The Tribune

THE early days of the new government have prompted some eyebrow raising. Promotions put on hold. Contracts being reviewed. Board appointments, disaster authority, food aid programme to be reviewed.

The question as each of these elements are put on hold or being investigated is whether this is legitimate or for political reasons.

The same question arises again today after the Prison Commissioner, Charles Murphy, was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Two officers – Deputy Commissioners Doan Cleare and Bernadette Murray – have been ordered to return to the prison facility from the Ministry of National Security, with Mr Cleare acting as corrections commissioner after Mr Murphy’s departure.

Both officers had filed a lawsuit previously accusing the government of unfairly sidelining them. They said that they had been forced to take vacation leave even though Mr Murphy had more accumulated vacation than the two of them put together.

The law firm handling this matter? Munroe & Associates. Wayne Munroe compared the matter to officers in the Royal Bahamas Police Force being ordered to take leave at the time.

Mr Munroe is now National Security Minister and it was he who announced the move yesterday in a press statement.

First thing first, how can he be involving himself in matters in which he has previously been acting as a lawyer for individuals concerned in the matter?

He should surely recuse himself from such a decision-making process, let alone be the one announcing it to the world.

But there’s more. A specific case is mentioned among the reasons for suspending Commissioner Murphy.

The case cited is that the prison “may have breached an order made by Supreme Court Justice Klein ordering the release of Prescott Smith who had been committed to Bahamas Department of Corrections himself for failing to obey an order of a Supreme Court judge.”

The statement goes on to say that Mr Smith later tested positive for COVID and that during his stay, he was quarantined in a cell with three other prisoners.

“In the face of these concerns, Commissioner Murphy was directed to proceed immediately on administrative leave.”

It is remarkable that of all the potential cases that might have raised concern, it just so happens that the one cited is that of a prominent supporter of the Progressive Liberal Party. That’s what Mr Smith is.

So we have a situation where a PLP supporter was behind bars, tested positive for COVID, and that is one of the key reasons for the commissioner’s removal, while the Minister for National Security’s clients in a lawsuit are brought back to the prison with one taking over the commissioner’s seat while it’s still warm.

Mr Murphy, for his part, says that his lawyer will be addressing the matter soon, and that “the Bahamian people know their agenda.”

Is this really a new day? Or the same old PLP we have seen before. Is this improving the nation, or is this a sign of returning to the days of victimisation?

We do not anticipate this will be the last we will hear of this matter.

Make a decision

After discussions between labour officials and Atlantis, the resort has agreed to “hold off” on requiring unvaccinated staff to pay for their weekly tests.

It’s a postponement, not a total halt – and really all that does is kick the can down the road a little further.

This is something that needs to be decided, not delayed any further. Regardless of who won the election, this was the kind of decision that a new government was going to need to get involved in. We should have an answer over what’s going to happen in these instances, not another delay.

Labour Minister Keith Bell says he is seeking legal advice from the Attorney General’s office, but really this should have been something discussed on the campaign trail. He should know that advice already. So should his FNM counterpart had they won re-election. None of this is a surprise for the government to deal with.

The question is simple. Can a business require staff who do not wish to be vaccinated to pay for weekly testing to ensure they don’t bring the virus to work with them?

If you have one staff member who is vaccinated and another who is not, does the company have to bear the extra cost for the staff member who has chosen not to get vaccinated?

Businesses want to protect their staff and customers. In this case, Atlantis wants to reduce the risk of an outbreak that at worst could see the whole resort shut down and negative headlines around the world. We saw the publicity that surrounded cruise ships as they tried to find a port at the start of the pandemic. No one needs that.

So the question has to be answered. Atlantis might be the one of the first to push forward and force the issue, but it won’t be the last business to do so.

The postponement is good for only one thing – to give time for workers to go and get the vaccine. That’s the real solution to all this. People are pushing on this issue because of the importance of the vaccine.

So go get the shot. And let’s get on with it.