Third party political influence
thenassauguardian editorial
Branville McCartney is set to unveil his Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party tomorrow night. McCartney is taking the leap and challenging the two main parties at the next general election. At this stage, despite claims by unnamed sources via the media, it is unclear if McCartney will field a full slate of candidates or if he will focus his attempt on competitive swing seats.
It would be miraculous if McCartney’s party won the next election. A victory for the DNA would be winning three to six seats. Such a victory would establish the organization as a real party. If McCartney wins his seat and is the only DNA member in the House of Assembly, that should still be considered a victory of sorts for the fledgling party.
But even if Bran and his candidates all lose the constituency races they enter, they can still influence the election another way.
Thus far, the two main political parties have not released manifestos. We do not know what their plans are for the mandate they seek. If McCartney comes out tomorrow or soon after with a manifesto with ideas on how to tackle the major problems facing the country, and these ideas are sensible, he could force the major parties to also take a stand on these issues.
For example, it seems as if there are more illegal number houses in New Providence that food stores. Thus far, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and Free National Movement (FNM) have ignored the issue. Over the last few years the number bosses have come out of the shadows. They have logos on their businesses, they advertise and one has even made a public donation to a government agency.
Clearly a final solution to this issue is needed. If Bahamians want to gamble, then gambling should be legalized. If it is determined that gambling will remain illegal, the number houses should be shut down. The FNM promises a referendum on the issue if elected. The PLP has no comment on the controversial issue thus far. To put it simply: neither has a position.
This is not leadership.
Crime is another issue. In fact, it is likely the major issue of concern for Bahamians. Yet, both major parties say crime is not a political issue. That is a stupid conclusion. All major issues facing a people are political. Governments are elected to address the problems of the time. If a party has no ideas regarding the major issue of concern for a people it should not offer itself as a potential government.
As we have mentioned before, McCartney must be patient if he is serious about creating a party that one day could win an election.
The PLP was formed in 1953 mostly by a group of white and light-skinned black Bahamians. The party was taken over by others and rebranded as a black nationalist party. That PLP finally won a general election, under the electoral rules of the day, in 1967.
The FNM was formed in 1971. It battled the PLP for more than two decades before finally winning a general election in 1992.
McCartney may fail this time, and he may fail miserably. If he is truly concerned about The Bahamas, and is not just pursuing vain ambition, he should use this campaign to demonstrate that he has solutions to the major problems facing Bahamians.
Such a campaign should force the major parties to also take clear actionable positions on major issues too. In the political marketplace of The Bahamas there is a duopoly. A serious third option could cause there to be competition in the marketplace of ideas. This is needed. Bahamians want to know what will be done about the shantytown problem that particularly affects New Providence and Abaco. We do not just want to hear, “Well, that’s just the way it is and always will be.”
It is all but certain that the PLP or FNM will form the next government of The Bahamas. The problem is that both parties have become stale and unimaginative. A little provocation by a third party would be a good thing. Hopefully it would make the parties focus on transformative governance again rather than maintaining the status quo.
5/11/2011
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.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The National Development Party (NDP) is "still standing" and the movement is "alive and well." - says its Communications Director - Prince Smith
“NDP Won’t Fall Apart”
By ROGAN SMITH
jonesbahamas
If you think the departure of 10 of its executives would cripple the National Development Party (NDP), think again.
NDP Communications Director Prince Smith says the party is "still standing" and the movement is "alive and well."
In an interview with the Bahama Journal recently, Mr. Smith said he wanted to let Bahamians know that the party has not fallen apart just because a handful of executives decided to quit and instead join the Progressive Liberal Party.
Last Wednesday, former NDP Leader Renward Wells – who previously said that third parties were the wave of the future – ate his own words and teamed up with the Opposition.
He took nine of his executives with him.
However, not all of the NDP members left.
Today, according to Mr. Smith, there are hundreds of members.
He said his party is now focusing on other things.
"We wish them well, but we’ve moved on. The National Development Party’s focus is on the plight of our nation, how we’re going to rescue this economy and how we can transform this economy into Bahamian ownership. That’s our focus," he said.
Mr. Smith said the NDP plans to field 41 candidates in the upcoming general election and has already begun the process of ratifying candidates.
He said he hopes to offer himself as a candidate.
But, before any of that happens, the NDP is moving full steam ahead to hold elections to replace its former leader and several executives. He said that could happen within the next two weeks.
He assured NDP supporters that the process will be both "democratic and fair."
"The Bahamas would know that in terms of deepening democracy those aren’t just words we use. The NDP has been the first political party in the history of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to institute the primary system. We don’t just talk it, we walk it," he said.
There are reports that the NDP has been engaged in talks with Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney’s new party, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA).
When asked if there were plans to team-up with the DNA, Mr. Smith said his party is interested in any entity that wants to oust the PLP and the Free National Movement (FNM).
"As for coming together, that will only be considered in an environment that promotes democracy, and mutual respect and is determined to bring aid and comfort to the Bahamian people," he said.
May 9th, 2011
jonesbahamas
By ROGAN SMITH
jonesbahamas
If you think the departure of 10 of its executives would cripple the National Development Party (NDP), think again.
NDP Communications Director Prince Smith says the party is "still standing" and the movement is "alive and well."
In an interview with the Bahama Journal recently, Mr. Smith said he wanted to let Bahamians know that the party has not fallen apart just because a handful of executives decided to quit and instead join the Progressive Liberal Party.
Last Wednesday, former NDP Leader Renward Wells – who previously said that third parties were the wave of the future – ate his own words and teamed up with the Opposition.
He took nine of his executives with him.
However, not all of the NDP members left.
Today, according to Mr. Smith, there are hundreds of members.
He said his party is now focusing on other things.
"We wish them well, but we’ve moved on. The National Development Party’s focus is on the plight of our nation, how we’re going to rescue this economy and how we can transform this economy into Bahamian ownership. That’s our focus," he said.
Mr. Smith said the NDP plans to field 41 candidates in the upcoming general election and has already begun the process of ratifying candidates.
He said he hopes to offer himself as a candidate.
But, before any of that happens, the NDP is moving full steam ahead to hold elections to replace its former leader and several executives. He said that could happen within the next two weeks.
He assured NDP supporters that the process will be both "democratic and fair."
"The Bahamas would know that in terms of deepening democracy those aren’t just words we use. The NDP has been the first political party in the history of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to institute the primary system. We don’t just talk it, we walk it," he said.
There are reports that the NDP has been engaged in talks with Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney’s new party, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA).
When asked if there were plans to team-up with the DNA, Mr. Smith said his party is interested in any entity that wants to oust the PLP and the Free National Movement (FNM).
"As for coming together, that will only be considered in an environment that promotes democracy, and mutual respect and is determined to bring aid and comfort to the Bahamian people," he said.
May 9th, 2011
jonesbahamas
Monday, May 9, 2011
So now the People's Government has decided that foreigners can invest in and own any restaurant or entertainment business in our beloved Commonwealth. How can The Bahamas Government justify such a decision?
What’s left for us?
By Philip C. Galanis
There has been considerable discussion lately about the changes that are taking place all around us in today's Bahamas. With the dismantling of public entities such as the Hotel Corporation, the privatization of BaTelCo, the massive capital public works projects that are largely being supervised and staffed by foreign companies and foreign workers, and now the relaxation of the Bahamas Investment Policy, this week we would like to Consider This... When the history of The Bahamas is written about this era, will the prime minister and his sidekick minister of state for finance be described as progressive and enlightened agents of change for a modern Bahamas, or will they be perceived as myopic enemies of the people who presided over the public auction of The Bahamas, having allowed too many foreigners to rapaciously highjack our patrimony, leaving us all asking, “What’s left for us?”
This consideration and a public discourse becomes more urgently relevant in a globalized world, where too often our political leaders seem overly eager to use globalization as an excuse for their shortcomings on our behalf, instead of boldly mounting a well thought out approach as to how we should embrace this rapidly-developing and ever-changing phenomenon for the betterment of our citizens.
The prime minister recently announced in Parliament that his government has changed the policy with respect to foreigners investing in areas that have traditionally been reserved for Bahamians, with specific reference to non-ethnic restaurants and entertainment businesses. He suggested that this will provide greater inward or foreign direct investment into the country's economy, and it therefore follows that this is a good thing. In the wake of this announcement, let's consider this... while the rapid advancement of globalization will of necessity require us to rethink long-established ways of how we conduct our affairs, are there not certain fundamental principles that we must maintain? Are there not certain foundational norms that should be unassailable, non-negotiable and immutable — simply off the table — with anyone at anytime? Like many Bahamians, I believe there are. And irrespective of whichever government has the gall to tamper with such indisputable fundamental principles, we should demand of them that they consider what kind of long-term effects their decisions will have on The Bahamas for many generations to come.
One such fundamental principle is Bahamian citizenship. Given the recent decisions taken by this government, are we going to arrive at a place where, in the interest of wishing to be seen as "enlightened adherents and advocates of globalization" or perhaps the more crass and accurate justification of financial expediency, we are going to begin to sell Bahamian citizenship to all and sundry? It is not that farfetched. We have or are in the process of selling every other aspect of our patrimony. We have done it with the public corporations. We have done it with the major capital projects. We are now doing it with certain aspects of our Judiciary. Daily we continue to allow foreigners in the workplace as a matter of course to consistently abuse and frustrate our citizens with impunity? So what is there to give us any confidence that the sale of Bahamian citizenship is not a distant possibility? The difficulty with beginning down this road is the uncertainty of where it will end and just how far we will go for the sake of someone’s idea of how to advance our country.
So now the Government has decided that foreigners can invest in and own any restaurant or entertainment business. How can the Government justify such a decision? There are several pernicious developments that will result from such a decision.
First, this decision will invite and encourage foreigners to compete in The Bahamas in those areas that have long been reserved for Bahamians. And make no mistake — those foreigners who will come here to open restaurants and entertainment businesses will have very deep pockets indeed. This kind of competition can very realistically force competing Bahamians out of business because of the kind of capital or financial firepower those foreign competitors would bring to the local marketplace. Do not be mislead, either, that they will contribute greatly to our wholesale grocery businesses. Realistically, entrepreneurs with this kind of financial investment will be much more apt to bring in trailer-loads of food and other supplies, bought more cheaply from our neighbor to the west than they could ever purchase it here.
Secondly, persons who are employed by those businesses that will be marginalized by such competition will be forced to seek employment elsewhere. And they should not rely on being able to simply apply for jobs at these new, foreign owned ventures. These businesses, much like the foreign-owned hotels that we are so used to, will insist upon a much higher level of training and experience. Who knows? This may even be the beginning of a "renaissance of foreign workers" in the restaurant and entertainment business, just as we saw decades ago.
Thirdly, foreign investors will want to repatriate their profits, and that is completely understandable. But consider the drain of foreign reserves that will ensue because of the profits that would leave the country, as well as the money spent on provisions imported by these businesses. Those closely-coveted profits that are earned from Bahamians and non-Bahamians alike on Bahamian soil will quickly be transferred out of the country, for the benefit of those investors elsewhere.
Finally, this ill-conceived policy shift will make it more difficult for future generations of Bahamians to enter the marketplace in these sectors. Bahamians already encounter many barriers to entry into the local economy, most notably adequate funding for their projects. Which bank here, Bahamian or foreign-owned, will be inclined to lend to prospective local entrepreneurs when, as a result of this ill-conceived policy, they will likely adopt the posture that there are already too many "foreign-owned" businesses chasing a finite number of patrons?
If the government felt such an urgent need to alter the existing policy, would it not have made more sense to first ensure that there would be greater participation by Bahamians in these sectors? The government, instead of giving away the entire shop, lock stock and barrel, could have tweaked the policy to allow foreigners to participate in these sectors, if they agreed to partner with Bahamians, with specific, clearly-defined investment parameters to ensure that such partnerships are meaningful. This would have expanded the possibilities for our own citizens.
What is next? Will the government, the repository of all knowledge and wisdom, next invite foreign doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects and the like to set up businesses here justified with the same twisted reasoning and logic proffered for this decision? Let's take it further. In virtually every major capital that I have visited over the years, I have used foreign cab drivers who shuttle me between the airport, the hotel or whatever destination that I might require. Is that what the government has in store for the future of our country? To allow foreign taxi drivers to enter into competition in an area that has long been reserved for Bahamians? I believe you get the point, although I doubt that they do.
For those who would suggest that we should not become xenophobic, I submit that there will be no need for xenophobia if our leaders would demonstrate the courage to ensure that, despite the rapid onslaught of globalization and their dogged determination to give away the store, and notwithstanding their lack of confidence in Bahamians, one of their immutable, non-negotiable and indisputable first principles should be that today, tomorrow and forever, The Bahamas is and must be first and foremost for Bahamians. It seems sad, but true, that somewhere along the way, they have forgotten this.
Philip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis & Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament. Please send your comments to: pgalanis@gmail.com.
5/2/2011
The Nassauguardian
By Philip C. Galanis
There has been considerable discussion lately about the changes that are taking place all around us in today's Bahamas. With the dismantling of public entities such as the Hotel Corporation, the privatization of BaTelCo, the massive capital public works projects that are largely being supervised and staffed by foreign companies and foreign workers, and now the relaxation of the Bahamas Investment Policy, this week we would like to Consider This... When the history of The Bahamas is written about this era, will the prime minister and his sidekick minister of state for finance be described as progressive and enlightened agents of change for a modern Bahamas, or will they be perceived as myopic enemies of the people who presided over the public auction of The Bahamas, having allowed too many foreigners to rapaciously highjack our patrimony, leaving us all asking, “What’s left for us?”
This consideration and a public discourse becomes more urgently relevant in a globalized world, where too often our political leaders seem overly eager to use globalization as an excuse for their shortcomings on our behalf, instead of boldly mounting a well thought out approach as to how we should embrace this rapidly-developing and ever-changing phenomenon for the betterment of our citizens.
The prime minister recently announced in Parliament that his government has changed the policy with respect to foreigners investing in areas that have traditionally been reserved for Bahamians, with specific reference to non-ethnic restaurants and entertainment businesses. He suggested that this will provide greater inward or foreign direct investment into the country's economy, and it therefore follows that this is a good thing. In the wake of this announcement, let's consider this... while the rapid advancement of globalization will of necessity require us to rethink long-established ways of how we conduct our affairs, are there not certain fundamental principles that we must maintain? Are there not certain foundational norms that should be unassailable, non-negotiable and immutable — simply off the table — with anyone at anytime? Like many Bahamians, I believe there are. And irrespective of whichever government has the gall to tamper with such indisputable fundamental principles, we should demand of them that they consider what kind of long-term effects their decisions will have on The Bahamas for many generations to come.
One such fundamental principle is Bahamian citizenship. Given the recent decisions taken by this government, are we going to arrive at a place where, in the interest of wishing to be seen as "enlightened adherents and advocates of globalization" or perhaps the more crass and accurate justification of financial expediency, we are going to begin to sell Bahamian citizenship to all and sundry? It is not that farfetched. We have or are in the process of selling every other aspect of our patrimony. We have done it with the public corporations. We have done it with the major capital projects. We are now doing it with certain aspects of our Judiciary. Daily we continue to allow foreigners in the workplace as a matter of course to consistently abuse and frustrate our citizens with impunity? So what is there to give us any confidence that the sale of Bahamian citizenship is not a distant possibility? The difficulty with beginning down this road is the uncertainty of where it will end and just how far we will go for the sake of someone’s idea of how to advance our country.
So now the Government has decided that foreigners can invest in and own any restaurant or entertainment business. How can the Government justify such a decision? There are several pernicious developments that will result from such a decision.
First, this decision will invite and encourage foreigners to compete in The Bahamas in those areas that have long been reserved for Bahamians. And make no mistake — those foreigners who will come here to open restaurants and entertainment businesses will have very deep pockets indeed. This kind of competition can very realistically force competing Bahamians out of business because of the kind of capital or financial firepower those foreign competitors would bring to the local marketplace. Do not be mislead, either, that they will contribute greatly to our wholesale grocery businesses. Realistically, entrepreneurs with this kind of financial investment will be much more apt to bring in trailer-loads of food and other supplies, bought more cheaply from our neighbor to the west than they could ever purchase it here.
Secondly, persons who are employed by those businesses that will be marginalized by such competition will be forced to seek employment elsewhere. And they should not rely on being able to simply apply for jobs at these new, foreign owned ventures. These businesses, much like the foreign-owned hotels that we are so used to, will insist upon a much higher level of training and experience. Who knows? This may even be the beginning of a "renaissance of foreign workers" in the restaurant and entertainment business, just as we saw decades ago.
Thirdly, foreign investors will want to repatriate their profits, and that is completely understandable. But consider the drain of foreign reserves that will ensue because of the profits that would leave the country, as well as the money spent on provisions imported by these businesses. Those closely-coveted profits that are earned from Bahamians and non-Bahamians alike on Bahamian soil will quickly be transferred out of the country, for the benefit of those investors elsewhere.
Finally, this ill-conceived policy shift will make it more difficult for future generations of Bahamians to enter the marketplace in these sectors. Bahamians already encounter many barriers to entry into the local economy, most notably adequate funding for their projects. Which bank here, Bahamian or foreign-owned, will be inclined to lend to prospective local entrepreneurs when, as a result of this ill-conceived policy, they will likely adopt the posture that there are already too many "foreign-owned" businesses chasing a finite number of patrons?
If the government felt such an urgent need to alter the existing policy, would it not have made more sense to first ensure that there would be greater participation by Bahamians in these sectors? The government, instead of giving away the entire shop, lock stock and barrel, could have tweaked the policy to allow foreigners to participate in these sectors, if they agreed to partner with Bahamians, with specific, clearly-defined investment parameters to ensure that such partnerships are meaningful. This would have expanded the possibilities for our own citizens.
What is next? Will the government, the repository of all knowledge and wisdom, next invite foreign doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects and the like to set up businesses here justified with the same twisted reasoning and logic proffered for this decision? Let's take it further. In virtually every major capital that I have visited over the years, I have used foreign cab drivers who shuttle me between the airport, the hotel or whatever destination that I might require. Is that what the government has in store for the future of our country? To allow foreign taxi drivers to enter into competition in an area that has long been reserved for Bahamians? I believe you get the point, although I doubt that they do.
For those who would suggest that we should not become xenophobic, I submit that there will be no need for xenophobia if our leaders would demonstrate the courage to ensure that, despite the rapid onslaught of globalization and their dogged determination to give away the store, and notwithstanding their lack of confidence in Bahamians, one of their immutable, non-negotiable and indisputable first principles should be that today, tomorrow and forever, The Bahamas is and must be first and foremost for Bahamians. It seems sad, but true, that somewhere along the way, they have forgotten this.
Philip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis & Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament. Please send your comments to: pgalanis@gmail.com.
5/2/2011
The Nassauguardian
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Bahamian people can and should – with the help of appropriate labour – produce more of the food its people consume
Price Inflation and Food Shock
The Bahama Journal Editorial
Today some of what passes for new information has to do with the fact that the price for practically everything with the possible exception of labour is set to move upward.
This is what the economists mean when they talk about inflation; that situation where things fetch more and more while – on occasion – income marches in an opposite direction.
On occasion, situations arise when some people are hard-pressed to find money sufficient to pay for basics like food, shelter, heath and protection.
Sadly, this is becoming a reality for more and more Bahamians, particularly those who are ill, home-bound, indigent or otherwise marooned on Death’s door-step.
We now have another looming crisis on our hand. This time around is a situation where the government and people of the Bahamas must respond.
While we are quite certain that Social Welfare and charities galore in Civil Society can and will do what they must, we are also certain that these actions will only suffice to delay the coming of that day when some of those who are in distress might be pushed to take desperate action – with some of what they do bordering on the criminal.
But while this might yet become a reality in this already blighted and blasted place, we are sufficiently hopeful in our advocacy for the development of policies and strategies that could be of some great help, moving forward.
Bahamians can and should so gear themselves that they can produce more of the food they consume; and for that matter, more of the foodstuffs consumed by visitors.
The time is precisely now for our leaders and their Caribbean counterparts to come together with a view towards harnessing regional capacity.
This process could have the salutary effect of making the entire region less dependent on the rest of the world.
Information reaching us suggests that even if – by some magic- things were to return to some semblance of normalcy, food prices, fuel prices and the prices attached to technology and other commodities would continue to rise.
This analysis has evident implications and ramifications for countries such as the Bahamas that just happen to be ultra-dependent on the export and sale of services to sustain the life-styles to which they have become accustomed.
Put simply, all currently available indicators suggest that the Bahamian people should – as of now – brace themselves for the onset of any number of wrenching changes.
One such change involves this nation’s and our region’s speedier access to food that is inexpensive, nutritious, available and accessible, all at once.
Acceptance of such a formula immediately brings with it a slew of implications for labor law, immigration policy and relations with our neighbors in the region.
We deem this matter one that should be given priority attention: this because, the Bahamas unlike some of its sister nations in the Caribbean – inclusive of Jamaica, Cuba and Barbados, among others – is a net food importer.
This fact of life now underscores the grave importance of news coming in to the effect that, "... Rising international food prices could trigger an acceleration of inflation in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean this year…"
The Inter-American Development Bank indicates that this now underscores what it describes as "…the need for policies to protect the urban poor…"
There are thousands of Bahamians who are today suffering from a double-barreled food whammy.
This two-pronged disaster derives not only from the fact that tens of thousands of them are obliged to eat food that is not only expensive, but also massively devoid of nutrients. Very many of them now have next to nothing with which to buy food.
These people are sometimes reduced to begging.
This situation is one that will be with us for the long haul; precisely because of the parlous situation in a United States that is itself battling with unemployment, a fractious political system and forces over which it has little control.
This suggests that even when recovery does come, tens of millions of Americans will work harder, save more and therefore spend less on luxuries such as a vacation-visit to the Bahamas.
While some of our fellow Bahamians wait for things to return to normal, there are some other Bahamians who have sought to suggest to a skeptical public that no such return is in the offing.
These people routinely call on the authorities to do what they have to do so as to help our people as they do their level-best to get through these hard times.
The Bahamian people can and should – with the help of appropriate labour – produce more of the food its people consume.
May 5th, 2011
The Bahama Journal Editorial
The Bahama Journal Editorial
Today some of what passes for new information has to do with the fact that the price for practically everything with the possible exception of labour is set to move upward.
This is what the economists mean when they talk about inflation; that situation where things fetch more and more while – on occasion – income marches in an opposite direction.
On occasion, situations arise when some people are hard-pressed to find money sufficient to pay for basics like food, shelter, heath and protection.
Sadly, this is becoming a reality for more and more Bahamians, particularly those who are ill, home-bound, indigent or otherwise marooned on Death’s door-step.
We now have another looming crisis on our hand. This time around is a situation where the government and people of the Bahamas must respond.
While we are quite certain that Social Welfare and charities galore in Civil Society can and will do what they must, we are also certain that these actions will only suffice to delay the coming of that day when some of those who are in distress might be pushed to take desperate action – with some of what they do bordering on the criminal.
But while this might yet become a reality in this already blighted and blasted place, we are sufficiently hopeful in our advocacy for the development of policies and strategies that could be of some great help, moving forward.
Bahamians can and should so gear themselves that they can produce more of the food they consume; and for that matter, more of the foodstuffs consumed by visitors.
The time is precisely now for our leaders and their Caribbean counterparts to come together with a view towards harnessing regional capacity.
This process could have the salutary effect of making the entire region less dependent on the rest of the world.
Information reaching us suggests that even if – by some magic- things were to return to some semblance of normalcy, food prices, fuel prices and the prices attached to technology and other commodities would continue to rise.
This analysis has evident implications and ramifications for countries such as the Bahamas that just happen to be ultra-dependent on the export and sale of services to sustain the life-styles to which they have become accustomed.
Put simply, all currently available indicators suggest that the Bahamian people should – as of now – brace themselves for the onset of any number of wrenching changes.
One such change involves this nation’s and our region’s speedier access to food that is inexpensive, nutritious, available and accessible, all at once.
Acceptance of such a formula immediately brings with it a slew of implications for labor law, immigration policy and relations with our neighbors in the region.
We deem this matter one that should be given priority attention: this because, the Bahamas unlike some of its sister nations in the Caribbean – inclusive of Jamaica, Cuba and Barbados, among others – is a net food importer.
This fact of life now underscores the grave importance of news coming in to the effect that, "... Rising international food prices could trigger an acceleration of inflation in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean this year…"
The Inter-American Development Bank indicates that this now underscores what it describes as "…the need for policies to protect the urban poor…"
There are thousands of Bahamians who are today suffering from a double-barreled food whammy.
This two-pronged disaster derives not only from the fact that tens of thousands of them are obliged to eat food that is not only expensive, but also massively devoid of nutrients. Very many of them now have next to nothing with which to buy food.
These people are sometimes reduced to begging.
This situation is one that will be with us for the long haul; precisely because of the parlous situation in a United States that is itself battling with unemployment, a fractious political system and forces over which it has little control.
This suggests that even when recovery does come, tens of millions of Americans will work harder, save more and therefore spend less on luxuries such as a vacation-visit to the Bahamas.
While some of our fellow Bahamians wait for things to return to normal, there are some other Bahamians who have sought to suggest to a skeptical public that no such return is in the offing.
These people routinely call on the authorities to do what they have to do so as to help our people as they do their level-best to get through these hard times.
The Bahamian people can and should – with the help of appropriate labour – produce more of the food its people consume.
May 5th, 2011
The Bahama Journal Editorial
Friday, May 6, 2011
WORKERS' Party leader Rodney Moncur says: ...the memorandum of understanding signed between the National Development Party (NDP) and the Workers' Party (WP) late last year establishing an alliance for the next general election, had been broken
Worker's party leader 'shocked' by NDP members move to the PLP
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
WORKERS' Party leader Rodney Moncur called an emergency party meeting last night after being "shocked" by news that ten executive members of the National Development Party left for the Progressive Liberal Party.
Mr Moncur said the memorandum of understanding, signed between the NDP and the Workers' Party late last year establishing an alliance for the next general election, had been broken.
For weeks the NDP had been in discussions with Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney about possibly joining his newly formed Democratic National Alliance. The NDP was expected to soon make an announcement of their alliance with Mr McCartney's party but yesterday aligned with the official opposition in a surprising move.
Yesterday Mr Moncur said it appears as if the country's politicians were thrown into a tailspin by Mr McCartney's new party and view DNA as a real threat.
Development
"We've convened an emergency meeting of the central committee of the Workers' Party for tonight to discuss this new development. It is shocking because (Renward) Wells did not inform me of their decision however I received intelligence very early this morning that they were going to make the move," said Mr Moncur, telling The Tribune that Mr Wells confirmed this to him on Facebook before announcing it at a press conference yesterday.
He added that unlike former NDP leader Renward Wells, and the nine others who left with him, the Workers' Party will not give up the third party fight and "abandon" Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney and newly formed Democratic National Alliance.
"We shall not be like our allies and abandon Branville McCartney and the DNA," added the social activist and former candidate in the Elizabeth by-election. "We have heard what Bran McCartney and the DNA are offering to the Bahamian people and we are excited by it.
"I'm extremely disappointed that Wells could not stand on philosophical grounds and that he has allowed himself to succumb to filthy (politics). . .it's a bad political decision and he's on the wrong track. We shall support Branville McCartney and DNA and the only way we don't support him is if he say he ain' want us.
"We were encouraging the NDP to go into the DNA, we were in the background pushing them and telling them whatever the political plums that the PLP and FNM is offering its not worth it."
Yesterday Mr Wells, former NDP hopeful for Clifton constituency Latore Mackey and eight other executive council members announced they had joined the PLP.
A few NDP members were against the move and will carry on the party's name.
Messrs Wells and Mackey said the philosophy of PLP leader Perry Christie and the party's interest in change and young blood spurred them to cross party lines.
The move comes a few weeks after the NDP said it had heard the nation's cry for a viable alternative to the PLP and the Free National Movement, parties that have been heavily criticised by the NDP.
"We believe that it is high time for another party, other than the PLP or the FNM.
"It is absolutely the right time to do it," Mr Wells told The Tribune in March.
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
WORKERS' Party leader Rodney Moncur called an emergency party meeting last night after being "shocked" by news that ten executive members of the National Development Party left for the Progressive Liberal Party.
Mr Moncur said the memorandum of understanding, signed between the NDP and the Workers' Party late last year establishing an alliance for the next general election, had been broken.
For weeks the NDP had been in discussions with Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney about possibly joining his newly formed Democratic National Alliance. The NDP was expected to soon make an announcement of their alliance with Mr McCartney's party but yesterday aligned with the official opposition in a surprising move.
Yesterday Mr Moncur said it appears as if the country's politicians were thrown into a tailspin by Mr McCartney's new party and view DNA as a real threat.
Development
"We've convened an emergency meeting of the central committee of the Workers' Party for tonight to discuss this new development. It is shocking because (Renward) Wells did not inform me of their decision however I received intelligence very early this morning that they were going to make the move," said Mr Moncur, telling The Tribune that Mr Wells confirmed this to him on Facebook before announcing it at a press conference yesterday.
He added that unlike former NDP leader Renward Wells, and the nine others who left with him, the Workers' Party will not give up the third party fight and "abandon" Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney and newly formed Democratic National Alliance.
"We shall not be like our allies and abandon Branville McCartney and the DNA," added the social activist and former candidate in the Elizabeth by-election. "We have heard what Bran McCartney and the DNA are offering to the Bahamian people and we are excited by it.
"I'm extremely disappointed that Wells could not stand on philosophical grounds and that he has allowed himself to succumb to filthy (politics). . .it's a bad political decision and he's on the wrong track. We shall support Branville McCartney and DNA and the only way we don't support him is if he say he ain' want us.
"We were encouraging the NDP to go into the DNA, we were in the background pushing them and telling them whatever the political plums that the PLP and FNM is offering its not worth it."
Yesterday Mr Wells, former NDP hopeful for Clifton constituency Latore Mackey and eight other executive council members announced they had joined the PLP.
A few NDP members were against the move and will carry on the party's name.
Messrs Wells and Mackey said the philosophy of PLP leader Perry Christie and the party's interest in change and young blood spurred them to cross party lines.
The move comes a few weeks after the NDP said it had heard the nation's cry for a viable alternative to the PLP and the Free National Movement, parties that have been heavily criticised by the NDP.
"We believe that it is high time for another party, other than the PLP or the FNM.
"It is absolutely the right time to do it," Mr Wells told The Tribune in March.
Renward Wells - former National Development Party (NDP) leader says: Mr. Perry Christie is the gentlemen who is most able as a transitional leader to position The Bahamas and its economy to where we ought to go...
NDP chiefs flock to PLP
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
TEN members of the executive council of the National Development Party, including party leader Renward Wells, have left the fledgling party and joined the Opposition Progressive Liberal Party.
Mr Wells claimed that the former NDP members were not promised any post or nomination in the next general election by the PLP's leadership in exchange for their membership.
The parting members of the NDP said it is Mr Christie's political philosophy and the change in the political landscape over the last month - presumably the emergence of newly formed Democratic National Alliance - that spurred them to cross party lines.
"I have not been given no nomination for nothing and nobody else did," said Mr Wells at a press conference at ALCO House on Balfour Avenue yesterday. "The political landscape over the past month has dramatically changed. There's the introduction of a new element into that equation.
"There are three men vying for the top job of this country and of the three men who are vying for that job, at least from the perspective of me and the others, Mr Christie is the gentlemen who is most able as a transitional leader to position this country and this economy to where we ought to go. I say that unashamedly," he added.
For weeks the fringe party was in discussions with Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney and was expected to announce its alignment with DNA as a unified third party choice at the polls. The Tribune understands that certain members of the NDP felt that DNA leader Branville McCartney was cold and not receptive to their ideas. The NDP also had an alliance with the Workers' Party, led by Rodney Moncur.
Latore Mackey, former NDP hopeful for the Clifton constituency, explained why discussions with other fringe parties broke down.
"We have went through an exhausting exercise trying to find the vehicle that will not just take the name of a party into a general election but the vehicle that will best take the message of that party. We've tried with the alternative parties, we've tried forming a coalition but there always was some impasse. The NDP bent over backwards trying to accommodate all and sundry but that has proven fruitless, it has become a position whereas we've allowed personalities to take control as opposed to realising that it is the message of deepening the democracy and empowering the people of this country."
A few members decided not to side with the PLP and will carry on the NDP's name.
Still Mr Mackey feels it will have been difficult for the young party to be successful in the next election. He said while the party did not lack ideals, it was short on members, money and notoriety needed to challenge the two major parties.
Since the party's inception in late 2008 the NDP has been critical of the political establishment and the PLP.
When asked to explain the turnaround, Mr Wells said while he did not agree with all of Mr Christie's political choices he was confident the former prime minister was a man who will govern according to the wishes of the people.
"What we have gotten from the PLP is an assurance that in the upcoming campaign and in the government of Perry Christie over the next five years, that the Bahamian people will be first. That is the assurance that we got," said Mr Wells.
In a statement released last night, the PLP welcomed the former NDP members to the party, saying their actions "demonstrate a key difference between the FNM and the PLP."
"The FNM believes in the acquisition of entire political parties through promises for public relations gains," the statement said. "Alternatively, the PLP invites and welcomes the best individuals into our tent. We are prepared to be the next Government of the Bahamas and welcome those who want to contribute to the good governance of the Bahamas.
"The PLP is a good fit for the former NDP leadership because we put people first. The PLP is committed to a new generation, innovative new ideas."
Thursday, May 05, 2011
tribune242
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
TEN members of the executive council of the National Development Party, including party leader Renward Wells, have left the fledgling party and joined the Opposition Progressive Liberal Party.
Mr Wells claimed that the former NDP members were not promised any post or nomination in the next general election by the PLP's leadership in exchange for their membership.
The parting members of the NDP said it is Mr Christie's political philosophy and the change in the political landscape over the last month - presumably the emergence of newly formed Democratic National Alliance - that spurred them to cross party lines.
"I have not been given no nomination for nothing and nobody else did," said Mr Wells at a press conference at ALCO House on Balfour Avenue yesterday. "The political landscape over the past month has dramatically changed. There's the introduction of a new element into that equation.
"There are three men vying for the top job of this country and of the three men who are vying for that job, at least from the perspective of me and the others, Mr Christie is the gentlemen who is most able as a transitional leader to position this country and this economy to where we ought to go. I say that unashamedly," he added.
For weeks the fringe party was in discussions with Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney and was expected to announce its alignment with DNA as a unified third party choice at the polls. The Tribune understands that certain members of the NDP felt that DNA leader Branville McCartney was cold and not receptive to their ideas. The NDP also had an alliance with the Workers' Party, led by Rodney Moncur.
Latore Mackey, former NDP hopeful for the Clifton constituency, explained why discussions with other fringe parties broke down.
"We have went through an exhausting exercise trying to find the vehicle that will not just take the name of a party into a general election but the vehicle that will best take the message of that party. We've tried with the alternative parties, we've tried forming a coalition but there always was some impasse. The NDP bent over backwards trying to accommodate all and sundry but that has proven fruitless, it has become a position whereas we've allowed personalities to take control as opposed to realising that it is the message of deepening the democracy and empowering the people of this country."
A few members decided not to side with the PLP and will carry on the NDP's name.
Still Mr Mackey feels it will have been difficult for the young party to be successful in the next election. He said while the party did not lack ideals, it was short on members, money and notoriety needed to challenge the two major parties.
Since the party's inception in late 2008 the NDP has been critical of the political establishment and the PLP.
When asked to explain the turnaround, Mr Wells said while he did not agree with all of Mr Christie's political choices he was confident the former prime minister was a man who will govern according to the wishes of the people.
"What we have gotten from the PLP is an assurance that in the upcoming campaign and in the government of Perry Christie over the next five years, that the Bahamian people will be first. That is the assurance that we got," said Mr Wells.
In a statement released last night, the PLP welcomed the former NDP members to the party, saying their actions "demonstrate a key difference between the FNM and the PLP."
"The FNM believes in the acquisition of entire political parties through promises for public relations gains," the statement said. "Alternatively, the PLP invites and welcomes the best individuals into our tent. We are prepared to be the next Government of the Bahamas and welcome those who want to contribute to the good governance of the Bahamas.
"The PLP is a good fit for the former NDP leadership because we put people first. The PLP is committed to a new generation, innovative new ideas."
Thursday, May 05, 2011
tribune242
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Branville McCartney and his Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party will have a lot of competition this election season...
Politicians Dismiss DNA
By ROGAN SMITH
jonesbahamas
After Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney quit the Free National Movement (FNM) he had one goal in mind – forming a party to challenge both the FNM and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), but according to a politician whose organisation declined an invitation to join Mr. McCartney’s new party, he was not "equipped" to do so.
Omar Smith, along with Cassius Stuart, recently dissolved their party, the Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) to join the FNM. They took their members along with them.
The men, who served as deputy leader and leader respectively, had been in talks with Mr. McCartney after he quit the FNM several months ago to become an independent MP.
Mr. McCartney was also in talks with the leaders of several other third parties trying to woo them to join his party.
However, the Bahama Journal recently reported that many of those leaders did not take his party seriously.
Mr. Smith explained why he chose not to team up with Mr. McCartney.
"When Mr. McCartney asked to speak with us – and we were more than willing to speak to anyone who was interested in national development – at that time he came to us and he said that he wanted us to join him. At that time I don’t think he was equipped, he didn’t have an organisation and he hasn’t put out a philosophy of what he wants to do," Mr. Smith said.
"I was curious to find out. I asked him and he didn’t have [a philosophy]. All he represented to me is that he wanted to challenge the PLP and the FNM and that wasn’t enough information. So, I wish him well, as I wish any young person who wants to do what he believes in. I think I have a little bit more experience in third parties than he has, but I wish him well and I wish him luck."
Mr. Smith was a guest on the Love 97 talk show, Issues of the Day with host, Algernon Allen yesterday.
When the BDM set out more than a decade ago, it sought to become a viable alternative to the two major political parties. But, the party failed to make waves on the political scene.
In fact, it has contested three elections since it was formed, but has failed to win any seat.
"After we were unsuccessful in three elections [2002, 2007 and the 2010 by-election] and after going door to door in so many constituencies and having people say that they supported what we were doing . . . [we realised that] there’s a different dynamic at work here. Bahamians want to make sure that their vote counts," he said.
"If they are under the impression that your organisation does not have the possibility of winning, or they don’t think you have the possibility of winning that particular seat, they will make sure that their second option gets there."
He continued, "I can still remember going up to these houses where I know these families were once PLP or FNM and they [said they] supported what we were doing. But, when they got to the poll they would say ‘Omar, listen I support what you’re doing, believe me, we support you, but we got to make sure that they don’t come in, we’ve got to keep them out’."
Mr. McCartney and his party will have a lot of competition this election season as there are several other third parties vying for a chance to become the government.
Attorney Paul Moss, activist Rodney Moncur and former journalist Ali McIntosh all have their own political parties.
"I want to encourage all of those people who believe in a cause and believe in certain principles that they’d like see come to fruition to go out there and advocate and push, however, when you look at the lay of the land and look at the reality of Bahamian politics you will come to realise that it is very very difficult to make those inroads," Mr. Smith said.
"There are certain resources that must come to bear for you to have an opportunity to make that leap into parliament. While I wish them well, I think the reality is going to be something different."
During his talk show appearance, Mr. Smith was berated by a number of callers, who suggested he was a hypocrite for becoming a part of an organisation that he had heavily criticised for more than a decade.
The callers noted that Mr. Smith and the BDM were especially tough on FNM Leader and Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham.
But, he said, "If I’m in opposition to you it’s not my job to point out your strengths even though sometimes I did give credit where credit was due. It is not my position to build you up. It’s not my position to say the things that you are doing [well] for the most part. It is my position to critique you and say what you are doing wrong and say how they should be done. That is the way the process works," he said.
Mr. Smith said the FNM has given him and several of the new members assurances that they would be considered for seats and positions within the party.
"There are members outside of Mr. Stuart and myself who are frontrunners for constituencies for the next election. There’s a process within the organisation and I’m familiarising myself with the process and the members of our organisation have been received so well by the FNM and the branches," he said.
Mr. Smith says he is already campaigning.
May 4th, 2011
jonesbahamas
By ROGAN SMITH
jonesbahamas
After Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney quit the Free National Movement (FNM) he had one goal in mind – forming a party to challenge both the FNM and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), but according to a politician whose organisation declined an invitation to join Mr. McCartney’s new party, he was not "equipped" to do so.
Omar Smith, along with Cassius Stuart, recently dissolved their party, the Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) to join the FNM. They took their members along with them.
The men, who served as deputy leader and leader respectively, had been in talks with Mr. McCartney after he quit the FNM several months ago to become an independent MP.
Mr. McCartney was also in talks with the leaders of several other third parties trying to woo them to join his party.
However, the Bahama Journal recently reported that many of those leaders did not take his party seriously.
Mr. Smith explained why he chose not to team up with Mr. McCartney.
"When Mr. McCartney asked to speak with us – and we were more than willing to speak to anyone who was interested in national development – at that time he came to us and he said that he wanted us to join him. At that time I don’t think he was equipped, he didn’t have an organisation and he hasn’t put out a philosophy of what he wants to do," Mr. Smith said.
"I was curious to find out. I asked him and he didn’t have [a philosophy]. All he represented to me is that he wanted to challenge the PLP and the FNM and that wasn’t enough information. So, I wish him well, as I wish any young person who wants to do what he believes in. I think I have a little bit more experience in third parties than he has, but I wish him well and I wish him luck."
Mr. Smith was a guest on the Love 97 talk show, Issues of the Day with host, Algernon Allen yesterday.
When the BDM set out more than a decade ago, it sought to become a viable alternative to the two major political parties. But, the party failed to make waves on the political scene.
In fact, it has contested three elections since it was formed, but has failed to win any seat.
"After we were unsuccessful in three elections [2002, 2007 and the 2010 by-election] and after going door to door in so many constituencies and having people say that they supported what we were doing . . . [we realised that] there’s a different dynamic at work here. Bahamians want to make sure that their vote counts," he said.
"If they are under the impression that your organisation does not have the possibility of winning, or they don’t think you have the possibility of winning that particular seat, they will make sure that their second option gets there."
He continued, "I can still remember going up to these houses where I know these families were once PLP or FNM and they [said they] supported what we were doing. But, when they got to the poll they would say ‘Omar, listen I support what you’re doing, believe me, we support you, but we got to make sure that they don’t come in, we’ve got to keep them out’."
Mr. McCartney and his party will have a lot of competition this election season as there are several other third parties vying for a chance to become the government.
Attorney Paul Moss, activist Rodney Moncur and former journalist Ali McIntosh all have their own political parties.
"I want to encourage all of those people who believe in a cause and believe in certain principles that they’d like see come to fruition to go out there and advocate and push, however, when you look at the lay of the land and look at the reality of Bahamian politics you will come to realise that it is very very difficult to make those inroads," Mr. Smith said.
"There are certain resources that must come to bear for you to have an opportunity to make that leap into parliament. While I wish them well, I think the reality is going to be something different."
During his talk show appearance, Mr. Smith was berated by a number of callers, who suggested he was a hypocrite for becoming a part of an organisation that he had heavily criticised for more than a decade.
The callers noted that Mr. Smith and the BDM were especially tough on FNM Leader and Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham.
But, he said, "If I’m in opposition to you it’s not my job to point out your strengths even though sometimes I did give credit where credit was due. It is not my position to build you up. It’s not my position to say the things that you are doing [well] for the most part. It is my position to critique you and say what you are doing wrong and say how they should be done. That is the way the process works," he said.
Mr. Smith said the FNM has given him and several of the new members assurances that they would be considered for seats and positions within the party.
"There are members outside of Mr. Stuart and myself who are frontrunners for constituencies for the next election. There’s a process within the organisation and I’m familiarising myself with the process and the members of our organisation have been received so well by the FNM and the branches," he said.
Mr. Smith says he is already campaigning.
May 4th, 2011
jonesbahamas
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