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Columns : Letters to The Editor Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


People make a country, not a government
By Rick Lowe, weblogbahamas.com
Oct 13, 2015 - 12:36:31 PM

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In all fairness, Hurricane Joaquin was an unexpected, explosive force and no amount of preparation could have prevented the damage.

That is not to say emergency preparation like the identification of shelters/safe houses or advance notice for residents should not have been undertaken, but it all begs a couple questions about the responsibility of the Members of Parliament for the affected areas.

Besides making more and more cumbersome laws and regulations what is the actual job description of a Member of Parliament and Cabinet Ministers?

They take an Oath of Allegiance and the Ministers take an Oath of Office, but what do they actually do in their constituency?

Since we're stuck with, and pay them, their job description should be a matter of public record.

Suggesting they created NEMA and the ZNS Radio network etc is not enough.

The government has repeatedly shown it does not have the resources nor the ability to manage all the infrastructure here on New Providence much less the many islands with ports and airports, electricity plants, and water supplies etc.

Shouldn't the MP's at least be interested enough in their constituency to make sure the laws function to their intended effect? Building codes come to mind. Or where they can't enforce them, amend the laws to exclude remote communities from requirements for which people cannot be held to account. In other words, a law that cannot be properly enforced is not worth the paper it is written on.

How about a response to a disaster like the one wrought by Joaquin? The government response has been pathetic and here again, it would appear that getting tied up in protocol and rules, when people need help, is the main problem.

On the other hand, the private response has been phenomenal. Local private pilots and airlines from the Family Islands and New Providence took to the skies to survey damage and pointed to areas needing the most attention.

The response of private groups like HeadKnowles, the Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas, Trans Island Airways, churches, the programme organized by the MP for Long Island using private resources, and many, many more mobilized to help like never seen before in The Bahamas, and remain active with helping those affected by the storm, while the government is still not firing on all cylinders.

This leads to personal responsibility and where it's obvious the Nassau-centric government must yield power to proper local government throughout the islands. Tax revenue collected should stay in and be managed by the local communities. Likewise, if revenue is required for a local project they should have the ability to tax themselves for it if it's possible to raise those dollars at all.

Remote communities understand their limitations where many in the political class create a mirage that the central government can satisfy all needs and provide all desires, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. This is highlighted in this instance when we see that most Members of Parliament do not focus on how the laws and regulations impact or function in the communities they supposedly "represent".

Joaquin has certainly exposed weaknesses. Some of them could have been prevented while others, like the complete devastation, could never have been anticipated. But as for strengths, the private community response has been wonderful to watch, proving yet again it is the people that make a country, not a government.

Yours in Liberty,
Rick Lowe

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