|
|
|
|
Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
 We in the Democratic National Alliance believe that the Almighty has blessed this Commonwealth of the Bahamas with the riches resource in the world… the Bahamian People. We have said over and repeatedly that our vision is to transform The Commonwealth of the Bahamas into a nation where Bahamian people will be esteemed as the most precious resource-above all natural and material resources and the nurturing of our intellectual and creative brilliance will help us become a genuinely democratic, economically prosperous and socially mobile 21st Century nation.
While driving yesterday morning, I heard Dr. Myles Monroe on the radio and he said something quite interesting. He said that fools multiply when wise men remain silent.
We have called this press conference today to speak to the issues of this country and to review the first year of this PLP’s administration. Tomorrow will make exactly one year since this administration was ushered into government on the premise….“Believe in the Bahamas”.
Thank you for coming this afternoon.
A little over a year ago through a speech entitled “When the Rally is Over!” I said to the Bahamian people… for the past 2 weeks I have listened to the usual political hype by those other parties. I have heard:
The name calling;
Accusations;
Who is a better man?
Who did what;
Who did not do what;
Who is lazy?
Who is weak?
Who is a dictator?
I said that we have seen in the past few weeks …Rent a Rally…people being bussed in or flown in to particular events! We have seen the same old same old that has happened for the past 40 years between the 2 political parties…nothing new. The same political style of the 20th century. I continued by saying that we hear the promises of what will happen if elected…but we have heard these before. We hear the music, the party, the jingles and the sound bites. We see the excitement, fun and jubilation. It is said at those rallies that everything will be all right once elected. Yet when all the rallies are over and more so when this election has come and gone, many of those persons out to those rallies, singing and dancing and having a good time will go to their homes with no electricity, the children school fees are due, no food in the cupboard or on the table, no more gas in the car, no jobs to go to. There is no hope. The Rally is over and the party is finish but reality will set in”.
The PLP party won the election based on many promises given to the Bahamian people. They said that they believed in the Bahamas.
The DNA congratulated the new administration. We said and continue to say that the election is over and we have one government for the Bahamas. The colours must come off and we honestly want the government to do well. You see we believe in what is best for the country and not doing and saying anything just to obtain the political prize of power. Our ultimate goal is to see a better Bahamas for our children and our children’s children and there children also! If the government does well, the country will benefit. I want my country to benefit! I also thought that as a result of the Bahamian people giving the PLP another chance, our Prime Minister would have an opportunity to leave a good and lasting legacy. The opportunities are there for this to be done. We sincerely would like to see that for Mr. Christie. There is no doubt that he has dedicated most of his life to public service and today sits as the longest serving Member of Parliament in the House of Assembly. We truly wish him well.
But today, the 6th day of May 2013, 46 years today after my birth, our country has great difficulties notwithstanding the governing party’s stance that they recognized an urgent need for change and commitment to hitting the ground running with a specific agenda for the first 100 days.
Crime and the fear of crime is not a political issue but I do think that governments can have an impact on the levels of crime in our country. Indeed the PLP recognized that crime and the fear of crime was our number one issue leading up to the last election and therefore their first priority under their 100-day agenda was to tackle crime. They were to launch key elements of Project Safe Bahamas and Operation Cease Fire, including the introduction of Urban Renewal 2.0 to “immediately reinvigorate the fight against crime and violence”.
One year later crime and the fear of is still the number one issue. Indeed, we in the DNA was most concern when the Minister of National Security shortly after the election alluded to the fact that he was going to hold a Town Meeting on Crime to get the input as to how they ought to deal with crime. My Lord the time for talking has long gone. We need action!! This we found very curious because the PLP campaigned as if they had all the answers to crime. As a matter of fact their first campaign television ad was on how they will reduce crime. Additionally, billboards were placed throughout the island condemning the former administration of their lack of ability to get crime under control. Then the Minister says when elected that we will have a town meeting to discuss how best to deal with crime??? Well, the promise of the meeting never materialized and crime is still out of control. The PLP’s fight against crime and violence within the first 100 days or should I say within the first year has not been successful. Yes, I do hear the Minister speak about statistics that the crime level has decreased but I do challenge the Minister to verify which areas of crime he speaks to. As long as the Bahamian people have the fear of crime, statistics are not sufficient. We call on the government to declare war on crime. We ask them to sweat the small stuff. We ask the government to ensure that the criminally minded will recognized that there would be consequences for their actions. We ask the government to put effective legislation in place so that the death penalty is carried out against anybody who commits murder against anybody! We in the DNA look for a disciplined and safe Bahamas. I want to feel safe in my country and until then statistics do not mean a hill of beans!
Our Illegal Immigration problem remains the same since the previous administration. Recently, with the announcement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the banning of work permits for certain classes of employment, it seems that this PLP government is more concerned about prohibiting those persons who are in the Bahamas legally than those who are here illegally. If this administration is not aware, we have a serious illegal immigration problem that must be given attention. In or about 2010 it was determined that on New Providence alone, an island 21 by 7 there were 37 Shanty Towns. We have been informed that the number has since grown. This is not good for our country. Illegal immigration puts a strain on our social services department, our health services, and our education system and contributes tremendously to our crime problem. Indeed the junior Minister of National Security amazed us when he recently announced that the United States contributes to our crime problem by repatriating our own citizens back to the Bahamas once they have served their time of incarceration. The fact is we have more crimes committed by illegals in this country than we do from Bahamians coming back to the Bahamas after they have served their time. Stop the blame game. What is this government’s position on the illegal problem this county is facing? Their silence is deafening.
Perhaps the first major embarrassment for the PLP administration was the National Insurance debacle, which lead to the resignation of the chairman. This caused many Bahamians to reminisce on the previous scandal ridden PLP administration just a few months after their re-election a year ago. The Prime Minister failed to act in this instance until his back was against the wall and he had no other choice. Again very characteristic of the former PLP administration leadership. Notwithstanding repeated promises for the NIB Report we the Bahamian people still await same.
During the election campaign, the PLP stressed that they would get back controlling interest in BTC. While on the campaign trail the then opposition leader was asked by the Nassau Guardian how he would go about getting back the majority interest in BTC. The leader of the opposition at the time admitted that the idea had not yet been determined but indicated that once in office he would meet with his legal advisors and take all legal means necessary to get BTC back. Indeed, subsequent to the election the Prime Minister appointed a special committee to negotiate with BTC. The deputy Prime Minister indicated on the campaign trail that a commission of inquiry would be established, but yes that was just another campaign promise. The committee reported that there were shocking elements of that deal. Unfortunately and true to form, the Bahamian people have not been advised of what these shocking elements were. To date, BTC still owns the majority of shares and it is very unlikely that this government will be able to yet again fulfill a campaign promise. Certainly the Prime Minister would have known that a committee was not necessary to negotiate with BTC. The only way the Bahamian people can get the majority interest in BTC is if BTC agrees. I certainly do not see this agreement becoming a reality in the very near future. Perhaps the Prime Minister may wish to inform the Bahamian people of this and stop giving the façade that we, the Bahamian people, will once again own BTC! The law is not in his favour! We are also informed that although the former administration indicated plans to sell 9% of its shares in BTC to the Bahamian public, this PLP government does not share the same position.
There is a saying that a “Promise is a comfort to a fool”. Well, this PLP government while in opposition promised that hundreds of Bahamians would benefit from a mortgage relief initiative that would allow these Bahamians to save their homes. Indeed, in the PLP’s Charter for Governance part of the 100-day agenda, the PLP specifically stated that they would institute a mortgage relief program in conjunction with private sector lenders to help struggling homeowners. On the 12th day of April 2013, the Minister of State for Finance admitted that not one person has yet benefitted from the scheme and that the government will have to go back to the drawing board on mortgage relief. The Rally is over and the party is finish and reality has now set in!
Education is fundamental for the growth of any nation. If you invest in the people, the people will build the country. Again in the PLP’s Charter of Governance 100 day agenda and their underlining claimed philosophy of being “A Bridge to the Future”, the PLP promised a doubling of the nations investments in the education and training of Bahamians. The Charter states that “from preschool all the way up to retraining for Bahamians already in the workforce we need new investment and innovative reforms”. What the PLP did was quite contrary to what they promised. They reduced the investment in education, increased the tuition to attend COB and to date has not made any new investment and innovative reforms as promised. (Remarkably when the Prime Minister was questioned about this he was unaware of the increase). The only innovative (and not in a good way) thing in education I have seen was prohibiting our COB students from entering the Halls of Parliament. Quite disturbing was the Speaker of the House acknowledging that what they did was wrong but refused to apologize to the students! The Rally is over and the party is finish and reality has now set in!
The farce of a “Referendum on Gambling” would have caused any government in a developed country to resign. The government spent in excess of 1million dollars on this opinion poll that lead to naught. From the beginning we in the DNA said that the process was completely flawed. That it was not a referendum but an opinion poll, which the Prime Minister subsequently confirmed. We further determined that an attorney from South Africa was paid approximately $600,000 to draft a Gaming Bill. The attorney was retained prior to the referendum and we are informed that the essence of the bill was discussed prior to the referendum…part of which were the prohibitory provisions against Bahamians. Indeed the attorney would have had to have spoken with the chairman of the Gaming Board and members therein, the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Finance along with other members of cabinet. Yet we, the Bahamian people were put through a flawed process of a “Referendum” subsequent to those discussions?? In our view the government has been quite disingenuous to the Bahamian people and we must demand an explanation. It is unfortunate that a grand opportunity was given to this government to develop a Gaming industry for the benefit of the Bahamas but in PLP style they completely mess that up!
The Employees Pension Fund Act to keep pension funds out of the reach for business owners and to make directors and officers personally liable for breaches has not come to fruition, notwithstanding the PLP’s 100-day agenda promise.
A plan to lower the cost of electricity within 100 days of coming to office has not been introduced after one year in office. The Rally is indeed over and the party is finish and reality has now set in!
Just recently the Minister of Health started the discussion on the National Health Program. The PLP 100 day agenda said that renewed talks would have happened within the first 100 days of coming to office. We all would certainly recall that this discussion was going on for 5 years from 2002 to 2007 and the PLP was not able to execute. In the House of Assembly recently, the good Minister was unable to give specifics as to the details of the program, the costs of the program and when the program would come to fruition. Five years will pass and the PLP will still be talking about the supposedly National Health Program. It is not going to work.
Job creation was a fundamental issue in the last election. The PLP said that they would be proactive in job creation and put forward a program anchored on 4 pillars. This plan was the effective promotion of the Bahamas abroad and at home to encourage direct foreign investment, the removal of impediments to business so that the government facilitated the growth of business, increasing opportunities to dramatically expand the role of Bahamians as employers through initiatives like the national initiative in resort development, and the government to be a direct investor in carefully defined circumstances. Unemployment today is at an all time high notwithstanding a promise of the creation of 10,000 jobs. The closes thing the PLP has come to a job creation program is the new immigration policy of refusing work permits for certain classes of work. It is most concerning that this administration has no plans whatsoever to jump-start our economy. It would seem that they are bankrupted with ideas in this regard. The rally is over and the party is finish and reality has now set in!
After one year in government, there are PLP members of Parliament who has not to date opened a constituency office. As a matter of fact there are complaints by many constituents that there are unable to see their PLP MP after the election. There was one PLP member who publicly said on a talk show that he simply do not have the time to see or to speak with his constituents. I personal have received numerous complaints from my old constituents that there are no programs in my former constituency such as the senior citizen program, children’s program, Thy Brothers Keeper program, after school homework assistance, there are no monthly meetings and they complain about the great difficulty they are having in locating the constituency office.
We as Bahamians certainly deserve better from our government. We for far too long settle for mediocrity and continuously fail to demand excellence. We must always remember that the Government works for us. They are our employees and therefore we must always stand up and be heard when the government go astray. Remember what happens when wise men remain silent!
After one year in office, there is still a lot of despair, frustration and hopelessness in this country. Many persons are finding it difficult to put food on the table, gas in their car and pay their electricity bill. Bahamians are crying out for help. We need some type of relief. We do not need to hear about what the FNM did or did not do. We do not need to hear that this administration did not know that the country was in such a bad state when they came to office. That’s foolishness and that excuse is used by every new administration when they fail to perform as promised!! The Bahamian people are tired of the blame game. We as Bahamians want what the PLP had promised. They promised to be in a position to govern on day one. They gave the promise that things will be better when they are elected. Persons were enticed to vote for this administration based on pie in the sky promises. Based on the fact that they claimed to have the experience and the know how.
The first year of the PLP’s administration can be summed up in one word…disastrous. The “approval rating” for this administrations first year is the worse ever since 1967. Perhaps the PLP will hit the ground running in year two.
A word of advice for the PLP. They must remember that they are a minority government; they received 48.62% or 75,815 votes. The majority of votes were cast for the FNM (42.09% or 65,633 votes) and DNA (8.48% or 13, 225 votes). Less than 50% of votes were cast for the PLP.
A word to the wise is sufficient!
Branville McCartney
© Copyright 2013 by thebahamasweekly.com
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
