The Tribune

TOMORROW IS the completion of the PLP’s first anniversary of a five-year term in office. It has been a disappointing first year with none of the 100-day promises delivered – although some have been attempted only to crash in dismal confusion.

And so yesterday’s anniversary thanksgiving service at Faith United Baptist Church was laced with a litany of excuses and buck passing — and, of course, the favourite door at which the buck stopped was that of the FNM.

PLP chairman Bradley Roberts claimed that on coming to office a year ago his party did not have the available resources to fix the economy because of the state in which the previous administration had left the country.

If this is so, where was the official Opposition during the FNM’s five-year term when the world economy crashed taking the Bahamas with it? What is now the Christie government was then the Opposition in the House of Assembly that voted on every financial measure that came before members. As the Official Opposition, they headed the Government’s Public Accounts committee, for which they were the watchdog of government’s handling of the people’s finances. So for them not to know the crippled state of the Public Treasury means that they were not earning their keep as Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. So this is a lame excuse on which to hang their first year of failed promises.

Shortly after the FNM became the government in 2007, the world’s markets collapsed. Like every world country – big and small – it was a heavy blow for the Bahamas. Although it was bad news, on all sides one could hear such comments as: “Thank God Hubert Ingraham is at the helm, at least sound decisions will be made.”

During that period, the PLP refused to acknowledge the blow dealt the Bahamas by that collapse. Towards the end, however, they grudgingly acknowledged that yes there was some seismic movement, but Hubert Ingraham’s government had made the situation even worse.

Mr Roberts boasted about the PLP’s 2002 to 2007 term in office, forgetting that they were the Bahamas’ good years when it would have been difficult for any government to have gone seriously wrong.

They blamed the meltdown on the Ingraham government’s “stop, review and cancel” policy of various international contracts, which, if handled in a timely fashion by the Christie government would have been under construction before the 2007 election. It was fortunate for Bahamians that Mr Christie delayed signing the agreements, giving the Ingraham government a chance to review them and in the case of what is now Baha Mar, and especially the land deal in Mayaguana, retaining a large chunk of real estate for the Bahamian people.

What was Philip “Brave” Davis thinking when on the campaign trail in Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera, he promised to create 10,000 news jobs for Bahamians almost as soon as the PLP came to power. Now as Minister of Public Works and Urban Development, the Bahamian people are clamouring for those jobs. Several months after the election, a harried Prime Minister Christie said he could hear their impatient cries.

“It’s pressing me very hard,” he admitted. “I’m at it for many hours in the day working at this.”

Unfortunately for government, Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell’s speech at a Bahamas Chamber of Commerce Employers Confederation luncheon didn’t help. Business persons were looking for some reassurances from Mr Mitchell about Immigration’s work permit policies. Rather than reassuring them, he announced even stricter immigration rules, which gave reason for second thoughts about any expansion plans that some of them might have had.

Khaalis Rolle, the only sensible businessman among them, having been president of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and who intimately knew the problems of the business community, came quickly to the rescue the next day. He instinctively knew that Mr Mitchell would have created a tsunami of doubt among the business community — even among potential investors. And so, as Government’s minister of State for Investment, he encouraged the business community not to panic.

He assured business persons that the Christie administration intended to strike the right balance. He said that Mr Mitchell’s hard line on work permits was “not a firm policy”. No final position, he said, had been taken by government. Shortly afterwards, Mr Christie virtually gave the same assurance.

However, since then the public has heard no more. As far as Bahamians are concerned Mr Mitchell’s position as Immigration Minister still stands.

Dr Hubert Minnis was condemned for his recent statement in the House that senior banking officials, located as far as Europe, are having discussions about moving certain banking sectors from the country because they fear the Immigration policy. It would be foolish of government not to take this matter seriously. From our various discussions, we can tell government that bankers are not the only ones having this conversation. Today, modern technology has made such conversations possible.

Then there was the promised gambling referendum that has ended in confusion and is now before the courts.

The promise that Bahamians would soon own Bahamas Telecommunications, was nothing but a shameful hoax. Before this promise was made, the Christie government knew — or at least should have known — that the government did not have enough funds to purchase even two per cent of the shares needed to give government controlling interest.

This whole sham has further damaged the reputation of the Bahamas as a stable country in which to do business. It will be seen as a country where there is no assurance that a contract made by one government will be honoured by its successor.

All in all after its first year in office, the Christie government has not only been a disappointment. It has been a colossal failure.

The Bahamian people have only themselves to blame. They live in this country, they are no longer shut out from what is happening in the world and they should have known that people worldwide were in panic mode. With all this uncertainly around them, how could Bahamians believe any election candidate who promised that if elected they could produce 10,000 jobs?

The promises were ridiculous. Any wise electorate would have know they were ridiculous. And all we can say is today they are reaping the unfortunate rewards of such folly. With their eyes wide open, they allowed the politicians to fool them.

Yes, so far, regardless of what Bradley Roberts says to the contrary, the PLP has failed this country. For the sake of the future of the Bahamas we hope they can pull out of their tailspin, face reality and get down to work.

As for Prime Minister Christie, the best advice that we can give him in moving forward, is to get his Cabinet under control so that they speak in unison, instead of being like a lot of little sputniks taking off with their own agendas and creating too many fires around them that have to be extinguished.