The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

There has been a lot of foolish talk about “political interference” during the public debate over events at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), and some people who should know better have participated in this misrepresentation. It is a pity that journalists covering the story did not take this opportunity to educate the public on this point.

It is especially ridiculous when a Minister under whose portfolio a corporation falls is accused of political interference in the affairs of that corporation. It seems some people did not even get the point when Minister Desmond Bannister admitted, tongue-in-cheek, that he did in fact “interfere”.

So what is political interference in the case of a public corporation? If a party hack or some other unauthorised person were to attempt to exert political influence over the affairs of a corporation then that could be described as political interference.

But the Minister responsible for the corporation has a right -- indeed a duty -- to intervene in the affairs of a corporation in the public interest. No government corporation is completely autonomous.

In fact, in most cases, the legislation creating public corporations makes this very clear by giving the Minister the right to be informed of the activities of the corporation and the right to give “general and specific” directions to the corporation.

A Minister can most certainly be criticised on the merits of any action he may take, but to style as political interference an intervention into the affairs of a corporation by the Minister who is responsible for that corporation is plainly wrong.

CORRECTOR

Nassau,

August 22, 2018.