Hubert Ingraham should have invested not in roads but in the future of our youth... ... infrastructure work has not acted as a major stimulus to the economy... We are still experiencing almost zero growth

Ingranomics Part 1

By Ian G. Strachan

Last week we looked at some of the positives of the FNM’s term in office.  It’s time now to look at the flip side. What did they get wrong; where did they blow a golden opportunity and what damage have their decisions caused?

 

PLAYING IT BY THE BOOK

You’ve heard it many times but the world has been grappling with a global economic meltdown.  The USA, our biggest trading partner, has 14 million people unemployed and eight million people who can only find part time work.  In one year alone (2008-2009), U.S. unemployment increased by a mind-blowing 60 percent, from around nine to 14 million.  As the USA goes so do we.

The Ingraham administration weathered this crisis and it has been weathered largely through government borrowing and a concomitant refusal to adopt serious austerity measures. The result is a scary level of national debt which is costing us roughly $300 million a year to service (almost 40 times what we are spending this year in the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources).

Now the orthodox economic approach, as I understand it, is that when your economy makes a downward turn--which all economies naturally do--governments must increase their spending to stave off unemployment and to keep money flowing.

Governments normally spend on infrastructure in times like these, so that when the economy rebounds, private business can more easily and effectively do its thing and the citizenry generally can enjoy a good quality of life (in so far as infrastructure lends itself to that).  Governments also have to figure out where to cut taxes as an incentive or to ease pressure and where to increase taxes and or tighten tax collection so they can continue to do their work despite the lean times. (NIB has been more diligent about collection, for instance, and this year we saw a reduction in the prime rate.)

Few governments in the world run on a surplus; they mostly run on a deficit and borrow to make up the difference.  A developing island nation like ours, with a little, one dimensional economy, but with citizens who have First World expectations, has had serious pressure placed on it these last four years.  Ingraham had no choice but to increase borrowing to maintain the bubble we live in and avert disaster; there was simply no other option.

The question voters must ask is, did we borrow money for projects that put us on the best possible footing going forward as a country?  Did we use this economic crisis as an opportunity to set our house in order and do some things we didn’t previously have the will to do?  Did our government also do everything in its power to increase its revenue base (a challenge in lean times) while at the same time being sure not to burden the small man with more taxes at a moment when he was least able to sustain it?

 

STIMULUS?

The FNM’s heavy emphasis on infrastructure, (and the kinds of infrastructural work chosen), has not eased the level of frustration and suffering in the country; in fact it has increased it for many.

First of all, infrastructure work has not acted as a major stimulus to the economy.  We are still experiencing almost zero growth.  These massive projects have not put a whole lot of money into the Bahamian economy.  One, the work has been done for the most part by foreign firms and two, most of the materials needed are imported, which means more money leaving than staying.  Three, they haven’t employed anywhere near the necessary number of Bahamians (even temporarily) to significantly ease the hardship in the society.  We needed to employ 7-10,000 to truly lift ourselves out of the doldrums and it just hasn’t happened.

One project that could have employed that many people in the short and long term is Baha Mar, but the deal cut with China ensures that much of the money spent will go right back where it came from and most of the temporary jobs too.  It was just a lousy deal and Parliament never should have agreed to it.  The PLP will argue that the FNM’s stopped, review and cancel policy stalled projects like Baha Mar and caused our economic slowdown.  I don’t buy it.

But whereas the FNM may argue that they invested the millions they borrowed in infrastructural improvements that will stand the test of time (they hope) and did not frit it away on nebulous programs/schemes that might have questionable long term benefits to the country, their approach was unimaginative, overly conservative and made life worse for Bahamians in the short to medium term.  The Ingraham administration demonstrated an unwillingness or inability to innovate or experiment. (The humble Self Starter Programme was the riskiest innovation they attempted in my view, but I would love to be corrected.)

The road works caused a number of homegrown businesses to die and displaced others.  It also made it difficult for businesses all over the island to deliver goods and services and made it difficult for employees to get to and from work.  And this has been going on for two and a half years.  I can’t begin to imagine how much that has cost individuals and businesses in time and money.  And the FNM government has been unable to convince anybody that they intend to make amends in some way during their term in office.

In the final analysis I can’t name one industry that the Bahamian government has helped to experience major growth through its powers to borrow, invest and to incentivize with tax breaks, so much that thousands of new, permanent jobs were created.  No, forget thousands, even hundreds.  Fishing?  Farming?  Light manufacturing?  Have we simply resigned ourselves to more decades of low productivity in these areas?  There’s nothing we can do to get things going in these sectors?

We are spending eight million out of our 1.9 billion dollar budget on Agriculture and Fisheries. That’s less than one half of one percent.  That is tragic.  Even a man as well meaning and thoughtful as Larry Cartwright can’t make miracles happen with that (especially in a nation where the men scoff at farming and fishing and all want to work a hotel job).  According to Cartwright 76 percent of government land leased to farmers is abandoned and 25,000 acres of available arable land lies dormant waiting for a small farmer to apply.  Well, I guess we’ll keep waiting.

 

DIG UP DIG UP

The FNM could have followed the recommendations of the experts they hired decades ago and created a single, Bahamian-owned bus company through public-private partnership and the economic times would have provided the perfect cover for doing so. This would have reduced traffic congestion, brought greater discipline and order to the society, increased efficiency, created new, permanent jobs, created opportunities for new satellite businesses, lowered the cost of living for many and hopefully increased tax revenue.  All for a fraction of the cost of the road works.

Instead, they chose to do road work and more roadwork.  As such, many believe Ingraham chose to reward his political allies with contracts and pass on the headache of the buses to future governments.  Instead he’s given two thirds of our nation a head ache.  His gamble is that the new roads will be appreciated by May 2012.  But he may very well lose that bet and lose power because of these roads.  I wonder, how much of these road works have been forced on us by these agreements we have made with China or Baha Mar?  The government should publish the Heads of Agreement docs in the papers and on line.

If I am going to risk losing an election over something unpopular, I’m going to at least make sure I lose over something that really will make life better for as many people as possible and will do the most lasting good.  Few think the Big Dig Up will do either.

They could have spent some of those millions in capital works on expanding The College of The Bahamas, which is a major employer and which empowers thousands and can empower even more Bahamians young and old.  Higher education is the most reliable avenue to escaping poverty, yet only 10 percent of Bahamians get a college education.  Expanding the college would create jobs within it and around it, it would allow more money to stay in The Bahamas since more students could attend, and it would ensure that we have a more competitive workforce in this information age.

COB needs more land, more classrooms, better labs, and bigger and better dormitories.  Ingraham should have invested not in roads but in the future of our youth.  He should have bought up the land surrounding the Oakes Field Campus, re-amalgamate BTVI and COB, and develop COB according to a Master Plan.  Instead Ingraham slammed brakes on the college’s growth by cutting its budget in 2009 and 2010, and he continues to ignore, abuse and mismanage BTVI (like the PLP before him).

What he will try to sell us on is that he modernized New Providence.  I suppose he tried in his way, but there are some holes in that one. Big holes. (I think I drove into one last night and almost drowned).

More next week.

Sep 26, 2011

thenassauguardian

Sorry to say, but the majority of our sexual predators - who are boyfriends, uncles, aunts, teachers, fathers, mothers, grand fathers - would never make the sex offenders' list. They are busy roaming our communities with impunity

'No' to public sex offender registry

By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Features Editor
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net



The investigation into the death of 11-year-old Marco Archer, believed to have been sexually abused before he was murdered, triggered widespread calls for a sex offender's registry in the Bahamas.

I am currently taking bets on how long the public outcry will last. The chorus is building right now, but this choir has little stamina, so by the time November rolls around, I bet the sex offender registry will be old news. That is the Bahamian way: To tackle our problems by blowing hot air for a short period of time and then complaining when they fail to be resolved.

I have a cause worth a long term investment by the Bahamian people, but it is not for a sex offender's registry. I believe the call for a Bahamian registry is not rooted in sound thinking. Bahamians are looking desperately for a quick sense of security, no matter how false. The fact of the matter is: there are many more sex offenders roaming these streets than there are behind bars in Fox Hill prison.

Add to the Fox Hill count, those accused offenders being processed through the court system and those convicted offenders having served their time and the scale is still tipped in the favour of those who never get caught and are never prosecuted. Sorry to say, but the majority of our sexual predators - who are boyfriends, uncles, aunts, teachers, fathers, mothers, grand fathers - would never make the sex offenders' list. They are busy roaming our communities with impunity.

And the same people who are outraged provide them with a cloak of protection.

Over 500 incidents of sexual assault were reported in 2010, and the prison has less than 100 sex offenders. Plus it is well known that sexual assault is the most under reported crime. So what kind of security exactly, but a false sense of security, would a register provide?

People say they would know not to let their children play outside if they knew that a sex offender lived down the road. That is a sorry reason. We have already lost that culture and it has nothing to do with sex offenders. The most tangible impact of a public registry would be the enabling of vigilante justice, which would serve no productive purpose but to feed the egos of Bahamians.

Here is a cause worth a long term investment by the Bahamian people.

Join an established organization working in the trenches to protect our children and change public attitudes towards sexual violence and be a part of their proactive workforce. There are so many existing social programmes that could be more effective in their interventions with children if more of these outraged Bahamians gave their time, energy and resources to the actual work. There is a serious need for foot soldiers in the trenches working one-on-one with established social programmes trying to create deep-rooted change.

The Crisis Centre had a night of Hope and Healing last week. This annual event was organized long before the dust settled on little Marco's body. It ended up falling in the midst of this great tragedy and still, how many people turned out? The usual committed few. And to think I heard shameful comments last week from Bahamians trying to throw Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson under the bus, director of the Bahamas Crisis Centre.

"Where is Dr. Sandra Patterson or you only speak for females? Come on when something happen to female you are on every radio network," said the person. Not only is the comment inaccurate, because Dr Patterson and the Crisis Centre represent man, woman and child, and this false gender division is based on a myth, but it is also insulting. Dr Patterson and her team are not some-time advocates, who show their faces in the heat of passion.

Every day Dr Patterson works a full-time shift as a government paid mental health worker and then she goes to the Crisis Centre to pull another full time shift as a volunteer counsellor. She does this along with the other professional volunteers in addition to finding time for their legislative advocacy, community outreach and public training.

If the Crisis Centre, a private non-profit organization, is not visible enough for the liking of some, perhaps they should pass by and ask to see their annual budget. There is only so much visibility you can achieve with pennies in the bank. Do they expect the Crisis Centre to advertise on promissory notes? Perhaps they should pass by the average event and see the number of volunteers or participants. There is only so much exposure you can achieve with few hands to carry the message. And despite all of this, the very few committed and consistent volunteers have achieved mammoth accomplishments over the years on behalf of the Bahamian people.

So just to settle that criticism, Bahamians should think more carefully before they draw a name like Dr Patterson or the Crisis Centre to direct their ire towards. The reality is there are advocates who have been working day and night to end sexual violence in the Bahamas and to protect child and adult, male and female victims of sexually based crimes for many.

They do not wait on something tragic to happen to be reactionary and feign outrage. They do not spend the precious time and energy they have shouting from the pulpits about what they do. They dedicate their personal talents and resources to doing the work that everyone else is too busy talking about to do: running the 24-hour hotline; providing free counselling to all victims of abuse and people in need and other mental health services; providing training for law enforcement officers and social workers; outreach in the schools based on their anti-bullying peace campaign and their healthy relationships campaign; organizing conferences and other activities. They work every single day at their advocacy and they are starved for support. Men and women like them are who I align myself with and theirs are the causes I champion. Not the fly-by-night, jump-on-the-bandwagon advocates who feign outrage over the latest crime. As the old people say, empty-barrels make the most noise.

So instead of splitting hairs over the sex offender's registry, here are some of the things I suggest we channel energy towards in a consistent and concerted manner.

More prompt response to missing children. One child advocate told me she thought it was ridiculous, the "nonchalant" attitude of police officers when it comes to missing children. She proposes that the response time for "taking it serious" be reduced to two to three hours, coming from the current speed time of two to three days. In the United States there is the AMBER Alert system. In Jamaica there is the Ananda Alert system, both named after missing children. They are nationwide systems designed to ensure the speedy and safe recovery of missing children, particularly in the case of abducted or kidnapped children.

What system is there to speak of in the Bahamas?

Sexual Abuse Prevention Policies. In 2007 the Crisis Centre hosted a regional conference to end sexual violence. During the conference, the US-based child advocacy non-profit Darkness to Light held a sexual abuse prevention training programme. The programme Stewards of Children educates adults "to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, and motivates them to courageous action." It encourages private and public institutions to enact policies around seven action steps: learning the facts about child abuse; minimizing opportunity for child abuse to occur; talking about child abuse to foster a culture of openness and disclosure; staying alert to be able to recognize warning signs; making a plan to know where to go, who to call and how to react; acting on suspicious behaviour to ensure accountability and getting involved with advocacy organizations and programmes. There are many policies and initiatives we should adopt learning from the Stewards of Children approach.

Mental health programmes for sex offenders. Sources tell me that sex offenders in prison receive virtual no mental health treatment, despite the fact that they get short sentences and almost always are released back into the society. Sexual offenders are notorious repeat offenders and need thorough and structured intervention before re-entry into society. The Bahamian society provides none of these things. Only a short period of rest in an all expense paid hotel courtesy of the public. Unless we are going to lock sex offenders up for life, we need to invest in the best professionals to work with them while incarcerated. And professionals will tell you that it takes "a special kind of person", who is highly trained, to be able to treat a sex offender. Few of those people exist in the Bahamas. Is it worth the expense? If these people are going to be roaming our streets, certainly.

A parole system for sex offenders. The Bahamas needs a parole system to monitor sex offenders released from prison and ensure public safety. In this light, there of course should be a sex offender's registry, but it should be a safety management tool for law enforcement and social workers, not a vigilante enabler for the public.

An enhanced probation programme. No offence to the hard working probation officers, but my sources tell me that the Probation Department is a joke. Understaffed, underfunded and under motivated.

The hundreds of people assigned to the handful of probation officers in the Department of Corrections cannot possibly fulfil their purpose with any success.

These initiatives along with harsher penalties for sex offenders and people who commit child abuse and better detection and prosecution rates would go further than any sex offender registry. So I encourage Bahamians to get out of the habit of being outraged in the heat of the moment and then fizzling out when it is time to work. I encourage Bahamians to get out of the habit of advocating for the quick and convenient action with a nice-sounding name, and instead advocate for long term measures that get to the root of things.

October 03, 2011

tribune242 editorial Insight

Caribbean Blog International

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham: ..."government and other institutions are no substitute for personal responsibility and family life."

PM Ingraham calls for volunteers

tribune242 editorial


IN HIS address to the nation last night on crime, Prime Minister Ingraham outlined his government's plans to introduce legislation in Parliament to "further aid in the shared battle we are waging against criminality." (See story page 1).

He also pointed out that "government and other institutions are no substitute for personal responsibility and family life."

To get the whole community involved in an attempt to recapture family and social values, he announced that on November 1 a National Volunteer Register will be launched. At this time members of the community will be invited to volunteer their time to mentor young men and women, assist in community centres with after school programmes and join outreach programmes into urban neighbourhoods to encourage parental and child involvement in school activities. Also needed are volunteers to work with existing youth organisations in their programmes and many other social activities that can help change a society.

He found distressing not only the high murder count, but "what those numbers represent".

"For all of our good fortune as a country," he said, "we have in significant ways lost a sense of ourselves and of what is essential." He quoted one writer as reminding us "that 'what is essential is invisible to the eye'."

He said that Bahamians longed for something more than the outer trappings of material success. They longed for the invisible that the eye cannot see -- community and fellowship; peace and well-being.

"Remember," he said, "when the old people used to tell us that all you have is your good name and your reputation and that you don't leave this Earth with any of your worldly goods."

"Our most precious possessions," he said, "are invisible to the eye like a good conscience or the service we give with no expectation of recognition or reward.

"This crisis of culture and community manifested in an unprecedented level of criminality requires us to deal with essentials invisible to the eye like values, attitudes, social trust and mutual respect.

"We will get the crime numbers down," the Prime Minister promised. "But most crimes are symptoms, not root causes.

"Even as we relentlessly combat the criminals, provide law enforcement and the judiciary with the tools and resources they require and modernize our laws, there is something else as urgent, as essential -- it is urgent and essential that we renew, restore and replenish our sense of community choosing a culture of life over a culture given over to deadly violence."

Mr Ingraham emphasised the fact that "poverty is not an excuse for crime" -- a rack on which many Bahamians today hang their hats as they shrug off all responsibilities.

Using himself as an example of one who fought against the odds of birth and won, he said: "I too grew up poor. A two-parent family is our ideal. I am the child of a single parent and I was raised by my Grandmother.

"Many children from two-parent families get caught up in crime while many children from single-parent households are good citizens and fine young people.

"In the end," he said, "it is the quality of parenting, not the quantity that is essential.

"I grew up," he continued, "in what was then a remote part of Abaco called Cooper's Town. I came up at a time when there were few opportunities for a poor boy like me born to a single parent. The first time I met my father was when I was 11 years old.

"Even though I didn't possess material wealth, I had wealth more everlasting: Mama, who instilled in me a sense of my own worth as belonging to her and as a child of God.

"She schooled me in the knowledge that the land of my birth, The Bahamas we all love, is a land of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard.

"As a boy, never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine becoming an attorney, Member of Parliament or minister of government let alone prime minister. But having been given this great privilege I have dedicated my public life to providing every Bahamian boy and girl with opportunities I never had.

"This is why," he explained, "I have never stopped working to make sure that every Bahamian child on every island in every settlement in The Bahamas has decent schools and access to higher education. This is why my Government ensures that everyone meeting a certain criteria and academic standards can attend the College of The Bahamas at public expense. And that is why since coming to office in 2007 we increased scholarship funding from $400,000 to $7.75 million. And this does not include bonded scholarships, the All Bahamas Merit Scholarship or Bahamas Commonwealth Scholarships.

"I say to you, young Bahamians: While your country may give you a hand-up, you are not entitled to hand-outs."

"So, even while we have much to improve as a country including the quality of our public education system, young Bahamians, men and women, you have more opportunities than any generation in Bahamian history.

"And so we must not throw up our hands or find easy excuses; instead let us unite to help to restore law and order and civility and community by getting involved."

PM Ingraham pointed out that "unless more of us get involved, none of us is truly safe. In the end community engagement and service will be more effective in combating crime than iron bars and gated communities.

"Our task," he said, "is not only to stop criminals from breaking into our homes and businesses. As urgently we must stop them from wanting to do so in the first place."

And so, Bahamians, the task is ours. We hope that many will take up the Prime Minister's challenge and get actively involved - for our sake and that of the next generation.

October 04, 2011

tribune242 editorial

Caribbean Blog International

National Crime Address by Prime Minister Hubert A. Ingraham - 3 October 2011

National Address on Crime


Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham

Prime Minister

Commonwealth of The Bahamas


3 October 2011

The Challenges Confronting Us


My Fellow Bahamians:

Good evening.

Tonight, I speak to you on the issue of crime which is undoubtedly the most pressing issue in our nation. Crime has become one of the greatest threats to our way of life and to life itself.

The security, protection and welfare of the Bahamian people are among the most fundamental duties of my Government. These are my most urgent responsibilities.

We are today confronted by an intolerable level of crime, especially violent crime, and disrespect by the criminal class for life and for the Giver of Life.

We are confronted by criminals — a criminal class of older seasoned offenders as well as a crop of bloody-minded juvenile offenders and thugs who seem to believe that they can evade the rule of law with little or no regard for life and other people’s property.

For some, life is cheap; our common welfare is of no value.

I share your anguish and anger whether you or a family member or neighbour has been a victim of crime.

This vicious assault of crime affects us all. It destroys lives and damages livelihoods.

Most particularly it threatens the future of our youth, the majority of whom daily choose to live good lives, study ardently, participate in health and life-affirming activities in sport, in the arts and through volunteerism. We owe it to that majority of our youth and to all our God-fearing citizens to reassert all that is good and decent in our heritage and to unite to stop those who seek to disregard and destroy that goodly heritage.

Our great ally in combating criminality is the rule of law. In a matter of days my Government will introduce legislation in Parliament to further aid in the shared battle we are waging against criminality. During the debate on these laws, I will, along with my colleagues, share with you in detail the measures we are pursuing to strengthen our laws and our resolve.

The arsenal and tools we must use in this shared and common fight against crimes and criminality must also include faith- and community-based responses. Government and other institutions are no substitute for personal responsibility and family life.

More broadly and urgently, our cause must be for a future that is more peaceful and nonviolent.

We did not arrive at this grave state of affairs overnight. Still, our dual challenge is to respond to the immediate effects of crime as well as the longer term causes and solutions to violence and anti-social behaviour.

How We Got Here and What Your Government is Doing

My Fellow Bahamians:

To combat crime and its various causes requires us to understand how we got here, and that we all have a role to play in confronting this complex and vexing national challenge.

Today’s culture of crime and criminality has deep roots and multiple causes, all of which must be addressed by each one of us.

In far-reaching and destructive ways, those roots and causes sank deep into our culture feeding off and growing from the rampant drug trafficking and gangsterism which ran wild in the 70s and 80s.

Among the casualties of that period were some of our sons and daughters who became addicted to the ill-gotten gains of that trade. Tragically, others became addicted to drugs like crack cocaine which ravaged their minds and their bodies as well as their dreams and potential.

Rampant materialism laid waste to long-held values and positive social mores. Family life suffered as too many parents and even grandparents traded traditional values for materialism, such as new satellite dishes, fancy cars, expensive jewellery and trips abroad.

Today, in addition to a more entrenched culture of criminal violence, there is also a gun culture. Supporting that culture is ready access to all manner of illegal weapons smuggled into The Bahamas. We will address this issue.

We are increasing the number and frequency of random searches of general imports by Customs with a view to discovering illegal weapons which are sometimes concealed in general imports of household appliances and dry goods, vehicles and or components and parts.

It will also require improving the tracking of weapons entering the country legitimately on visiting pleasure craft so as to ensure that each and every firearm departs The Bahamas on the vessel on which it arrived.

My Fellow Bahamians:

It is our firm conviction that removal of the unlicensed firearms from our society will substantially reduce the level of crime and pain in our society. Toward this end the Police Force is strengthening and expanding the reach and intensity of action by its special task forces dealing with firearms and drug houses.

At the same time amendments to the Firearms Act and to the Dangerous Drugs Act together with new legislation for the control and regulation of Pawnbrokers and Second-hand dealers will add new teeth to police initiatives to identify and shut down drug houses and to closely regulate pawnbrokers and second-hand dealers (e.g. cash for gold and scrap-metal operators) so as to stop the sale of stolen property.

I advise that we are expanding by two the number of magistrate courts dealing exclusively with drug and gun crimes. This will bring to four the number of courts dedicated to hearing matters of individuals charged with drug and gun crimes.

I announce this evening that for a period of 30 days following the introduction of the amendments to the Firearms Act on Wednesday 5 October 2011 all citizens and other persons are requested to turn in to the Police any and all unlicensed firearms in their possession.

After the 4th November anyone convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm or ammunition will, upon conviction, be imprisoned for a minimum of four years. I highlight the fact that the power of magistrates to impose sentences is being increased from five to seven years and that conviction on drug and gun related offences may attract the maximum sentence of seven years.

I also advise that the penalty for the possession and sales of drugs discovered within one mile of a school will be six years.

Fellow Bahamians:

The supply and use of illegal drugs have exacted a terrible toll on our communities. Drug traffickers, foreign and Bahamians, years ago determined that the supply of their illicit goods to Bahamian facilitators would win them both business partners and faithful customers. The demand for drugs has grown exponentially in The Bahamas over the past three decades. And, while well-intentioned, our anti-abuse and demand reduction drug initiatives have not been as continuous or sustained as they might have been.

A creeping culture of lawlessness has led to a tolerance of petty crimes, small-theft and the defrauding of Government and others which sometimes opens the doorway to tolerance of even more serious crime.

Adding fuel to the fire is the length of time it takes to bring some offenders to trial and or the relative ease with which bail is available to hardened criminals and known repeat offenders who have contributed significantly to the present wave of crime.

Fellow Bahamians:

In the fight against crime my Government has taken immediate action and continues to pursue medium- and longer-term measures to bolster our anti-crime campaign.

We have:

· Increased the ranks of the Police Force by 200 officers;

· invested in new equipment, technology and crime-fighting tools for the Police Force;

· enhanced the facilities of the courts, a process nearing completion;

· filled all judicial vacancies to ensure a full complement of Justices and magistrates in the judicial system;

· implemented the electronic monitoring (ankle bracelets) of accused and convicted persons released on bail; and

· introduced, and will soon expand, CCTV monitoring in various high-crime areas of New Providence.

The police are particularly pleased with plans to expand CCTV coverage because of the threefold benefits of the presence of the cameras in high crime areas, i.e. crime prevention, crime detection and evidence production. It is important to recognize that CCTV footage is admissible evidence in court.

With a view to strengthening the Police Force’s anti-crime fighting arsenal even further, we have reviewed measures effectively used in other jurisdictions to strengthen policing. We are poised to introduce a number of those measures determined to be most appropriate to our needs.

In this vein, in February of this year we paid for two highly-equipped mobile command centres for the Police Force. Made to order, the first of the mobile police units is ready for delivery. The second one will follow. Training in the use of this strategic asset commenced today.

These specialty mobile police stations are an essential addition to our crime fighting arsenal. Basic features of the units include video recording capabilities, flat screen monitors for viewing; specialized recording equipment, and high-tech police lighting/siren/public address system.

These units can be dispatched to any location in New Providence to serve as a mobile police station in support of anti-crime measures including during special operations. They will be used in high crime areas in support of community policing and during situations requiring high-visibility police presence.

They will provide easy access to the police for residents and crime witnesses to give statements or other information at the scene of an incident.

The specialized lighting and built in generator allow the mobile police station to run for long periods of time on-scene.

We propose, over the coming months to institute especially targeted training programmes to enhance the investigatory skills of the Police Force. While such training is ongoing and typically takes place overseas, what is now proposed is to mount the courses locally with the assistance of specialist consultants.

Fellow Bahamians:

We know that the grant of bail to fewer repeat offenders will help to reduce the number of murders, armed robberies, rapes, house-breaking and stealing, and the rate of crime.

Indeed, many witnesses to crime are afraid to come forward for fear that their identity will become known to the accused. The intimidation of witnesses is negatively impacting some prosecutions. So as to address this problem legislation will be put in place to authorise the non-disclosure of a witness’s identity in specific circumstances and under certain strict conditions.

I note that Parliament is unable to prevent the Supreme Court from granting bail. Parliament may do so in respect of Magistrates Courts, and Parliament will be moved to do so.

Parliament can and Parliament will be moved in the coming days to require, by statute, that a Judge, prior to the grant of bail to a defendant in murder, armed robbery, and rape cases, be satisfied that the accused:

(i) has not been tried within 3 years;

(ii) is not likely to be tried within a 3 year period; and

(iii) whether there are substantial grounds for believing that the defendant, if released on bail would fail to surrender to custody or appear at his trial; commit an offence while on bail, or interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the cause of justice, whether in relation to himself or any other person; or

(iv) having been released on bail previously, is subsequently charged with a similar offence.

(v) And, the Court is required to take into account the antecedents and character of the defendant.

Where a Judge is so satisfied and grants bail, the reasons for doing so must be put in writing. And, the Attorney General may appeal such a decision, and if he does so, the accused is not to be released on bail until the appeal is heard and determined by the Court of Appeal.

Fellow Bahamians:

The last time the death penalty was carried out in The Bahamas was in January 2000, some 11 years ago. Up to that time, the Privy Council said we were constitutionally and legally permitted to execute convicted murderers.

Some six years later, in 2006, the Privy Council said it was not constitutional to have a mandatory single penalty of execution for murder. As a result, we have been unable to administer that punishment since our return to office in 2007.

On my watch as head of Government five individuals were executed.

In response to the ruling of our highest court, amendments will be made to our law. The amendment will retain the death penalty as a punishment and will add an alternative penalty of life imprisonment. Where life imprisonment is imposed as an alternative to a death penalty the sentence will be for the remainder of a convicted individual’s natural life.

For persons convicted of murder who are not sentenced to death, the alternative penalty of life imprisonment will be imposed where the victim is a witness or a party in an action (civil or criminal), where a member of a jury or past jury in a criminal case is murdered, where the offence is in relation to the murder of more than one person, or where the convict had been previously convicted of murder and when the murder was committed on the direction of another. The sentence of death would also apply where the victims is a member of the Police Force, Defence Force, Customs, Immigration and the Prison Services, members of the Judiciary, or where the murder occurred in the commission of a robbery, rape, kidnapping or an act of terrorism.

In other murder cases where a death sentence is not applicable, the penalty will be a term of imprisonment of between 30 and 60 years. I note that such sentences are not applicable to convicts who are 18 years or younger at the time of their conviction.

My Fellow Bahamians:

As you may be aware the Government has for some time been engaged in the process of improving the facilities of the Supreme Court and the Magistrates Court.

It is expected that by the 1st January, 2012 we will have at least five courts instead of four courts in which criminal trial will be conducted on a daily basis in New Providence. This is in addition to a court in Grand Bahama in which criminal trials are conducted year round.

I have been advised by the Chairman of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission that the services of an experienced judge has been secured to serve as a new and additional Justice of the Supreme Court beginning on 1st January, 2012.

The Supreme Court, in addition to dealing with outstanding matters, has assigned a court to deal with current matters to ensure that these matters do not become outstanding matters. With the new Supreme Court in New Providence, it is hoped that at least two courts will be assigned to deal with current matters.

The Magistrates Court complex on Nassau Street is nearing completion. This complex will permit all Magistrates Courts to be located in one complex with their own holding cells for prisoners. We expect that this will eliminate many of the delays in starting and completing trials previously experienced when the courts were located in a number of locations and prisoners had to be transported from the Central Police Station to the courts at different locations.

A new Magistrates court for Remand Hearings is now ready. Amendments will be offered to provide for hearings relating to persons held on remand to be conducted electronically via live video feeds. This will obviate the need for large numbers of persons held on remand to be transported to appear before a magistrate downtown or on Nassau Street.

Social Intervention

Fellow Bahamians:

There is no denying the role played by young males in the crime scourge of our nation. These males are predominantly from the urban areas of the country, most particularly Nassau and to a lesser degree, Freeport. We cannot bury our heads in the sand about this reality.

To address this reality, the Government will make $1 million available immediately to initiate programmes within urban areas of Nassau and Freeport. These programmes will be developed and executed in conjunction with social partners such as the church, civic groups and sporting groups. The funds for these new initiatives are in addition to the resources that are already budgeted for various urban renewal and youth development programmes in Nassau and Freeport.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Development will spearhead this effort together with the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture. We expect these programmes to be up and running by as early as December of this year.

A Call to National Volunteerism

Fellow Bahamians:

I must speak clearly on this. With its best efforts, the Government alone will not be able to fully address this scourge of crime. We need as many of you who care about our nation to enlist in this fight.

I am therefore calling you to a new era of national volunteerism.

We will launch on November 1, 2011, a National Volunteers Register. This register will enable you to sign up to be available to volunteer your time for mentoring our young men and women; assisting in community centres with afterschool programmes; outreaches to urban neighbourhoods to encourage parental and child involvement in school activities; to work with existing youth organizations in their programmes; and a host of social activities that can positively impact upon our society.

You will be able to register online or at various designated government offices. Our aim is to enlist hundreds if not thousands of volunteers. This effort will also be spearheaded by the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture together with the Ministry of Labour and Social Development.

Fellow Bahamians:

One of the social dimensions to fighting crime is social intervention which can play an essential role in deterring crime, stopping first offenders from re-offending and rehabilitating some criminals.

Accordingly, my Government will continue to work with and strengthen partnerships with civil society generally. We will collaborate with churches, civic groups and the business community to fund and manage targeted social intervention programmes to confront anti-social and criminal behaviour among various groups.

In our shared fight against crime, there is an urgent need for more community service and mentoring and greater corporate citizenship and philanthropic efforts inclusive of helping to fund and sustain various youth and young adult programmes as well as crime prevention and offender rehabilitation programmes.

The four principal areas we are targeting are:

· Community service programmes in all public schools with an enhanced service-learning, ethics and character development component;

· Community and youth development programmes geared towards providing young people with positive and alternative life experiences and skills while discouraging anti-social behaviour; and

· Effective and creative alternative sentencing for juvenile offenders.

Towards this end, the Minister of Education has been charged with implementing a new and more comprehensive community service-learning programme for all Government schools. This is with a view to helping more young people develop a sense of belonging in our community and deeper sense of responsibility for its well-being while better respecting themselves and others.

The Ministers of Education, Labour and Social Development and Youth, Sports and Culture will collaborate on the development of a programme like the highly successful Outward Bound Programme which may help steer at-risk youth and first-offenders away from a life of crime.

Simultaneously, these Ministries and Departments will collaborate toward improving the programmes available for youths at the Simpson Penn and Willamae Pratt facilities with a view to improving the results being achieved in preparing these young people for reintegration into the community with skills to pursue productive lives.

Conclusion: Building a More Peaceful Culture & Restoring Community

My Fellow Bahamians:

I have addressed you on numerous occasions. Yet, tonight is one of the more distressing national addresses I have had the solemn duty of giving.

It is distressing not mostly because of the murder count and high incidence of violent crime as painful as are these numbers. It is what those numbers represent that is heart-breaking. For all of our good fortune as a country, we have in significant ways lost a sense of ourselves and of what is essential. One writer reminds us that “what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

While the bonds and threads of community may be invisible to the eye, their absence or presence is plain for all to see. We know that peace is not merely the absence of violence. Instead, we know that it is a sign of community and mutual respect.

So, we long for something more than the outer trappings of material success. We long for something more, like community and fellowship. We long for something more, like peace and well-being.

Remember when the old people used to tell us that all you have is your good name and your reputation and that you don’t leave this Earth with any of your worldly goods.

Our most precious possessions are invisible to the eye like a good conscience or the service we give with no expectation of recognition or reward.

This crisis of culture and community manifested in an unprecedented level of criminality requires us to deal with essentials invisible to the eye like values, attitudes, social trust and mutual respect.

We will get the crime numbers down. But most crimes are symptoms, not root causes.

Even as we relentlessly combat the criminals, provide law enforcement and the judiciary with the tools and resources they require and modernize our laws, there is something else as urgent, as essential -it is urgent and essential that we renew, restore and replenish our sense of community choosing a culture of life over a culture given over to deadly violence.

From where shall we draw inspiration? Where do I find hope?

We find inspiration and hope in the young man who turned from the business of crime to running a small landscaping business. Early one morning his mother heard tapping on the window. She thought it was her son’s former criminal associates, only to find out that they were his work crew headed out on a contract from the Ministry for the Environment to help beautify New Providence.

We draw inspiration from the work of groups like the Peace and Justice Institute of the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church, which along with other denominations are organizing faith-based alternative sentencing programmes for juvenile offenders.

We find hope in the many service clubs, civic groups and thousands of public and private school students who render community service to their fellow-citizens including some of the least-fortunate among us.

And we draw courage and determination from that anthem of hope and inspiration, “Get Involved” by the late Tyrone Fitzgerald, “Dr. Off”.

Fellow Bahamians:

Poverty is not an excuse for crime. I too grew up poor.

A two-parent family is our ideal. I am the child of a single parent and I was raised by my Grandmother.

Many children from two-parent families get caught up in crime while many children from single-parent households are good citizens and fine young people.

In the end, it is the quality of parenting, not the quantity that is essential.

I grew up in what was then a remote part of Abaco called Cooper’s Town. I came up at a time when there were few opportunities for a poor boy like me born to a single parent. The first time I met my father was when I was 11years old.

Even though I didn’t possess material wealth, I had wealth more everlasting: Mama, who instilled in me a sense of my own worth as belonging to her and as a child of God.

She schooled me in the knowledge that the land of my birth, The Bahamas we all love, is a land of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard.

As a boy, never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine becoming an attorney, Member of Parliament or minister of government let alone prime minister. But having been given this great privilege I have dedicated my public life to providing every Bahamian boy and girl with opportunities I never had.

This is why I have never stopped working to make sure that every Bahamian child on every island in every settlement in The Bahamas has decent schools and access to higher education. This is why my Government ensures that everyone meeting a certain criteria and academic standards can attend the College of The Bahamas at public expense. And that is why since coming to office in 2007 we increased scholarship funding from $400.000 to $7.75 million. And this does not include bonded scholarships, the All Bahamas Merit Scholarship or Bahamas Commonwealth Scholarships.

I say to you, young Bahamians: While your country may give you a hand-up, you are not entitled to hand-outs.

So, even while we have much to improve as a country including the quality of our public education system, young Bahamians, men and women, you have more opportunities than any generation in Bahamian history.

And so we must not throw up our hands or find easy excuses; instead let us unite to help to restore law and order and civility and community by getting involved. In the words of Dr. Off, we can get involved. Indeed for the sake of our children and ourselves, we must get involved in:

Making sure our children finish their homework;

Mentoring and tutoring students who need a caring adult;

Assisting the police in identifying criminals;

Community service programmes for at-risk and other youth;

Crime and neighbourhood watch programmes.

Unless more of us get involved, none of us are truly safe. In the end, community engagement and service will be more effective in combating crime than iron bars and gated communities.

Our task is not only to stop criminals from breaking into our homes and businesses. As urgently we must stop them from wanting to do so in the first place.

And, we will do both.

My Fellow Bahamians:

I close tonight by invoking the guidance and protection of Almighty God on our country. We are a blessed people, a people of hope and resilience, faith and fortitude.

In the spirit of Psalm 121, just as another people did at another time of lamentation we pray:

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”

With God’s guidance, unity of purpose and unyielding resolve we will ensure greater law and order, we will ensure greater peace in our Bahamaland.

I thank you for listening. Good Night.

Caribbean Blog International

There are many who want a sex offenders' list to be compiled and published... This is a small island, a small community -- at worst a homophobic society in which no sex offender, even the reformed ones, could survive

Sex offenders' list not the answer

tribune242 editorial



"WHY DIDN'T God save him?"

This is the unanswerable question that the sixth graders of Columbus Primary School want answered. Their class teacher did her best, but as the children looked at the empty desk and chair, opened their classmate's text book to his first writing assignment that started with the words: "My name is Marco Archer. I am 11 years old..." there were no answers.

Eleven-year-old Marco Archer was dead -- murdered and believed sexually assaulted. The schoolboy had disappeared from his Brougham Street home on Friday, September 23. His lifeless body was discovered four days later by police under a suitcase behind an apartment complex on Yorkshire Street, Cable Beach.

There are no answers to the question: Why? And when a finite mind tries to grapple with the mysteries of the infinite, only an excruciating headache results. And so we satisfy ourselves with the answer that "God moves in mysterious ways... He is his own interpreter, and He will make it plain." It is now up to all of us to find out how we can assist those "mysterious ways" to eventually end with positive results.

It is society's duty to make certain that little Marco Archer did not die in vain.

For this, decisions have to be made by those with a level head, not those carried away by the angry emotions of the moment.

There are many who want a sex offenders' list to be compiled and published. This is a small island, a small community -- at worst a homophobic society in which no sex offender, even the reformed ones, could survive. No community would accept them. No employer would hire them. They would be open prey for vigilante justice. If we are now horrified by 104 murders, we would lose count if a sex offenders' list were published. There is also the danger - with the hysteria now being unleashed - that mere suspicion and gossip could target the innocent. The police know who the offenders are. We have to leave that knowledge with them to make certain that these people are carefully monitored.

No, as a society we have to make intelligent decisions. We cannot rush into something that could make our present situation even worse.

Sexual offenders should be put in the care of a psychiatrist as soon as the prison doors close behind them. Assessment and treatment should start immediately and continue until it is time for their discharge. A police officer suggested that whatever time they might have earned for good behaviour to warrant an early release should be assigned as a probationary period when treatment for their condition would continue.

At present, the maximum sentence for a first offence -- no matter how gruesome -- is seven years, followed by 12 years for a second, and life for a third.

We do not think that a sexual offender should be allowed to offend three times before he can face life imprisonment. Depending on the enormity of the crime, life imprisonment should be possible with the first offence. The judges should be able to grade the seriousness of the crime and hand down a sentence that would fit that crime. No judge should be put in the position of having to admit that the crime warranted more than seven years, but by law no more could be given.

While these offenders are in prison, they should be assessed by a panel to determine whether they can be safely returned to society. Those with psychotic problems, who are obviously dangerous, should be held for life. Even in prison special consideration will have to be given as to how they can be segregated from the rest of the prison community.

Persons applying for a teaching position, or any post that involves children should be carefully screened. No one with a questionable sexual history should be employed. Many restrictions can be put in place to safeguard our children, but they have to be fairly administered.

* * * *

For the first time in almost a year, Sgt Skipping, Public Affairs and Communications Officer, sent the press a most welcome release. For Sunday's crime report she wrote: "The night was quiet; there are no matters to report."

However, she did add her usual crime tip. This time for joggers. Said Sgt Skipping: "Jogging/walking is a great form of exercise; however, a frequent error that joggers/runners make is that they become so preoccupied in their activity that they fail to be on the alert and pay attention to their surroundings. As you enjoy your exercise, remember to always be on the alert, paying attention to suspicious people, vehicle and activities."

We hope that our community can enjoy many more quiet nights -- and that Sgt Skippings will be able to send us many more "no matters to report" memos.

October 03, 2011

tribune242 editorial

Caribbean Blog International

...critics of a proposed sex offenders list said creating a public register would alienate convicts who have completed their prison terms, make it harder for them to reintegrate into society and make them targets for persecution

Sex offenders register 'would protect public'



CALLS for authorities to create a sex offenders register continued a day after 11-year-old Marco Archer was found dead.

Supporters of such a list feel it would protect the public from attacks by alerting them when a sexual offender is released from prison or when they move into a neighbourhood.

However critics of the proposal said creating a public register would alienate convicts who have completed their prison terms, make it harder for them to reintegrate into society and make them targets for persecution.

Her Majesty's Prison Superintendent Dr Elliston Rahming said such a policy would be like placing additional prison time on inmates who have already served their allotted sentences.

"I hear this talk about developing some register - that is easy in a big place like the United States but if a register is developed in Nassau then the court sentence effectively becomes a life sentence.

"It means I could never hope to get a job or life again even if I have changed," said Prison Superintendent Elliston Rahming yesterday.

The minister responsible for Social Services, Loretta Butler-Turner, said she began groundwork for a sex offenders register in the beginning of her term but shelved the idea.

"When I first became a minister I felt very strongly about the implementation of a sexual offenders register."

She said she understands the outcry but added that the idea must not be seen as a "panacea" for preventing sex crimes.

"But I think many countries are finding that once you identify these people (as sexual offenders) many times they are rejected everywhere they go, so what do you do?

"I think we have to weigh the pros and cons before we drive this as a panacea."
Crime activist Rodney Moncur said he supports a sex offenders register for convicted paedophiles.

He said: "I'm more particularly interested in a sex register in cases of children who are victims.

"Children are vulnerable, are innocent - children can't give consent."

Police discovered Marco's partially decomposed body Wednesday morning in bushes in western New Providence.

A well-place source in the RBPF said the boy's body showed signs of sexual assault.

Marco disappeared from his in Brougham Street last Friday afternoon.

His mother said he left home to buy candy from a nearby gas station and never returned.

Three men are assisting police in their investigations.

September 30, 2011

tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

Former senior officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) - Messrs Paul Thompson and Errington “Bumpy” Watkins blamed the government or the judiciary for the country’s overwhelming crime problems

Former policemen blame govt, judiciary for crime problem

By Chester Robards
Guardian Staff Reporter
chester@nasguard.com

Two former police officers who retired as top brass policemen have separately blamed the government or the judiciary for the country’s overwhelming crime problems.

Paul Thompson, who retired from the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) as an assistant commissioner of police, insisted that the long delays in The Bahamas’ court system are to blame for the delays in justice and therefore crime on the streets.

He said that during his time on the force the court system handled criminals much differently than it does today.

“If you were a hardened criminal and the magistrate knew you have convictions previously for the crime you are charged with, you weren’t getting bail,” Thompson said.

“The problem with the court is the long delays with cases taking three to four years to reach court.

“You are going to have a problem with witnesses remembering things, you are going to have problems finding the witnesses — they may have relocated — then you have given the accused people the opportunity to approach those witnesses over that period of time and there could be threats, intimidation and that kind of thing.”

Former police deputy superintendent and politician, Errington “Bumpy” Watkins, insisted that the government is to be blamed for the level of crime in the country. He lamented, however, that the police force is continuously blamed for crime.

“The crime, mind you, is due to the politicians,” he said.

“The poor policemen carry the blame. Police don’t get the appreciation they deserve from the public and this is a fact.

“While you guys are sleeping and enjoying yourselves at night we are out there with the criminals being shot at and being stoned and what not.”

Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest recently suggested that some judges have contributed to the crime problem because they are too lenient in the granting of bail

The government is the constant target of political criticisms for the increasing crime problem.

Thompson insisted that during his time as a part of the RBPF, officers were faced with crimes involving knives, razors, shotguns and eventually sawed-off shotguns.

However, he said the criminal element has upped the level of violence with the consistent use of guns.

“Today it’s very violent,” he said.

“We didn’t have the technology they do today, but the men of (my) era had the courage, the integrity and the follow up. They never stopped looking and we benefitted a lot for the courts at that time.”

Sep 30, 2011

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International