The Tribune

ACCORDING to reports the grumbling among PLP “generals” is getting louder and others are complaining that if Urban Renewal 2.0 — one of the PLP’s major campaign promises in the May 7 election — was supposed to reduce crime as promised, it is not working.

We do not know what some of these so-called election “generals” are complaining about, because we do not know what special promises might have been made to them. However, if they are complaining because – as Junior Rolle told the Commission of Inquiry into the transshipment of drugs– membership in the ruling PLP “gave him and other PLP members entitlement to financial and other considerations,” then maybe there is a new dawn in PLP politics if in fact this philosophy is being abandoned. Hopefully the PLP will discover that they — like the rest of us— are Bahamians, and that each of us will have to earn whatever we receive, not because we are PLPs or FNMs, but because we are qualified Bahamians. No Bahamian should accept an MP who makes it clear that he “is only looking out for PLPs” – as a cabinet minister boldly told the press during the Pindling regime.

This country suffered 25 years of mediocrity because the most talented Bahamians — for political reasons — were shunted to the sidelines. When Hubert Ingraham snatched the country from the hands of those incapable of seeing further than their own pocketbooks, the Treasury was bankrupt, unemployment was growing, and tourism had collapsed. Sir Lynden had lost touch as he admitted that he had not realised that things were so bad that the people would reject his party.

There were FNM supporters who made it clear that as the PLP had kept all the goodies to themselves for 25 years, it was now their turn to get the preferential treatment. We remember the letters of criticism sent to The Tribune against Mr Ingraham for drawing the line in the sand when it came to treating all Bahamians as equals, regardless of party. He rejected the thought that “to the victor go the spoils.” If a Bahamian was qualified, Mr Ingraham did not inquire of his politics.

From what went on during both elections, we do not believe that PLP policies have changed. On the other hand, if the “generals” are complaining because they expected preferential treatment, whereby other Bahamians would be removed from their posts to make room for them, then maybe there is a ray of light that the PLP might be starting to change their Third World philosophy. However, if they are complaining because they did not get that special little “sweetener” they were promised for delivering the votes, then the laugh is on them for allowing themselves to be bought. Either way, we have no sympathy. Maybe they will show better judgment next time.

As for Urban Renewal 0.2, in June National Security Minister Bernard Nottage claimed that in his Bain and Grants Town constituency, Urban Renewal was making a significant impact on crime.

He said that evidence was in the police crime reports sent daily to the press. At the time that he was speaking he said that if the reader noticed in the reports there had been more mention of the discovery by the police of weapons and ammunition.

This is true, but it is also true that there is more mention of murders and attempted murders.

The police are doing an excellent job. They are working hard and reaping results, crime would be far worse if it were not for their round-the-clock efforts.

However, despite their efforts crime — especially murders — are increasing at an unacceptable rate. And despite the attempt to reclassify the crime figures to make it appear that crime has decreased, those who live in this community no longer put much faith in those figures. Daily readers pick up the newspaper and daily there is a crime — and serious crime, a murder or attempted murder. Criminals seemed to go wild after the May 7 election.

Election day ended with a murder, two days later there were three murders, by the end of May there were 19 murders. And to date it would be unusual for a day to go by without there being some form of violence to report.

Bahamians who believed the PLP’s exaggerated promise of what Urban Renewal would deliver have only themselves to blame for being so naive. True the police are moving around in the communities trying to relieve the various areas of drug dens by condemning derelict houses and having the underbrush on overgrown land cut down, but Urban Renewal was not designed to reverse the humans ills that are destroying this community.

Drug lords were allowed to roost, their wares destroyed a community that lost all sense of values. The family was destroyed, success was easy wealth, and neither man nor institution was respected.

An ancient atheist — Dio Chrysostom (AD 40-120) — succinctly stated today’s problems centuries ago — man’s nature has not changed much in those intervening years.

“The only real freedom,” said Dio, “is wisdom – ie the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong; the road to freedom lies not through politics or revolution, but through philosophy; and true philosophy consists not in the speculations of books, but in the faithful practice of honour and virtue according to the dictates of that inmost voice which is, in some mystic sense, the word of God in the heart of man.”

We do not have to be philosophers to lead the good life. However, we do have to understand the difference between right and wrong, honour and virtue and cultivate a healthy conscience that will determine whether you respect yourself and your neighbour, or whether your path will lead you to the prison door. It will take something more than Urban Renewal to restore the Bahamians’ equilibrium, the stability of the family, respect for self, for neighbour and for our institutions.