upsets and lots of seat-less wonders following the May 2nd general elections. The boys were back in town, but, from the looks of things, this time so next week, they could be gone! Only time will tell.
