Profile: Erin Greene
BY SONIA FARMER
NG National Correspondent
sonia@nasguard.com
For Erin Greene, human rights activism is a way of life. Though she is often called upon to comment on gay rights issues, what most may not realize is that she fights for many who struggle for their voice to be heard in The Bahamas—including, but not limited to, women, immigrants, children, the disabled and the incarcerated.
“I use the title human rights activist the most because the principle behind it is you have to acknowledge that my rights don’t exist without your rights,” she explains. “We can’t talk about animal rights if we are not talking about women’s rights—our rights are the foundation upon which all rights are granted.”
This is reflected in the amount of NGO organizations she has contributed to, including the Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas; Pride Bahamas; CARIFLAG Bahamas (Caribbean Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals and Gays); Bahamian-Haitian Solidarity for immigration rights; and the Bahamas Human Rights Network.
Her interest in this spans beyond simply their individual agendas—it settles instead upon teaching people about tolerance in their communities.
“It is important for me to educate people about the constitution and the citizen’s constitutional obligation to the country and to other citizens and people resident or present in The Bahamas,” she says.
However, gaining justice for these marginalized groups, she points out, requires open-mindedness, which can only be gained through education—which is exactly what she does. Erin is a big believer in educating oneself about social issues as a way of debating them—an appreciation she developed from her upbringing.
“For my mother’s peers and that generation and generations before that, education was important. Whether you went to college or not, you were always learning,” she explains. “I was entrenched in a culture of appreciation for education. So I think as a culture and as individual community, we have stopped emphasizing the importance of education, so we have lost the idea of education as empowerment and we simply see education as a requirement for a job.”
The problem arises, she says, when one believes they can hold a debate about serious human rights issues when they know simply a fraction of the language and information. They forego book leaning, and by doing so, devalue themselves and their cultural development.
“The one book that is in every Bahamian household is the bible, and Bahamians know it inside out, they reference it, they’ve memorized it,” she points out. “So we are not a people incapable of learning, but we are a shallow people, and you have a group of people who think they have the ability and academic or scholarly authority to interpret the bible, and they don’t engage the actual academic education.”
“Likewise, they read a paragraph of a book in a field of many books and they believe they have the scholarly authority to interpret that information without any other information in that field, without even speaking to another person in that field—they just know what it is,” she continues.
Yet the unfortunate state of education has come to be due to a large and seemingly unmanageable series of events and cultural norms that Erin believes we must examine closely. Factors such as lazy parenting whereby we discourage curiosity and a culture where we discourage public critique, breed children who don’t know how to learn, and coincidentally adopt passionate standings on social issues that were realized through ignorance and partial research.
The responsibility falls not only to the government but to the community to bring back that appreciation of education and culture of learning in order to hold significant debates about issues pertaining to our humanity.
“Civil society has not invested enough in institutions of learning, education and empowerment,” she points out. “We need a tax right away, we need to legalize a national lottery right away if not only to create a special ACE (Arts, Culture and Education) tax and we as a people need to put our money where our mouths are and really fund, because the books aren’t there, the resources aren’t there.”
It is in this larger framework of shortcomings that Erin hopes to step in and individually help educate people completely in a subject—whether it is immigration rights, women’s rights, gay rights, or disabled rights. Justice and equal footing can only begin with understanding and compassion, and so she practices these in her daily interactions as a mouthpiece for those who desperately need one in a culture of ignorance—whether the people listening are ready to accept the realities of their world or not.
“People will do what they want. That’s what makes the world work,” she points out. “I think as part of the human experience, if you can respect that and honor that, when you can wrap your ego around that, then you can begin to learn about a world where everybody deserves rights, and there’s no question about whether people deserve rights or not. Even within that, you can’t force that realization upon anybody. It’s that’s a thing that people come to themselves at different times in their lives.”
It’s a tough path for anyone to take, battling against what can be at times outward hatred to dispel stereotypes and encourage understanding, but again her upbringing taught her about education as the key to helping people.
“I was raised in a culture of volunteerism and community awareness,” she says, and indeed, Erin’s work as a teenage councilor in the Methodist Youth Summer Camp, Bible Schools and the Police Force Summer Youth Program helped her gain awareness and appreciation for teaching people interesting and relevant life skills and understanding.
But it wasn’t until she came back from her college studies and identified as gay, becoming part of Pride Bahamas, that she became a spokesperson for gay rights issues through that group—which soon expanded to include human rights in all of its forms.
“It all spiraled out of control from there,” she laughs. “I’m at the point now that everything I do now has some form or level of activism in it. But I think it’s because I’ve learned that as an activist, as an artist, and an entrepreneur, whatever you do in The Bahamas, you’re doing that work and you’re also doing the work of building a culture of appreciation for what you do. So if I’m doing gay rights work, or if you’re doing animal rights now or environmental work, half of your work is building a culture of appreciation for human rights.”
Two major ways she is able to build this appreciation is by way of her work as an artist and through her well-known humor. Her artwork, such as the fringed tie Junkanoo objects in her exhibition “Jux-Tie-Position” examine our relationships to culture and sexuality, and emphasizes cultural discourse as a means to social activism.
Yet Erin is truly able to create a culture of open-mindedness and appreciation for human rights by educating people through her use of humor. She used to perform stand-up pieces during the open-mic nights Express Yourself, and for four years has been involved in the improv troupe Da SPOT for about four years now, which in itself is a social commentary-based sketch group. She also runs the radio show “The Culture of Things” which is now in its second season. Humor is a powerful tool for Erin to use because it dissipates any passionate situation, and makes serious issues relatable.
“Humor is one of those necessary attributes that allows you to see, that rewires the brain to be able to see without getting mad or upset,” she says. “It’s subversive. It is an act of civil disobedience. Because people don’t realize you’re talking about serious stuff and their radar is down, their force field is down, and you’re able to put it into their heads and when they’re at home and in a more comfortable space, they’re able to really think about it.”
In the end, just as she proclaims, all of Erin’s efforts go towards developing some sort of social consciousness. To Erin, The Bahamas has moved forward rapidly with the world but has done little growing consciously. She hopes that by continuing to compassionately, honestly and otherwise hilariously educate those willing to listen, The Bahamas can become a community and part of a world that creates safe spaces for those who are part of a vulnerable community.
“People deserve rights because they are human beings. We all deserve rights. Its not even that we deserve them—we have them— it just that we deserve the respect of those rights,” she explains. “I wish us the wisdom to look back to the past, the courage to stretch our arms out to the future and the compassion to share the present with everybody around us.”
Aug 08, 2011
thenassauguardian
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.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Although the public is clamouring for government to start hanging those now on death row, the law has to be followed and so far the Privy Council rulings are almost cutting down the hangman's noose
tribune242 editorial
WE AGREE with Security Minister Tommy Turnquest that it is going to become increasingly more difficult to hang convicted murderers.
Although the public is clamouring for government to start hanging those now on death row, the law has to be followed and so far Privy Council rulings are almost cutting down the hangman's noose.
In 1993 the Bahamas discovered that a hanging could not be carried out because the Privy Council had earlier ruled in a Jamaican case that it was inhumane for a prisoner to wait more than five years on death row for their sentences to be carried out. After five years a death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Ever since then clever lawyers have protected their clients by court delays stretching past the five year limit.
Then in 2006 the Privy Council ruled that mandatory death sentences were unconstitutional. Each case had to be considered on its individual merits before sentence could be passed.
However, the Privy Council decision in the Max Tido case, in which 16-year-old Donnell Conover was brutally murdered, has almost ended capital punishment in the Bahamas. The Privy Council sent Tido's case back to the Bahamas appeals court saying that it was not a murder that warranted the most extreme punishment of death. It was returned "for the imposition of an appropriate sentence." The angry reaction here from both religious and civic organisations was to give the boot to the Privy Council, and do it our way -- "hang 'em high."
However, despite the Privy Council ruling the government is working on draft legislation that will target prolific and repeat offenders and outline specific categories of murders.
Nevertheless, it was Mr Turnquest's view that whether it be the Privy Council in London or the judges in the Caribbean "more and more jurists are going to find more and more obstacles to put in the way of governments from carrying out capital punishment." That, he added, is the "reality of life."
Therefore, he said, the concentration should be to get "those prolific killers, those prolific offenders, behind bars and off our streets." In the case of murderers, life imprisonment should mean "life until death do us part."
As we have already suggested in this column those who have a life sentence should be turned into useful citizens -- even though they are behind prison walls. A large acreage of Crown land should be opened for them to farm, thus allowing them to make a contribution to this country's food supply. Between our local farmers and the prisoners this country could be almost self sufficient in fruits and vegetables. This would certainly take some of the burden off our foreign reserves.
However, there has recently been a turn of events in England with regard to capital punishment that is worth watching. And it will probably get more traction now that young hoodlums are thumbing their noses at police and setting London and other regions on fire just for the hell of it. The British are fed up with lax laws and are demanding more punishment for law breakers.
The British government -- in a move to bring democracy directly to the people -- has installed a new site for e-petitions allowing the public to have their issues debated in Parliament provided they get enough support online to do so. Restoration of the death penalty is now a burning issue. The traffic on the site was so high on this subject -- more than 1,000 people a minute -- that the site broke down. It was not designed for such heavy traffic.
"We are getting 1000 unique visits a minute - this is equivalent to nearly 1.5 million visits a day and is far more than the old ePetitions site on Number 10 ever received," said a government spokesman in apologising for the breakdown.
The restoration of capital punishment now looks as though it is going to be one of the first items for debate on the Commons' agenda. It will be the first Commons vote on capital punishment since 1998. The last hangings in Britain were in 1964.
Although British Prime Minister David Cameron does not think that "in a civilised society like ours that you can have the death penalty any more," Priti Patel, MP for Witham in Essex, felt that such a debate would "provide a good opportunity to talk about the failings of our existing criminal justice system." So many victims of the "most horrendous and heinous crimes," he said, "have no sense of justice."
He echoes the words of Donnell Conover's father who on hearing the Privy Council's decision on Tido's future said: "It is really sickening -- I feel as if there is no justice in the world for a victim's family."
August 10, 2011
tribune242 editorial
WE AGREE with Security Minister Tommy Turnquest that it is going to become increasingly more difficult to hang convicted murderers.
Although the public is clamouring for government to start hanging those now on death row, the law has to be followed and so far Privy Council rulings are almost cutting down the hangman's noose.
In 1993 the Bahamas discovered that a hanging could not be carried out because the Privy Council had earlier ruled in a Jamaican case that it was inhumane for a prisoner to wait more than five years on death row for their sentences to be carried out. After five years a death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Ever since then clever lawyers have protected their clients by court delays stretching past the five year limit.
Then in 2006 the Privy Council ruled that mandatory death sentences were unconstitutional. Each case had to be considered on its individual merits before sentence could be passed.
However, the Privy Council decision in the Max Tido case, in which 16-year-old Donnell Conover was brutally murdered, has almost ended capital punishment in the Bahamas. The Privy Council sent Tido's case back to the Bahamas appeals court saying that it was not a murder that warranted the most extreme punishment of death. It was returned "for the imposition of an appropriate sentence." The angry reaction here from both religious and civic organisations was to give the boot to the Privy Council, and do it our way -- "hang 'em high."
However, despite the Privy Council ruling the government is working on draft legislation that will target prolific and repeat offenders and outline specific categories of murders.
Nevertheless, it was Mr Turnquest's view that whether it be the Privy Council in London or the judges in the Caribbean "more and more jurists are going to find more and more obstacles to put in the way of governments from carrying out capital punishment." That, he added, is the "reality of life."
Therefore, he said, the concentration should be to get "those prolific killers, those prolific offenders, behind bars and off our streets." In the case of murderers, life imprisonment should mean "life until death do us part."
As we have already suggested in this column those who have a life sentence should be turned into useful citizens -- even though they are behind prison walls. A large acreage of Crown land should be opened for them to farm, thus allowing them to make a contribution to this country's food supply. Between our local farmers and the prisoners this country could be almost self sufficient in fruits and vegetables. This would certainly take some of the burden off our foreign reserves.
However, there has recently been a turn of events in England with regard to capital punishment that is worth watching. And it will probably get more traction now that young hoodlums are thumbing their noses at police and setting London and other regions on fire just for the hell of it. The British are fed up with lax laws and are demanding more punishment for law breakers.
The British government -- in a move to bring democracy directly to the people -- has installed a new site for e-petitions allowing the public to have their issues debated in Parliament provided they get enough support online to do so. Restoration of the death penalty is now a burning issue. The traffic on the site was so high on this subject -- more than 1,000 people a minute -- that the site broke down. It was not designed for such heavy traffic.
"We are getting 1000 unique visits a minute - this is equivalent to nearly 1.5 million visits a day and is far more than the old ePetitions site on Number 10 ever received," said a government spokesman in apologising for the breakdown.
The restoration of capital punishment now looks as though it is going to be one of the first items for debate on the Commons' agenda. It will be the first Commons vote on capital punishment since 1998. The last hangings in Britain were in 1964.
Although British Prime Minister David Cameron does not think that "in a civilised society like ours that you can have the death penalty any more," Priti Patel, MP for Witham in Essex, felt that such a debate would "provide a good opportunity to talk about the failings of our existing criminal justice system." So many victims of the "most horrendous and heinous crimes," he said, "have no sense of justice."
He echoes the words of Donnell Conover's father who on hearing the Privy Council's decision on Tido's future said: "It is really sickening -- I feel as if there is no justice in the world for a victim's family."
August 10, 2011
tribune242 editorial
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Rethinking the modern welfare state in The Bahamas...
Rethinking the modern welfare state by whatever name
thenassauguardian editorial
Bahamians should monitor closely the economic events in Europe and the United States. Several European countries such as Spain, Portugal and Italy are having trouble managing their debts. Other European economies such as Ireland and Greece have already been bailed out; but may still need additional help again soon.
There are fears that a European debt crisis could emerge creating conditions similar to the financial crisis of 2008, which led to the most significant recession since the Great Depression.
As Europe tries to fix itself, and there is no easy solution, a bitter debate in the United States over debt and spending rages. The U.S. has a debt to GDP ratio of around 100 percent that is growing. Conservatives want to see deep cuts to entitlement spending. Liberals want to maintain the social programs they think support a just society
The U.S. and Western European countries had high levels of debt before the financial crisis. The amount of money states used to support their economies after the crisis, however, significantly increased those debt levels. Now, tough decisions have to be made. The old levels of spending can no longer be supported. If they are maintained, collapse will eventually be the result.
The problem is that in modern states people have come to believe that they have the right to every benefit under the sun. Many think they should have free health care, free education, unemployment benefits, pensions, etc. In previous good times when these things could be afforded, politicians kept piling on benefits and giving subsidies to appease voters and financiers.
The time has now come in the Western World to roll back these ‘gifts’ and rethink the role of government.
In truth, people do not have the right to any benefit or gift from the state. The whole idea of rights is too based on religious thinking and assumptions on what ought to be bestowed to humans by a mysterious divine source.
Countries, communities and social groups can only provide the level of entitlements that can be afforded. Governments can and ought to act as back stops for the downtrodden if they can afford to so do, and not otherwise. So, if you live in oil rich Norway, then the sky is the limit. That state can afford to spoil its citizens.
When you live in a developing society with a debt to GDP ratio approaching 100 percent, there is little the state can do for you.
Government should function first and foremost as a regulator. Its job should be to ensure that fair and open marketplaces exist, through which citizens can make a living. Government should also work to ensure the safety of the common area from internal and external threats.
Beyond this, all the other benefits a state could offer should be based on the resources at its disposal, after consultation with the people.
Under this mindset, it becomes easy for a country to make decisions as to the cuts necessary for growth in the economy to return. Wasteful programs and subsidies, to the poor, as well as to the rich, must be cut across the board in the West in order for taxes to be reduced and for the private sector to have more space to expand. Unnecessary and onerous regulations also need to be removed, creating a more favorable atmosphere for entrepreneurs to take risks.
Here in The Bahamas we are burdened by more and more regulations and by a large and inefficient public service. Our solution, it seems, to the down times is to continue to impose more regulations and to pay the public sector come what may and to borrow and borrow to so do. We cannot keep this up forever.
It is obvious what needs to be done. But it will not be done until people here abandon the idea that a welfare state, by what ever name, is the answer.
Aug 10, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
thenassauguardian editorial
Bahamians should monitor closely the economic events in Europe and the United States. Several European countries such as Spain, Portugal and Italy are having trouble managing their debts. Other European economies such as Ireland and Greece have already been bailed out; but may still need additional help again soon.
There are fears that a European debt crisis could emerge creating conditions similar to the financial crisis of 2008, which led to the most significant recession since the Great Depression.
As Europe tries to fix itself, and there is no easy solution, a bitter debate in the United States over debt and spending rages. The U.S. has a debt to GDP ratio of around 100 percent that is growing. Conservatives want to see deep cuts to entitlement spending. Liberals want to maintain the social programs they think support a just society
The U.S. and Western European countries had high levels of debt before the financial crisis. The amount of money states used to support their economies after the crisis, however, significantly increased those debt levels. Now, tough decisions have to be made. The old levels of spending can no longer be supported. If they are maintained, collapse will eventually be the result.
The problem is that in modern states people have come to believe that they have the right to every benefit under the sun. Many think they should have free health care, free education, unemployment benefits, pensions, etc. In previous good times when these things could be afforded, politicians kept piling on benefits and giving subsidies to appease voters and financiers.
The time has now come in the Western World to roll back these ‘gifts’ and rethink the role of government.
In truth, people do not have the right to any benefit or gift from the state. The whole idea of rights is too based on religious thinking and assumptions on what ought to be bestowed to humans by a mysterious divine source.
Countries, communities and social groups can only provide the level of entitlements that can be afforded. Governments can and ought to act as back stops for the downtrodden if they can afford to so do, and not otherwise. So, if you live in oil rich Norway, then the sky is the limit. That state can afford to spoil its citizens.
When you live in a developing society with a debt to GDP ratio approaching 100 percent, there is little the state can do for you.
Government should function first and foremost as a regulator. Its job should be to ensure that fair and open marketplaces exist, through which citizens can make a living. Government should also work to ensure the safety of the common area from internal and external threats.
Beyond this, all the other benefits a state could offer should be based on the resources at its disposal, after consultation with the people.
Under this mindset, it becomes easy for a country to make decisions as to the cuts necessary for growth in the economy to return. Wasteful programs and subsidies, to the poor, as well as to the rich, must be cut across the board in the West in order for taxes to be reduced and for the private sector to have more space to expand. Unnecessary and onerous regulations also need to be removed, creating a more favorable atmosphere for entrepreneurs to take risks.
Here in The Bahamas we are burdened by more and more regulations and by a large and inefficient public service. Our solution, it seems, to the down times is to continue to impose more regulations and to pay the public sector come what may and to borrow and borrow to so do. We cannot keep this up forever.
It is obvious what needs to be done. But it will not be done until people here abandon the idea that a welfare state, by what ever name, is the answer.
Aug 10, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The only way that we can rid ourselves of crime is to get back to basics -- discipline, good manners, hard work, respect and love for our God, our parents, ourselves, our neighbours, our community
We wonder why crime is out of control in The Bahamas
tribune242 editorial
WHEN WE first joined The Tribune more than fifty years ago, there were no files that contained a business contract anywhere in the then small building. All transactions were the result of a gentleman's agreement sealed with a handshake. It seemed to work fairly well.
Today progress has brought written contracts, but there are times when they are not worth the paper they are written on. Recently, when we spoke with someone on behalf of a person who was having difficulty collecting payment for work he had completed, we were informed by the person who was dealing with the payment that if the matter went to court, the company would be closed and the complainant would get nothing. That's justice and honest business dealings for you, but it is also progress ... after all we do have written contracts. However, in the interim we have lost integrity, honesty, and a sense of responsibility.
We have graduated from the age when children were "seen, but not heard" to a society of vocal, often rebellious and destructive youth. They respect no one -- not even themselves-- many believing that whatever they want they can steal from a hard working neighbour. After all during the narco years, when drugs were the going currency, didn't a cabinet minister in the heat of a public gruelling, blurt out that it was nobody's business how he made his money -- whether he worked for it or t'iefed it? School essays expressed the ambition of many children that they wanted to follow the career path of their fathers, uncles or brothers as drug dealers. In those years drugs seemed to open a magic door to wealth and upward social movement. Man's lofty spirit was debased by materialism.
Need we wonder why crime is out of control. Today we are being held hostage by the products of those years.
We have problems in our schools, and we wonder why. Discipline, common courtesy and respect have all but disappeared from the schoolyard. Why, we ask? We remember a time when if a child were disciplined at school he took his punishment and made no complaint at home, because he knew that more punishment would follow for disrespecting his teacher or breaking school rules. Not so today. The precious little darlings trot home with a tale of woe and the next day a rowdy parent marches to the school to beat up the teacher. No need to wonder what's wrong with today's youth -- just look to the parents. There are no longer rules for them, discipline has gone out of the window, the child gets what he or she wants.
They looked down on honest labour. We recall a day when a mother telephoned asking us to do a story about a hotel whose manager had the effrontery to ask her daughter to scrub a dirty floor. She had called the wrong person for sympathy. The only way that we knew how to get a dirty floor clean, despite all the modern gadgets, was to get on hands and knees and give it a good scrubbing. Having done it ourselves while at school in England, we saw nothing wrong with it. No wonder in those years the government-owned hotels looked so distressingly shabby.
The late Sir Lynden Pindling lived long enough to accept that his beliefs in making life too easy for the youth was their undoing. "We are falling backward with sophistication, because we have got slack and we've got lazy and we've got sophisticated over these last 20 years and that's our fault. I accept responsibility for that," he said.
He might have accepted responsibility, but today we are suffering from those years of over indulgence when good manners, hard work, honesty, and discipline was undermined.
Sir Lynden lived long enough to understand why Haitians had to be employed to do the work that Bahamians once did. He was distressed when told by the "new" Bahamian that "Haitians supposed to do that."
"We told them that they were too good to be gardeners, too good to be sanitation men, too good to work with their hands..." Sir Lynden admitted.
"But, I didn't know then what I know now, that any work breeds character. Too many young men lack character today; too many, too often shirk responsibility because they have never been held accountable for their actions at home, in school or in society. Therein may lie the heart of the problem," he admitted.
The only way that we can rid ourselves of crime is to get back to basics -- discipline, good manners, hard work, respect and love for our God, our parents, ourselves, our neighbours, our community.
We have to dust off the Ten Commandments and teach them to our children from the cradle.
In other words our misplaced progress has led us astray. As a community we have to start all over again.
We cannot afford to wait. Now is the time.
August 09, 2011
tribune242 editorial
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The more Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader Branville McCartney speaks, the more the Bahamian public learns about his poorly conceived ideas... the quicker the loss of potential support for the DNA Party
Branville McCartney and the question of experience
Front Porch
BY SIMON
DNA Leader Branville McCartney has ensnared himself in a classic conundrum that severely limits the viability of certain politicians: The more he speaks, the more the general public learns about his poorly conceived ideas, the quicker the loss of potential support. Sarah Palin is a typical example of this phenomenon.
Mrs. Palin still excites her base. But among other voters including independents there is a ceiling she has proven incapable of breaking, mostly because the majority of voters find her persona, politics and policy prescriptions unappealing. They cannot envision her as president of the United States.
The razzmatazz and hoopla surrounding various DNA launches, publicity exercises and media curiosity is diminishing, with an increasing number of potential voters jolted by many of Mr. McCartney’s statements and calling into question his credibility, substance and critical thinking abilities. It is highly unlikely that most Bahamians view him as a potential prime minister.
As long as she is not formally running for president, Mrs. Palin can continue to just tweet her way into the hearts of her more ardent supporters and carefully select her media appearances. Mr. McCartney does not have this luxury. While some in the media have given a number of his bizarre statements a pass, this is beginning to change. He is now coming under greater reportorial and editorial scrutiny.
XENOPHOBIC
Mr. McCartney has pandered to xenophobic hysteria, claimed that God has chosen him, made curious statements about marijuana smoking by voters during a by-election, proposed a constitutional change barring children born to illegal immigrants from access to applying for citizenship, and made wild charges with no evidence about political donations by a foreign government, among other public relations fireworks.
Asked if he would disclose his donors as a part of his promise of campaign financing, Mr. McCartney turned the hypocrite in record speed. Given an opportunity to act boldly rather than just offer glib talk, the DNA leader refused to become the brand of change in which he wants us to believe. The man who said he was different did not demonstrate the courage of his purported convictions.
The question voters have of any new party is: Is it a credible alternative? This speaks to the question of experience which is measured not only by time in politics and government, though time served is of considerable importance in every field from journalism and business to teaching and medicine.
Poor analogies are typically a sign of faulty reasoning and poor thinking. About two weeks ago the Bamboo Town MP suggested to Jeffrey Lloyd, host of “Jeffrey” on Star 105.6 FM, that the Bahamian people are the board of directors of the country, responsible for hiring and firing the nation’s chief executive.
The analogy is revealing of Mr. McCartney’s mindset. It is a brittle analogy. A country is essentially not like a corporation. While various qualities associated with business should be practised by government, the major purpose and various goals of the two are significantly different.
Leaving this aside, the Bahamian people are more like shareholders with the Cabinet being the board of directors. Ours is a parliamentary democracy with collective responsibility. Mr. McCartney seems to be running for president evincing in his public rhetoric a misunderstanding or purposeful ignorance of our system.
MISPERCEPTIONS
It would be a good civic deed were Mr. McCartney to help educate voters rather than pandering to general misperceptions. The constitution does not place executive authority in the hands of a single chief executive. The authority is placed into the collective hands of a cabinet.
Article 72 of the Bahamas Constitution provides that the Cabinet “shall have the general direction and control of the government of The Bahamas and shall be collectively responsible to Parliament”.
When the former minister recently thumped his chest on various immigration matters he claims he attempted to advance when he was in the Cabinet, he might have noted that the position taken by any minister on a particular matter before Cabinet is not to be revealed publicly. Further, ministers don’t make policy on an individual basis. That is the prerogative of the Cabinet.
For someone who boasts that he would have more total cabinet experience than Sir Lynden Pindling and Hubert Ingraham combined were he ever to assume the prime ministership, Mr. McCartney’s pronouncements on how our system works suggests a combination of studied and self-serving ignorance or just plain ignorance.
Like some, he is fixated on the personalities of Messrs Ingraham and Christie, who in all likelihood are entering their last electoral contest as leaders of their respective parties; which undercuts a significant part of the rationale for the DNA.
By no stretch of the imagination does Branville McCartney even remotely possess the leadership qualities of a Lynden Pindling or a Hubert Ingraham. Both men would run wide circles around him even if they had no cabinet experience and he had a lifetime in cabinet. They were battle-tested over many years with significant party and parliamentary experience before becoming prime minister.
Even so, had Sir Lynden been older and more mature before becoming premier he may not have succumbed to some of the temptations of power which brought harm to the country as well as to his legacy.
In our system, a potential prime minister is elected along with men and women who can form a government and are of such a calibre that voters view them as a credible government. In 1967 Sir Lynden had a deep bench with the likes of the great Sir Milo Butler, Arthur Hanna, Cecil Wallace Whitfield, Arthur Foulkes, Carlton Francis and Jeffrey Thompson among others.
Moreover, the PLP had been in existence since 1953 with thinkers and strategists immersed in the study of government and policy, and widely travelled in the interest of learning about party politics and parliamentary democracy. They were a part of a movement for majority rule which had matured through many years of struggle with experience forged in fire and a deep sense of history.
EXPERIENCED
In 1992, Hubert Ingraham led an FNM with two decades of experience as a party, seasoned politicians and mature and wise men and women as well as relative newcomers ready to form a government.
Sarah Palin repeatedly boasted she had more executive experience than Barack Obama. That assertion, similar to Mr. McCartney’s experience claim, requires no further comment. After his election, President Obama chose an impressive cabinet team with wide government and other experience.
In comparison to Messrs. Pindling, Ingraham and Obama, what will Mr. McCartney’s team look like and literally bring to the Cabinet table? For someone who is boasting of having had a few years in cabinet as a selling point, that his DNA has been in existence for less than a year contradicts his own logic.
Most of the DNA’s candidates are undoubtedly well-meaning people who love their country. With about half of its candidates nominated, voters have some idea of potential cabinet members and therefore legitimate questions about those who would serve in a McCartney-led cabinet.
Just as most voters appear not to see the DNA leader as prime minister, the view of his team as the Cabinet of The Bahamas is not credible to most voters.
Mr. McCartney noted during the “Jeffrey” interview that there are a good number of individuals in the PLP and FNM who may serve as prime minister. That claim cannot be seriously made of any of his announced candidates.
Recall Mr. McCartney’s corporate analogy about Bahamians hiring a chief executive to run the country? Any company that hires an untested CEO or a cadre of lower level to junior executives or an inexperienced board of directors would lose market credibility and stock value, not to mention incite a shareholder revolt.
Yet, Mr. McCartney proposes that the management and direction of the highly valued Bahamas Incorporated be turned over to a group of amateurs with no deep bench, no longstanding organizational experience as a political party nor a leader with the type of experience and ability that counts, including superior judgement and intellectual depth as well as credibility and maturity.
The vast majority of Bahamian voters, whether they are metaphorically viewed as members of a board of directors or as shareholders, are unlikely to approve such an initial public offering.
frontporchguardian@gmail.com
bahamapundit.com
Aug 09, 2011
thenassauguardian
Front Porch
BY SIMON
DNA Leader Branville McCartney has ensnared himself in a classic conundrum that severely limits the viability of certain politicians: The more he speaks, the more the general public learns about his poorly conceived ideas, the quicker the loss of potential support. Sarah Palin is a typical example of this phenomenon.
Mrs. Palin still excites her base. But among other voters including independents there is a ceiling she has proven incapable of breaking, mostly because the majority of voters find her persona, politics and policy prescriptions unappealing. They cannot envision her as president of the United States.
The razzmatazz and hoopla surrounding various DNA launches, publicity exercises and media curiosity is diminishing, with an increasing number of potential voters jolted by many of Mr. McCartney’s statements and calling into question his credibility, substance and critical thinking abilities. It is highly unlikely that most Bahamians view him as a potential prime minister.
As long as she is not formally running for president, Mrs. Palin can continue to just tweet her way into the hearts of her more ardent supporters and carefully select her media appearances. Mr. McCartney does not have this luxury. While some in the media have given a number of his bizarre statements a pass, this is beginning to change. He is now coming under greater reportorial and editorial scrutiny.
XENOPHOBIC
Mr. McCartney has pandered to xenophobic hysteria, claimed that God has chosen him, made curious statements about marijuana smoking by voters during a by-election, proposed a constitutional change barring children born to illegal immigrants from access to applying for citizenship, and made wild charges with no evidence about political donations by a foreign government, among other public relations fireworks.
Asked if he would disclose his donors as a part of his promise of campaign financing, Mr. McCartney turned the hypocrite in record speed. Given an opportunity to act boldly rather than just offer glib talk, the DNA leader refused to become the brand of change in which he wants us to believe. The man who said he was different did not demonstrate the courage of his purported convictions.
The question voters have of any new party is: Is it a credible alternative? This speaks to the question of experience which is measured not only by time in politics and government, though time served is of considerable importance in every field from journalism and business to teaching and medicine.
Poor analogies are typically a sign of faulty reasoning and poor thinking. About two weeks ago the Bamboo Town MP suggested to Jeffrey Lloyd, host of “Jeffrey” on Star 105.6 FM, that the Bahamian people are the board of directors of the country, responsible for hiring and firing the nation’s chief executive.
The analogy is revealing of Mr. McCartney’s mindset. It is a brittle analogy. A country is essentially not like a corporation. While various qualities associated with business should be practised by government, the major purpose and various goals of the two are significantly different.
Leaving this aside, the Bahamian people are more like shareholders with the Cabinet being the board of directors. Ours is a parliamentary democracy with collective responsibility. Mr. McCartney seems to be running for president evincing in his public rhetoric a misunderstanding or purposeful ignorance of our system.
MISPERCEPTIONS
It would be a good civic deed were Mr. McCartney to help educate voters rather than pandering to general misperceptions. The constitution does not place executive authority in the hands of a single chief executive. The authority is placed into the collective hands of a cabinet.
Article 72 of the Bahamas Constitution provides that the Cabinet “shall have the general direction and control of the government of The Bahamas and shall be collectively responsible to Parliament”.
When the former minister recently thumped his chest on various immigration matters he claims he attempted to advance when he was in the Cabinet, he might have noted that the position taken by any minister on a particular matter before Cabinet is not to be revealed publicly. Further, ministers don’t make policy on an individual basis. That is the prerogative of the Cabinet.
For someone who boasts that he would have more total cabinet experience than Sir Lynden Pindling and Hubert Ingraham combined were he ever to assume the prime ministership, Mr. McCartney’s pronouncements on how our system works suggests a combination of studied and self-serving ignorance or just plain ignorance.
Like some, he is fixated on the personalities of Messrs Ingraham and Christie, who in all likelihood are entering their last electoral contest as leaders of their respective parties; which undercuts a significant part of the rationale for the DNA.
By no stretch of the imagination does Branville McCartney even remotely possess the leadership qualities of a Lynden Pindling or a Hubert Ingraham. Both men would run wide circles around him even if they had no cabinet experience and he had a lifetime in cabinet. They were battle-tested over many years with significant party and parliamentary experience before becoming prime minister.
Even so, had Sir Lynden been older and more mature before becoming premier he may not have succumbed to some of the temptations of power which brought harm to the country as well as to his legacy.
In our system, a potential prime minister is elected along with men and women who can form a government and are of such a calibre that voters view them as a credible government. In 1967 Sir Lynden had a deep bench with the likes of the great Sir Milo Butler, Arthur Hanna, Cecil Wallace Whitfield, Arthur Foulkes, Carlton Francis and Jeffrey Thompson among others.
Moreover, the PLP had been in existence since 1953 with thinkers and strategists immersed in the study of government and policy, and widely travelled in the interest of learning about party politics and parliamentary democracy. They were a part of a movement for majority rule which had matured through many years of struggle with experience forged in fire and a deep sense of history.
EXPERIENCED
In 1992, Hubert Ingraham led an FNM with two decades of experience as a party, seasoned politicians and mature and wise men and women as well as relative newcomers ready to form a government.
Sarah Palin repeatedly boasted she had more executive experience than Barack Obama. That assertion, similar to Mr. McCartney’s experience claim, requires no further comment. After his election, President Obama chose an impressive cabinet team with wide government and other experience.
In comparison to Messrs. Pindling, Ingraham and Obama, what will Mr. McCartney’s team look like and literally bring to the Cabinet table? For someone who is boasting of having had a few years in cabinet as a selling point, that his DNA has been in existence for less than a year contradicts his own logic.
Most of the DNA’s candidates are undoubtedly well-meaning people who love their country. With about half of its candidates nominated, voters have some idea of potential cabinet members and therefore legitimate questions about those who would serve in a McCartney-led cabinet.
Just as most voters appear not to see the DNA leader as prime minister, the view of his team as the Cabinet of The Bahamas is not credible to most voters.
Mr. McCartney noted during the “Jeffrey” interview that there are a good number of individuals in the PLP and FNM who may serve as prime minister. That claim cannot be seriously made of any of his announced candidates.
Recall Mr. McCartney’s corporate analogy about Bahamians hiring a chief executive to run the country? Any company that hires an untested CEO or a cadre of lower level to junior executives or an inexperienced board of directors would lose market credibility and stock value, not to mention incite a shareholder revolt.
Yet, Mr. McCartney proposes that the management and direction of the highly valued Bahamas Incorporated be turned over to a group of amateurs with no deep bench, no longstanding organizational experience as a political party nor a leader with the type of experience and ability that counts, including superior judgement and intellectual depth as well as credibility and maturity.
The vast majority of Bahamian voters, whether they are metaphorically viewed as members of a board of directors or as shareholders, are unlikely to approve such an initial public offering.
frontporchguardian@gmail.com
bahamapundit.com
Aug 09, 2011
thenassauguardian
Monday, August 8, 2011
Perry Christie says: A STRONG "voters' block" made up of naturalised citizens is one reason successive governments have not taken a strong stance against the illegal immigration dilemma
Governments 'fear Haitians who can now vote'
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Deputy Chief Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
A STRONG "voters' block" made up of naturalised citizens is one reason successive governments have not taken a strong stance against the illegal immigration dilemma, said Opposition Leader Perry Christie yesterday.
The Progressive Liberal Party chief said when his party assumed office in 2002, it found an immigration policy in place that mandated that any immigrant who came to the Bahamas before 1985 would be afforded status but after 1985 government would be able to use its discretion on whether or not to regularise them. He said the PLP left this policy in place despite calls from the Haitian government to adjust this policy.
However, this policy has influenced subsequent immigration policy, he said.
"We have to recognise the pitfall of this in the execution of the policy. Once governments become frightened of the numbers of Haitians who have become Bahamians and who can vote. Therefore they have become an important voting block, so somewhere along the line the purity of the commitment to protect the Bahamas and its territorial waters is sort of merged to the fear of doing things that might cause you to lose an election.
". . .We allowed ourselves to be influenced too much by their presence as opposed to using our own commitment to convince and satisfy them that they are Bahamians, accepted as Bahamians, and that the programmes that we are offering them to close down illegal immigrants coming into our country are programmes as much in their favour as in any other Bahamian's favour.
"A will has to be developed," he said. "With developing it, there has to be an understanding on our part that the Haitian-Bahamian is in fact a Bahamian.
"And we must not be insecure in speaking to them as Bahamians and getting them to be a part of what we're doing because we're protecting the country for them.
"We are all in the same boat."
Mr Christie added that Bahamians have to realise that the country has been a melting pot of different nationalities for decades who must all be included in a national discussion on immigration policies.
He added that government must expend the same financial resources to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, to allow it to properly man the country's borders, which was spent on the ongoing public infrastructure programmes.
"We have to do better, we have to do more and most certainly if God gives me the opportunity to form the next government of the Bahamas that is the kind of resolve that we will bring to governance and the kind of, I think, stiff application of policies that will take place," he added.
Mr Christie also took shots at Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest who, he said, disparaged him in the lead up to the 2002 election for not having a handle on the crime problem at the time.
"Now they rue the day they said that," said Mr Christie, noting the 87 murders recorded for the year and record breaking murder statistics which have happened under the Free National Movement's watch.
August 08, 2011
tribune242
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Deputy Chief Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
A STRONG "voters' block" made up of naturalised citizens is one reason successive governments have not taken a strong stance against the illegal immigration dilemma, said Opposition Leader Perry Christie yesterday.
The Progressive Liberal Party chief said when his party assumed office in 2002, it found an immigration policy in place that mandated that any immigrant who came to the Bahamas before 1985 would be afforded status but after 1985 government would be able to use its discretion on whether or not to regularise them. He said the PLP left this policy in place despite calls from the Haitian government to adjust this policy.
However, this policy has influenced subsequent immigration policy, he said.
"We have to recognise the pitfall of this in the execution of the policy. Once governments become frightened of the numbers of Haitians who have become Bahamians and who can vote. Therefore they have become an important voting block, so somewhere along the line the purity of the commitment to protect the Bahamas and its territorial waters is sort of merged to the fear of doing things that might cause you to lose an election.
". . .We allowed ourselves to be influenced too much by their presence as opposed to using our own commitment to convince and satisfy them that they are Bahamians, accepted as Bahamians, and that the programmes that we are offering them to close down illegal immigrants coming into our country are programmes as much in their favour as in any other Bahamian's favour.
"A will has to be developed," he said. "With developing it, there has to be an understanding on our part that the Haitian-Bahamian is in fact a Bahamian.
"And we must not be insecure in speaking to them as Bahamians and getting them to be a part of what we're doing because we're protecting the country for them.
"We are all in the same boat."
Mr Christie added that Bahamians have to realise that the country has been a melting pot of different nationalities for decades who must all be included in a national discussion on immigration policies.
He added that government must expend the same financial resources to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, to allow it to properly man the country's borders, which was spent on the ongoing public infrastructure programmes.
"We have to do better, we have to do more and most certainly if God gives me the opportunity to form the next government of the Bahamas that is the kind of resolve that we will bring to governance and the kind of, I think, stiff application of policies that will take place," he added.
Mr Christie also took shots at Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest who, he said, disparaged him in the lead up to the 2002 election for not having a handle on the crime problem at the time.
"Now they rue the day they said that," said Mr Christie, noting the 87 murders recorded for the year and record breaking murder statistics which have happened under the Free National Movement's watch.
August 08, 2011
tribune242
Sunday, August 7, 2011
The murder rate for a country the size of The Bahamas has reached a crisis point... It is unacceptable
Are we doing enough to fight crime?
thenassauguardian editorial
Last Saturday’s triple homicide off Carmichael Road has shocked many Bahamians and residents of New Providence already reeling from a rising murder count that is certain to far outpace last year’s record of 94.
In what marked the 83rd, 84th and 85th murders for the year, two women, one of whom was pregnant, and a man were gunned down in an apartment on Montgomery Avenue early Saturday morning.
Police are investigating the possibility that the murders are connected to a double homicide that took place several weeks ago, not far from the site of the triple murder.
Police believe that many of the recent murders are connected and that generally speaking random killings are rare. This is the line that has often been used by senior officials trying to calm the fears of New Providence residents.
The murder rate for a country the size of The Bahamas has reached a crisis point. It is unacceptable.
By the end of July last year the murder count was at 54. This year that number had jumped by 31 by the end of July. Last month a recorded-breaking 20 murders were recorded.
Our average so far for the year is 12 murders per month. On that pace we could surpass the 94 mark before this month is up. It could also mean that we could record more than 140 murders this year.
We know that this point is not lost on police and government officials who have invested efforts and resources in the crime fight. And who obviously want to see crime brought under control.
The Gun Court has been an important step in the right direction and has so far been productive in helping to deal with our significant case backlog. There has also been a significant investment to increase resources for our police officers. And steps have been taken to improve the physical infrastructure of the judiciary.
But have those efforts and resources been enough? Obviously not.
More needs to be done to bring down crime in the country.
We acknowledge that the onus is not just on the government or police to come up with solutions, the community must also do its part.
However, the commissioner of police and minister of national security have been given as a part of their mandate the management and prevention of crime to the highest extent possible.
It is a difficult task, but we must do better than we are doing now.
The crime phenomenon is not unique to The Bahamas, the Caribbean or anywhere else.
We need to look at how other developed countries are approaching their fight against the scourge of crime and violence.
Jamaica, which has had one of the highest murder rates in the world, has seen a significant drop in its murder count this year after a gang crackdown, according to officials.
Based on what is often said by our local police and government officials, it would seem that a similar approach could prove successful here.
It may also be time to look at how existing youth, community and rehabilitation programs can be improved.
Perhaps it is time to consider — as some cities in the U.S. have done — the appointment of a crime prevention coordinator who works closely with the commissioner of police and Ministry of National Security to help implement crime prevention programs, among other things.
We do not have the answers, nor do we pretend to have them.
But we must do something more, and quickly.
Aug 05, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
thenassauguardian editorial
Last Saturday’s triple homicide off Carmichael Road has shocked many Bahamians and residents of New Providence already reeling from a rising murder count that is certain to far outpace last year’s record of 94.
In what marked the 83rd, 84th and 85th murders for the year, two women, one of whom was pregnant, and a man were gunned down in an apartment on Montgomery Avenue early Saturday morning.
Police are investigating the possibility that the murders are connected to a double homicide that took place several weeks ago, not far from the site of the triple murder.
Police believe that many of the recent murders are connected and that generally speaking random killings are rare. This is the line that has often been used by senior officials trying to calm the fears of New Providence residents.
The murder rate for a country the size of The Bahamas has reached a crisis point. It is unacceptable.
By the end of July last year the murder count was at 54. This year that number had jumped by 31 by the end of July. Last month a recorded-breaking 20 murders were recorded.
Our average so far for the year is 12 murders per month. On that pace we could surpass the 94 mark before this month is up. It could also mean that we could record more than 140 murders this year.
We know that this point is not lost on police and government officials who have invested efforts and resources in the crime fight. And who obviously want to see crime brought under control.
The Gun Court has been an important step in the right direction and has so far been productive in helping to deal with our significant case backlog. There has also been a significant investment to increase resources for our police officers. And steps have been taken to improve the physical infrastructure of the judiciary.
But have those efforts and resources been enough? Obviously not.
More needs to be done to bring down crime in the country.
We acknowledge that the onus is not just on the government or police to come up with solutions, the community must also do its part.
However, the commissioner of police and minister of national security have been given as a part of their mandate the management and prevention of crime to the highest extent possible.
It is a difficult task, but we must do better than we are doing now.
The crime phenomenon is not unique to The Bahamas, the Caribbean or anywhere else.
We need to look at how other developed countries are approaching their fight against the scourge of crime and violence.
Jamaica, which has had one of the highest murder rates in the world, has seen a significant drop in its murder count this year after a gang crackdown, according to officials.
Based on what is often said by our local police and government officials, it would seem that a similar approach could prove successful here.
It may also be time to look at how existing youth, community and rehabilitation programs can be improved.
Perhaps it is time to consider — as some cities in the U.S. have done — the appointment of a crime prevention coordinator who works closely with the commissioner of police and Ministry of National Security to help implement crime prevention programs, among other things.
We do not have the answers, nor do we pretend to have them.
But we must do something more, and quickly.
Aug 05, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
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