The Tribune

A FRIEND of ours told us of an incident that occurred a few weeks ago to illustrate the depth of agitation in the community of government’s seemingly mindless spending of their taxes.

In view of VAT, and the growing fear of its introduction, every level of this community is concerned — not just the business sector.

Our friend said that one of his workmen – a Fox Hill resident — arrived on the job recently in a state of agitated anger. The workman had just passed the Fox Hill parade and had seen able-bodied men and women, idly standing around waiting for their social security handouts.

Most of them can find work, he stormed, but they’d rather sit on the wall, drink rum, and chew the weed. He pointed to the unkept look of the island.

“Why not instead pay them to weed the overgrown verges and clean up this dirty island, instead of encouraging them to sit around with their hands out for freebies. Here it is, I not only have to work hard to support my family, but I have to carry these people on my back!”

He recalled the words of Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin last year of the growing need for social service assistance because of the current state of the economy. And how Social Services will have to have a larger government budget after the introduction of VAT to save those who are doomed to fall through the economic cracks.

Last year, Mrs Griffin said, there were 1,200 students on the government’s lunch programme in New Providence alone.

“We had to get further funding of just over $5m, just alone for food, and that’s not even lunch,” Mrs Griffin commented.

The complaining workman felt that the Fox Hill handouts with the people he saw was just politics — a way to keep the pot sweet for the election, he said. This is one of the pet peeves of this conscientious, hard-working Bahamian. It would be interesting to know how many more think like him.

We shall never forget a comment made many years ago from a public platform by the late Sir Lynden Pindling. “Don’t worry, be happy,” he told a wildly cheering crowd. We knew the day would come when they would regret their blindness, but for 25 years they put their future in his hands.

Eventually even the blind started to see, and, having seen, started to worry. Sir Lynden had to admit after losing the 1992 election that he and his party had lost touch with the people. He said he did not realise that the economic conditions were such that it would cost him an election.

Sir Lynden can always take credit for heading a party that won majority rule for Bahamians, but somewhere along the way in those 25 years he, and his “all-for-me baby” crowd, lost their way.

With the loss of the 1992 election, he had left behind a scandal-scarred nation with a failing economy, high unemployment, a hotel industry in tatters and downtown Nassau looking like a shanty town.

There are still loud complaints about the unnecessary spending on the gambling referendum — unnecessary because if government had done its job in the beginning, there would have been no need for a referendum. In the end, despite the referendum, the government had to bite the political bullet and suffer the political fall-out.

Bahamians still do not know how much the referendum cost. National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage put the figure at $5m. Not so, said Prime Minister Christie, who brought it back into the $1m bracket. He is the Finance Minister and should know, but so far Bahamians who have asked for an audit, are still in the dark.

Remember the echo from the past: “Don’t worry, be happy…”

Then there is BAMSI — Prime Minister Christie’s agricultural dream at Andros that if successful, could cut the high cost of importing food.

However, the unexplained spending of money on the project has already created much concern. We don’t know who a boastful V Alfred Grey, Agriculture Minister, was trying to impress when he let everyone know last month that already government had spent $50m on the project. Those who toured the intended farm were alarmed. From what was seen, an outlay of $20m would be difficult to justify. Even Prime Minister Christie had to come to the rescue of his indiscreet minister. No more than $23m had been spent, said the Prime Minister, dismissing Mr Grey as someone who did not know what he was talking about.

Bahamians are now more than alarmed. They want an accounting. They deserve an accounting. This is one project that the government could come unstuck on if there are no answers.

Again the pesky echo from the past: “Don’t worry be happy…”

And now we come to the Constitutional referendum. The PLP explained that it had postponed its party’s convention until next year out of deference to the expected referendum. However, both have been postponed until next year with no explanation. And still to be explained is on what authority did now fired Ministry of Works Permanent Secretary Renward Wells sign a letter of intent for a $650m waste-to-energy facility. So far, Mr Wells has remained silent, with Mr Christie promising to give an explanation in his own good time.

No longer do we hear the Pindling echo — “don’t worry, be happy”. Today, Bahamians are very unhappy. They are very concerned. Many have declared that they will refuse to pay VAT unless, and until, government gives an accounting of what appears unreasonable spending of the people’s money — especially in these economic times.

The handwriting is on the wall. It is time that the Prime Minister cut the Gordian Knot of silence and give the people the information that they have every right to know. After all it was the people who appointed them to be the guardians of their affairs. The people now want an accounting.

It’s past time for Government to open the books.