Perry Christie Should be Given a Second Chance to become Bahamas Prime Minister - Says Unscientific Poll Results

Poll Results Say Christie Should Get Second Chance
By IANTHIA SMITH:

It seems Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Perry Christie is the man most Bahamians want as their prime minister.

On Friday a whopping 60 per cent of callers into Love 97’s talk show "Issues of the Day" said they believe Mr. Christie should be given a second chance to become prime minister.

On Wednesday the same unscientific poll was taken and callers were asked the very same question about Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, but 31 out of 44 of them said Mr. Ingraham should "bow out gracefully" at the end of this current term.

However, on Friday, the majority of callers had a completely opposite opinion about Mr. Christie.

"I fully endorse him as prime minister again," one caller said. "I just want to make the point that in this day and time it’s all about the economy and these rough times. Under his administration I had two jobs, now I only have one."

"Yes, I do believe Mr. Christie should have a second term," another caller said.

A third caller to the show said, "This country should give Mr. Christie a second chance because we need a gentleman of calm character so that that can resonate down in our society to our young men and women."

"I think he deserves a second chance," another Christie supporter said. "What we need more than ever now is national healing particularly in view of the headlines steaming today. (We) need someone who is not divisive."

Some other callers to the show who think Mr. Christie deserves a second chance said: "I think he’s a better leader than Hubert Alexander Ingraham. He wouldn’t have put all those taxes on our back like Ingraham did."

"I think Mr. Christie is a caring person, so give him a second chance."

"I think Mr. Christie did a good job when he was in office."

"Definitely he deserves a second chance. He is the best leader at this time."

He should be given a second chance because of his historic record in terms of wealth created for Bahamians; his performance was second to none."

"He’s fair, nice and sincere."

"It’s not even debatable. Mr. Christie should be given a second chance."

But not everyone was of this view.

Some callers said Mr. Christie should not be given a second chance to lead the country as he does not have the backbone to do so.

The callers who were against Mr. Christie’s running again said they do not believe he is the right man to deal with the many challenges facing the country now.

They said taking into consideration crime, unemployment, the economy and the youth, they believe Mr. Christie is not prepared to tackle these issues.

"I don’t think he would be able to lead the PLP in this upcoming election," one female caller said. "He shouldn’t be given a second chance."

"He couldn’t control the people on his cabinet," a male caller added. "So no, he doesn’t deserve a second chance."

"He is too afraid to make a decision," another caller said.

"I don’t think he should get a second chance, he doesn’t deserve it."

"I don’t think so; his constituency is one of the most depressed in the whole Bahamas."

"I don’t think Mr. Christie should be given another term to govern this country."

"I don’t think that he would be the best person at this time."

"Mr. Christie didn’t come through for a lot of Bahamians," a female caller added. "He does not deserve a second chance."

"No, he doesn’t deserve a second chance," another said. "Serious times call for serious leaders at the helm."

July 26th, 2010

jonesbahamas

The Bahamas is not the only nation concerned about gambling

The pros and cons of gambling
tribune242 editorial:


A SEVERE crackdown by Chinese police on football betting during the World Cup match after an online gambling ring -- called the world's largest-- was broken up in Hong Kong in June, shows that the Bahamas is not the only nation concerned about gambling.

According to the Xinhua news agency more than $100 million Hong Kong dollars was confiscated in June and 70 people arrested in betting on the World Cup.

In July as the police crackdown intensified on organised criminal gangs more than 5,000 people were arrested.

Although the East is noted -- at least in the movies -- for its gambling dens, betting on football is illegal in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand because of its ties to the criminal underworld.

In a Financial Times article Jean-Michel Louboutin, Interpol's executive director of police services is quoted as saying: "As well as having clear connections to organised crime gangs, illegal soccer gambling is linked with corruption, money laundering and prostitution, and our operation will have a significant long-term impact on these serious offences as well."

In its July 10-16 edition, The Economist of London had an interesting feature on gambling and the pros and cons for legalising it.

It pointed out that trying to ban online gambling is doomed to failure because anyone with a computer can participate.

It concludes that although many dislike the idea of governments encouraging its citizens to gamble, a fine line can be drawn between encouragement and regulation. "Regulating something is not the same as encouraging it," the Economist argued.

"Better to treat gambling the same way as smoking: legalise it but make the casinos display the often-dismal odds of success (one in 176 million, if you hope to win America's richest lottery) in the same way the cigarette packets warn you about cancer.

"That would favour games of skill over the mindlessness of slot machines. People always will bet.

"Better that they do so in a legal market -- and know the form."

That was one opinion. We recall, while studying law in London, gambling was being discussed among the legal fraternity at the time.

A strong argument then was that it was best to bring it in from the cold and regulate it so that gambling debts could be settled in the courts rather than by criminals with knives drawn down a dark alley.

Those against gambling offered much the same argument as Archbishop Pinder and other churchmen in an attempt to protect citizens against their own destructive human weaknesses.

While the Catholic Church, said the Archbishop, recognizes that "gambling is not inherently evil there is the tendency of human nature to go to excess and to extremes.

"Thus what may be harmless in the beginning can, without proper restraints become quite harmful later on. The wisdom of the law as it now stands seems to understand this reality."

Many other countries in order to protect their citizens, either ban them from the casinos, or if allowed, charge them a heavy entrance fee.

A foreigner pays no fees. Mainland China, for example, keeps its casinos off island on Macau, where the visitor throws the dice, but access by its own citizens is strictly limited. A successful lottery is the only form of gambling on China's mainland.

Singapore welcomes the visitor to its casinos, but charges its own citizens $72. Many Asian governments remain wary of gambling and either ban its citizens, or make it difficult for them to have a little "flutter."

However, as governments need to raise taxes, the debate continues.

The Economist article is well worth reading, particularly as this is a debate that Bahamians will be entering into after the 2012 election.

It gives a balanced view of both sides of the argument.

July 22, 2010

tribune242 editorial

Bahamas Blog International

Dr Bernard Nottage - Former Health Minister raises concerns over the National Prescription Drug Plan

Former Health Minister raises concerns over prescription plan
By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:



FORMER Health Minister Dr Bernard Nottage expressed concern yesterday that despite seeking to expand access to medications, the National Prescription Drug Plan may fail to address the long-standing problem of certain drugs being unavailable at community clinics for those who need them.

Dr Nottage told Parliament he believes Bahamians are on a "collision course with premature death" as a consequence of the high prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease that are often preventable through lifestyle and dietary changes. Sixty per cent of deaths in The Bahamas are said to be CNCD-related at present.

The MP's comments came after Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, in his contribution to Parliament on the NPDP regulations as Minister responsible for the National Insurance Board, said he believes many Bahamians die unnecessarily because of lack of access to medications for chronic non-communicable diseases.

The NPDP is intended to, in its first phase, make medications for 11 CNCDs available free of cost to certain categories of Bahamians, including those over 65, NIB-registered invalids, children under 18 years of age and up to 25 years of age if still in full time education.

Mr Ingraham said: "I'm no doctor but I honestly suspect that many people who are required to take medication like high blood pressure pills or diabetes etcetera end up dying because they don't have it. They don't have the means to get it or a public health facility was out of it."

"It is my hope and expectation that (as a result of the implementation of the drug plan on August 1) people of any constituency will no longer have to go to the clinic to find out there there's no diabetes pills or high blood pressure pills. That everybody will have their supply, and that they will pick it up and take it."

The Prime Minister explained during his contribution how 11 private pharmacy companies with 16 locations have at present been voluntarily contracted to dispense the medication free-of-cost to patients on behalf of the Government, and in places where such private pharmacies do not exist, such as in many family islands, public clinics will play this role.

He admitted that governments "have not done a good job all of these years" of ensuring the necessary medications required by local populations have been available in some of the family island clinics.

"Even if we have to contract services outside of National Insurance, we have to make sure that all of these clinics have medications," said Mr Ingraham.

Dr Nottage said this is an area that will "require a lot of attention" if the NPDP is to work successfully.

"Will these clinics be adequately supplied at all times? It may well be that this contract about which he spoke to enable drugs to be transported to these clinics will do the trick, but I doubt it seriously," said the former health minister. He also noted that the 115 public clinics also suffer from a shortage of qualified pharmacists to dispense medications. There is a recognised shortage of Bahamians with pharmacy qualifications at present.

Dr Nottage further noted the fact that only 11 private pharmacy companies have at present entered into contracts with the National Insurance Board to dispense medications under the NPDP, out of a total of over 30.

He said that his inquiries on the matter have revealed that many are concerned about receiving payment promptly from the government for their services, and the possibility of ending up at a financial loss through their participation in the plan.

"One of the problems for private pharmacies is that they will have to carry two different inventories, one for general patients and one for plan patients and that could be very expensive. They are concerned that they will purchase plan medications and if they are not sold that it will be at their loss and they will need help to cover any loss. They are concerned that they will only cover those plan items that will move quickly and therefore people may find they have some but not others. I think these are very real concerns that have to be looked at," said Dr Nottage.

In his contribution, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said he is "not satisfied" with the number of pharmacies that have agreed to participate in the plan and called on more to do so. He suggested they would see increased profits as more people will be attracted to make purchases at their pharmacies and outlined how claims for payment would be made within a week.

Former minister Dr Nottage noted that overall the PLP supports the NPDP "a little bit of something good is better than nothing," but considers it "limited" and something that they would have preferred to see come into effect along with the full comprehensive health coverage they pushed for during their last term in office.

The present government is of the view that their comprehensive plan was "unsustainable" in the form that was proposed.

July 23, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

How Is Your Member of Parliament Performing: Earl Deveaux - Marathon MP Gets Mixed Reviews

Is Your MP Performing "Marathon MP Gets Mixed Reviews"
BY KENDENO N. P. KNOWLES:


A Free National Movement (FNM) MP is receiving mixed reviews from some of his constituents. While some praised him for his work in the constituency, others who are not so happy, say he needs to do a lot more.

The Bahama Journal canvassed the Marathon constituency yesterday to get feedback from constituents on Dr. Earl Deveaux’s performance.

The first set of people to weigh in on Dr. Deveaux’s performance, said they were not at all pleased with the MP’s efforts.

While they did not have many complaints, the general consensus among residents was that Dr. Deveaux has not been very visible in the area.

They also claimed that there had been little to no improvement in the constituency.

"There have not been any major improvements in this area. I have not even met the MP for this area since I’ve been living here," said Alpheus Bevans, who has lived in the constituency for three years.

Carolmae Pratt echoed similar sentiments. In fact, she didn’t mince words when assessing her MP’s performance.

"I haven’t seen him in this constituency and it has almost been three years since the last election. I only see him on TV. I am waiting until the next election campaign for him and his team to come to my door step. When they come to my house I will tell them that I don’t want to have anything to do with them," Ms. Pratt said.

"When Ron Pinder was the MP for this area, I saw him with my own eyes on the garbage truck helping to collect garbage and to beautify the area."

Another resident who spoke with the Bahama Journal on the condition of anonymity said she is disheartened by the fact that the MP who promised so much to the constituency "failed to deliver."

She said she is a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supporter, but voted for Mr. Deveaux in the last election.

She said she now questions whether she made the right decision.

"I believe in giving everyone a chance and that is just what I did with Dr. Deveaux. He has put some pavements in place but that’s all I have seen happening here. Additionally, I don’t even know him that well because he doesn’t even come around to the constituency. I think he needs to come out of the House of Assembly and speak with his constituents," she said.

But, while those constituents were not too happy with Dr. Deveaux’s performance, there were a whole lot more constituents who were more than pleased with his work.

In fact, other residents credited the MP for a beautification programme that has been in place for some time now.

The Journal later visited the Regency Park and Danottage Estates area, which is separated by a few blocks.

Residents there credited Dr. Deveaux for improved roadworks, sidewalks, new water pipelines and a host of other upgrades.

"He repaved the roads, put down new water lines and some other things he’s done are commendable. I think he is doing what is necessary," said Charles Fisher, a Regency Park resident.

"I have been living here for about 11 years now and I think he is best one I have seen for a long time. He makes sure that the streets are cleaned almost every day. The streets were actually just cleaned on Wednesday morning," Jesus Uriz said in support of Dr. Deveaux’s work.

Lloyd Dorsett, a resident of Danottage Estates, said he hopes to see more of Dr. Deveaux. However, he said the MP’s work in the constituency speaks for itself.

"I haven’t seen him for a while, but he seems to be having things in order around here. Everything has been kept tidy and that speaks to Dr. Deveaux’s work in the area," he said.

"I haven’t seen him regularly, but he’s been working. He came around and tried to get the place cleaned up and I think that’s commendable," said Cleveland Knowles.

"He has performed admirably over the last three years and I will definitely support him in the next general election."

And while the country’s next general election is just two years away, those that didn’t think the MP was performing admirably said they would wait to see what the MP will do in that time.

The constituents who said they were pleased with the way Dr. Deveaux has kept the area say they will be sure to re-elect him in 2012.

July 22nd, 2010

jonesbahamas

Bahamas Blog International

British Petroleum's (BP) Gulf of Mexico oil spill threat for The Bahamas is 'not over'

Oil threat for Bahamas 'not over'
By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:



A lead co-ordinator in the government's Gulf oil spill response team says that despite British Petroleum's success in stopping the oil gushing from the damaged well "the threat is not over" as far as the Bahamas is concerned.

Director of the National Emergency Management Agency, Captain Stephen Russell, who heads the National Oil Spill Contingency Committee, said the group has submitted a plan to continue monitoring any potential impact from the oil spill until the end of the year, at the earliest.

"We haven't slackened, we are keeping our eye on it," said Mr Russell yesterday morning. He noted that a team of experts set off on a second exploratory mission from Nassau to the Cay Sal Bank in the Bahama Banks on Monday, to continue taking samples and checking for any tar balls in Bahamian waters.

The team of scientists and environmentalists was scheduled to arrive in Cay Sal yesterday afternoon to begin their investigations.

Their visit comes just under a week after BP announced that after 85 days and the release of up to 184 million gallons of oil into the marine environment, it had successfully capped the leaking well, stopping the flow of crude.

Officials were cautious in their response to the news last Thursday that the placement of a 75-ton cap had successfully halted the flow of oil. US president Barack Obama called the development a "positive sign" but added, "We're still in the testing phase."

In the last few days some oil and gas has been detected around the well, raising concerns that the cap may not be withstanding the pressure from the oil within the well.

Hope

However, officials have expressed hope that the cap can largely contain the oil until relief wells are drilled which are expected to provide a permanent fix.

So far, no evidence of oil having reached Bahamian waters has been found. The spill has been accumulating in the Gulf of Mexico and along the southern coast of the United States since April 22, after the destruction of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig following an explosion at the site.

The oil rig was leased to British energy company BP at the time of the incident and the company has promised to pay legitimate claims for compensation stemming from the extensive damage that is resulting from the oil being released into the environment.

Mr Russell told The Tribune that officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Attorney General's Office continue to pursue the possibility of seeking compensation from the company for the Bahamas to cover the cost of efforts already undertaken by the government's Oil Spill Contingency Committee in response to the spill.

"It has been discussed at two levels locally, and at the CARICOM level, so we will see. We'll allow Foreign Affairs and the AG's office to see how we can engage BP either through the British Foreign Office or the US office. Likewise, we'll see CARICOM's approach," said Capt Russell.

July 21, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

Members of Parliament are called on to account for their monthly stipend spending for their constituency offices

MPs are given chance to explain stipend spending
By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:



MEMBERS of Parliament called on to account for how they spent a monthly stipend for their constituency offices are being given a chance to explain their expenditures in response to an Auditor General's report on the use of the funds.

According to Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, Auditor General Terrance Bastian completed his investigation into the expenditure of the money earlier this year, but the "full" report is not due to be released until October 2010.

"You'll get a full report of the $1,500 a month they give to MPs, how they spent it," he told The Tribune.

"The report is complete in the sense that you audit someone's account, you put forward what the situation is and they have a chance to say 'well you didn't take account of this, that etcetera'. That process is still ongoing, but when we have finished we will make it public and you will see how your MP for North Abaco and others disposed of the $1,500 he gets for operating a constituency office. You can see if he's done it in accountable fashion or not."

The Government revealed in 2009 that it was going to audit the MPs' use of constituency funds, which amount to $18,000 per year to run their constituency offices, for the first time.

The move came in the wake of the "expenses scandal" in the United Kingdom, in which many MPs were found to have misused their allowances from the public purse - ostensibly given for the purposes of covering expenses incurred "during the performance of a Member's parliamentary duties" - and were made to either resign, or pay the money back.

Others British MPs who were accused of abuse or made to pay back funds went on to announce their intention to retire from politics or found themselves "de-selected" as candidates.

Three former MPs, who resigned over the revelation of their alleged "fiddling" of the expenses, are now in the process of being criminally prosecuted for their wrongful expense claims.

While declining to go into specifics on the Bahamas expenses report, Mr Ingraham told The Tribune that "as a general statement, I think it's fair to say that most (of the country's 41 MPs) gave a fair accounting for their expenditures."

"That's a general statement and in those areas where there are questions they are being allowed to put forward the facts to support whatever it is that they may wish to put forward and the Auditor General will then be able to determine whether I'm satisfied or I'm not satisfied, and if the Auditor General is not satisfied then there are consequences for that in terms of (having to pay the money) back and so on," he added.

The audit conducted by the Auditor General covers the expenditure of the allowance since June 2007, when the Ingraham administration returned to office. Last year, MPs on both sides of the political divide said they were in agreement with the scrutiny, which they called "necessary" and a "great thing to do" to increase accountability in public finances.

The $18,000 per MP over the two-year period - 2007 to 2009 - covered by the report adds up to a total of $1,476,000 in public funds.

This is separate from the $100,000 made available for allocation by each of the MPs for constituency enhancement projects in the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 budgets (or $8.2 million over two years for all 41 members), as reported on recently by this newspaper.

July 20, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

Those who achieve in The Bahamas cannot be held back for the non-achievers, regardless of nationality

Those who qualify can't be held back
tribune242 editorial:


THE public acknowledgment that Haitian students are outdistancing Bahamians is rather late. It is a reality that has been known by teachers for some time. We have often heard Bahamian parents grumble that their children were being pushed into second place by "them Haitians."

However, what is astonishing is the negative reaction of some Bahamian parents to this fact. Instead of encouraging their children, especially their boys to pull up their sagging pants - a sign of their shiftless indolence -- and study harder, they want Haitian children to be held back.

Samuel Johnson, a member of Centreville Primary school board, expressing his concern at a workshop for public school administrators and board members last week, spoke for many parents when he worried that all of the "benefits, awards, and certificates" go to Haitian children, while Bahamian children walk away empty-handed.

Instead of accepting this as a challenge to motivate young Bahamians to excel, he felt government should look at a system whereby "non-bona fide" Bahamians have to make a contribution to the cost of their education.

In dismissing such a suggestion Education Minister Desmond Bannister quite rightly pointed out that "any country that discriminates against children labels itself as a barbaric society." He pointed out that the Bahamas, as a signatory to the United Nations convention, had an obligation to ensure that all children were educated.

Instead of Mr Johnson recommending that Haitian children be made pay for their education, he should try to discover why they get all the awards, and Bahamians walk away empty handed. The truth would probably shame him as a Bahamian.

The American declaration of human rights holds that "all men are created equal", which does not mean identical but rather an acknowledgment that all have different strengths and weaknesses that can be developed in a society that offers them equal opportunities to achieve. In 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared that "all human beings are born equal in dignity and rights."

In other words society has an obligation to provide an opportunity for them to embrace those rights, one of which is a good education. Those who seize the opportunity will move forward, and those who don't will remain static or fall back.

Those who achieve cannot be held back for the non-achievers, regardless of nationality. And if Haitians excel in the classroom, then it is obvious that they will be qualified for the top jobs. There is no point in Bahamians sitting under the dilly tree complaining that the Haitians are taking over the country.

Of course, they will take over the country if they are qualified and Bahamians are too indifferent to meet the challenge.

When an employer is looking for staff, he is not looking for nationality, all he wants is the best qualified person for the position he offers. And unless Bahamian parents get behind their children and encourage them to work harder at their studies, the best qualified persons in the next generation could well be Haitians.

We have told this story before, but it bears telling again. We know of a young Haitian girl, among the first graduates of Doris A Johnson school when it opened. She was among the top five in her class, and, yes, did walk away with most of the awards. Years later so did her younger sister.

Both of their parents are Haitian, the father on a work permit, the mother, a residence permit. Both children were brought here when they were very young and have no recollection of Haiti.

When the first girl graduated, her one ambition was to be a doctor, however, she had to find a job to raise the funds to follow her dreams. She got a job in a downtown business. No questions were asked about her nationality -- she spoke perfect English, and her written English was far superior to most Bahamians. But one day there was an Immigration sweep and she was taken in. She had no work permit. She was sent to the Detention Centre to be deported to Haiti -- a land she did not know and where she had neither relative nor friend. Some of her teachers and others heard of her plight, and petitioned for her release. She was released, returned to her parents where she remained with no work permit, and no opportunity to pursue her dream.

Next week she will marry a young Bahamian, who works in Miami. Maybe there -- in the land of the free and the home of the brave -- she can qualify as a doctor and return to Nassau with her Bahamian husband to minister to some of these complaining Bahamians who did not have the initiative -- or the urging of their parents -- to make the grade.

tribune242 editorial

Bahamas Blog International