Ending the death penalty
thenassauguardian editorial
Execution remains the most severe punishment prescribed by the state for the crimes of murder and treason. The punishment of death is regularly issued in The Bahamas against those who commit murder. Treason prosecutions are virtually non-existent.
Despite the regularity of the issuance of the death sentence, executions are uncommon. There has not been a hanging in The Bahamas since David Mitchell was executed on January 6, 2000.
In the 1993 Pratt and Morgan ruling, Her Majesty’s Privy Council ruled that it would be cruel and inhuman to execute a murder convict more than five years after the death sentence was issued.
This ruling slowed the execution process. Murder trials take a long time to come up in this country and the appeals process after the death sentence is issued also takes years.
The country hanged 50 men since 1929, according to records kept at Her Majesty's Prison. Thirteen were hanged under the 25-year rule of the Pindling government (1967-1992); five of them were hanged under the first two Ingraham administrations (1992-2002); and the remainder were executed between 1929 and 1967.
In 2006, the Privy Council also issued a ruling stating that the section of the Penal Code requiring a sentence of death be passed on any defendant convicted of murder "should be construed as imposing a discretionary and not a mandatory sentence of death."
Five years after the first murder convict was sentenced to hang by a judge, using her discretion (then Supreme Court Justice Anita Allen), it appears that Maxo Tido will never be executed for the gruesome murder of a teenage girl.
His appeal against his conviction and sentence was scheduled to be heard by the Privy Council yesterday.
He was convicted on March 20, 2006 of the 2002 murder of 16-year-old Donnell Conover. In 12 days, it will be five years since Tido was sentenced to death and his matter was yesterday still in court.
The government has acknowledged that hangings are unlikely considering the five-year rule and the amount of time it takes for the appeals process to take place. However, despite this acknowledgment, capital punishment remains the legal punishment.
This commentary is not intended to offer an opinion on whether or not capital punishment is a fair or reasonable punishment. We have expressed our views on capital punishment in another editorial in this paper and remain steadfast that capital punishment is not an appropriate remedy. It serves no useful purpose.
What is clear is that even though it is the law of the land, it is virtually impossible for the death sentence to be carried out. Appeals against the sentence add to the backlog of cases before various courts. If the five-year rule remains, we need to end the death penalty for practical reasons.
The appeals waste time and money.
Anecdotally, the majority of Bahamians appear in favor of executions. This includes many of the powerful and vocal Christian clerics. Successive governments, it seems, fear even raising the issue of ending the death penalty.
As we all consider ways to reduce the number of matters before the court in order to make the criminal justice system more efficient, we must put this issue up for debate. Emotionalism is useless. The facts are the facts. Hangings, though desired by many, are unlikely to occur.
We must now at least start the discussion of the post-hanging period in The Bahamas. New laws are needed creating categories of murder. A proper definition of life in prison must also be brought forward along with a proper system of parole.
These are the issues that need to be debated when it comes to dealing with those who murder.
As long as the Privy Council rule remains in effect, murderers will appeal and appeal until the time for execution has past.
We must be realistic and accept that the days of execution in The Bahamas are over. Our laws ought to reflect this reality.
3/8/2011
thenassauguardian editorial
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
This is no time for the unions to create further instability...
Not the time for union unrest
tribune242 editorial
ONE WOULD have thought that unions -- especially the hotel union in Freeport -- would have learned its lesson by now with the closure in 2004 of the Royal Oasis Golf Resort and Casino, putting more that 1,200 Bahamians out of work.
This hotel struggled under union pressure from the day the new owners bought it in 1999 to the day in 2004 when Hurricane Frances so badly damaged it that the owners decided not to reopen. It was clear that the disruptive behaviour of the unions played a major role in that decision.
A year before Hurricane Frances made the decision for everyone, Donald Archer, the hotel's senior vice president, broke his silence to complain about the poor level of service from certain staff about which guests were also complaining. He warned them that not only would a strike be illegal, but that "any responsible union would examine the current and future needs of its members, the fragile economic environment, the financial status of the company and global conditions." At the time the Iraq war was threatening.
Mr Archer warned at the time that more than 1,200 families would be affected by a strike "to say nothing of the impact on these families and the businesses that they patronise."
But what union leaders did not appreciate was how much they had hurt their membership who had a stake in the International Bazaar, which also faced closure. With the hotel closed, the Bazaar's patrons had disappeared.
Commenting on this in November 2005, we wrote: "This should teach the union a lesson that when it pushes its claims too far everything can collapse under the strain, taking even the union with it."
Seven years later the Royal Oasis Golf Resort remains closed.
And so we were surprised at the beginning of this year to hear of labour unrest at Our Lucaya resort, which everyone knew was struggling to keep its doors open in a world recession that was leaving millions jobless.
But apparently, Obie Ferguson, president of the Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association, saw a chink of light somewhere that no one else saw. In January he said that "now the economy is showing signs of recovery," he thought it "time to do what should be done."
"Workers rights," he said, "are as important as profits. We will take the necessary poll and then do what we have to do." Of course, the poll he was hinting at was a strike vote.
Hotel staff knew that the hotel was not doing well. As a matter fact there was no place on the globe that was not suffering from the world crash. However, in the Bahamas there are those among us -- including, if not especially, some politicians -- who think that the Bahamas is somehow not a part of the economically broken world, and that our people, despite our exorbitant public debt, should not have to lower their financial expectations.
As a matter of fact Prime Minister Ingraham thanked the Hutchison-Whampoa group for keeping Our Lucaya open, when others would have closed it. It was known that the hotel was subsiding the staff's payroll and could not afford more. Yet Mr Ferguson, the union man, continued his background rumblings. Last week it was announced that Our Lucaya had closed two of its three hotels. Instead of closing completely, it consolidated its operation on one property -- Breakers Cay --to save 800 jobs. However, to save the 800, 200 staff had to go.
Government is now working with the hotel to try to find employment for these 200, and to retrain some of them in other skills to qualify for other jobs.
When will Bahamians understand what is going on in the world, and appreciate the jobs they now have? This is not the time for government corporations -- some of whose staff are the best paid in the Bahamas -- to be talking of salary increases. Look at other countries and see how heavily they have reduced their public service to streamline their economies. It is acknowledged that our civil service is over stacked and could do with a heavy trim. But, government has as yet shown no inclination to do so.
Even the Cuban Workers Federation announced that half of its work force will lose their jobs by next year. The Cuban government currently employs 85 per cent of that island's workers.
These workers will have to either go back to the farms, find construction work, become self employed or join a cooperative.
Today's economic downturn is forcing Cuba closer to the free enterprise system.
"Our state can't keep maintaining... bloated payrolls," the Cuban Workers Federation told The Wall Street Journal.
This is something that local unions and many Bahamians have yet to grasp. Although we might not know it we are a part of the world and if any part of that world is injured, the whole unit will feel it. Already petroleum retailers want to raise their prices to offset the troubles driving prices up in the oil rich Middle East. The increase in oil will push up costs across the board. Businessmen have no control over these costs. Therefore, when they are forced to cut costs to keep their businesses operational -- the decision forced on the Our Lucaya owners will be forced on them. Staff become redundant.
It is no time in such a climate for the unions to create further instability -- in the end only its members will suffer.
March 08, 2011
tribune242 editorial
tribune242 editorial
ONE WOULD have thought that unions -- especially the hotel union in Freeport -- would have learned its lesson by now with the closure in 2004 of the Royal Oasis Golf Resort and Casino, putting more that 1,200 Bahamians out of work.
This hotel struggled under union pressure from the day the new owners bought it in 1999 to the day in 2004 when Hurricane Frances so badly damaged it that the owners decided not to reopen. It was clear that the disruptive behaviour of the unions played a major role in that decision.
A year before Hurricane Frances made the decision for everyone, Donald Archer, the hotel's senior vice president, broke his silence to complain about the poor level of service from certain staff about which guests were also complaining. He warned them that not only would a strike be illegal, but that "any responsible union would examine the current and future needs of its members, the fragile economic environment, the financial status of the company and global conditions." At the time the Iraq war was threatening.
Mr Archer warned at the time that more than 1,200 families would be affected by a strike "to say nothing of the impact on these families and the businesses that they patronise."
But what union leaders did not appreciate was how much they had hurt their membership who had a stake in the International Bazaar, which also faced closure. With the hotel closed, the Bazaar's patrons had disappeared.
Commenting on this in November 2005, we wrote: "This should teach the union a lesson that when it pushes its claims too far everything can collapse under the strain, taking even the union with it."
Seven years later the Royal Oasis Golf Resort remains closed.
And so we were surprised at the beginning of this year to hear of labour unrest at Our Lucaya resort, which everyone knew was struggling to keep its doors open in a world recession that was leaving millions jobless.
But apparently, Obie Ferguson, president of the Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association, saw a chink of light somewhere that no one else saw. In January he said that "now the economy is showing signs of recovery," he thought it "time to do what should be done."
"Workers rights," he said, "are as important as profits. We will take the necessary poll and then do what we have to do." Of course, the poll he was hinting at was a strike vote.
Hotel staff knew that the hotel was not doing well. As a matter fact there was no place on the globe that was not suffering from the world crash. However, in the Bahamas there are those among us -- including, if not especially, some politicians -- who think that the Bahamas is somehow not a part of the economically broken world, and that our people, despite our exorbitant public debt, should not have to lower their financial expectations.
As a matter of fact Prime Minister Ingraham thanked the Hutchison-Whampoa group for keeping Our Lucaya open, when others would have closed it. It was known that the hotel was subsiding the staff's payroll and could not afford more. Yet Mr Ferguson, the union man, continued his background rumblings. Last week it was announced that Our Lucaya had closed two of its three hotels. Instead of closing completely, it consolidated its operation on one property -- Breakers Cay --to save 800 jobs. However, to save the 800, 200 staff had to go.
Government is now working with the hotel to try to find employment for these 200, and to retrain some of them in other skills to qualify for other jobs.
When will Bahamians understand what is going on in the world, and appreciate the jobs they now have? This is not the time for government corporations -- some of whose staff are the best paid in the Bahamas -- to be talking of salary increases. Look at other countries and see how heavily they have reduced their public service to streamline their economies. It is acknowledged that our civil service is over stacked and could do with a heavy trim. But, government has as yet shown no inclination to do so.
Even the Cuban Workers Federation announced that half of its work force will lose their jobs by next year. The Cuban government currently employs 85 per cent of that island's workers.
These workers will have to either go back to the farms, find construction work, become self employed or join a cooperative.
Today's economic downturn is forcing Cuba closer to the free enterprise system.
"Our state can't keep maintaining... bloated payrolls," the Cuban Workers Federation told The Wall Street Journal.
This is something that local unions and many Bahamians have yet to grasp. Although we might not know it we are a part of the world and if any part of that world is injured, the whole unit will feel it. Already petroleum retailers want to raise their prices to offset the troubles driving prices up in the oil rich Middle East. The increase in oil will push up costs across the board. Businessmen have no control over these costs. Therefore, when they are forced to cut costs to keep their businesses operational -- the decision forced on the Our Lucaya owners will be forced on them. Staff become redundant.
It is no time in such a climate for the unions to create further instability -- in the end only its members will suffer.
March 08, 2011
tribune242 editorial
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Cassius Stuart - Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) leader: The Bahamas is in "desperate need" of new leadership in order for significant progress to be made
BDM Leader: Country Needs New Leadership
By Sasha L. Lightbourne
As far as the Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) leader sees things, the country is in "desperate need" of new leadership in order for significant progress to be made.
In an interview with the Bahama Journal, Cassius Stuart said he is preparing to head "full steam" into the 2012 general elections as BDM leader.
"We are getting our candidates in order and raising funds to make sure that we are able to compete and properly contest this general election," he said.
"We realise that the Bahamian people are crying and craving something new. I think the leadership of our country needs to be shaken up. Not taking anything away from [Hubert] Ingraham and [Perry] Christie, but you reach to a point where you need to move on because you need an infusion of energy, vision, excitement and that will not come from Ingraham and Christie anymore."
Mr. Stuart believes the problem with black leadership is that no one knows how to step down.
"We don’t know how to transfer authority and power," he said.
"We have to die in office or someone has to pry it from our dead hands and we have to now look at leadership sensibly. Both [Ingraham and Christie] are in their 60s and have done tremendous jobs, been in Parliament for more than 35 years but now we need to move to let the next generation emerge so that a new infusion of ideas can embrace The Bahamas and sadly I don’t see that for the next five years."
The BDM leader explained that people such as himself, need to continue to find ways to say to the Bahamian people that the country needs new leadership.
"Whether the Bahamian people will embrace that, we will find out in 2012 but we are in desperate need of something new," Mr. Stuart said.
"When you look at Grand Bahama, there’s no vision there. The people are suffering because there is no economic activity going on. People are hurting and I am very sad that no government has come up with a solution for them because they deserve attention like we get in New Providence.
He said both governments, the Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), have been producing "hopelessness and despair" in the nation’s second city.
"We need to encourage entrepreneurship and bring hope back to Grand Bahamians," he said.
As for his aspirations to become prime minister, Mr. Stuart said he never entered politics for that reason.
"My aspirations was to help the country," he said.
"I believe that I have something to lend to my country and that was one of the reasons why we formed the BDM, it was never for me to be prime minister - that was never my goal. My goal is how do we fix the crime problem and social issues?"
He further explained that he has invested "a countless amount of money" into his education so that he is able to lend some of what he has learnt to the country.
"I’ve invested so that I can add value to the country," the BDM leader said.
"My goal is not becoming prime minister, it’s how do we add value to the lives of Bahamians? My philosophy is this, if this ship sinks, it sinks for everybody but if it stays afloat then everybody is happy and if I can help it to stay afloat then that’s where I want to be."
March 7th, 2011
jonesbahamas
By Sasha L. Lightbourne
As far as the Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) leader sees things, the country is in "desperate need" of new leadership in order for significant progress to be made.
In an interview with the Bahama Journal, Cassius Stuart said he is preparing to head "full steam" into the 2012 general elections as BDM leader.
"We are getting our candidates in order and raising funds to make sure that we are able to compete and properly contest this general election," he said.
"We realise that the Bahamian people are crying and craving something new. I think the leadership of our country needs to be shaken up. Not taking anything away from [Hubert] Ingraham and [Perry] Christie, but you reach to a point where you need to move on because you need an infusion of energy, vision, excitement and that will not come from Ingraham and Christie anymore."
Mr. Stuart believes the problem with black leadership is that no one knows how to step down.
"We don’t know how to transfer authority and power," he said.
"We have to die in office or someone has to pry it from our dead hands and we have to now look at leadership sensibly. Both [Ingraham and Christie] are in their 60s and have done tremendous jobs, been in Parliament for more than 35 years but now we need to move to let the next generation emerge so that a new infusion of ideas can embrace The Bahamas and sadly I don’t see that for the next five years."
The BDM leader explained that people such as himself, need to continue to find ways to say to the Bahamian people that the country needs new leadership.
"Whether the Bahamian people will embrace that, we will find out in 2012 but we are in desperate need of something new," Mr. Stuart said.
"When you look at Grand Bahama, there’s no vision there. The people are suffering because there is no economic activity going on. People are hurting and I am very sad that no government has come up with a solution for them because they deserve attention like we get in New Providence.
He said both governments, the Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), have been producing "hopelessness and despair" in the nation’s second city.
"We need to encourage entrepreneurship and bring hope back to Grand Bahamians," he said.
As for his aspirations to become prime minister, Mr. Stuart said he never entered politics for that reason.
"My aspirations was to help the country," he said.
"I believe that I have something to lend to my country and that was one of the reasons why we formed the BDM, it was never for me to be prime minister - that was never my goal. My goal is how do we fix the crime problem and social issues?"
He further explained that he has invested "a countless amount of money" into his education so that he is able to lend some of what he has learnt to the country.
"I’ve invested so that I can add value to the country," the BDM leader said.
"My goal is not becoming prime minister, it’s how do we add value to the lives of Bahamians? My philosophy is this, if this ship sinks, it sinks for everybody but if it stays afloat then everybody is happy and if I can help it to stay afloat then that’s where I want to be."
March 7th, 2011
jonesbahamas
Monday, March 7, 2011
To Ryan Pinder: Put some policies on the table rather than simply objecting in Parliament
Ryan Pinder, MP on the Bahamas Government's Mid-Year Budget
By Rick Lowe:
If no one else in the PLP offers food for thought, Mr. Ryan Pinder does.
In fact it looks as if he's one of the few PLP's that offer reasoned comment in Parliament. At least he's the one that gets press coverage anyway.
In this article in the Nassau Guardian he suggests that the PM's growth projections in the Government's mid-year budget are unlikely.
I agree with him, but none of us have a crystal ball, so it's mere conjecture on the part of both politicos.
Where I part company with him is when speaking about the impact of rising oil prices he says; "it is the responsibility of the government to anticipate such realities and put in place policies to counter the adverse effects of rising prices."
I can't find that as one of the governments reasons for existing in the Constitution, but to simply put a statement like that out there without suggestions on what policies are necessary to control the price of oil we import and how the government would pay for whatever those policies might be is irresponsible.
Mind you both parties are derelict where fiscal responsibility is concerned, but where we might be able to excuse generations past with this behaviour, to continue to let these comments go unquestioned with the current state of public finances would be no less than irresponsible of us - the voting public.
It is time for us to ask our MP's to put a little more on the table than rhetoric, lest we should stop paying any attention to them at all.
On a lighter note, Mr. Pinder objects to being called the PLP's Poster Boy by Mr. Byron Woodside of the FNM in this story in The Tribune yesterday.
Well the dictionary says a Poster Boy "is a person that epitomizes or represents a specified cause..."
I wonder how we should interpret his objection to being called the PLP's Poster Boy? As I said earlier, he seems to be covered in the press for the PLP these days over and above everyone else.
To paraphrase what some wag once said:
"Why are we surprised when some politicians play politics? It's not like they are supposed to be real adults . . . they are, after all, politicians and aren't playing around with their money."
So I guess we shouldn't be surprised when no solutions, or at least potential solutions, are offered.
But come on cousin Ryan, you can raise the level can't you? Put some policies on the table rather than simply objecting. That's what is expected by Parliamentarians of us mere mortals when we raise issues with you guys.
March 04, 2011
weblogbahamas
By Rick Lowe:
If no one else in the PLP offers food for thought, Mr. Ryan Pinder does.
In fact it looks as if he's one of the few PLP's that offer reasoned comment in Parliament. At least he's the one that gets press coverage anyway.
In this article in the Nassau Guardian he suggests that the PM's growth projections in the Government's mid-year budget are unlikely.
I agree with him, but none of us have a crystal ball, so it's mere conjecture on the part of both politicos.
Where I part company with him is when speaking about the impact of rising oil prices he says; "it is the responsibility of the government to anticipate such realities and put in place policies to counter the adverse effects of rising prices."
I can't find that as one of the governments reasons for existing in the Constitution, but to simply put a statement like that out there without suggestions on what policies are necessary to control the price of oil we import and how the government would pay for whatever those policies might be is irresponsible.
Mind you both parties are derelict where fiscal responsibility is concerned, but where we might be able to excuse generations past with this behaviour, to continue to let these comments go unquestioned with the current state of public finances would be no less than irresponsible of us - the voting public.
It is time for us to ask our MP's to put a little more on the table than rhetoric, lest we should stop paying any attention to them at all.
On a lighter note, Mr. Pinder objects to being called the PLP's Poster Boy by Mr. Byron Woodside of the FNM in this story in The Tribune yesterday.
Well the dictionary says a Poster Boy "is a person that epitomizes or represents a specified cause..."
I wonder how we should interpret his objection to being called the PLP's Poster Boy? As I said earlier, he seems to be covered in the press for the PLP these days over and above everyone else.
To paraphrase what some wag once said:
"Why are we surprised when some politicians play politics? It's not like they are supposed to be real adults . . . they are, after all, politicians and aren't playing around with their money."
So I guess we shouldn't be surprised when no solutions, or at least potential solutions, are offered.
But come on cousin Ryan, you can raise the level can't you? Put some policies on the table rather than simply objecting. That's what is expected by Parliamentarians of us mere mortals when we raise issues with you guys.
March 04, 2011
weblogbahamas
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Bahamas' shantytown problem
Courting catastrophe with shantytown problem
thenassauguardian editorial
Haiti is in a state of crisis. It is an occupied country that was devastated by a massive earthquake last year. This calamity added to the misery of a people who are from the poorest country in the hemisphere.
This logical migratory flow has caused a problem in The Bahamas and our policymakers have no solution to it. We do not know what to do with the large number of undocumented Haitians who reside in shantytowns – especially in New Providence.
In December we wrote about the shantytown problem. This was after the Mackey Yard fire destroyed more than 100 homes. When these events occur many revert to simplistic emotionalism. The response and discourse surrounding the tragedy usually is limited to disaster relief.
The Bahamas, however, must seriously address the shantytown issue before a catastrophe occurs. Government officials speculate that 500 to 700 people lived at the Fire Trail Road site where yesterday’s fire occurred. A fast moving fire could easily consume all the residences of one of these shantytowns. Thousands live in some of these communities.
In 2009, then Minister of State for Immigration Branville McCartney said that 37 shantytowns had been identified in New Providence alone. Two of the biggest shantytowns in the country are in Abaco – Pigeon Pea and the Mud.
Our failure to make the tough decisions and remove these unauthorized communities could contribute to a mass tragedy.
All who reside in this country should abide by the local building code and follow town planning guidelines. These laws exist to maintain safety. Haitians, or any other group of migrants, should not be allowed to live in violation of laws all Bahamians and residents should follow.
Those who lost homes and possessions in the Mackey Yard fire and yesterday’s Fire Trail Road fire should be helped. They should not be discriminated against because of nationality. The government, churches, businesses and other civic organizations all helped after the December fire. Those groups should help again.
However, the goal of the government should be to eliminate shantytowns in The Bahamas. If we do not, one day soon we will be writing about a mass tragedy on one of our islands.
Such a day can be prevented if the state acts decisively.
3/3/2011
thenassauguardian editorial
thenassauguardian editorial
Haiti is in a state of crisis. It is an occupied country that was devastated by a massive earthquake last year. This calamity added to the misery of a people who are from the poorest country in the hemisphere.
The Bahamas will always have difficulties managing the flow of people from Haiti. We are between Haiti (the poorest country in the hemisphere) and the United States (the richest country in the hemisphere). Haitians come here hoping to get to the U.S. Many stay permanently.
This logical migratory flow has caused a problem in The Bahamas and our policymakers have no solution to it. We do not know what to do with the large number of undocumented Haitians who reside in shantytowns – especially in New Providence.
In December we wrote about the shantytown problem. This was after the Mackey Yard fire destroyed more than 100 homes. When these events occur many revert to simplistic emotionalism. The response and discourse surrounding the tragedy usually is limited to disaster relief.
The Bahamas, however, must seriously address the shantytown issue before a catastrophe occurs. Government officials speculate that 500 to 700 people lived at the Fire Trail Road site where yesterday’s fire occurred. A fast moving fire could easily consume all the residences of one of these shantytowns. Thousands live in some of these communities.
In 2009, then Minister of State for Immigration Branville McCartney said that 37 shantytowns had been identified in New Providence alone. Two of the biggest shantytowns in the country are in Abaco – Pigeon Pea and the Mud.
Our failure to make the tough decisions and remove these unauthorized communities could contribute to a mass tragedy.
All who reside in this country should abide by the local building code and follow town planning guidelines. These laws exist to maintain safety. Haitians, or any other group of migrants, should not be allowed to live in violation of laws all Bahamians and residents should follow.
Those who lost homes and possessions in the Mackey Yard fire and yesterday’s Fire Trail Road fire should be helped. They should not be discriminated against because of nationality. The government, churches, businesses and other civic organizations all helped after the December fire. Those groups should help again.
However, the goal of the government should be to eliminate shantytowns in The Bahamas. If we do not, one day soon we will be writing about a mass tragedy on one of our islands.
Such a day can be prevented if the state acts decisively.
3/3/2011
thenassauguardian editorial
Saturday, March 5, 2011
It's high time we do away with the pompous, fatuous, and self-serving Bahamas Christian Council
Time to 'do away with' the Christian Council
By PACO NUNEZ
Tribune News Editor
The audacity of the Christian Council's demand that it be placed in charge of blessing the airport's new US departures terminal on Friday is a perfect example of why it's high time we do away with this pompous, fatuous, self-serving organisation.
I don't mean "do away with" in the sense of outlawing or forcibly disbanding it. The satisfaction of seeing the council subjected to its own tactics aside, no one can or should infringe upon it's members' right to associate.
What I do mean is that the silly masquerade in which the council poses as the nation's moral authority should be brought to an end once and for all. The Christian Council has no right - none whatsoever - to this self-imposed title.
Its officials are not elected by the public, nor appointed by the country's executive, and they do not represent the general public in any other capacity. Their authority does not extend beyond their own respective congregations - and even then is only on a voluntary basis.
And, despite their constant appeal to the "spiritual principles" mentioned in preamble of the Constitution, two of the architects of our independence, Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes and George Smith, have already made it clear this was not meant to privilege any particular group, or even any particular religion.
In short, the council is nothing more than a private association of religious leaders and should be treated as such - no more, no less.
There is, therefore, no reason why this group should be allowed to tell our Immigration Department which foreign performing artists can entertain us, what films we are allowed to see, or whether it should be illegal for a man to rape his wife. And there is certainly no justification for its president Rev Patrick Paul feeling entitled to demand that he be the one to bless a public building like the new US departures terminal.
According to its mission statement, the Bahamas Christian Council was founded in 1948 to promote "understanding and trust" between churches, to "further Christ's mission of service by joint action" and to "witness for the Christian community in the Bahamas on matters of social or common concern."
The first two aims are more or less self-explanatory; the third less so, and is perhaps the source of the modern-day council's hugely inflated view of itself, which has been used by certain prominent members over the years to spread fear, reinforce personal prejudices and indulge petty jealousies.
If so, this relies on quite a twisted reading of the phrase. The intransitive verb "witness" means to give or serve as evidence of; to testify. In Christian terms, this refers to spreading the message of Christ's Eternal Kingdom.
The council seems to have dislodged this term from its original meaning, appointing itself the official advocate of a make-believe homogenous Christian community with regard to far more worldly "social or common" concerns.
But the council does a great deal more than just "witness" on behalf of its invented community of like-minded Christians.
Over the years, its officials have done all they can to burrow their way into the actual decision-making process, with an eye to accruing as much power as possible.
In the last few years alone, they have: demanded the final say on musical artists being granted entry to the country, approached the Immigration Department seeking to "form a partnership" in an effort to curb "social ills" and insisted that the government work more closely with churches.
They also submitted their own amendments to the proposed Marital Rape Act in an effort to maintain control over what happens in the bedrooms of married couples, and did their best to deny adult Bahamians the right to gamble their hard-earned money if they so chose.
Yet for all its self-importance, the council is also very good at playing the victim. According to a report published in the Bahama Journal on Friday, the uproar over the new terminal began after Rev Paul was first asked to bless the building, then informed by the Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) that it had been advised to invite Catholic and Anglican clergymen to conduct the blessing instead.
The report said NAD's decision was described as "nothing more than elitism at its worst" by the council, which accused some denominations of constantly disrespecting "certain groups." Never mind that the Anglican Church, trusted with official state funerals, has at least some claim to the unofficial status of state religion of the Bahamas, whereas the denominations represented by the Christian Council, including Rev Paul's Assemblies of God, have none at all.
The council's stance is laughable, not only because the term "elitism" would much better describe its own rank presumption in meddling in other people's affairs, but also because according to the report, after "pressure conditions" - apparently a series of phone calls - were brought to bear on the Anglicans and Catholics, the council got its wish.
The hastily re-invited Rev Paul blessed the terminal at Friday night's ceremony before 1,800 invited guests.
But why does the Christian Council enjoy this kind of power in the absence of any plausible claim to it? Simply put, because it is perceived as having the ability to command the behaviour of a vast number of congregants at the polls or in other crucial circumstances.
This is the "We've got the numbers" version of might-makes-right; the manipulation of the beliefs of a large number of people in order to aggregate power in the hands of a few men - in such a way that there are always only a few of them, and they are almost always men.
I believe this kind of power is inimical to the kind of society we have in name, and the one we are trying to build in reality. The Bahamas is a parliamentary democracy, a system created in specific opposition to the far older, far more autocratic forms of power with which the Christian Council deserves to be categorised.
Furthermore, if there ever was a time we needed an organisation to "witness" for us, it has obviously long passed. This is now a country with a far higher concentration of churches than schools, in which everywhere you turn there is someone imploring you to return to religion "before it's too late". We have become a society of prayer breakfasts, prayer lunches, prayer dinners, prayer meetings; of memorial services, long services, annual services, commemorative services.
Witnessing has gone viral in the Bahamas. And yet our problems persist.
What we actually lack is concrete structural and policy ideas for how to fix our broken education system, revitalise our woeful public services, reform our corrupt electoral process and give our young people a chance to succeed.
Perhaps this is because too many of use continue to listen to a group of fear peddlers, who tell us we cannot trust ourselves to make decisions, who believe freedom of expression is a dangerous thing, and that religion is not about one's personal relationship with God, but rather a question of one's willingness to submit to their will.
The irony is that in reality, the Christian Council has no concrete power at all. They depend on supporters whose allegiance they can't really guarantee, particularly if it comes into conflict with political tribalism or self-interest. They only meddle because we let them.
If everyone told them to get lost when they came demanding special privileges, as they did with NAD, we would soon see how silly the emperors looked with no clothes on.
* What do you think?
pnunez@tribunemedia.net
February 28, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Bluewater story will be told, and it’s a wonderful story for the people of The Bahamas to know and to have
PM responds to Bluewater threat
By CANDIA DAMES
Guardian News Editor
candia@nasguard.com
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham last night responded to a threat recently issued by Bluewater Ventures Limited, saying he will not be intimidated by the “shell company” and promising to tell the whole story of the Christie administration's plan to sell 49 percent of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC).
Bluewater recently alleged that the Government of The Bahamas has been making defamatory comments against it and the company threatened to take legal action against the Ingraham administration.
Bluewater has asked the government’s attorney to advise no later than today whether the government intends to issue a public statement repudiating the alleged defamatory statements.
But the prime minister made it clear last night that no such step will be taken.
“They seek to intimidate,” said Ingraham, while wrapping up debate on the government’s mid-year budget statement. “Well, you know you can’t intimidate me in my private life. I wouldn’t talk about the Government of The Bahamas. And so, the Bluewater story will be told, notwithstanding any threats by them.
“The Bluewater story will be told and it’s a wonderful story for the people of The Bahamas to know and to have.”
Ingraham noted that the letter Bluewater’s attorney sent to the government’s lawyer last week never indicated what were the alleged defamatory statements.
Ingraham is expected to address the Bluewater issue during the upcoming debate in the House of Assembly on the BTC privatization.
The prime minister also touched on Baha Mar, a project introduced under the Christie administration that changed substantially under the Ingraham administration. Ground was broken last week on the Cable Beach development and Opposition Leader Perry Christie hit out at the government for not acknowledging at the event the PLP’s role in bringing the project about.
But Ingraham said last night, “Baha Mar is going ahead because the Chinese government is providing the money. They (the PLP) never wanted any business dealing with the Chinese government.
“They recognized Taiwan. In fact, that’s how the leader of the opposition got back in the PLP. The PLP made a deal with the Taiwanese government to recognize them and not the People’s Republic of China.
“Ervin Knowles, who was the minister, got fired, and Christie got hired. Ervin Knowles was appointed ambassador to Taiwan.
“The only reason why we have [ties] with the People’s Republic of China today is because the FNM did that and the Chinese regard us as an old friend and they are supporting us in the Baha Mar project.
“And there was no possibility of Baha Mar being able to get a loan with the Chinese unless The Bahamas government said ‘yes’, please do it.’”
Ingraham said the Free National Movement is delighted at the opportunity to be in government.
But he said, “We are concerned about the extent to which outright lies are told to the public, shamelessly so.”
Ingraham said what the FNM government has done is “unmatchable by them”.
“The reality is, Mr. Speaker, that we on this side of the House are pleased that the people of The Bahamas have reposed their trust in us and that we are spending their money wisely.
“We are preparing their economy for the future.”
3/4/2011
thenassauguardian
Violent criminals involved with Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) protest... anti-BTC sale
'Violent criminals' in BTC protest crowd
By PACO NUNEZ
Tribune News Editor
MINISTER of National Security Tommy Turnquest revealed that according to police, several violent criminals were among the crowd that protested outside Parliament last week.
Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr Turnquest said individuals known to police in connection with crimes as serious as murder, rape, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and shop-breaking were "clearly identifiable" in the anti-BTC sale demonstration in Rawson Square last Wednesday.
Speaking to The Tribune outside the House, Mr Turnquest said the majority of these persons are out on bail, but some of them are convicted criminals.
"We have the pictures, we know who they are," he said.
Mr Turnquest said he raised the issue after opposition PLP members suggested that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham "ran out the back door," attempting to avoid the crowd after last week's session of parliament.
Speaking in the House, the National Security Minister said: "If someone asks me, what do I do in terms of ensuring the safety of the chief executive of the country, it is surely not to walk toward that crowd."
He added that Mr Ingraham is the sort of man who would never ask another person to do something the Prime Minister would not do himself.
Immediately after Mr Turnquest made his comments, PLP MP for West End and Bimini Obie Wilchcombe told the House his party was not responsible for "any unsavoury characters" turning up in Rawson Square.
Mr Wilchcombe said: "At no time was it our intention to put the PM's life in jeopardy. We believe in freedom of speech and the right to assembly, but at no time would we put life in jeopardy."
The protest, organised by a group known as Save BTC for Bahamians, was also joined by BTC union representatives and a large group of PLP supporters.
In the aftermath of the protest, which turned violent at certain points, PLP leader Perry Christie denied reports that he had paid protesters to turn up in Rawson Square.
Last week, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell also commented in the House of Assembly on claims that protesters were paid by the party to demonstrate.
"Aside from that being untrue, so what if they were paid?" he asked, referring to the practice during the PLP's early protests in the 1960s.
"To mobilise people takes resources: food, buses, and communication, emergency care to a name a few of the possible expenses.
"So let's not get distracted by that fact," Mr Mitchell said.
March 04, 2011
tribune242
By PACO NUNEZ
Tribune News Editor
MINISTER of National Security Tommy Turnquest revealed that according to police, several violent criminals were among the crowd that protested outside Parliament last week.
Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr Turnquest said individuals known to police in connection with crimes as serious as murder, rape, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and shop-breaking were "clearly identifiable" in the anti-BTC sale demonstration in Rawson Square last Wednesday.
Speaking to The Tribune outside the House, Mr Turnquest said the majority of these persons are out on bail, but some of them are convicted criminals.
"We have the pictures, we know who they are," he said.
Mr Turnquest said he raised the issue after opposition PLP members suggested that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham "ran out the back door," attempting to avoid the crowd after last week's session of parliament.
Speaking in the House, the National Security Minister said: "If someone asks me, what do I do in terms of ensuring the safety of the chief executive of the country, it is surely not to walk toward that crowd."
He added that Mr Ingraham is the sort of man who would never ask another person to do something the Prime Minister would not do himself.
Immediately after Mr Turnquest made his comments, PLP MP for West End and Bimini Obie Wilchcombe told the House his party was not responsible for "any unsavoury characters" turning up in Rawson Square.
Mr Wilchcombe said: "At no time was it our intention to put the PM's life in jeopardy. We believe in freedom of speech and the right to assembly, but at no time would we put life in jeopardy."
The protest, organised by a group known as Save BTC for Bahamians, was also joined by BTC union representatives and a large group of PLP supporters.
In the aftermath of the protest, which turned violent at certain points, PLP leader Perry Christie denied reports that he had paid protesters to turn up in Rawson Square.
Last week, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell also commented in the House of Assembly on claims that protesters were paid by the party to demonstrate.
"Aside from that being untrue, so what if they were paid?" he asked, referring to the practice during the PLP's early protests in the 1960s.
"To mobilise people takes resources: food, buses, and communication, emergency care to a name a few of the possible expenses.
"So let's not get distracted by that fact," Mr Mitchell said.
March 04, 2011
tribune242
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Gun Court is still a pie in the sky
When will the gun court be ready?
thenassauguardian editorial
Late in January of this year, the government made a big announcement that in conjunction with the judiciary it had set up a gun court in a move to ensure that those found in possession of illegal firearms are quickly prosecuted.
Attorney General John Delaney, Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest,Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade and senior officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force all attended the news conference, which was held after a meeting with Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham on gun crime.
According to police data, guns were used in 69 out of the 94 homicides recorded in 2010. Out of 17 homicides recorded so far for the year, 14 involved guns. Also last year, 351 illegal firearms and 6,224 rounds of ammunition were seized – an increase over the year before.
That announcement was made on Friday, January 28. Turnquest said that they expected suspects to appear before the court on that following Monday.
Just over four weeks later, The Nassau Guardian reported that while a magistrate had been designated for the speciality court, it still did not have a prosecutor.
And the magistrate who had been hearing the new gun cases has yet to complete any of those new gun cases.
In this space, following the announcement of the gun court, we commended the government for the court’s establishment as part of an overall strategy of driving down the high crime rate in the country.
Today we must ask if the news conference was simply a public relations exercise designed to help quiet the public’s outcry against the country’s troubling crime trends.
We saw a record-breaking murder count last year, and so far we are on pace to repeat that trend.
More than one month after the announcement, the new court is still not functioning in the way that it should.
The government is obviously making an effort to attack the problem of crime and the fear that it has created in our society; however, big news conferences attended by big names in the judiciary and the government need to be followed through with action and results.
There are a lot of illegal guns in this country.
And we still think that a gun court, if run properly and given the necessary resources, could help ensure that suspects are quickly prosecuted. This is an important part of any crime fighting strategy.
Results are not expected overnight, especially in a system that is beset with a significant case backlog. However, announcing the establishment of a court and that suspects would start appearing in a matter of days gives the distinct impression that the facility is ready to function.
This was obviously not the case.
The people deserve more than just lip service.
3/2/2011
thenassauguardian editorial
thenassauguardian editorial
Late in January of this year, the government made a big announcement that in conjunction with the judiciary it had set up a gun court in a move to ensure that those found in possession of illegal firearms are quickly prosecuted.
Attorney General John Delaney, Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest,Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade and senior officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force all attended the news conference, which was held after a meeting with Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham on gun crime.
According to police data, guns were used in 69 out of the 94 homicides recorded in 2010. Out of 17 homicides recorded so far for the year, 14 involved guns. Also last year, 351 illegal firearms and 6,224 rounds of ammunition were seized – an increase over the year before.
That announcement was made on Friday, January 28. Turnquest said that they expected suspects to appear before the court on that following Monday.
Just over four weeks later, The Nassau Guardian reported that while a magistrate had been designated for the speciality court, it still did not have a prosecutor.
And the magistrate who had been hearing the new gun cases has yet to complete any of those new gun cases.
In this space, following the announcement of the gun court, we commended the government for the court’s establishment as part of an overall strategy of driving down the high crime rate in the country.
Today we must ask if the news conference was simply a public relations exercise designed to help quiet the public’s outcry against the country’s troubling crime trends.
We saw a record-breaking murder count last year, and so far we are on pace to repeat that trend.
More than one month after the announcement, the new court is still not functioning in the way that it should.
The government is obviously making an effort to attack the problem of crime and the fear that it has created in our society; however, big news conferences attended by big names in the judiciary and the government need to be followed through with action and results.
There are a lot of illegal guns in this country.
And we still think that a gun court, if run properly and given the necessary resources, could help ensure that suspects are quickly prosecuted. This is an important part of any crime fighting strategy.
Results are not expected overnight, especially in a system that is beset with a significant case backlog. However, announcing the establishment of a court and that suspects would start appearing in a matter of days gives the distinct impression that the facility is ready to function.
This was obviously not the case.
The people deserve more than just lip service.
3/2/2011
thenassauguardian editorial
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Odd Protest against the Sale of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC)
Protest against the sale of the BTC is odd
By RICK LOWE
ACCORDING to news reports, 800 to 1,000 people blocked Bay Street last week to protest the sale of BTC to Cable and Wireless/LIME and it all seems odd.
Some people were saying that rights are being violated by selling BTC. But what rights are being violated?
Yes, sometimes Mr. Ingraham can be brash, but does that mean he is uncaring, a dictator, or corrupt, or violating rights as alleged? It's doubtful.
Using emotive language and trying to rile people up as some are doing could violate rights for sure.
What the protesters are missing is BTC is not owned by Bahamians. That's an illusion. A political construct. It is owned by the Bahamas Government.
Over the years successive governments have led us down the garden path by wasting and borrowing beyond the country's ability to sustain, and the sale of BTC might help keep the Bahamian dollar stable and reduce some of the debt that we all have to pay one way or the other.
The Opposition seems shameless on this one, after trying to sell BTC themselves under similar circumstances to a company called Bluewater, now it would seem that some are trying to incite people.
Another turnabout by the Opposition was the Constitutional Referendum of 2002. Both parties agreed in principle in the House of Assembly, then one campaigned against it, confusing the electorate.
The latest reason not to sell is there are complaints about LIME posted on the Internet.
If you research every company in the world online it seems you will find bad comments. We survey some of our clients, and last quarter we had an 84 per cent approval rating (our goal is 85 per cent), but the one client that complained, really complained, bringing the results of all the good comments lower. Is that what is happening with CWC? We also find that often it's people with complaints that fill the survey out. Those that had no issues, do not take the time to respond.
Are there similar complaints about BTC going around on the Internet?
Could the government have been more open? No doubt. Both the FNM or PLP governments over the years could have been more open. Promises of a Freedom of Information Act have been made by each of them. Let's see who passes it into law. That might help with government transparency in the future.
There were apparently no dissenenters before BTC was sold, at least publicly. So why the dissent now? The government corporations should be sold if for nothing more than to get politics and politicians out of it.
All this protesting is odd. When you dig a little deeper unseemly politics appear to be at work?
March 01, 2011
tribune242
By RICK LOWE
ACCORDING to news reports, 800 to 1,000 people blocked Bay Street last week to protest the sale of BTC to Cable and Wireless/LIME and it all seems odd.
Some people were saying that rights are being violated by selling BTC. But what rights are being violated?
Yes, sometimes Mr. Ingraham can be brash, but does that mean he is uncaring, a dictator, or corrupt, or violating rights as alleged? It's doubtful.
Using emotive language and trying to rile people up as some are doing could violate rights for sure.
What the protesters are missing is BTC is not owned by Bahamians. That's an illusion. A political construct. It is owned by the Bahamas Government.
Over the years successive governments have led us down the garden path by wasting and borrowing beyond the country's ability to sustain, and the sale of BTC might help keep the Bahamian dollar stable and reduce some of the debt that we all have to pay one way or the other.
The Opposition seems shameless on this one, after trying to sell BTC themselves under similar circumstances to a company called Bluewater, now it would seem that some are trying to incite people.
Another turnabout by the Opposition was the Constitutional Referendum of 2002. Both parties agreed in principle in the House of Assembly, then one campaigned against it, confusing the electorate.
The latest reason not to sell is there are complaints about LIME posted on the Internet.
If you research every company in the world online it seems you will find bad comments. We survey some of our clients, and last quarter we had an 84 per cent approval rating (our goal is 85 per cent), but the one client that complained, really complained, bringing the results of all the good comments lower. Is that what is happening with CWC? We also find that often it's people with complaints that fill the survey out. Those that had no issues, do not take the time to respond.
Are there similar complaints about BTC going around on the Internet?
Could the government have been more open? No doubt. Both the FNM or PLP governments over the years could have been more open. Promises of a Freedom of Information Act have been made by each of them. Let's see who passes it into law. That might help with government transparency in the future.
There were apparently no dissenenters before BTC was sold, at least publicly. So why the dissent now? The government corporations should be sold if for nothing more than to get politics and politicians out of it.
All this protesting is odd. When you dig a little deeper unseemly politics appear to be at work?
March 01, 2011
tribune242
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A Message From Branville McCartney - MP - Bamboo Town
A Message From MP McCartney
...That all elected officials may respond to the needs of their community and serve the common good – we pray to the Lord – Lord hear our prayer.
We are so very fortunate to be blessed by God with such a beautiful country and, indeed, for the most part, beautiful, kind, generous and God fearing people. I, just like so many other persons, am convinced that there is no other place in this world like the Bahamas! But what are we doing or not doing to our beloved country? Are we settling for mediocrity and accepting it as the best we have?
Are we letting politics get in the way? I have no doubt that The Bahamas ought to be more than a “Little Switzerland” in the Atlantic, but are we doing our part?
A few weeks ago, while at church, I listened intently to the intercessory prayer – “that all elected officials may respond to the needs of their community and serve the common good – we pray to the Lord – Lord hear our prayer”. This intercessory stuck in my mind and I wondered if our elected officials, including me, respond to the needs of their community. Now I take that to mean the community of the Bahamas and its welfare. For the most part, I think we respond, but in the wrong way and for the wrong reasons. In my humble view, I think that we have become so polarized/political/partisan that we lose sight of what is the “common good” of the community; what is indeed the common good of The Bahamas and the Bahamian people. We tend to put PLP and the FNM and their respective colours before the people of the Bahamas. This should not be! We should be at a stage where we have moved beyond petty politics.
Now do not get me wrong, there is a time and a place for politics, but the interest and the welfare of the Bahamian people must be priority number one! I am not sure we, as politicians, appreciate this notion.
In Bamboo Town, my theme colour is the olive green – not red and white,not yellow, but the olive green. That colour signifies that I am extending the olive branch to all members of my constituency, inclusive of – FNMs, PLPs and ABCs. You see, if I were to have the FNM’s colours, the odds are, only the FNMs will participate in the many programs we have in the community. What then happens to those who are not FNM or those who do not vote, perhaps became of religious or other reasons? The idea, put simply, is for ALL to participate! It does not matter to me what political persuasion you are. I am the representative for all and my aim is for the common good. As a result, I have had the good fortune of persons of different political persuasions, and quite pleasantly surprisingly persons who do not participate in the political process for one reason or the other, join and assist in programs that we have in Bamboo Town. That is because we are about community not politics.
I do pray to the Almighty that we do not become like some of our neighbouring countries to the south where violence is the order of the day when it comes to politics. Let us not follow in their footsteps.
In my resignation statement, I said that I fear that we are going in the wrong direction politically. This is what I meant. It is time that we respond to the needs of our respective communities and serve the common good – Lord hear our prayer.
Taken from: REPRESENT!
Your voice in Bamboo Town
Vol. 1 Issue 15
January 2011 Edition
Bahamas Blog International
...That all elected officials may respond to the needs of their community and serve the common good – we pray to the Lord – Lord hear our prayer.
We are so very fortunate to be blessed by God with such a beautiful country and, indeed, for the most part, beautiful, kind, generous and God fearing people. I, just like so many other persons, am convinced that there is no other place in this world like the Bahamas! But what are we doing or not doing to our beloved country? Are we settling for mediocrity and accepting it as the best we have?
Are we letting politics get in the way? I have no doubt that The Bahamas ought to be more than a “Little Switzerland” in the Atlantic, but are we doing our part?
A few weeks ago, while at church, I listened intently to the intercessory prayer – “that all elected officials may respond to the needs of their community and serve the common good – we pray to the Lord – Lord hear our prayer”. This intercessory stuck in my mind and I wondered if our elected officials, including me, respond to the needs of their community. Now I take that to mean the community of the Bahamas and its welfare. For the most part, I think we respond, but in the wrong way and for the wrong reasons. In my humble view, I think that we have become so polarized/political/partisan that we lose sight of what is the “common good” of the community; what is indeed the common good of The Bahamas and the Bahamian people. We tend to put PLP and the FNM and their respective colours before the people of the Bahamas. This should not be! We should be at a stage where we have moved beyond petty politics.
Now do not get me wrong, there is a time and a place for politics, but the interest and the welfare of the Bahamian people must be priority number one! I am not sure we, as politicians, appreciate this notion.
In Bamboo Town, my theme colour is the olive green – not red and white,not yellow, but the olive green. That colour signifies that I am extending the olive branch to all members of my constituency, inclusive of – FNMs, PLPs and ABCs. You see, if I were to have the FNM’s colours, the odds are, only the FNMs will participate in the many programs we have in the community. What then happens to those who are not FNM or those who do not vote, perhaps became of religious or other reasons? The idea, put simply, is for ALL to participate! It does not matter to me what political persuasion you are. I am the representative for all and my aim is for the common good. As a result, I have had the good fortune of persons of different political persuasions, and quite pleasantly surprisingly persons who do not participate in the political process for one reason or the other, join and assist in programs that we have in Bamboo Town. That is because we are about community not politics.
I do pray to the Almighty that we do not become like some of our neighbouring countries to the south where violence is the order of the day when it comes to politics. Let us not follow in their footsteps.
In my resignation statement, I said that I fear that we are going in the wrong direction politically. This is what I meant. It is time that we respond to the needs of our respective communities and serve the common good – Lord hear our prayer.
Taken from: REPRESENT!
Your voice in Bamboo Town
Vol. 1 Issue 15
January 2011 Edition
Bahamas Blog International
Leon Williams: Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) missed out on opportunities that would have made it even more competitive and valuable
“BTC Missed Out On Opportunities,” Says Williams
By Scieska Adderley
Former Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) President and CEO Leon Williams believes that the country’s telecommunications provider is the most profitable government entity, despite missing several opportunities that would have made the company even more competitive and valuable.
Mr. Williams was the keynote speaker at the Rotary Club of West Nassau’s weekly meeting yesterday.
During his address, he explained that he had a certain vision for BTC while he was at the helm.
According to Mr. Williams, his main goal was to raise enough money so that BTC could grow outside of The Bahamas.
"We went to Haiti where we built a $6 million cable to Haiti. The Government of Haiti offered us the first right of refusal for a DSL and a wireless network. It would have cost $30 million to do the GSM in Haiti. We did not see and when I say we did not see, other people did not see the value of Haiti."
Mr. Williams said if BTC had gotten its services off the ground in Haiti, using just 10 per cent of that country’s customers, in three years that alone would have generated BTC’s annual profits.
He noted that Digicel tapped into that market and within the first three months, the company had 500,000 customers, then in its first year, that number increased to 1.6 million customers.
Currently, Digicel has 2.6 million customers in Haiti.
Mr. Williams explained that BTC has also missed out on marketing its VIBE phone service internationally.
"We then created the VIBE network. We had the Bahamian girl on the box, a Jamaican girl on the box and we had a Haitian girl on the box. The idea was to go to Miami and sell the VIBE in Miami, 1.8 million in Miami. We even had it on Concourse D at the Miami International Aiport. We were even advertising where no one else was advertising in that same area in the United States."
Mr. Williams said it is important to expand the market beyond The Bahamas.
He compared it to Cable Bahamas, which has over the years expanded its services to countries such as Barbados, Jamaica, Curacao and the Dominican Republic.
Overall, Mr. Williams noted there are 20 million customers on The Bahamas’ border-markets that can be exploited, but unfortunately have not.
February 28, 2011
jonesbahamas
Monday, February 28, 2011
Loretta Butler-Turner: ...much work to do in The Bahamas to increase women and girls participation in the field of education, training, science and technology
The Bahamas reaffirms commitment to gender equality and advancement of women
tribune242
EVEN while lauding progress on gender equity in education and employment opportunities, Minister of State for Social Development Loretta Butler-Turner said that with the rapid advancement in information and communication technology (lCT) shaping the global environment, there is still much work to do in the Bahamas to increase the level of participation by women and girls in the fields of education, training, science and technology.
Mrs. Turner was addressing the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which convened at the UN under the theme "access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women's equal access to full employment and decent work." During her address, Mrs. Turner reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of The Bahamas to globally recognized goals for access for women and girls to education and employment and urged the elimination of gender barriers in order to empower women and girls to fully participate in the scientific and technical global environment.
The minister said that the Educational and Employment Acts of The Bahamas ensure equal educational rights for boys and girls and full employment and decent work for men and women.
"Increasingly girls are pursuing subjects that have traditionally been regarded as 'male' subjects in response to the changing demands of the local labour market," she reported.
"One of The Bahamas' success stories in promoting non-traditional educational training and employment opportunities for young people is the establishment of The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI), which has seen greater numbers of females seeking careers in agriculture, construction engineering, electronics, and automotive and electrical engineering and technology."
Mrs. Turner also pointed out that a significant number of women currently hold high-level administrative and faculty positions throughout the educational system of The Bahamas, including several leading associate and assistant professors in the natural sciences and environmental studies and some who have served as Chair of the Natural Sciences Division at the College of The Bahamas.
"While these are notable achievements, I am well aware that this is not enough," the minister said. "With the rapid advancement in information and communication technology (lCT) shaping the global environment, we still have much work to do in The Bahamas to increase women and girls participation in the field of education, training, science and technology. An overwhelming number of female graduates are still inclined to pursue careers in the humanities, social sciences, and judicial fields."
February 28, 2011
tribune242
tribune242
EVEN while lauding progress on gender equity in education and employment opportunities, Minister of State for Social Development Loretta Butler-Turner said that with the rapid advancement in information and communication technology (lCT) shaping the global environment, there is still much work to do in the Bahamas to increase the level of participation by women and girls in the fields of education, training, science and technology.
Mrs. Turner was addressing the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which convened at the UN under the theme "access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women's equal access to full employment and decent work." During her address, Mrs. Turner reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of The Bahamas to globally recognized goals for access for women and girls to education and employment and urged the elimination of gender barriers in order to empower women and girls to fully participate in the scientific and technical global environment.
The minister said that the Educational and Employment Acts of The Bahamas ensure equal educational rights for boys and girls and full employment and decent work for men and women.
"Increasingly girls are pursuing subjects that have traditionally been regarded as 'male' subjects in response to the changing demands of the local labour market," she reported.
"One of The Bahamas' success stories in promoting non-traditional educational training and employment opportunities for young people is the establishment of The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI), which has seen greater numbers of females seeking careers in agriculture, construction engineering, electronics, and automotive and electrical engineering and technology."
Mrs. Turner also pointed out that a significant number of women currently hold high-level administrative and faculty positions throughout the educational system of The Bahamas, including several leading associate and assistant professors in the natural sciences and environmental studies and some who have served as Chair of the Natural Sciences Division at the College of The Bahamas.
"While these are notable achievements, I am well aware that this is not enough," the minister said. "With the rapid advancement in information and communication technology (lCT) shaping the global environment, we still have much work to do in The Bahamas to increase women and girls participation in the field of education, training, science and technology. An overwhelming number of female graduates are still inclined to pursue careers in the humanities, social sciences, and judicial fields."
February 28, 2011
tribune242
Sunday, February 27, 2011
ZNS, while still having advantages over other news outlets, has been failing in its mandate to “inform, educate and entertain” the public
Does ZNS deserve a dime?
thenassauguardian
Corporation’s restructuring yet to bear fruit
Three months after the government released 80 people from the ZNS Network in a controversial restructuring exercise, ads running on the Parliamentary Channel declare that the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (BCB) is now seeking to hire reporters and other employees.
ZNS still appears to be critically challenged and the public has a front row seat to witness whether the recent restructuring would indeed result in an improved operation.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham cannot coast forever on the fact the he liberated the airwaves after he first came to power nearly 20 years ago. It is perhaps why the administration has taken the action it says would lead to improvements at the state-owned corporation.
When Ingraham initially became prime minister, media-wise The Bahamas was in the dark ages after decades of the ZNS broadcast monopoly.
Many years of mismanagement and inappropriate intervention by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) — which has no moral authority to lecture anyone on what has happened at ZNS — left many Bahamians misinformed and pretty much beholden to government for whatever scraps of information it would offer about its achievements.
As far as public transparency, things have gotten somewhat better in the years since.
However, as far as making substantive information freely available, the Free National Movement and the PLP leave much to be desired.
Politicians still use ZNS as a tool for propaganda, asserting their own importance and efficiency as often as possible.
It seems as if the politicians’ view is that the primary function of ZNS is to show how much they are doing for the very people they ask to pay for the state broadcaster.
ZNS’ financial situation
A recent report by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) noted that levels of public funding for ZNS are low by international standards.
In 2009/10, the corporation’s unaudited total income was $14.7 million. Of this, $6.2 million, or 44 percent of the total, was derived from commercial means, according to URCA.
The government provided a public grant of $8.5 million, representing the other 56 percent of ZNS' income over the year.
For the financial year 2010/11, the corporation’s public grant was slashed in half and now stands at $4.25 million.
According to URCA's research, the government grant in 2009/10 was the equivalent of spending $28 per person in the country.
URCA said that compared to PSB spending in 18 other countries, The Bahamas came in on the low-end of the scale.
URCA said other countries showed a per capita spend of around $40 to $60, and in some cases $80 to $110 per head on PSB.
ZNS, while still having advantages over other news outlets, has been failing its mandate to “inform, educate and entertain” the public.
Just looking at the information aspect of its mandate, ZNS has a long way to go and has been lagging for quite some time.
Staff changes
In 2009, ZNS radio anchor and reporter Julian Reid left the editorial department to work in programming.
He hosted a monthly show about the environment, ‘The Bahamas Naturally’.
Charlene Ferguson became the regular morning news anchor.
A few weeks before the corporation’s spectacular meltdown in November, long-time reporter Sherman Brown was forced to resign from the corporation after being caught up in some controversy involving the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) and Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard, who lives in Lyford Cay.
As part of the restructuring, Ferguson and Reid were let go.
Marcellus Hall, who was a sports editor, claimed he found the way ZNS handled the downsizing to be distasteful, so he voluntarily accepted a retirement package.
Jerome Sawyer, unquestionably the most qualified broadcast television talent at ZNS, was removed as anchor and from news altogether and given a one-year contract at a severely reduced salary to produce a show called ‘The Sawyer Report’.
Keishla Smith became the national television news anchor.
‘The Sawyer Report’ does not always air consistently, apparently because the studio space Sawyer was given to do his new show is now occupied by the new set for ‘The Bahamas Tonight’ evening newscast.
Sawyer also apparently has few resources to do his show, which is still no excuse for the irregularity of the broadcasts.
With Ferguson gone, Altovise Munnings, who was hired at ZNS about midway through 2010, is now responsible for the radio news and required to do TV reporting, which is normal in the industry.
Beverly Curry was removed as news director and offered the post of director of the Parliamentary Channel. She decided to accept a retirement package instead.
It is reported that she has since returned and accepted the job she was offered during the restructuring.
Anthony ‘Ace’ Newbold, who was formerly deputy general manager of the Parliamentary Channel, replaced Curry as news director.
Opal Roach and Betty Thompson were returned to news reporting from Parliamentary Channel duties.
Vaughnique Toote, a TV and radio reporter, was moved to the Parliamentary Channel.
She lasted less than two months and now works for The Nassau Guardian as the main news anchor for Star 106.5 FM.
So ZNS lost four reporters, one news anchor, and a sports anchor in the space of just a few months.
Now, after the frenzy that was the restructuring exercise, the BCB is looking for people to fill several positions.
In the meantime, reporters continue to host various shows.
Clint Watson has been hosting a news week-in-review program for some time now.
And Shenique Miller has been hosting the seasonal weekly show ‘Press Pass’ for more than a year now, although it is said to be heavily censored.
Since ZNS axed Julian Reid, reporter Giovanni Stuart has been hosting ‘The Bahamas Naturally’.
Syann Thompson also has a monthly culture show going on.
As ZNS added those responsibilities to some reporters, it has also increased the frequency of its radio and TV updates.
As part of the restructuring, ZNS recently abruptly stopped the national broadcast of television news from Grand Bahama.
The claim was that the cost was too much to bear, even though it was less than $100,000 per year to carry the broadcast.
That price does not seem exorbitant when one considers the value of properly informing the wider population on what is going on in the northern region.
ZNS also reportedly has an unwritten policy that ‘The Bahamas Tonight’ should not feature crime too prominently.
This sentiment was echoed by pastors at a recent press conference with police.
Apparently, the feeling amongst pastors and police is that the media sensationalize crime.
Anyone who cannot see how bad the crime problem is must be considered delusional and not allowed to make major decisions.
If the issue is not constantly highlighted and the police pressured to continually push back against criminals, the situation would only worsen.
ZNS also has a bad habit of making most stories about Cabinet ministers.
These high-ranking officials are important figures, but usually the story only tangentially involves them. It does not always begin and end with them.
And if the story is about the minister, tough questions should be asked.
As a result of all that has happened, ZNS has painted itself into a corner.
If ZNS does not correct itself very soon, the public may begin to doubt the veracity of information it broadcasts.
Now what?
ZNS Executive Chairman Michael Moss has rightly stated that ZNS has to be free of political influence. That might not happen anytime soon. The current prime minister seems unwilling to do this.
The PLP has slammed Ingraham for the downsizing.
If Perry Christie returns to power, it is unclear if he would rehire the laid off workers despite the drag on public finances.
Evidently, this mantra about the BCB being released from a political choke hold and transformed into something similar to what we see in industrialized countries has yet to bear fruit.
2/21/2011
thenassauguardian
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Teen pregnancy appears to have gone wild in The Bahamas
The effects of teenage pregnancy
By ADRIAN GIBSON
ajbahama@hotmail.com
THE social issues we now face in the Bahamas are due, in part, to the large number of children who are having children. Teenage pregnancy appears to have gone wild!
Teenage pregnancy is a major contributing factor to the social disintegration our country now faces. In the Bahamas, we are shifting from one generation to another too speedily, and thus resulting in a nation of poorly socialized, ill-mannered brats who are disgruntled and intent on ruining any thread of public harmony.
The term teenage pregnancy refers to any teenage girl who falls pregnant during her adolescent years. Teenage pregnancies carry a social stigma, lead to poorly educated adults, increase poverty and harmfully affect the lives of the children being born. In a report by the Save the Children organization, it was found that every year, about 13 million children (worldwide) are born to teen mothers under age 20, primarily in developing countries. According to local statistics, the percentage of births to teenage mothers lingers around 13 per cent of the national total.
Just last week, as I left a law firm on Dowdeswell Street, there walked a contingent of young girls, wearing baby-blue outfits (presumably students of the PACE--Providing Access to Continued Education--programme) and speaking garishly, all with protruding bellies. These youngsters were on average between ages 13 to 16. I recall one of them telling the other how she couldn't wait to have her baby, leave the PACE programme and return to regular school.
According to the PACE Foundation website, the PACE programme was initiated by Nurse Andrea Elizabeth Archer in 1970 and "has sought to pioneer ways and means to address the problem of teen pregnancy, and, in its many years of existence, has certainly impacted the lives of numerous teens and their babies."
The website says: "Over the years, it would have provided assistance to more than 3000 teenage mothers, helping them to complete high school thus ensuring them a better chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. However, PACE continues to face numerous problems that affect its functionality. Entry into the PACE programme is voluntary and available only to first-time teen mothers. However, less than half of the nation's first-time mothers enter the programme yearly.
Parenting
"The aim is to intervene in the lives of more first-time teen mothers with a view to ensuring that such girls achieve a minimum of a high school diploma, and preventing further pregnancies until they have achieved independent means by which they can care adequately for all their offspring. At present, our children are at risk of growing up in economically disadvantaged circumstances and with mothers who are ill-prepared for parenting and, in fact, need parenting themselves. The cost of ignoring this problem is great; therefore it demands our immediate attention," the Foundation's website read.
It further stated that "(a) principals of government secondary schools are reluctant to allow teen mothers re-entry into regular school for fear that they will have a negative influence on fellow students, both female and male; (b) the programme remains fragmented, as services such as antenatal care and others are offered in different locations; (c) there are no facilities for emergency housing or for on-site childcare; and (d) the programme is generally under funded."
The PACE programme nobly states the view that in accordance with article 23 of the Education Act 1996 "school is compulsory age between the ages of 5 and 16, underscoring that no citizen is more entitled to education than the other." The programme asserts that "it is further understood that education is important for the purposes of nation building and directly improves the standard of living and full development of human beings. With the existing make up of the economy of our country, there is little possibility of economic survival of a young teen with a child to support."
Indeed, the government, and private sector entities and citizens, must see to it that worthwhile programmes such as PACE are properly subsidized.
How can values be taught when there are 20-year-old mothers with children in primary school?
Our national conscience is surely in smithereens when we now have 32-year-old grandparents and it is being viewed as relatively normal due to its growing prevalence!
Today, our country is plagued by a spree of abhorrent crimes and senseless murders, most likely due to an absence of role models, poor social skills and a lack of values. How can ethics be taught when many of the children born are being parented by boorish youngsters?
The spate of violence at our public schools is again another example of our society's failure to confront many of the underlying social problems, instead simply choosing to adopt a reactionary approach to problem solving while hardly ever proposing credible, tangible solutions. It appears that many Bahamians have become desensitized and are of the view that if an issue is not directly affecting them, why care? We must adopt a proactive approach confronting an issue before it mushrooms and/or arrives at our doorsteps.
The PACE Foundation holds even more compelling views about the impact of teenage pregnancy upon society, stating:
"Owing to the fact that the mothers are single and have limited education, their children are at increased risk of growing up in poverty. Inadequate education also correlates with diminished awareness of the importance of proper health care, regardless of the fact that prenatal care, delivery, and childcare are free at government health institutions. Failure to access this care translates into more complications of pregnancy, low birth rates and increased incidences of morbidity and mortality in children of adolescent mothers."
Societal issues such as teen pregnancies, gang-banging and any other misdeeds, stem from a breakdown in the family, a lack of supervision, external influences and an erosion of our moral code.
In the Bahamas, there is usually a considerable age gap between adolescent girls and the men who impregnate them, with such marauding chaps typically being lousy predators in their late 20s or much older. Many school girls from adverse family environments seek the affection of older men, who are usually sought to fill a void left by an absentee father. Locally, it's assumed that many of the men engaging in relationships with underage girls are those who interact with them daily, that is, persons such as bus drivers, neighbours and even some professionals who ensnare them with money or a joy ride in a posh vehicle or some pie-in-the-sky promise. Some Bahamians would be surprised by the number of young girls who are enticed by men driving cars with flashy rims and a loud sound system!
In his song "Brenda's Got a Baby," the late rap legend Tupac Shakur famously stated what has become the norm in the Bahamas when he said:
"Now Brenda's (and one can fit any other name here) belly is getting bigger
"But no one seems to notice any change in her figure
"She's 12 years old and she's having a baby
"In love with the molester, who's sexing her crazy..."
As it relates to the protection of teenage girls from predators, the legal protections against sexual abuse and indecent assault must be stiffened, a database of paedophiles and sex offenders must be established, ankle bracelets tracking these predators must be used and, moreover, some good old fashioned parental love would go a long way.
Teenage pregnancy is a social epidemic that, if not effectively addressed, could further ruin our already volatile society. Frankly, sex education and Planned Parenthood programmes must be developed and further promoted and there must be greater community and parental support to curb the incidences of teenage pregnancy.
In the United States, schools are encouraging abstinence while certain community and religious groups are promoting virginity pledges. In Holland, sex education is a part of every school's curriculum, the media advances public discourse and health-care professionals--at all levels--are prudent and discrete about such matters. Why can't the same approach be taken locally?
Further, the PACE Foundation also states that:
"For the period from 1996-2000, 72.1 per cent (2599 of 3604) of the total hospital discharge diagnoses for adolescent females were complications of pregnancy, hinting at the impact of the teen pregnancy on the national health care budget. Over this same time frame 331 abortions were recorded in this age group. The breakdown is as follows: 14.4 per cent spontaneous, 0.8 per cent legal and 84.9 per cent unspecified."
In the Bahamas, children born to teen mothers are often poor academic performers, social deviants and high school dropouts. Without positive influences and constructive intervention, it is very likely that the daughters of teen mothers will become adolescent parents themselves and that the sons of teen mothers will, more often than not, serve time in prison. Unfortunately, the children of teen mothers or households with absentee fathers, many times become societal miscreants, that is, the problematic, community menaces with behavioral issues that began during their formative years.
Our collapsing society will only be built up when children are once again cultured and taught that "manners and respect will take you throughout the world!"
February 25, 2011
tribune242
By ADRIAN GIBSON
ajbahama@hotmail.com
THE social issues we now face in the Bahamas are due, in part, to the large number of children who are having children. Teenage pregnancy appears to have gone wild!
Teenage pregnancy is a major contributing factor to the social disintegration our country now faces. In the Bahamas, we are shifting from one generation to another too speedily, and thus resulting in a nation of poorly socialized, ill-mannered brats who are disgruntled and intent on ruining any thread of public harmony.
The term teenage pregnancy refers to any teenage girl who falls pregnant during her adolescent years. Teenage pregnancies carry a social stigma, lead to poorly educated adults, increase poverty and harmfully affect the lives of the children being born. In a report by the Save the Children organization, it was found that every year, about 13 million children (worldwide) are born to teen mothers under age 20, primarily in developing countries. According to local statistics, the percentage of births to teenage mothers lingers around 13 per cent of the national total.
Just last week, as I left a law firm on Dowdeswell Street, there walked a contingent of young girls, wearing baby-blue outfits (presumably students of the PACE--Providing Access to Continued Education--programme) and speaking garishly, all with protruding bellies. These youngsters were on average between ages 13 to 16. I recall one of them telling the other how she couldn't wait to have her baby, leave the PACE programme and return to regular school.
According to the PACE Foundation website, the PACE programme was initiated by Nurse Andrea Elizabeth Archer in 1970 and "has sought to pioneer ways and means to address the problem of teen pregnancy, and, in its many years of existence, has certainly impacted the lives of numerous teens and their babies."
The website says: "Over the years, it would have provided assistance to more than 3000 teenage mothers, helping them to complete high school thus ensuring them a better chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. However, PACE continues to face numerous problems that affect its functionality. Entry into the PACE programme is voluntary and available only to first-time teen mothers. However, less than half of the nation's first-time mothers enter the programme yearly.
Parenting
"The aim is to intervene in the lives of more first-time teen mothers with a view to ensuring that such girls achieve a minimum of a high school diploma, and preventing further pregnancies until they have achieved independent means by which they can care adequately for all their offspring. At present, our children are at risk of growing up in economically disadvantaged circumstances and with mothers who are ill-prepared for parenting and, in fact, need parenting themselves. The cost of ignoring this problem is great; therefore it demands our immediate attention," the Foundation's website read.
It further stated that "(a) principals of government secondary schools are reluctant to allow teen mothers re-entry into regular school for fear that they will have a negative influence on fellow students, both female and male; (b) the programme remains fragmented, as services such as antenatal care and others are offered in different locations; (c) there are no facilities for emergency housing or for on-site childcare; and (d) the programme is generally under funded."
The PACE programme nobly states the view that in accordance with article 23 of the Education Act 1996 "school is compulsory age between the ages of 5 and 16, underscoring that no citizen is more entitled to education than the other." The programme asserts that "it is further understood that education is important for the purposes of nation building and directly improves the standard of living and full development of human beings. With the existing make up of the economy of our country, there is little possibility of economic survival of a young teen with a child to support."
Indeed, the government, and private sector entities and citizens, must see to it that worthwhile programmes such as PACE are properly subsidized.
How can values be taught when there are 20-year-old mothers with children in primary school?
Our national conscience is surely in smithereens when we now have 32-year-old grandparents and it is being viewed as relatively normal due to its growing prevalence!
Today, our country is plagued by a spree of abhorrent crimes and senseless murders, most likely due to an absence of role models, poor social skills and a lack of values. How can ethics be taught when many of the children born are being parented by boorish youngsters?
The spate of violence at our public schools is again another example of our society's failure to confront many of the underlying social problems, instead simply choosing to adopt a reactionary approach to problem solving while hardly ever proposing credible, tangible solutions. It appears that many Bahamians have become desensitized and are of the view that if an issue is not directly affecting them, why care? We must adopt a proactive approach confronting an issue before it mushrooms and/or arrives at our doorsteps.
The PACE Foundation holds even more compelling views about the impact of teenage pregnancy upon society, stating:
"Owing to the fact that the mothers are single and have limited education, their children are at increased risk of growing up in poverty. Inadequate education also correlates with diminished awareness of the importance of proper health care, regardless of the fact that prenatal care, delivery, and childcare are free at government health institutions. Failure to access this care translates into more complications of pregnancy, low birth rates and increased incidences of morbidity and mortality in children of adolescent mothers."
Societal issues such as teen pregnancies, gang-banging and any other misdeeds, stem from a breakdown in the family, a lack of supervision, external influences and an erosion of our moral code.
In the Bahamas, there is usually a considerable age gap between adolescent girls and the men who impregnate them, with such marauding chaps typically being lousy predators in their late 20s or much older. Many school girls from adverse family environments seek the affection of older men, who are usually sought to fill a void left by an absentee father. Locally, it's assumed that many of the men engaging in relationships with underage girls are those who interact with them daily, that is, persons such as bus drivers, neighbours and even some professionals who ensnare them with money or a joy ride in a posh vehicle or some pie-in-the-sky promise. Some Bahamians would be surprised by the number of young girls who are enticed by men driving cars with flashy rims and a loud sound system!
In his song "Brenda's Got a Baby," the late rap legend Tupac Shakur famously stated what has become the norm in the Bahamas when he said:
"Now Brenda's (and one can fit any other name here) belly is getting bigger
"But no one seems to notice any change in her figure
"She's 12 years old and she's having a baby
"In love with the molester, who's sexing her crazy..."
As it relates to the protection of teenage girls from predators, the legal protections against sexual abuse and indecent assault must be stiffened, a database of paedophiles and sex offenders must be established, ankle bracelets tracking these predators must be used and, moreover, some good old fashioned parental love would go a long way.
Teenage pregnancy is a social epidemic that, if not effectively addressed, could further ruin our already volatile society. Frankly, sex education and Planned Parenthood programmes must be developed and further promoted and there must be greater community and parental support to curb the incidences of teenage pregnancy.
In the United States, schools are encouraging abstinence while certain community and religious groups are promoting virginity pledges. In Holland, sex education is a part of every school's curriculum, the media advances public discourse and health-care professionals--at all levels--are prudent and discrete about such matters. Why can't the same approach be taken locally?
Further, the PACE Foundation also states that:
"For the period from 1996-2000, 72.1 per cent (2599 of 3604) of the total hospital discharge diagnoses for adolescent females were complications of pregnancy, hinting at the impact of the teen pregnancy on the national health care budget. Over this same time frame 331 abortions were recorded in this age group. The breakdown is as follows: 14.4 per cent spontaneous, 0.8 per cent legal and 84.9 per cent unspecified."
In the Bahamas, children born to teen mothers are often poor academic performers, social deviants and high school dropouts. Without positive influences and constructive intervention, it is very likely that the daughters of teen mothers will become adolescent parents themselves and that the sons of teen mothers will, more often than not, serve time in prison. Unfortunately, the children of teen mothers or households with absentee fathers, many times become societal miscreants, that is, the problematic, community menaces with behavioral issues that began during their formative years.
Our collapsing society will only be built up when children are once again cultured and taught that "manners and respect will take you throughout the world!"
February 25, 2011
tribune242
Friday, February 25, 2011
Continuing budget deficits and the national debt... Bahamas
The mid-term budget
thenassauguardian editorial
The prime minister and minister of finance has presented to Parliament a statement on the fiscal affairs of the country for the six month period ending 31st December, 2010. It seems clear that the country is still being severely challenged on the fiscal front and the economy has yet to emerge from the depths of the global recession.
The most important budgetary item, total revenue, is trailing estimates by $50 million despite the tax hikes and the improved revenue administration announced at the start of this current budgetary cycle.
That outcome is not surprising when one considers that in our economy, our major source of government revenue is customs duties, which are determined by the level of imports, which in turn is determined by employment levels and tourists arrivals.
Unemployment is in the mid-teens, according to the latest available figures which have not been released since 2009, and air-arrivals — the most important tourist category — is seemingly stagnant at 1.3 million; a figure that has hardly changed in two decades.
From a policy perspective, it seems clear that efforts to boost tourist arrivals (by air) and at the same time expand employment opportunities are of critical importance going forward.
Although the budget statement gave a hint of cautious optimism regarding the outlook for economic growth and development over the short term, it is difficult to overlook the ominous threat to that growth also contained in the statement in reference to the almost 24 percent increase in gas prices at the pump and the 37 percent increase in the surcharge applied by B.E.C. to our electricity bills.
It would appear that the consumer, who continues to buckle under the more than $1 billion in loan arrears at the bank (mostly in mortgages), will continue to face serious financial challenges for the rest of the year.
The mid-term budget permits, among other things, for Parliament to approve by way of a supplementary expenditure Bill any additional funding that is needed for specific line items in the original budget. In this exercise, an additional $10 million was needed for the e-government initiative; $18 million is earmarked for payment to the utility companies; nearly $4 million for the police; and another $4 million for medicine.
On the Capital Budget side, $5 million went to Broadcasting Corporation and some $8.8 million to the Water and Sewerage Corporation. These cost-over runs are partially offset by under-spending on other items.
What is somewhat surprising about the listing, however, is the absence of any additional funding for Bahamasair, which is usually at the head of the line when it comes to government hand-outs. The expenditure items, both recurrent and capital, are largely within the estimates which were earlier approved by Parliament and given the fixed nature of the major items, Personnel Emoluments (wages, salaries, gratuities and pensions) that is not surprising but it is cause for concern in the face of sluggish revenue performance and the historical stance taken by successive governments not to make any major adjustments to staff levels in the public services sector.
The combination of sluggish revenue performance and rigid expenditure levels, which have become hallmarks of government’s budgets, could only lead to continuing deficits; deficits which are invariably financed by further additions to the national debt, which at an unprecedented 56% of GDP, is approaching a threshold that should be of paramount concern to all of us, especially the younger generation who no doubt would have to pay it off sometime in the future.
2/24/2011
thenassauguardian editorial
thenassauguardian editorial
The prime minister and minister of finance has presented to Parliament a statement on the fiscal affairs of the country for the six month period ending 31st December, 2010. It seems clear that the country is still being severely challenged on the fiscal front and the economy has yet to emerge from the depths of the global recession.
The most important budgetary item, total revenue, is trailing estimates by $50 million despite the tax hikes and the improved revenue administration announced at the start of this current budgetary cycle.
That outcome is not surprising when one considers that in our economy, our major source of government revenue is customs duties, which are determined by the level of imports, which in turn is determined by employment levels and tourists arrivals.
Unemployment is in the mid-teens, according to the latest available figures which have not been released since 2009, and air-arrivals — the most important tourist category — is seemingly stagnant at 1.3 million; a figure that has hardly changed in two decades.
From a policy perspective, it seems clear that efforts to boost tourist arrivals (by air) and at the same time expand employment opportunities are of critical importance going forward.
Although the budget statement gave a hint of cautious optimism regarding the outlook for economic growth and development over the short term, it is difficult to overlook the ominous threat to that growth also contained in the statement in reference to the almost 24 percent increase in gas prices at the pump and the 37 percent increase in the surcharge applied by B.E.C. to our electricity bills.
It would appear that the consumer, who continues to buckle under the more than $1 billion in loan arrears at the bank (mostly in mortgages), will continue to face serious financial challenges for the rest of the year.
The mid-term budget permits, among other things, for Parliament to approve by way of a supplementary expenditure Bill any additional funding that is needed for specific line items in the original budget. In this exercise, an additional $10 million was needed for the e-government initiative; $18 million is earmarked for payment to the utility companies; nearly $4 million for the police; and another $4 million for medicine.
On the Capital Budget side, $5 million went to Broadcasting Corporation and some $8.8 million to the Water and Sewerage Corporation. These cost-over runs are partially offset by under-spending on other items.
What is somewhat surprising about the listing, however, is the absence of any additional funding for Bahamasair, which is usually at the head of the line when it comes to government hand-outs. The expenditure items, both recurrent and capital, are largely within the estimates which were earlier approved by Parliament and given the fixed nature of the major items, Personnel Emoluments (wages, salaries, gratuities and pensions) that is not surprising but it is cause for concern in the face of sluggish revenue performance and the historical stance taken by successive governments not to make any major adjustments to staff levels in the public services sector.
The combination of sluggish revenue performance and rigid expenditure levels, which have become hallmarks of government’s budgets, could only lead to continuing deficits; deficits which are invariably financed by further additions to the national debt, which at an unprecedented 56% of GDP, is approaching a threshold that should be of paramount concern to all of us, especially the younger generation who no doubt would have to pay it off sometime in the future.
2/24/2011
thenassauguardian editorial
Thursday, February 24, 2011
...is there any hope of revolution in The Bahamas?
What can we learn from Haiti and Egypt?
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net
"Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage."
- Ambrose Bierce, American journalist, satirist.
I found this quote on the e-mail signature of Philip "Brave" Davis, deputy leader of the Progressive Liberal Party. Tribune editor in chief, Paco Nunez, once used the same quote as his e-mail signature.
I thought it unsurprising in the latter instance since Mr Nunez also has on his desk a quote from another American journalist, satirist H.L. Mencken that says a journalist is to a politician as a dog is to a lamp-post. But on Mr Davis' signature, I thought it was a classic case of something hidden in plain sight.
Like this timeless quote, Egypt this month lifted the veil on a fundamental nature of politics: it is dirty and deceptive; it is stubborn and it is life altering. What we also saw was an example of what is possible when people awaken, when they are slapped into consciousness and demand accountability from the public masqueraders.
Some Bahamians have already been swept up in the Egyptian revolutionary euphoria, but less their nobleness and naivety lead them astray, they should know, it takes a lot more than rhetoric to make a revolution.
As the Egyptian story unfolded over the past few days and weeks, there was something eerily familiar about the plot. That is because Egypt faced a test that Haiti last took in 2004, and we invigilated it from across the waters. How well Haiti passed is still up for debate, and as the dust settles on the Egyptian streets their results are being tallied.
Both stories, as well as the "pro-democracy movement" that is rippling across the Middle East, have lessons to teach us, about the nature of our politics and our people.
Government
The Indonesian people, who themselves are familiar with people's revolution responded to Egypt's news with cautious jubilation, advising the Egyptian people that the hard part had only just began. Revolution is a temporary moment. It is the gust of wind represented by the hurricane, and its seasonal occurrence is nowhere near as sure or firm. Egyptians now have the task of reconstructing a government and giving birth to the national dream.
Democracy is hard work and revolution does not guarantee evolution. Revolution is a critical spark, particularly needed to achieve quantum leaps, but it is unstable and it is transitory. Evolution is the process of growth and development in all things as they transition through the cycles of life and death.
The world wishes Egyptians well as they strive towards their highest ideal. They will need our best wishes and much more. Given history, and the nature of politics, success is a Sisyphean task, and no modern democracy has accomplished it successfully yet. Really: where in the world has democracy truly given birth to the national dream?
The truth is we live in an unsustainable way that is in direct conflict with our very desire for success, whether it is measured by democracy, freedom for all, the end of hunger and poverty, national unity, justice, racial equality, social equity, peace and stability, the pursuit of happiness, independence, whatever the dream.
Yet we must trod on in faith and do our best. Egypt showed us that people are capable, and sometimes driven, to exerting their people power to bring about a revolution. However, most times political electorates are like blind sheep being shepherded and the political directorate is like an abusive lover. In their natural state, and even after a revolution when the dust settles, people most often find themselves beholden to their leaders and powerless in the evolutionary process of governance and nation building.
Politicians
Last week I heard Fred Mitchell, Fox Hill Member of Parliament ask a group of supporters, how we would get young people like Andre Rollins, PLP freshman, National Development Party absconder, their "Egypt moment." That was not surprising to hear, politicians are notorious band-wagonists. But what of this "Egypt moment": what does Egypt and Haiti have to teach us?
First of all, people are rightly amused when they hear politicians talk about revolution. Egypt teaches us that the nature of a true people's revolution is that it is not given to the people. The people make and take the power. In the midst of the revolution political leaders are made virtually irrelevant.
The popular uprising in Egypt was not led by its political opposition. It was a youth movement, wielding people power. This made it infinitely more difficult for a negotiated solution to have emerged, because such a movement has no allegiance to the establishment and little respect for any authority, but its own vision of democracy and freedom. It was not surprising that the people refused to negotiate with President Mubarak. There was no trust in his authority.
Ironically, the military turned out to be the only institution that held public confidence. And it is the military now tasked with the responsibility of bringing about democratic reform, until constitutionally mandated elections are held.
Despite our faith in the electoral process and representational politics, political leadership is no substitute for people power or military power for that matter. We would definitely be telling a different story today if the popular uprising witnessed in Egypt was a movement born of the political opposition. Our next door neighbour Haiti shows us why.
In 2004 a CARICOM team, of which the Bahamas was a party, travelled to Haiti to meet with political actors and help negotiate a resolution to the political unrest threatening the country's stability. During the 2004 protest movement there were calls for President Jean Bertrand Aristide's resignation.
Supporters
Joshua Sears, director general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said there was a stand off between opposition forces, who "decided Aristide had to go", and supporters wanting the constitutional process to be respected. President Aristide's term was to expire in 13 months.
"They couldn't wait 13 months; they wanted to kick him out. The situation had reached a point where the violence had increased; instability had overwhelmed institutions; there was a social breakdown of law and order. If the parties don't agree there is no chance of any kind of abatement of the violence and for the constitutional process to be respected," said Mr Sears.
Insight into the backdoor dealings raises so many questions about the uprising that threatened the nation's stability and the stability of those with interests. What really happened in Haiti seven years ago? Was it a true people's revolution? Was it a controlled opposition? Was it a political mob that had passed its breaking point?
Egypt showed us a modern day example of a true people's revolution. Haiti brewed a different stew: there were too many sticky political fingers in the pot. I am inclined to think, in the case of Haiti, the decisions made by the various political actors served political and economic ends more than the interests of the people. The three most often do not coincide.
I could be challenged that the uprising was not a true people's revolution, but here is why it feels right.
Political leaders make decisions based on their desire to win political competitions, most notably in the form of elections. Competition is the foundation of modern democracy, and the rules of politics are the same as the rules of a capitalist enterprise. It is a dog eat dog world and it literally is a fight to the top.
Why do you think the Free National Movement and the PLP when they have their political hats on are always fighting? Look at the rhetoric they use, the tactics they employ: the mass of supporters who turn out to political rallies appear as an unruly mob ready to go to war.
These people are beholden to their collective political identities for a number of reasons: pure intent, historical obligation, familial connection, miseducation, ignorance, and selfish interests. Politicians take advantage of them regardless of the reason, because the thing about politics is; the leadership has to be in control. They have to maintain the ability to manoeuvre the mob. So a popular uprising with loyalty to political leaders is in fact a controllable entity.
Naturally there is a breaking point for this type of opposition movement. It is kept in check by the nature and intent of its leaders and most times we can count on our leaders to use their power for the greater good of the few people they can't fully control, in other words affluent people or those with perceived influence.
Based on the nature of politics, I am inclined to believe Haiti's 2004 uprising was a political opposition capable of being led; that good men chose to do nothing allowing evil to prevail. Unlike President Mubarak who eventually caved to the will of the people and stepped down, President Aristide refused to be moved short of being kidnapped, which he said he was.
President Mubarak had seven months left on his term; Aristide had 13. In the case of Egypt, I am certain the people would have asked themselves: why should we respect the constitutional process, which should serve the will of the people, and wait seven months for an election, when for decades Mubarak has governed with little respect for the constitution or the people?
Somehow, President Mubarak must have been convinced that the protest movement was no small fraction or fringe group. It was an honest representation of the people's will. I would imagine President Aristide did not have those same feelings.
Still, President Aristide had many choices that could have demonstrated a commitment to the constitutional process and respect for the will of the people. President Aristide insisted he serve out his term, as President Mubarak originally wished to do; he could have chosen to stepped down immediately as President Mubarak stalled in doing.
Unlike Mubarak, who had no choice of running in the next election because the public's trust was so corroded, President Aristide could have stepped downed voluntarily and offered himself again in the next election. A win that time around would have decidedly silenced the critics. He could also have asked to stay, but chosen to call an early election.
Power
Colin Powell once intimated that President Aristide had become arrogant and unreasonable with his allies, and probably his people, which endeared him to neither. I would not venture as far as to compare him with President Mubarak, but I am inclined to believe Aristide had on his mind holding power at all cost for the sake of his personal pride and dignity.
President Mubarak has demonstrated that while history will mark his inglorious departure as a personal failure, it will write an inspiring story of his country. Egypt, a Muslim land, is without a doubt the new beacon of hope for freedom. Egypt's final colonizers still govern its lands, but get this: the beacon of light has returned to Africa.
Haiti in 2004 had no such story to tell. With American and French fingers deep in the pot, and Caribbean interests contending for influence, Haiti had its internal politics to deal with and its external politics. Stability was more important than democracy for the Bahamian government, as well as the French and American governments. Instability would mean a migration influx for the Bahamas, and economic losses for the Americans and French.
So what happened? Aristide somehow ended up on an American government jet headed to the Central African Republic. Aristide's' ouster was the lowest common denominator of agreement between the greatest number of influential forces: external interests and the internal political opposition. One could say the people never determined Aristide's fate: their revolution was hijacked.
President Aristide went to Jamaica from the Central African Republic and then on to South Africa, where he was granted asylum. We will never know if he was really kidnapped by the United States or if he left voluntarily. I think it is probable he was pressured under the threat of being otherwise killed.
At the end of the day, our best hope for knowing what really happened is probably Wikileaks. Short of that it will be a perpetual, he said she said game between self-interested parties. What we do know is that President Aristide's stronghold was proven to be untenable, and his departure did not lead to national solidarity.
This brings us back to my starting point: politics is dirty, deceptive, stubborn and life altering. So much is placed in the hands of our political directorate, but in the midst of their game playing, their manoeuvring of economic interests, we can never be sure if they really do right by us. And yet we give them chance after chance after chance, never stopping to think that the usefulness of a politician has an expiry date.
Do our leaders do their best to make a positive impact in our lives or do they just do enough to stay in the game? Are they morally, spiritually or intellectually capable of knowing the difference?
These are questions for all of us to contemplate, because the actions and inaction of our leaders can change the course of history. The whole world felt the impact of America's warmongering President George W Bush.
There is no doubt, the political instability in Haiti has robbed its people of so many opportunities. For all of its natural wealth, the financial resources of its wealthy elite, its strong intellectual foundations, rich cultural heritage and prized historical legacy, Haiti should want for nothing.
Unfortunately this is not the case. And the turbulent conditions in Haiti combined with our own political game playing have thwarted attempts at building a meaningful relationship between next door neighbours.
I imagine there is some genuine interest, but as Mr Sears explained, it is not an easy road. The repeated interruption of democratic rule over the years has made relationship building, for example, a tightrope to walk.
"In one of the negotiations we had, I think it was with Jean-Robert Estimé, foreign affairs minister, when he left, two weeks later he was out of office. In fact, once we had to deal with six to seven foreign ministers in the space of four years; it was not easy," said Mr Sears.
Leader
Regime change, at almost any cost, has been ingrained in the way "they solve their problems," said Mr Sears. Virtually every political leader is dead or outside the country.
"These are intelligent people. They know continued instability is the consequence of unilateral interruptions of the democratic process. You never give the country a chance for those issues to be set aside. That is a dangerous phenomenon we have witnessed," he said.
With all the lessons we have to learn from Egypt, Haiti and global politics is there any hope of revolution in the Bahamas? I think the odds are against us and the status quo will be our accepted condition for some time to come.
After all, we recently had an Egypt opportunity, to use the phrase loosely, and we squandered it. I think it can be summed up in the story of the day the Prime Minister was driven from the House of Assembly burning tyres with no seatbelt on.
Barring the mass rally, the biggest demonstration of BTC unions was their march to Parliament Square. That was the day Parliament ended early; members of the governing party went fleeing and members of the opposition jumped on the bandwagon.
The actions of our leaders was predictable, but that day I watched in astonishment as the people cowered to the might of the state on two fronts. The people amassed in Parliament Square on the street to the west and on the bleachers to the north. They were cordoned off by police barricades and police officers. At one time, the frontliners made a move to push through the barricades and march to the House. They were successful, to a point.
When the "revolution" started, half of the people fled to the bleachers; they held their position in the comfort of their distance; they divided the opposition. Those were no Egyptian revolutionaries. The efforts of the frontliners was so concerted that had the people stuck together, they would have surly overpowered the flimsy cohort of police and made it to the House.
Sadly, they succeeded only in pushing through to the middle of the road. What they demonstrated was their lack of conviction and their powerlessness. A union member who had broken through the barricades, said: "They have y'all corralled like a bunch of animals. That is how they have you. Y'all look like a bunch of animals." It was true. The police knew this, and they also knew how incensory it would be if the people realized, so they told the protester to "stop that". They had their greatest momentum that day and they broke.
In Egypt the people were prepared to die for their cause and many of them did. Those who survived stepped into the shoes of the dead without hesitation: themselves prepared to go all the way. There was no shortage of conviction or cohesiveness.
The other telling incident that day had to do with union's action to the PLP opposition. When the House of Assembly was adjourned, PLP members of parliament congregated at the site of the demonstration. They did not cross the barricades to join the union members; instead, they hijacked the moment. They assembled their own impromptu press conference by the south side bleachers and sidelined the unions and all their members to put on their own show. Of course the media spotlight shifted to them, and after all of the sound bites and video footage was collected the PLP left. Again, that was expected.
Unions
The unions, they tried sheepishly to compete for the spotlight, shouting over their bullhorns to the corralled mass of sorts.
People tend to forget: the government is comprised of the ruling party and the opposition.
After all, an ineffective opposition makes for an ineffective government.
The PLP opposition is no real friend to the unions and they should have told them so.
Some of the present union leaders admit; had they been in power under the PLP administration, they would have opposed their "bad Blue Water deal" back then as well. But the unions allowed their movement to be hijacked on that day. Egyptian revolutionaries they are not.
In the weeks and months ahead, the world will see what Egypt makes of its revolutionary moment. In the meantime, I am sure, politicians and wannabe revolutionaries across the world will continue with their trite use of the Egyptian moment to further their personal objectives. The true revolutionaries, hopefully, will look beyond the rhetorical gimmicks for the real lessons of Egypt, Haiti and all of the movements, past and present.
February 21, 2011
tribune242 insight
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net
"Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage."
- Ambrose Bierce, American journalist, satirist.
I found this quote on the e-mail signature of Philip "Brave" Davis, deputy leader of the Progressive Liberal Party. Tribune editor in chief, Paco Nunez, once used the same quote as his e-mail signature.
I thought it unsurprising in the latter instance since Mr Nunez also has on his desk a quote from another American journalist, satirist H.L. Mencken that says a journalist is to a politician as a dog is to a lamp-post. But on Mr Davis' signature, I thought it was a classic case of something hidden in plain sight.
Like this timeless quote, Egypt this month lifted the veil on a fundamental nature of politics: it is dirty and deceptive; it is stubborn and it is life altering. What we also saw was an example of what is possible when people awaken, when they are slapped into consciousness and demand accountability from the public masqueraders.
Some Bahamians have already been swept up in the Egyptian revolutionary euphoria, but less their nobleness and naivety lead them astray, they should know, it takes a lot more than rhetoric to make a revolution.
As the Egyptian story unfolded over the past few days and weeks, there was something eerily familiar about the plot. That is because Egypt faced a test that Haiti last took in 2004, and we invigilated it from across the waters. How well Haiti passed is still up for debate, and as the dust settles on the Egyptian streets their results are being tallied.
Both stories, as well as the "pro-democracy movement" that is rippling across the Middle East, have lessons to teach us, about the nature of our politics and our people.
Government
The Indonesian people, who themselves are familiar with people's revolution responded to Egypt's news with cautious jubilation, advising the Egyptian people that the hard part had only just began. Revolution is a temporary moment. It is the gust of wind represented by the hurricane, and its seasonal occurrence is nowhere near as sure or firm. Egyptians now have the task of reconstructing a government and giving birth to the national dream.
Democracy is hard work and revolution does not guarantee evolution. Revolution is a critical spark, particularly needed to achieve quantum leaps, but it is unstable and it is transitory. Evolution is the process of growth and development in all things as they transition through the cycles of life and death.
The world wishes Egyptians well as they strive towards their highest ideal. They will need our best wishes and much more. Given history, and the nature of politics, success is a Sisyphean task, and no modern democracy has accomplished it successfully yet. Really: where in the world has democracy truly given birth to the national dream?
The truth is we live in an unsustainable way that is in direct conflict with our very desire for success, whether it is measured by democracy, freedom for all, the end of hunger and poverty, national unity, justice, racial equality, social equity, peace and stability, the pursuit of happiness, independence, whatever the dream.
Yet we must trod on in faith and do our best. Egypt showed us that people are capable, and sometimes driven, to exerting their people power to bring about a revolution. However, most times political electorates are like blind sheep being shepherded and the political directorate is like an abusive lover. In their natural state, and even after a revolution when the dust settles, people most often find themselves beholden to their leaders and powerless in the evolutionary process of governance and nation building.
Politicians
Last week I heard Fred Mitchell, Fox Hill Member of Parliament ask a group of supporters, how we would get young people like Andre Rollins, PLP freshman, National Development Party absconder, their "Egypt moment." That was not surprising to hear, politicians are notorious band-wagonists. But what of this "Egypt moment": what does Egypt and Haiti have to teach us?
First of all, people are rightly amused when they hear politicians talk about revolution. Egypt teaches us that the nature of a true people's revolution is that it is not given to the people. The people make and take the power. In the midst of the revolution political leaders are made virtually irrelevant.
The popular uprising in Egypt was not led by its political opposition. It was a youth movement, wielding people power. This made it infinitely more difficult for a negotiated solution to have emerged, because such a movement has no allegiance to the establishment and little respect for any authority, but its own vision of democracy and freedom. It was not surprising that the people refused to negotiate with President Mubarak. There was no trust in his authority.
Ironically, the military turned out to be the only institution that held public confidence. And it is the military now tasked with the responsibility of bringing about democratic reform, until constitutionally mandated elections are held.
Despite our faith in the electoral process and representational politics, political leadership is no substitute for people power or military power for that matter. We would definitely be telling a different story today if the popular uprising witnessed in Egypt was a movement born of the political opposition. Our next door neighbour Haiti shows us why.
In 2004 a CARICOM team, of which the Bahamas was a party, travelled to Haiti to meet with political actors and help negotiate a resolution to the political unrest threatening the country's stability. During the 2004 protest movement there were calls for President Jean Bertrand Aristide's resignation.
Supporters
Joshua Sears, director general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said there was a stand off between opposition forces, who "decided Aristide had to go", and supporters wanting the constitutional process to be respected. President Aristide's term was to expire in 13 months.
"They couldn't wait 13 months; they wanted to kick him out. The situation had reached a point where the violence had increased; instability had overwhelmed institutions; there was a social breakdown of law and order. If the parties don't agree there is no chance of any kind of abatement of the violence and for the constitutional process to be respected," said Mr Sears.
Insight into the backdoor dealings raises so many questions about the uprising that threatened the nation's stability and the stability of those with interests. What really happened in Haiti seven years ago? Was it a true people's revolution? Was it a controlled opposition? Was it a political mob that had passed its breaking point?
Egypt showed us a modern day example of a true people's revolution. Haiti brewed a different stew: there were too many sticky political fingers in the pot. I am inclined to think, in the case of Haiti, the decisions made by the various political actors served political and economic ends more than the interests of the people. The three most often do not coincide.
I could be challenged that the uprising was not a true people's revolution, but here is why it feels right.
Political leaders make decisions based on their desire to win political competitions, most notably in the form of elections. Competition is the foundation of modern democracy, and the rules of politics are the same as the rules of a capitalist enterprise. It is a dog eat dog world and it literally is a fight to the top.
Why do you think the Free National Movement and the PLP when they have their political hats on are always fighting? Look at the rhetoric they use, the tactics they employ: the mass of supporters who turn out to political rallies appear as an unruly mob ready to go to war.
These people are beholden to their collective political identities for a number of reasons: pure intent, historical obligation, familial connection, miseducation, ignorance, and selfish interests. Politicians take advantage of them regardless of the reason, because the thing about politics is; the leadership has to be in control. They have to maintain the ability to manoeuvre the mob. So a popular uprising with loyalty to political leaders is in fact a controllable entity.
Naturally there is a breaking point for this type of opposition movement. It is kept in check by the nature and intent of its leaders and most times we can count on our leaders to use their power for the greater good of the few people they can't fully control, in other words affluent people or those with perceived influence.
Based on the nature of politics, I am inclined to believe Haiti's 2004 uprising was a political opposition capable of being led; that good men chose to do nothing allowing evil to prevail. Unlike President Mubarak who eventually caved to the will of the people and stepped down, President Aristide refused to be moved short of being kidnapped, which he said he was.
President Mubarak had seven months left on his term; Aristide had 13. In the case of Egypt, I am certain the people would have asked themselves: why should we respect the constitutional process, which should serve the will of the people, and wait seven months for an election, when for decades Mubarak has governed with little respect for the constitution or the people?
Somehow, President Mubarak must have been convinced that the protest movement was no small fraction or fringe group. It was an honest representation of the people's will. I would imagine President Aristide did not have those same feelings.
Still, President Aristide had many choices that could have demonstrated a commitment to the constitutional process and respect for the will of the people. President Aristide insisted he serve out his term, as President Mubarak originally wished to do; he could have chosen to stepped down immediately as President Mubarak stalled in doing.
Unlike Mubarak, who had no choice of running in the next election because the public's trust was so corroded, President Aristide could have stepped downed voluntarily and offered himself again in the next election. A win that time around would have decidedly silenced the critics. He could also have asked to stay, but chosen to call an early election.
Power
Colin Powell once intimated that President Aristide had become arrogant and unreasonable with his allies, and probably his people, which endeared him to neither. I would not venture as far as to compare him with President Mubarak, but I am inclined to believe Aristide had on his mind holding power at all cost for the sake of his personal pride and dignity.
President Mubarak has demonstrated that while history will mark his inglorious departure as a personal failure, it will write an inspiring story of his country. Egypt, a Muslim land, is without a doubt the new beacon of hope for freedom. Egypt's final colonizers still govern its lands, but get this: the beacon of light has returned to Africa.
Haiti in 2004 had no such story to tell. With American and French fingers deep in the pot, and Caribbean interests contending for influence, Haiti had its internal politics to deal with and its external politics. Stability was more important than democracy for the Bahamian government, as well as the French and American governments. Instability would mean a migration influx for the Bahamas, and economic losses for the Americans and French.
So what happened? Aristide somehow ended up on an American government jet headed to the Central African Republic. Aristide's' ouster was the lowest common denominator of agreement between the greatest number of influential forces: external interests and the internal political opposition. One could say the people never determined Aristide's fate: their revolution was hijacked.
President Aristide went to Jamaica from the Central African Republic and then on to South Africa, where he was granted asylum. We will never know if he was really kidnapped by the United States or if he left voluntarily. I think it is probable he was pressured under the threat of being otherwise killed.
At the end of the day, our best hope for knowing what really happened is probably Wikileaks. Short of that it will be a perpetual, he said she said game between self-interested parties. What we do know is that President Aristide's stronghold was proven to be untenable, and his departure did not lead to national solidarity.
This brings us back to my starting point: politics is dirty, deceptive, stubborn and life altering. So much is placed in the hands of our political directorate, but in the midst of their game playing, their manoeuvring of economic interests, we can never be sure if they really do right by us. And yet we give them chance after chance after chance, never stopping to think that the usefulness of a politician has an expiry date.
Do our leaders do their best to make a positive impact in our lives or do they just do enough to stay in the game? Are they morally, spiritually or intellectually capable of knowing the difference?
These are questions for all of us to contemplate, because the actions and inaction of our leaders can change the course of history. The whole world felt the impact of America's warmongering President George W Bush.
There is no doubt, the political instability in Haiti has robbed its people of so many opportunities. For all of its natural wealth, the financial resources of its wealthy elite, its strong intellectual foundations, rich cultural heritage and prized historical legacy, Haiti should want for nothing.
Unfortunately this is not the case. And the turbulent conditions in Haiti combined with our own political game playing have thwarted attempts at building a meaningful relationship between next door neighbours.
I imagine there is some genuine interest, but as Mr Sears explained, it is not an easy road. The repeated interruption of democratic rule over the years has made relationship building, for example, a tightrope to walk.
"In one of the negotiations we had, I think it was with Jean-Robert Estimé, foreign affairs minister, when he left, two weeks later he was out of office. In fact, once we had to deal with six to seven foreign ministers in the space of four years; it was not easy," said Mr Sears.
Leader
Regime change, at almost any cost, has been ingrained in the way "they solve their problems," said Mr Sears. Virtually every political leader is dead or outside the country.
"These are intelligent people. They know continued instability is the consequence of unilateral interruptions of the democratic process. You never give the country a chance for those issues to be set aside. That is a dangerous phenomenon we have witnessed," he said.
With all the lessons we have to learn from Egypt, Haiti and global politics is there any hope of revolution in the Bahamas? I think the odds are against us and the status quo will be our accepted condition for some time to come.
After all, we recently had an Egypt opportunity, to use the phrase loosely, and we squandered it. I think it can be summed up in the story of the day the Prime Minister was driven from the House of Assembly burning tyres with no seatbelt on.
Barring the mass rally, the biggest demonstration of BTC unions was their march to Parliament Square. That was the day Parliament ended early; members of the governing party went fleeing and members of the opposition jumped on the bandwagon.
The actions of our leaders was predictable, but that day I watched in astonishment as the people cowered to the might of the state on two fronts. The people amassed in Parliament Square on the street to the west and on the bleachers to the north. They were cordoned off by police barricades and police officers. At one time, the frontliners made a move to push through the barricades and march to the House. They were successful, to a point.
When the "revolution" started, half of the people fled to the bleachers; they held their position in the comfort of their distance; they divided the opposition. Those were no Egyptian revolutionaries. The efforts of the frontliners was so concerted that had the people stuck together, they would have surly overpowered the flimsy cohort of police and made it to the House.
Sadly, they succeeded only in pushing through to the middle of the road. What they demonstrated was their lack of conviction and their powerlessness. A union member who had broken through the barricades, said: "They have y'all corralled like a bunch of animals. That is how they have you. Y'all look like a bunch of animals." It was true. The police knew this, and they also knew how incensory it would be if the people realized, so they told the protester to "stop that". They had their greatest momentum that day and they broke.
In Egypt the people were prepared to die for their cause and many of them did. Those who survived stepped into the shoes of the dead without hesitation: themselves prepared to go all the way. There was no shortage of conviction or cohesiveness.
The other telling incident that day had to do with union's action to the PLP opposition. When the House of Assembly was adjourned, PLP members of parliament congregated at the site of the demonstration. They did not cross the barricades to join the union members; instead, they hijacked the moment. They assembled their own impromptu press conference by the south side bleachers and sidelined the unions and all their members to put on their own show. Of course the media spotlight shifted to them, and after all of the sound bites and video footage was collected the PLP left. Again, that was expected.
Unions
The unions, they tried sheepishly to compete for the spotlight, shouting over their bullhorns to the corralled mass of sorts.
People tend to forget: the government is comprised of the ruling party and the opposition.
After all, an ineffective opposition makes for an ineffective government.
The PLP opposition is no real friend to the unions and they should have told them so.
Some of the present union leaders admit; had they been in power under the PLP administration, they would have opposed their "bad Blue Water deal" back then as well. But the unions allowed their movement to be hijacked on that day. Egyptian revolutionaries they are not.
In the weeks and months ahead, the world will see what Egypt makes of its revolutionary moment. In the meantime, I am sure, politicians and wannabe revolutionaries across the world will continue with their trite use of the Egyptian moment to further their personal objectives. The true revolutionaries, hopefully, will look beyond the rhetorical gimmicks for the real lessons of Egypt, Haiti and all of the movements, past and present.
February 21, 2011
tribune242 insight
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
We are Bahamians first whether we're black or white
Mrs. Nicki Kelly on the "dilemma for PLP's racist faction
Rick Lowe
Mrs. Kelly had a very thought provoking piece in her column for The Punch, Between The Lines, yesterday as usual.
She raised the valid point that the PLP now have two "white" candidates in Ryan Pinder and Clay Sweeting as well as Dr. Andre Rollins who has a white mother and a black father and this might be upsetting for the PLP's racist faction.
I wonder if the political class believe the Bahamian people think no further than race when they are voting?
Surely the population thinks about public policy, and whether it is good or bad for the country, more now than ever before?
If the "PLP's racist faction" can upset their parties apple cart because they have two white candidates and one half white standard bearer, the party does not deserve to win the government until its leadership casts them out or at least has the guts to face them down and explain they now live in 2011 and there is no room for that in their organisation.
We are Bahamians first whether we're black or white.
February 22, 2011
weblogbahamas
Rick Lowe
Mrs. Kelly had a very thought provoking piece in her column for The Punch, Between The Lines, yesterday as usual.
She raised the valid point that the PLP now have two "white" candidates in Ryan Pinder and Clay Sweeting as well as Dr. Andre Rollins who has a white mother and a black father and this might be upsetting for the PLP's racist faction.
I wonder if the political class believe the Bahamian people think no further than race when they are voting?
Surely the population thinks about public policy, and whether it is good or bad for the country, more now than ever before?
If the "PLP's racist faction" can upset their parties apple cart because they have two white candidates and one half white standard bearer, the party does not deserve to win the government until its leadership casts them out or at least has the guts to face them down and explain they now live in 2011 and there is no room for that in their organisation.
We are Bahamians first whether we're black or white.
February 22, 2011
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