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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
 In a post 9/11 environment, and in light of recent terror attacks in Paris and elsewhere, governments around the world have sought more creative ways to protect their citizens. While the Bahamas has thankfully not dealt with any such attacks on our soil, we are however faced with a different but equally significant threat to our country’s national security: VIOLENT CRIME. In recent years, gun violence, and all other manner of crime has all but crippled our small society. It is no wonder then that our government, like others around the world, would also attempt to use all avenues available to it to protect us as well.
In its 2012 Charter for Governance the Christie administration committed itself to the formation of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to “address all categories of major breaches/crime in our jurisdiction.” In pitching the idea of this CIA-like security agency, government officials proposed that the new body would be comprised of members from every branch of law enforcement in the country. Its mission: to protect our borders, aid in the reduction of crime, and help “maintain safety and peace”. A noble concept indeed.
So far however, the NIA, its establishment and operation has been shrouded in secrecy. Shortly after taking office in 2012, a newly appointed National Security Minister Dr. Bernard Nottage announced the government’s plans to proceed with the establishment of that entity and, at that time, promised that legislation to govern the body would be brought before Parliament. Now, more than three years later, that has yet to happen, this despite rumors that the entity has already begun to operate. Just this week, the Jr. Minister of National Security confirmed that the government has only now completed the legislation that would support the NIA; this more than 2 years after the substantive Minister made similar statements to the media, raising a fresh crop of questions and concerns in the public domain. Equally disconcerting is the radio silence from the government. While an argument can be made for maintaining the secrecy of the NIA’s operations and the protection of the identities of those involved, this level of opacity in a country as small as the Bahamas is an issue, particularly in an environment where public confidence in the government and its transparency hangs by a thread. If no other is to be made available, then the governing legislation should have been tabled well in advance of any actual operation of the entity.
If the rumor mill is to be believed, and the NIA has been in operation since 2012 as the evidence suggests, then this Christie administration has again put the cart before the horse on this very important issue.
The idea that the NIA may have been operational for the past several years without reigns of law to keep the government accountable raises serious concerns and in the absence of fact, speculations abound. What, if anything, has the NIA been up to? For example, does each individual or registered voter have a personal file in the NIA? Just how much data has been collected on these individuals? Are some persons more closely monitored than others? What criteria does the NIA use to categorize criminals? By NIA standards what is the definition of criminal behavior? Can Bahamians trust that the government has not violated their constitutional rights? How much taxpayer money has been used to fund this unlawful entity?
If the rumor mill is to be believed not only has the government breached the sacred trust that should exist between the government and the people that elected them, but it also means that unfortunately the NIA is already failing at its intended mission. In the past few years, crime – both serious and minor matters – has seen dramatic increases. In fact, many Bahamians feel even less safe in their homes than ever before.
The time has come for this government to provide an in-depth explanation about the NIA, its purpose and how its function affects the individual privacy rights of the citizenry of this country, if at all. In the face of growing public mistrust of the government and its systems, this administration must stop allowing for inferences and speculation to take the place of fact. The government still has a chance to correct the misinformation which exists by simply putting out the facts.
Branville McCartney
DNA Leader
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