The Tribune

IT should come as no surprise to the hierarchy of this country’s PLP government that its record after just over a year in office has come under intense scrutiny. Its extravagant manifesto claims are still sufficiently fresh in the electorate’s memory to induce widespread disappointment, if not outrage, that its performance across-the-board has simply not measured up. It is unprecedented in this country’s relatively short history for palpable public dissatisfaction to manifest itself so soon into a government’s five-year term.

We make no apology for harping on in recent weeks about the two main issues of deep public concern: crime and the economy. Of course, there are other matters which people worry about, but these two top the list.

There is now general agreement that this country needs to come together in a non-partisan way to tackle what has become nothing less than a crisis of escalating crime. This is not a matter of party politics, but the government of the day must give a lead.

For all the continuing talk, protest marches and demands for strong action, the government’s reaction seems to be limited simply to wringing its hands in the face of the crisis and making a vague commitment to seek help from the US – and then sidelining an underperforming junior minister. If Keith Bell was not considered capable of temporarily assuming the ministerial duties of his absent boss on sick leave, he should be replaced in order to give the public confidence that something will be done to stop our country sliding into a Jamaica-like abyss.

Simply put, the government must get a grip of this crisis. We have no miraculous prescription to propose. It is for the government to formulate and orchestrate action at a national level; and, in doing so, it must reach across the political divide.

The poor state of the economy, with the country’s massive deficit and national debt problems, is also fast developing into a crisis. Already, it has become such a serious issue that we believe it should be addressed likewise at a national level – beyond, for once, the petty jealousies and rivalries of The Bahamas’ political class. But, again, it is the responsibility of the present government to provide leadership.

As a hopeful beginning of a change of attitude, we were struck by the recent wise and perceptive comments of leading businessman and PLP stalwart, Franklyn Wilson, which were reported in the Business Section of this newspaper last week.

He suggested that the $100 million worth of tax increases in the recent Budget would not have been required if The Bahamas had the “appetite” to tackle the “deeply ingrained culture” of government dependency so that the level of recurrent public expenditure could be reduced. He went on to say that blame for this should not be assigned to any particular government but that it was a national problem.

For someone like Mr Wilson, with his experience and influence in the Bahamian political and business world, to speak candidly in these terms is a welcome development. He is surely correct in his analysis, not least his recognition that this is a national issue rather than a party political one.

Significantly, in order to deal with deficits and indebtedness most countries in the European Union’s Eurozone have been forced to reduce public expenditure and introduce other austerity measures. Britain, which remains outside the EU single currency, has cut government spending of its own accord, resulting in its lowest state payroll since 2001 and more than 1.2 million jobs created in the private sector since its coalition government took power in 2010. The lesson now widely learnt in Britain is that it is the private sector which creates the nation’s wealth through economic activity and jobs and that the state cannot exist without it.

There is no sign of reduced public expenditure in the Bahamas. On the contrary, the government continues to spend recklessly on things like an inflated Cabinet, the gambling referendum, Urban Renewal, excessive ministerial overseas travel, and new diplomatic missions – to cite just a few examples.

As for encouragement of the private sector, the recent Budget and the contributions of ministers to the ensuing debate have been revealing. It should be noted that use of this platform by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to mount a personal attack on former prime minister Hubert Ingraham was unwarranted and shameful. By contrast, the remarks by Damien Gomez, Minister of State in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, were realistic and to the point: he spoke of the important role of commercial companies in creating local employment and the need to change the perception that The Bahamas is not a good place in which to conduct business. Others have spoken in similar vein.

In his budget communication, the prime minister himself said that the government was “developing a new policy framework that will enhance creation and expansion of small and medium enterprises and the long-term employment opportunities that they create”.

The private sector should welcome his words, but what do they really mean when increased Business Licence fees, changes of customs duties and other taxes will soon adversely affect a range of local businesses?

While all this goes on, it is a mystery to many observers why ministers like Fred Mitchell and Shane Gibson are allowed to pursue their own policies – the one seemingly intent on driving investors and businesses away by dictating to them whom they should employ, and the other seeking to deflect criticism of the PLP government’s failure to re-nationalise BTC by almost inciting the unions to take strike action in a newly-privatised industry.

In the modern, globalised world in which The Bahamas has to operate in order to retain its current standard of living, why are people like this – with their dinosaur-like views harking back to the prejudices of the 1980s’ Pindling era – still allowed to call the shots?

Prime Minister, you and your government were elected a year ago to run this country. We implore you to get a grip of the crime situation and of the faltering economy before it is too late for you and your colleagues and for the rest of us who live in this still wonderful country.