The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE Democratic National Alliance (DNA) yesterday accused State National Security Minister Keith Bell of “bullying and victimisation” after he threatened that the government would “deal with” the officers who participated in a march orchestrated by the Police Staff Association several weeks ago.

Mr Bell told the Senate on Monday that the Police Staff Association (PSA) was not only a political tool that acted like a union, but that the organisation had marched alongside political parties. At the time he said the government would deal with this.

However, DNA Chairman Andrew Wilson blasted Senator Bell in a press statement yesterday saying his comments were “disgusting and undemocratic”. He said the DNA stood in full support of the PSA.

“One cannot help but wonder exactly how the government plans to deal with these officers,” Mr Wilson said. “Does the minister plan to sit with the hard working police and prison officer associations and negotiate in good faith, or has the minister covertly unveiled the government’s plans to further victimise them?

“For months, members of the country’s armed forces have been attempting to negotiate with this administration with a view to addressing some of their long-standing concerns. Unfortunately those concerns have been ignored, and attempts to rekindle those talks met with tactics of intimidation.”

This shows that the government has yet to give the armed forces the level of respect that they deserve, Mr Wilson said.

He castigated the government for spending millions of dollars to fund Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival when it could have invested in improving the working conditions and salaries of officers.

“While officers continue to agitate for better salaries and improved working conditions the government has refused to make their concerns a priority; opting instead to spend millions on the promotion of a non-Bahamian cultural expression in the form of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival – or to clean up the messes left by their political cronies – as in the case of the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute insurance fiasco.

“While these hard working officers are forced to beg for what they are rightfully owed, well to do members of this government have, during this term in office, made a case of salary increases of their own (and) Prime Minister Perry Christie has agitated for the construction of a residence for the prime minister to be constructed and maintained with taxpayer funds.”

Mr Wilson said the DNA would continue to support members of the armed forces with a view to advocate things that are right and just.

The DNA chairman pledged that his party would make their issues a priority as he urged the Christie administration to cease bullying those who dare to stand up for themselves.

Last week, PSA Chairman Inspector Dwight Smith told the media that the RBPF had launched an investigation into whether the PSA had associated with a political group when it marched downtown a week earlier.

The PSA was joined by members of the civic group the Bahamas National Citizens Coalition and the DNA.

The event was staged to highlight the issues of the country’s armed forces.

Mr Smith has said the march was not political.