It is regrettable that a Bahamian national hero like William “Bill” Cartwright - the originator of the idea of party politics in The Bahamas... and a founder of the nation’s first major political party in 1953 - the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) - is not more fully recognized during their lifetime... ...Despite this repeated notion, we too often fail to live up to our words about recognizing and appreciating those who so generously contributed to nation-building

Honoring William ‘Bill’ Cartwright

thenassauguardian editorial

We mourn the passing of William “Bill” Cartwright, who though little known by many Bahamians today was a consequential figure in the life of the modern Bahamas.  We offer our condolences to his family.

William Cartwright was involved in various aspects of Bahamian life, including as the publisher of a magazine that enjoyed some success. We salute him for his contributions to the print media.

For those who are often tempted to use politicians as scapegoats for our collective national failures, we note that a national hero like Mr. Cartwright was a politician. Those who speak often of honoring our national heroes should remember that many of them made their contributions through politics and government.

Indeed, William Cartwright was a founder of the nation’s first major political party in 1953.  Along with the late Cyril Stevenson and the late Sir Henry Taylor, he helped to found the Progressive Liberal Party.  He served for a time as a representative in the House of Assembly for Cat Island.

Though his role in the PLP waned, he will go down in Bahamian history as the originator of the idea of party politics. This was a major advancement in our democratic experience.

It was through party politics that majority rule and independence were achieved. It was through party politics that democracy was secured. It was through party politics that we became a vibrant stable democracy.

Some months back, we ran a story on the visit of Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes to Bill Cartwright to celebrate the latter’s birthday.  As founders of our modern Bahamas, these men remember well the sacrifices made in the struggle for racial, social and economic justice.

What concerns us is how increasingly fewer people appreciate this history.  It is incumbent on the press and others to more fully tell the story of men such as William Cartwright.

It is also incumbent on public officials to ensure greater appreciation for the nation’s founders as well as others who make significant contributions to national life and development.

The naming of public buildings in honor of such individuals is a welcome and important aspect of such appreciation. So, too will be the mounting of permanent and temporary exhibits in the eventual opening of a national museum.

Additionally, it would be good to record through audiovisual media the voices and images of historic figures.  Some of this is done through current television programs.  But we need a more extensive record by those trained in areas like history and various social sciences.

It is regrettable that individuals like Mr. Cartwright are not more fully recognized during their lifetime.  Despite this repeated notion, we too often fail to live up to our words about recognizing and appreciating those who so generously contributed to nation-building.

It is a sign of ingratitude that we have not been as fulsome in our praise and recognition of citizens like William “Bill” Cartwright.

While a state-recognized funeral is welcome for Mr. Cartwright, when will we stop making speeches about honoring such individuals during their lifetime, and actually start doing so more fully.

In this we all share some blame and the responsibility to do better. A man like William “Bill” Cartwright and others deserve much better.

Jun 08, 2012

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International

Decades after the implementation of the Bahamianization policy and faced with a globalized world that promotes free enterprise and trade, The Bahamas still finds itself in an economic enigma ...whereby its people appear to be regressing rather than progressing

A revived social contract: Bahamians First

By Arinthia S. Komolafe

“Bahamians First”, the campaign slogan adopted by the newly-elected Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), is a pledge by the PLP to put the interests of Bahamians above all others in The Bahamas. It is also a call to Bahamians to believe in The Bahamas and consequently themselves. A post-election analysis seems to confirm that the message resonated among the Bahamian people, resulting in a landslide victory for the PLP on May 7, 2012.

The Bahamianization policy

The concept denoted by the slogan represents a social contract with the Bahamian people – a revived one and arguably an updated version of the Bahamianization policy penned by the Lynden Pindling administration during the 70s. The Bahamianization policy seems to have been misinterpreted since its inception and throughout the years. Arguably, the policy has benefitted a vast majority and been abused by a few. While many believed that the policy promotes “Bahamians only”, the intent when construed properly was always to put “Bahamians First”. In a nutshell, Bahamianization sought to foster economic prosperity and independence through greater participation in business, finance and commerce by Bahamians, the protection of Bahamian assets for the benefit of Bahamians, whether through land or sustenance of state-owned enterprises and a more strict policy regarding the granting of Bahamian citizenship.

It is fair to suggest that at the time of its creation, the policy was implemented through a series of initiatives that promoted among other things encouraging the attainment of managerial positions in the tourism and financial services sectors, creation of opportunities for Bahamians to obtain tertiary education and the expansion of the housing program to provide home ownership opportunities for more Bahamians. Additionally, work permits were only granted in areas where there were no suitably qualified Bahamians and/or in instances that Bahamians were unwilling to undertake certain jobs.

Consequences of Bahamianization

Critics of the Bahamianization policy assert that the Pindling administration ran a socialist type government that was primarily opposed to the free market economy. For the most part and prior to the implementation of the policy, Bahamians were unable to afford participation in the economic structure of The Bahamas due to poverty, poor education or lack of skills among other things. Consequently, the government ran state-owned enterprises for decades – even at deficit levels and continued subsidizing the same from year to year. The government remained by far the largest employer for decades, while the tourism and financial services sectors provided the second and third highest rates of employment respectively.

Bahamians First in reality

Decades after the implementation of the Bahamianization policy and faced with a globalized world that promotes free enterprise and trade, The Bahamas still finds itself in an economic enigma whereby its people appear to be regressing rather than progressing. While it was a major feat yesterday for Bahamians to attain managerial status in the tourism and financial services sector, today such accomplishments are generally common although there is much ground to be covered in other sectors of the economy. It is disheartening however, that about three decades after the implementation of the Bahamianization policy, we have yet to accomplish substantial feats of economic ownership, particularly within the dominant twin pillar industries of tourism and financial services.

The reality is that successive governments through their fiscal and economic policies have failed to put “Bahamians First”. By these governments’ very actions, the foreign investor has been given priority over and above Bahamians owing to heavy reliance on foreign direct investment while the majority of Bahamians have been forced to take the crumbs. In essence, more jobs (which are arguably unsustainable due to their cyclical and/or fragile nature in the two main nationals industries) have been created rather than opportunities for increased ownership.

Bahamians First: Fiscal policy

The tax system in our country has been in place for years. While our politicians concede that the system of taxation is regressive and inequitable, successive administrations have made insignificant movement toward implementation of a progressive form of taxation. Many have gone as far as committing to no income tax which is arguably the most progressive and equitable form of taxation. It is noteworthy to state that we are far behind our regional counterparts who have long since implemented multiple progressive tax structures. Our failure to do so, obviously panders to special interest groups both domestic and foreign who are comfortable with the status quo and prefer to pay neither income nor corporate tax. The pledge we must remember is Bahamians First.

Bahamians First: Banking sector

The entry barriers within the banking sector exclude the majority of Bahamians from the ownership of banks. These barriers include capital requirements which are not tiered enough to allow average Bahamians to establish small banks with limitations on deposits and/or their operations. The commercial banking sector has predominantly been governed by three Canadian banks and in recent decades Bahamian owned and state-owned entities. It is therefore not surprising that having enjoyed the patronage of Bahamians; the former have repatriated billions of dollars in profits outside of our shores over the years. These entities are not to blame as they are in business to make profits. However, successive governments have not created an economic environment that allows more Bahamians to enjoy the same levels of success. The government’s failure to facilitate the establishment of a Credit Bureau, Consumer Protection Agency and foreclosure laws have further allowed Bahamians to be exploited by the system.

Bahamians First: Home ownership and entrepreneurship

The cost of real estate in The Bahamians makes it difficult for quite a number of Bahamians to qualify for a home either because they are underpaid, unemployed or lack the necessary skills to attain a higher paying job. The small to medium sized enterprise sector, which is the engine of an economy, is challenged and growing at a slow pace due to what is seen as neglect by successive governments. The financial crisis, global economic downturn and ill-advised policies of the former administration have no doubt dealt a major setback to this vital sector. These factors coupled with the high cost of energy and other overhead costs have resulted in business closures and challenged the Bahamian entrepreneurial spirit.

Honoring the contract

A government that is truly about “Bahamians First” will address these inequities that have persisted and lingered within our society for far too long. It seems fair to suggest that Bahamians will continue to vote successive administrations out of office following one term of governance until it finds one that will finally speak their language and truly place “Bahamians First”. The task of this Christie administration is to implement policies that will start and end with the average Bahamian in mind. The Christie administration must honor its part of the contract to maintain the confidence of the people.

Arinthia S. Komolafe is an attorney-at-law. Comments can be directed at: commentary@komolafelaw.com

Jun 07, 2012

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Urban Renewal 2.0 is a direct response to past and current problems facing a number of inner city communities in The Bahamas ...such as crime, poor housing conditions, joblessness, illiteracy, homelessness, and other social ills that contribute to crime and anti-social behavior

What Urban Renewal 2.0 Will Mean For The Bahamas
tribune242


The commissioner of police's statement on Urban Renewal:

THE flagship Urban Renewal 2.0 Programme is a direct response to past and current problems facing a number of inner city communities in the Bahamas such as crime, poor housing conditions, joblessness, illiteracy, homelessness, and other social ills that contribute to crime and anti-social behavior.

The project is the brainchild of the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Perry Gladstone Christie and it has the full support of the commissioner of police, the executive management team, and all members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

The tenets of Urban Renewal 2.0 are included in the Commissioner's Policing Plan for 2012 and are clearly delineated under priorities one, two and three.

The Urban renewal Community Based Policing programme is one of the most ambitious crime prevention programmes in the Bahamas.

It is a comprehensive approach to crime, antisocial behavior, and community safety.

It emphasises both innovation and integration of efforts and resources by a wide range of agencies and the community at large.

Objectives of the Urban Renewal Project

• To prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime in the community.


• To identify and tackle the main causes of the social conditions which promote the occurrence of crime and deviant behavior.


• To examine and improve the quality of life and the social and environmental conditions of high crime communities.


• To involve the community in problem-solving and empower citizens to play an active role in their communities.


• To identify the problems facing our young people and to engage them in positive activities and programmes geared toward making them productive citizens.

A brief history of the Urban Renewal Pilot Project

Urban Renewal was first launched as a pilot project in the constituency of Prime Minister Perry Christie, called Farm Road, in June 2002.

The community was identified as the pilot area because it showed trends that were prevalent in other communities in the Bahamas such as crime, social ills and urban decay.

Within just six short weeks of its inception, police officers assigned to the Farm Road Project visited every household and business establishment in the community.

They collected data and intelligence on environmental concerns, health issues, housing problems and criminal activities.

The police team was later joined by representatives from the Department of Social Services, the Ministry of Housing, Health Services and the Ministry of Works.

The team removed derelict vehicles, organised the demolition of abandoned buildings, dismantled street drug peddling groups, and arrested a number of prolific offenders. These initiatives resulted in a significant reduction in crime.

Within one year of the project's inception, the team established computer literacy centres, a youth marching band, a community development association and the national Urban Renewal Commission.

It also set up similar projects in eight other areas of New Providence, five in Grand Bahama and one in Abaco.

The team was awarded the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police Motorola Community Policing Award in May 2003 and won two other community policing awards from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

Role of the police in Urban Renewal

Members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force who are assigned to the Urban Renewal 2.0 Programme have an expanded scope of police work which includes crime, the fear of crime, quality of life offences, social and physical disorder, and community decay.

These officers are expected to use a full range of talents, skills and abilities to not only prevent and interdict crime, but to also enlarge their role and become community problem-solvers.

About community policing

Community policing focuses on bringing the police and citizens together to prevent crime and solve neighborhood problems. In community policing, the emphasis is on preventing crime.

Preventing crime is a big job. The police are more effective when they can depend on residents for help.

Community policing calls for a commitment to improving the quality of life in neighborhoods. Community Resource Officers (CRO) look to residents for help in solving neighborhood problems.

In essence, community policing gives citizens more control over the quality of life in their community.

General duties and activities of the police under the programme

• Directed patrol - patrols are specific and intelligence driven, designed to deal with existing and emerging problems in the community. These patrols can be done on foot or in vehicles to facilitate communication and the building of relationships between the officers and community members.


• Community involvement - Urban Renewal officers must build trusting relationships and partnerships with community members to address their specific problems.


• Identifying and prioritising problems - community members are encouraged provide officers with information about the problems they face and work with them prioritise issues and problems.


• Reporting - the Urban Renewal officer must share information with other police officers as well as the RBPF generally and with special sections (DEU, CDU, CIB, SIB, et cetera) about the specifics of his community.


• Organising - organising activities oriented to specific problems and working to enhance the overall quality of life in the community.


• Communicating - there are both formal and informal sessions aimed at educating people about crime prevention and other issues as well as managing communication with the media.


• Conflict resolution - the Urban Renewal officer mediates, negotiates and resolves conflicts formally and informally (and challenges people to begin resolving problems on their own).
• Referrals - the officer refers problems to specialised agencies.


• Visiting - Urban Renewal officers make frequent visits to homes and businesses to recruit help and to educate.


• Recruiting and supervising volunteers - the Urban Renewal officer works with volunteers to address social problems affecting the community.


• Proactive projects - the Urban Renewal officer works along with the community to solve both long-term and short-term problems aimed at improving the quality of life.


• Targeting special groups - Urban Renewal police officers will focus on special groups in the community such as the elderly, youth, women, physically challenged persons and the homeless.


• Targeting disorder - Urban Renewal officers place specific emphasis on social and physical disorders and the degradation of neighbourhoods.


• Networking with the private sector - the Urban Renewal officer actively communicates with and solicits the assistance of the business community for services and volunteer work.


• Get to know people - the Urban Renewal officers form relationships with residents so as to learn about their concerns and to build confidence and trust between citizens and the police.




June 05, 2012

Post Mortem of the 2012 General Election

By Dennis Dames


We have had two one-term governments in a row; which is a reflection of the shifting political times in The Bahamas - in my view. The Bahamian electorate is clearly more aware and wiser, and we hold those who seek to represent us to a higher standard than yesteryear.

This is no longer about Puppy love for the FNM or PLP, or the irrational support for any other; rather, the people simply want good governance and a healthy and prosperous future for themselves, their children and country.

The new Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government should not allow their recent landslide victory to cloud the genuine wishes of the masses. We demand an environment where we could support ourselves and family, as the majority of us are not for hand-outs or political charity.

It’s all about pleasing the employer before another general election season comes. Delivering a strong and all-around job environment is absolutely essential to the present government’s possible second term success; and so is the significant reduction in crime.

Indeed, low unemployment numbers and a much more peaceful and respectable environment are totally necessary for the politically ambitious Bahamian today.

Time will reveal if the Perry Christie PLP administration is up to the task of delivering for the Bahamian boss people who are really serious about a better Bahamas for all citizens.

...does the national budget for fiscal year 2012/13 address the important promises that were made during the recently completed general election campaign?

The Budget: Part I

Consider this

By Philip C. Galanis

On Wednesday past, May 30, the prime minister and minister of finance presented his much-anticipated first budget of the new administration that was elected only two weeks ago.  This week, we would like to Consider This… does the national budget for fiscal year 2012/13 address the important promises that were made during the recently completed general election campaign?

The short answer is that it begins to do so.  However, the extent to which it does is severely constrained by the distressing state of public finances that the Christie administration inherited from the former administration.  In addition, there is a time constraint challenge that significantly factors into what was contained in Prime Minister Christie’s recent Budget Communication.

For the past few terms, when general elections were held in early May of 2002, 2007 and 2012, the usual mid-May budgetary process has been punctuated by a change of government which imposed severe restrictions on the victor because of the very narrow time line between the elections and the required presentation of the national budget.  Therefore, in the absence of a predetermined fixed election date, successive governments should make a deliberate effort to avoid holding general elections in May because of the constraints that this event places on the implementation of a national budget designed to address the victor’s national agenda.  More about that at another time.

The state of public finances

It is now becoming increasingly evident that the former FNM administration that has always claimed to be a government of accountability and transparency has been neither. An early indication of this was first observed in the Ingraham Administration’s deliberate negligence to submit its customary and much anticipated mid-year budget report earlier this year.  It can be reasonably surmised that the former prime minister and minister of finance consciously decided to forego this practice in 2012, which he himself introduced with much fanfare and consistent conformity, for purely political reasons.

The former prime minister and his Cabinet clearly realized that if they honestly reported the state of public finances at mid-year, their deplorable financial performance would have been received with shock and awe by the Bahamian citizenry.  In the run up to elections, an honest report would likely have brought about an even more devastating outcome at the polls, and therefore, presumably, the FNM government took a conscious decision to withhold such reporting from the public, hoping that the public would place the lack of a report in the “no news is good news” category.

Another example of the FNM government’s willful refusal to report on the true state of public finances pertained to the New Providence road works, which the Public Accounts Committee, under the chairmanship of the Hon. Dr. Bernard Nottage, revealed had incurred a budget overrun of nearly $100 million.

A third instance of the FNM government’s lack of accountability regarding public finances was exposed in the current prime minister’s communication last week when the latter reported the horrendously high and historically unprecedented total deficit for 2011/2012 which rose to a record level of $570 million versus an approved total deficit of $314 million, an increase of $256 million or 82 percent more than was originally anticipated.  In line with the International Monetary Fund Government Finance Statistics (GFS) concept, the GFS deficit, which is the total deficit less debt redemption, for 2011/12 is projected to result in $504 million or 6.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). This is double the 3.0 percent that was presented by Mr. Ingraham as the forecast in last year’s Budget Communication.

Finally, the FNM government’s legacy to the national debt is equally disappointing and extraordinarily dismaying.  The national debt increased from $3 billion to $4.3 billion during its term in office from 2007 to 2012, an increase of 40 percent in five years.  This represents an historically high debt to GDP ratio of 56 percent.  Because of this inherited unparalleled GFS budget deficit of $504 million for 2012, the Christie administration will have to borrow an additional $504 million in order to pay off the financial excesses of the Ingraham administration.

The national debt will therefore increase to $4.8 billion by the end of the next fiscal year. But it gets worse. Again, because of the excessive commitments and spending of the Ingraham administration, all things being equal, and barring any unforeseen catastrophic developments over the next two years, given a projected record GFS deficit of $550 million for fiscal year 2013/14, is anticipated that the national debt will increase to well over $5.4 billion by 2014. This will represent a disastrously high debt to GDP ratio in excess of 60 percent.

All these unmatched and unequalled negative performance measures that the government inherited were incurred by an FNM government that frequently and triumphantly trumpeted its commitment to good governance, fiscal prudence, sound financial management, accountability and transparency in public finances.

It is fair to say that so-called good governance, fiscal prudence, sound financial management, accountability and transparency in public finances notwithstanding, Mr. Ingraham and his FNM Government have unquestionably left Mr. Christie and his government in a financial pickle.

Promises to keep

In spite of the alarming news, the Christie administration is still very determined to implement its agenda as articulated in its 100 day promises, the Charter for Governance, the Speech from the Throne and the Budget Communication.  While it will be enormously constrained by the fiscal realities that it has inherited, the new government has set about delivering on the social contract that serves as a basis of the mandate it was given on May 7.

It will be important for the new government to regularly give the Bahamian people an open and candid account of its stewardship over the next five years if it hopes to break the recent trend of one-term governments.

Conclusion

Next week, we will examine how the new administration’s budgetary provisions plan to remain true to its pledges to an impatient and hurting populace whose expectations for relief and renewal are extremely high and to what extent the national budget for 2012/13 will seek to meet those high expectations.

Philip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis & Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament.  Please send your comments to: pgalanis@gmail.com

Jun 04, 2012

thenassauguardian

The Budget: Part II

Caribbean Blog International

The Government's own projections show its direct debt standing at 50.6 per cent of GDP, or $4.057 billion, as at end-June 2012... ...then increasing to $4.607 billion, or 54.5 per cent of GDP, by the close of the 2012-2013 fiscal year

National Debt To Exceed $5bn By Mid-2013



By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

THE Bahamas' national debt will breach the $5 billion mark before the end of the upcoming 2012-2013 fiscal year, the Government's Budget projections disclosed yesterday, with the debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio also surpassing the 60 per cent threshold.

Unveiling what fiscal conservatives would likely describe as 'a horror show', Prime Minister Perry Christie unveiled a projected $550 million GFS deficit for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, a sum equivalent to 6.5 per cent of Bahamian GDP.

Together with the projected $504 million deficit for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, which is set to close on June 30, this means the Government will have to borrow more than $1 billion in just two years to cover both its recurrent and capital deficits.

And the $1.054 billion financing gap does not include debt principal redemption, which is set to total $66 million and $121 million, respectively, for the fiscal years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. Together, that adds a further $187 million to the fiscal deficits, taking the gap between revenues and spending over the two years to $1.241 billion.

The Government's own projections show its direct debt standing at 50.6 per cent of GDP, or $4.057 billion, as at end-June 2012, then increasing to $4.607 billion, or 54.5 per cent of GDP, by the close of the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

Yet this masks the extent of the overall problem, because it does not factor in the $551 million worth of debt the Government has guaranteed on behalf of state-owned Corporations and agencies.

That sum was equivalent to 7 per cent of GDP at year-end 2011. Placed on top of the Government's direct charge, that takes the Bahamas' total national debt to $4.608 billion, or 57.6 per cent of GDP, at June 30, 2012.

And, when added to the projected $4.607 billion direct charge on government at the end of the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the Bahamas' total national debt will hit $5.158 billion - a sum equivalent to 61.5 per cent of national GDP.

And, if the Government's medium-term Budget projections are correct, GFS deficits of $357 million and $272 million in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, respectively, will take the direct charge to $5.215 billion at the end of the latter period.

Assuming the $551 million in government guaranteed debt remains relatively unchanged, the total Bahamas' national debt will hit $5.766 billion by June 30, 2015, a sum equivalent to 63.3 per cent of GDP.

That indicates the fiscal position will likely continue to weaken despite the improvement generated by positive GDP and economic growth, and also suggests the Bahamas will hit the $5.5 billion debt mark more than a year earlier than the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) 2016 forecast. It also appears that the Government is again relying on economic growth to keep the debt-to-GDP ratio below the 70 per cent the IMF has classified as a 'danger' threshold.

The toll this will exact on the Government's finances, and its ability to fund spending priorities and areas such as education and health, was brought into sharp relief by the Prime Minister yesterday, when he said debt servicing (interests) and debt principal requirements would collectively total $328 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year - a sum equivalent to 18 per cent of recurrent spending.

Overall, the Budget was pretty much what observers expected, with Mr Christie, as Minister of Finance, performing a delicate balancing act between conveying a message of fiscal prudence and 'holding the line' on the deficit on one hand, while trying to stimulate the private sector and deliver on pre-election campaign promises with the other.

The main 'political battleground' themes surrounding the 2012-2013 Budget were also well-defined yesterday, with the Prime Minister describing the Government's deficit and debt levels, and overall fiscal position, as "much worse than we had anticipated".

Michael Halkitis, his minister of state for finance, went further in castigating the former Ingraham administration for "reckless" spending, particularly during the final months of its term.

He added that the previous government's fiscal policies had "severely constrained our room to manoevere", a signal that the PLP administration will likely lack the financial headroom to implement at least some of its pre-election manifesto promises.

The Opposition Free National Movement (FNM), though, will likely retort that the Government already knew the extent of the Bahamas' fiscal woes, having been fully briefed on the New Providence Road Improvement Project cost overruns and voted on all borrowing/spending resolutions brought to Parliament by the former administration.

It will argue that the Government is simply looking to blame the Ingraham administration, and in doing so, provide a cover for why it is unable to deliver on pre-election promises that the FNM has branded unrealistic.

Still, whichever way it is sliced and diced, the Bahamas' fiscal situation is dire. "The fiscal accounts are in much worse shape than we had expected as we came into office," Mr Christie warned yesterday.

"Indeed, this year's projected GFS deficit outturn is significantly higher than had been forecast by the previous administration last year's Budget communication. The GFS deficit in 2011-2012 is now projected at $504 million, up by a full $256 million from the previous government's estimate of $248 million."

The $256 million overshoot on the GFS deficit is 103 per cent, or more than double, the FNM's 2011-2012 Budget forecast, with the total $504 million deficit equivalent to 6.3 per cent of GDP - an unsustainable level more than double the 3 per cent estimate.

As a result, the Government's direct debt-to-GDP ratio will hit 50.6 per cent at June 30, 2012, as opposed to the 46.2 per cent level projected in last year's Budget.

Mr Christie's presentation, though, indicated that the majority of the GFS deficit overshoot for 2011-2012 was attributable to capital spending set to come in $119 million, or "almost 43 per cent", above target at $399 million - compared to the forecast $280 million.

The Prime Minister said the capital spending overshoot was "due in substantial part to a considerable increase in spending on the New Providence Road Improvement Project".

While faring a little better, the FNM administration also seems set to exceed its recurrent deficit estimates by 54.8 per cent, the projected outturn for 2011-2012 being $257 million as opposed to $166 million.

This, Mr Christie said, was the result of a combination of recurrent revenues "underperforming relative to the forecast" and recurrent spending beating projections at $27 million to hit $1.707 billion. Recurrent revenues for 2011-2012, he added, were set to come in at $1.45 billion, off target by $64 million.

Moving forward, Mr Christie pledged that the Government would move to "redress the unsustainable balance in our recurrent account" through a two-pronged strategy.

This, he said, would involve constraining recurrent spending so it grew in line with the Bahamian economy's growth, and "engineering a transformation of recurrent revenue to bring it to a more appropriate level relative to the size of the economy".

Promising to "hold the line" on recurrent spending in 2012-2013 "to the maximum extent possible", Mr Christie said it was still projected to rise by 6.7 per cent or $114 million to $1.821 billion, compared to $1.707 billion in the last fiscal year.

He added that $55 million of the recurrent spending rise was due "to the increased requirements for debt redemption in the coming period".

As for recurrent revenues, Mr Christie said they were projected to improve to 18.3 per cent of GDP in 2012-2013, up from 18.1 per cent in the current fiscal year. The Government is forecasting an increase from $1.45 billion to $1.55 billion, due to improved collections from Excise Tax and real property tax reforms.

As for capital spending, the Prime Minister said this would remain flat at $400 million in 2012-2013, attributing this to "a large inventory of ongoing projects" - including the $77 million borrowing for the New Providence Road Improvement Project.

May 31, 2012

tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

WE NEED A NEW COMMISSIONER OF POLICE NOW! ... The commissioner of police is a nice man... but he has to go... We need Steven Seymour to take over the police force.... He knows about operations

By Kevin Alcena:





Too much crime that could be prevented. Eight people got shot in a bar one day. Two robberies happened simultaneously today. The police will tap law abiding citizens' phones indiscriminately, yet you tell me they know all of these gangs and drug lords. Look at Cheryl Grant's case. They even wrote a bogus report to serve a political expedience. If they could do it to her what about us. She was a deputy prosecutor. They denied her a place in history. You can't use your cell phones in a free democracy. You need to go on Skype to have private conversations. This should not be happening in the Bahamas in a free democracy. You have to assume that your phone is tapped when you use it.

If the police were doing their jobs they would have known the criminals' whereabouts and could have prevented the shoot out in the bar. We even have the technology to track you by your phone and yet they cannot prevent crime from a counter-intelligence point of view and track the criminals. But they would name and shame innocent citizens and write bogus intelligence reports to serve their purpose. This is sad! The police have solved crimes in the past by locating people by way of cell phones. This country is at war with crime. If we don't resolve it, this will kill our tourist industry. The thugs are illiterate, they are not sophisticated. Let the police make their lives living hell and crime unpopular. We have one of the most intelligent police force. Something is wrong. In an island 21 by 7 miles one can find anyone in Nassau. This is a village, we know where everyone lives and everyone's business. We should be able to stop crime collectively as citizens. It's only a handful committing the crimes, but we need the citizens to assist the police now.

All banks should have CCTV. The government does not need to foot the bill for this. Businesses should be happy to do this. This is a tremendous deterrent to crime throughout the world. This commissioner of police should know how to bring technology to the force because he is technologically savvy.

The commissioner of police is a nice man but he has to go. We need Steven Seymour to take over the police force. He knows about operations. Crime is a direct result of police leadership. Five o'clock and all commanding officers go home. The one who was getting good results they decided to send him to Elizabeth Estates - Supt. Robert Young. The last shuffle was a disaster. They should bring Supt. Lundy from Freeport to run CDU. It was a good move to bring Supt. Pickstock back from Freeport to run Rapid Strike. I am sure the new government had something to do with that. Police are only responding to crime. The most ridiculous comment by the Commissioner in the past was that the murders were drug related.

This island is only 21 miles by 7 miles; we should not even have crime in this country. The priorities should switch. Crimes can be prevented. We know all criminals so why are they not being monitored. We should know where they sleep, eat. Nassau is the tourist mega of the Bahamas.

The previous and current governments have equipped the police force with the most sophisticated equipment to fight crime but they are not applying it. They are only applying police politics.

Therefore, if the government decides to keep the Commissioner of Police, the Minister of National Security must reorganize the entire force operation. The most encouraging thing I was impressed by is the National Intelligence Agency by way of legislation. I have been advocating this for the last 15 years. Thank God it is coming!

I am optimistic that we will win the war against crime, but we the citizens must participate in this effort.

From Kevin Alcena - Facebook