The Tribune

EVEN the darkest day can be transformed by a ray of sunshine.

The Bahamas has been through a lot in the past year and more of the battle against COVID-19, but yesterday Steven Gardiner brought the sunshine – and it was golden.

The Bahamian runner was behind for part of the 400m final, but on the back stretch he reeled in his opponents and then powered to victory on the final run to the line. He could even afford to ease up in the last stride with his rivals beaten.

It was a personal victory for Gardiner, who said that it “hurt” to get to the finish line and said that he was delighted that “it’s done”.

It was also a victory for the nation, ensuring that The Bahamas continued its legacy of winning at least one medal at every Olympics since 1992.

It was an historic moment too – making Gardiner the first Bahamian man to win gold on the track.

“It feels amazing. The first male in the country to do it, I’m excited,” said Gardiner after his victory.

The tall, soft-spoken Gardiner is well thought of around the country, not least of all back in his native Moore’s Island, Abaco, which went through its own troubles when Hurricane Dorian hit.

Just as the country has been through a lot, so has Gardiner. And now he’s come out on top.

If ever there was a time when the country could use a national hero, this is it. If ever there was a national hero the country could choose, it would be Gardiner.

We salute him for his effort, and thank him for bringing home that very special gold.

Eyes now turn to Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who runs this morning. We hope Gardiner’s gold might serve to give a little extra spring in her step as she takes on her own final. Good luck, Shaunae.

Corruption report

The United States has pointed out a series of problems in terms of possible corruption and conflicts of interest in The Bahamas – but we knew many of the problems already.

Campaign finance legislation? Nothing done.

Fully enacting the Freedom of Information Act? Unfulfilled.

Corruption cases against former officials? Not a single win in court.

Public Disclosure Act? Treated like an inconvenience instead of a powerful tool to monitor government.

Public Accounts Committee? In limbo.

Add to all that a lack of transparency on government contracts – although Financial Secretary Marlon Johnson says new procurement rules will come into effect in September – and these are all things we could have told the US rather than the US telling us. In fact, the most recent corruption index sees the country having dropped points since 2012. We’re getting worse.

There was a lot of talk on the campaign trail last time about transparency and accountability. There hasn’t been a lot of action to follow through.

The government can’t blame difficulties in getting legislation through – it’s had a huge majority in Parliament. It just hasn’t chosen to prioritise these things.

We know the problems ourselves. The question is, what are we going to do about them?