by Jerome Pinder
I hate to sound like Chicken Little and I won't go as far as saying the sky is falling in, but the last time I checked things were pretty grim in the Bahamas.
- Crime is at an all time high, with no apparent will by the Government to tackle the problem.
- Unemployment is a very serious concern in the Country
- Persons are attempting suicide at an alarming rate
- The Country continues to borrow to meet recurring expenditures
- Expenses are up and incomes are down
- Persons are living without electricity and running water
- Businesses are struggling to keep the doors open
- Should we mention BEC, ZNS and Water & Sewerage
- The justice system has cracked or practically crumbled
While the list could go on, having recently listened to the Parliament channel and reading coverage of the suspended session, one would think that things are wonderful in the Bahamas and our elected leaders have free time on their hands.
The recent behaviour of our MPs would have been deplorable in the good times, but to carry on in such a sick fashion when so many Bahamians are at rock bottom, is no better than the behaviour of a wild group of pot-cakes roaming the streets in search of food. Is this what you call leadership? And to make matters worse, they have the audacity to ask for and expect a vote!
If the behavior of our Parliamentarians is any reflection on us as a people, then you don't have to wonder why social values are crumbling around us. If the current opposition was not so disorganized and caught up in petty politics, they could take advantage of the shortfalls of the current administration. They are being handed an opportunity on a silver platter, but it appears the platter is falling.
I will quote Bishop Simeon Hall in an article in the Tribune on the 26th October 2010, "If the present tone of debate in parliament is expected to set the level of dialogue throughout the nation, then we are in far greater trouble than we had first imagined."
God forbid if any of our young people watched this debate. No wonder the school children are throwing rocks and bottles.
Why have our so called leaders made such fools of themselves? How can we expect everyday behaviour to be any better?
