The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Sir, first of all, let me start out by saying that for the past 23 plus years, it was a pleasure for me to serve the government and the people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

Promotions have always been a process in the RBDF where you were always promoted by seniority, or according to your entry number, with the exception of one or two persons passing through the crack.

When you missed promotion, you always looked forward to the next one because you would always say that your entry was next depending on where they would have stopped.

Not so any more. Before the recent promotion, being employed on the RBDF for 23 plus years for me was always a joy, a day-to-day process that I would always look forward to.

With great anticipation, I looked forward for this promotion, especially how promotions took place every three-five years, and since the last promotion, I realised that they stopped to the entry just before mine.

Realising that my job is a sea-going job, I have met all of the requirement for promotion. I have sailed 90 per cent of my time on the job, did as always was told, promotional and yearly reports have always been with excellent scores, yet I fail to get advance without any explanation from my superior officers.

The question I now leave is after being in this rank for more than 13 years, and nearly reaching my time for retirement, is there any more hope?

As of today, all of the zeal, desire, joy and anticipation of can’t waiting to get to a job that made me vibrant and jubilant has ceased. The day of departure from this organisation can’t come too soon.

Sir, can you please explain to me and my hard working comrades, how is it that marines who are on full-time study leave (absent from the job) with pay for more than two years, bearing in mind that they are not

contributing to the daily activities of the job, can get advancement over marines who are (a) working hard every day and are required for duty 24 hours, seven days a week, (b) who are going to sea and being shot at by poachers, (c) or on the high waves capturing illegal immigrants.

This should not be so because there are some marines on the job attended work every day, and have to make sacrifices to go to school at night.

Sir, with this being done, it now leaves the question on the minds of every hard working marine, “why should we work?”

Secondly, having looked over the promotion list, what explanation is there as to why junior, junior marines got promoted over senior marines who have (a) sailed and worked very hard, going above and beyond the call of their duties to get the job done, (b) who have passed and met all the criteria with excellent report and leadership abilities.

I especially make mention of male marines who have been overlooked in entry 26, 27, 28, 29, and promoting men in entry 30 and 31, and possibly further downward, and women marines who have sailed and who are still sailing daily and are making a great contribution to the establishment in women entry two, three and four, who have not been promoted, and promoting women who have yet to sailed in five and six.

Not forgetting marines who worked in the rangers department who are required to work six days every week, sometimes seven and even way beyond the school hours without any complaint. What significant contribution have these junior marines done to get promoted over senior marines?

I stand along with my other comrades and say none, other than their jobs that they are paid to do.

Thirdly, how is it that junior marines who have not met the requirement for promotion are getting promoted, but yet you fail to promote senior marines because it is said that they have failed physical, due to medical issues or other aged problems?

Also how is it that marines who just passed their advancement course can be on a promotion list already?

Sir, I say to you, don’t listen to our superiors (officers), please come and ask us (rating) for yourself, for indeed the morale on the force is to the lowest it has ever been.

Some persons cannot even rejoice with this because of the unfairness on their comrades.

Like BEC, Customs, Immigration, or even the Prison, if we could have strike, we would have strike.

We have no voice, because some of our superior officers who supposed to be so busy looking out for our interests and welfare are only looking out for their own interests.

If you would take a look at the number of officers on the force and compare it to the promotion list, you yourself would see that more than 90 per cent of these officers have just been promoted in the last promotion, and now they see another promotion.

Sir, there are so many question that need to be answered, not only to me, but to my many hardworking comrades who were trampled over for our subordinates to get their seniority over us.

We need your help!

PROMOTION IN THE RBDF

Nassau,

December, 2014.

Cc:

1) The Prime Minister, Hon Perry Christie

2) Commodore Roderick Bowe

3) Deputy Commander Tellis Bethel