The Tribune

By DARRON B CASH

Chairman of the FNM

PRIME Minister Perry Christie has announced that he does not intend to shuffle his cabinet at this time. We think that there is compelling evidence that he should reconsider that decision.

Crime

The Christie Administration promised that they would be “ready on day one”. The only thing that happened on day one was that numerous ministers started carrying guns to protect themselves; it was not immediately clear that they were armed with a comprehensive plan to address the crime problems they accused the FNM of causing. The FNM Leader, Dr Hubert Minnis, extended his hand in cooperation in a true spirit of bi-partisanship. Minister of state for National Security, Senator Keith Bell slapped it away, claiming that they could not take the politics out of the process of finding solutions to crime. He suggested they would do it themselves. They did try their PLP-only solution. As we have seen, it took well over a year before they even turned to the people to hear their views. Again, better late than never.

Initial actions were met with uncertain results. Each attempt at “saturation patrols” was followed by claims that “crime is down” from Minister Bell. Then after a lull of a few days, the carnage on the streets of New Providence resumed. We heard the same claim just days ago.

It took almost 16 months before the public saw a clear sense of momentum from the PLP government. The FNM was immediately supportive, but justifiably sceptical. The former leader of the National Democratic Party, Renward Wells abandoned his newly-formed party and joined the PLP in part on the strength of their much-touted crime fighting plan. Today, Mr Wells is a Parliamentary Secretary in the Christie Government. Just weeks ago, he was quoted in the press as saying that the PLP government was doing all that it could in the fight against crime. Within days of that comment, the Minister of National Security unveiled his newest crime fighting plan. Apparently they were not doing quite “all”. Despite being shut out of the consultation process, the FNM still wants the initiatives to work.

Our support of the Royal Bahamas Police Force is unparalleled. The FNM put its money where its mouth was when we were the government. For some, that was not enough. It seems.

Despite the claim that his “hands were no longer tied”, the Commissioner of Police has almost been relegated to the position of “spectator” as the two Cabinet Ministers have given the impression that they have taken full control of the police force. The Commissioner of Police was recently at a crime fighting event where he had nothing to say (a spectator), while the two ministers did all the talking. Interesting! These types of events give new meaning to the phrase “there is a new sheriff in town”.

The implication of the ministers’ new plan is that it should have been clear to the Christie administration that from day one the Police force was inadequately staffed and resourced. From day one, the Defence Force should have been called in to assist until police strength was built up.

It must be noted that the Christie Government now also sees clearly that the FNM’s approach of taking police officers out of direct engagement in urban renewal in favour of having them on the streets was the right decision. It is better late than never that they have come to this realisation. Had the Christie administration engaged in the bi-partisan discussions Hubert Minnis wanted, this step could have been taken a lot sooner.

All of these clear weaknesses— and the continuing unwillingness to embrace the FNM in discussions—suggest that the PM should seriously consider a new line-up at national security.

Finance

• The Christie Administration’s signature general election programme, Mortgage Relief, failed in spectacular fashion. Even after they loosened the criteria, less than a dozen people will have been helped. The new flavour of the month, Mortgage Relief 2.0 appears to be stillborn.

• VAT Falls Flat. Implementation of the proposed new value added taxation scheme has been an embarrassing disappointment and the rushed implementation increasingly seems to be bordering on disaster. No one knows the details about the programme and as a consequence, many businesses are putting plans on hold as they try to figure out what their 2014-2015 tax burdens will be. This is hardly the right or best way to stimulate economic growth.

• Anyone looking for reasonableness in the implementation of VAT will probably not be inspired by implementation of the so-called environmental levy. Bahamians who returned home and faced Bahamas Customs with their $15 iron from Wal-Mart and were charged a $25 environmental levy are still scratching their heads and saying to themselves “this makes no sense”.

Foreign affairs

• The Bahamas has a peripatetic Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, but there is little indication that that jet setting has paid any dividends for this country. The reverse seems true.

• So far in this term, the defining moment for the Minister (and one might add the Prime Minister) has been the (mis) and (dis) appointment of Bahamian ambassadors and Consular officers. Denied and questionable appointments, lack of openness with the people have been the hallmarks of this team’s lack of leadership in foreign affairs.

• The Miami-based protests caused by the government’s cover-up of an incident of abuse at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre goes on and on and on and on... EVEN NOW Blind Blake can see that the country would benefit from new thinking in this Ministry.

• After laying down the law on work permits for labourers and housekeepers, there remains a wide disconnect between that policy and the work of the newly minted national training agency.

Environmental affairs

• Despite the fact of, or because of, the Prime Minister’s and Deputy Prime Minister’s engagement by Bahamas Petroleum Company, (BPC) before the last general election, (at least that is what we are told) details of the long-awaited oil drilling regulations, the public disclosure of financial interests in/with that company by the PM and DPM, and the details of the often-promised “oil giveaway referendum” cannot make their way in front of the public for their review.

• The Minister — and the rest of his government — cannot keep New Providence clean. Vacant lots (previously cleared by Urban Renewal), road verges and roundabouts are overgrown, unattractive and in some cases filthy. The place looks like a mess. This Minister cannot get even the BASICS right!

• Meanwhile, garbage collection is a tale of two stories. The Department tells the people “believe us, not your lying eyes”. While garbage piles up in yards and neighbourhood dump sites due to inconsistent collections caused by an insufficient number of trucks on the road, Officials are insisting that all is well. People see and smell otherwise.

• Concerns about environmental destruction in Bimini abound.

Social Services

• We do not entirely blame Minister Melanie Griffin for the realities of her Ministry. Most of her (our) social workers want to work; they simply do not have the resources.

• In the face of the Great Recession, the FNM significantly increased spending to strengthen the social safety net. This is not a high priority for the PLP. They had FIRED poor people in need.

• The need for the social services department to spend more money to help struggling people did not stop the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister with responsibility for Urban Renewal, Philip Davis, from buying himself a spanking new Lexus automobile.

• Talk about being tone deaf and having misplaced priorities. Can you say “All for me baby?”

• Press reports indicate that today we have the highest number of children ever on welfare. No plan is forthcoming from this misguided regime.

Education

• The new theme is “not ready on day one... and still not ready”.

• The Minister is forcing teachers and students into unhealthy schools with broken equipment and furniture. His attitude appears to be “that is good enough for you”.

• From day one of this new school term, the Minister’s relations with the Bahamas Union of Teachers were far too confrontational. It seems as though the Education Minister attended the same school of diplomacy as the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. They like to cuss people out and call them names. In the Minister’s view, the use of threats and accusatory words of sabotage is the best approach to inspiring teachers to continue making the sacrifices they make every day.

Investments

• Investments? What investments?

• The Minister is good at talk and is very eloquent. But, he has produced little to justify his existence.

• It is appropriate to question the veracity of his public statements that the backlog of investment proposals has been eliminated.

• Just about every utterance from the Minister and the Prime Minister is about FOREIGN investment. So much for believing in and pushing for Bahamians.

Financial services

• Almost a third of the way into his term, the Minister has little to show. Lack of evidence of productivity supports this as a “make work” ministerial appointment.

• Moreover, despite the presence of a full time Minister, foreign banks are closing Bahamian operations, regional headquarters are being moved out of The Bahamas and call centres are being relocated to other Caribbean nations. One needs to ask “what difference is this FULL ministry making?”

Co-ordination of ministries

• This is the job of the Prime Minister. Regrettably and embarrassingly, evidence of a meaningful, coordinated strategy from this government is non-existent. Frankly, the Christie Administration is all over the map. The PM is the major reason for this because he appears to lack a true sense of mission and is permitting his ministers to pretty much do whatever they please. They need adult supervision and the PM is too tired or missing in action.

• This view is supported by the fact that the Prime Minister has willingly relegated his role to primarily ceremonial functions. He is driving NOTHING of any consequence.

• Recently, in foreign affairs where the PM should be a welcoming face and voice of reason, Minister Fred Mitchell is behaving like a one-man band.

• From the PM, we see no leadership on job creation, no vision, focus or energy on crime, nothing on education reform and complete confusion in his self-appointed area of finance.

Conclusion

Upon reflection, the foregoing evidence suggests the need for something more substantial than a cabinet (deck chairs on the Titanic) shuffle. For now, because the PM does not have the courage to go back to the people for a new mandate, a shuffle will have to suffice.