...the six worst Cabinet Ministers who have served in Hubert Ingraham's Cabinet at some point in the last five years... 2007 - 2012

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

 THIS week’s column begins a two-part series that seeks to review the FNM’s Cabinet, rating the six worst ministers who have served at some point in the last five years and, in part two, evaluating the five top performing ministers since 2007.

 Frankly, following the 2007 General Elections, I thought that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was rather shorthanded, particularly since—as I said in a 2009 ministerial grading column—“he must contend with a few hopeless jokers in his boardroom, who seem out of touch with public sentiment and merely concerned with the pomp and trappings of high office, living in their world of fantasy.”  Although Mr. Ingraham has further diversified his Cabinet since then, there were/are certain ministers who, in my opinion, were/are not the ideal choices and who appear to have been mere space cadets. While there have been a few top-tier ministers, there have been others who, in my opinion, have mismanaged the sky-high expectations of the Bahamian people, some of them having wilted under pressure.

 Quite honestly, as I think over the last five years, there are some ministers whose feeble performances, lily-livered nature and wringing of hands should, in my opinion, have left them handcuffed to the backbenches of Parliament.  Frankly, there are those who have been mere talking heads—underachievers whose ministerial supervision has been mired in mediocrity, leaving one to wonder if they are mentally on a beach, building sandcastles and collecting seashells as opposed to rendering effective ministerial service.

 Sharing the title of fifth worst minister is Claire Hepburn (now Supreme Court Justice) and Sir Michael Barnett (now Chief Justice) for what was, at that time, equally pitiful performances as Minister of Legal Affairs/Attorney General (AG). Both Mrs. Hepburn and Sir Michael earned an I for incomplete or a QF for what appeared to have been a quick failure in their ministerial posts.

 During their terms, there seemed little to no tangible evidence of any attempt to hasten the alleviation of the overwhelming case backlog and hardly any notable legislative initiatives to advance the reformation of the judicial system.

 Frankly, during the tenures of Hepburn/Barnett (as AG), there was little to no improvement in the infrastructure or administration of justice/legal system, hardly any initiatives undertaken relative to the tenure and payment of judges, no new hiring and recruiting of attorneys to the AG’s office to deal with issues such as trade reform and criminal matters and little efforts made to incentivise lawyers to leave their practices and sit on the Bench. At that time, I felt that someone should have tickled them as both Mrs. Hepburn and Mr. Barnett had seemingly fallen asleep at the wheel.

 As the chief ministers of justice, both former Attorneys General did little to confront the deficiencies in the justice system and show that justice in the Bahamas is transparent. Frankly, both of the past Attorneys General scarcely made the public aware of any amendments to laws or the introduction of Bills to confront 21st century criminals. The then justice ministers both appeared to operate in a reactionary state.

  Moreover, I felt that there was not a resolute thrust for disciplinary action to be taken against corrupt attorneys, that there was no provisioning of additional resources for police prosecutors and that they were flawed in their failure to bring in or hire special prosecutors.

 All-in-all, Mrs. Hepburn’s/Mr. Barnett’s respective terms as AG was, in my opinion, abysmal.

 Fourth on the list of worst ministers is Neko Grant—primarily in his capacity as Minister of Tourism and Aviation. Mr. Grant was perhaps the worst tourism minister in modern Bahamian history. He performed dreadfully during his time at the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (MOTA).

 It seemed a gross miscalculation to appoint Mr. Grant in the aforesaid portfolio as he appeared to be overwhelmed by such a difficult assignment. Under his leadership, sources told me that morale at the MOTA was at an all-time low and that the Bahamas had drastically lost market share.

 Mismanagement, coupled with the recession that occurred during the now Works Minister’s posting, had the Bahamas headed for its worst tourism year in seven or eight years and the worst summer in 10 years. Although other mitigating factors—such as the economic crunch in the US—was at play, the tourism yield appeared to have nosedived under Grant who seemed visionless and out of his depth.

  Former Minister of Lands and Local Government Sidney Collie roars into third place. Overall, Mr Collie was a flimsy minister who performed dismally and, in the face of a possible firing and reshuffling of the Cabinet, suddenly resigned in 2008. His term in office reminds me of a tired yawn.

 In June 2008, a court ruled that the proper processes were not followed in the run-up to that year’s constitutionally flawed, local government elections. This resulted in those elections not going ahead in nine areas.

 During his administration, Mr. Collie advanced no draft legislation to address and update the rent control act, land reform and price control.

 In a 2008 column, I wrote:

  “Having grown up on an island, I am also aware that local government has numerous deficiencies, including empowering certain persons in small communities to victimize or repeatedly grant jobs/contracts to a favoured few. This must be carefully monitored!”

 I see no evidence of where Mr. Collie took heed.

 Even more, what was perplexing is that whilst Mr. Collie was “Minister of Lands” in title, however the substantial land portfolio fell under the purview of the Prime Minister. Was that an indication of the PM’s lack of confidence in Mr. Collie’s abilities?

 Ranking second on the list of worst FNM ministers from 2007 to now is Carl Bethel, the former Minister of Education.

 Mr. Bethel, the smug and ostentatious former minister—now FNM chairman—has become the nowhere man of Bahamian politics, having been promptly dismissed on the convention floor during his party’s conclave and relegated to a permanent place on the political backbench.

 Whilst there may have also been some institutional encumbrances, Mr Bethel was a bellicose grandstander under whose leadership the Ministry of Education (MOE) appears to have floundered. During his tenure, the MOE was accused of being slow to react to charges of molestation against teachers. That said, I was reliably told that there was evidence showing where the Department of Education had attempted to suppress complaints against accused persons long before Mr. Bethel entered the hot seat.

 During Bethel’s term, there appeared to be no concerted effort towards educational and curriculum reform, no specific plan for the proper training of security personnel and no teacher-mentoring programmes were instituted.  Perhaps, one of the former minister’s greatest downfalls was the perception that he did not take advice and exuded a know-it-all air of pomposity that did not bode well in a community-oriented ministry such as the MOE.

 Bethel’s supervision at Education saw increasing incidents of school violence and the recording and circulation of school porn and school fights via YouTube to thousands of viewers. Unfortunately, a student was also killed on a school campus during that time.

 Due to Carl Bethel’s calamitous political record, particularly during his last posting at the MOE—of which he was publicly relieved by PM Ingraham—party insiders have expressed wonderment about his capacity to effectively run a concession stand.

 Hands down, the worst minister of the Ingraham government—circa 2007 to 2012—has been Tommy Turnquest, the Minister of National Security.

 When it comes to combating crime and implementing a much-promised strategic crime fighting plan, Mr Turnquest seems to be on Pluto. He lacks the common touch and, in the Cabinet deck of cards, seems a joker. At times, Mr Turnquest appears egg-heady and, even more, completely out of his depth—I thought his request for an Australian journalist to apologize for a documentary on the crime rate in the Bahamas was evidence of his cluelessness about the crime situation and the perceptions of Bahamians and visitors alike.

 

 Let me first say that Mr. Turnquest has politically matured and has become superb on the campaign stump this election cycle. His delivery is much more fluid and he has adopted a “take no prisoners” stance. He has also been a competent manager of Parliamentary affairs as leader of government business in the House of Assembly.

 That said, his term as National Security minister has been a long, stupendously ineffective blur. In his post, he seems a rank amateur, who appears one-dimensional in his directorial capacity.

 The fear of crime has risen as the populace has also lost confidence in Mr. Turnquest’s ministerial leadership.

 Whilst Mr. Turnquest cannot be held accountable for social conditions, what happens in people's homes or the fact that Bahamian society is becoming increasing amoral, the nightmare of street violence must be a political headache, as voters are increasingly becoming disaffected with the soaring crime rate. Crime is a looming economic threat and, undeniably, there is a need for a moral awakening in the Bahamas.

 Crime is spiraling out of control, yet Mr. Turnquest appears to have no feasible crime fighting strategy. Whilst the minister is great at quoting statistics, the level of criminality has degenerated to a point where prevention is nearly unheard of and Bahamians are now going to bed and waking up expectantly inquiring about the number and identities of the injured or murdered, rather than asking if someone was murdered.

 There must be greater, effective collaboration between the National Security Ministry and the Attorney General's office. The notion that sadistic criminals can be granted bail in record time—even with the recent amendments— and the fact that there's a case backlog, militates against the efficient and timely prosecution and sentencing of criminals.

 As Minister of National Security, Mr. Turnquest should have engaged in more hands on dialogue and reportage to the public, soliciting responses and an exchange of ideas about crime. The Commissioner of Police persistently notes the Police Force's efforts in pursuing community policing, but much more can be done to encourage community participation or to foster a partnership between the police and civil society (church, civic groups, social scientists, academics, etc). Today, residents in certain communities are apprehensive about sharing information with the police, as some claim that they have lost faith in the police holding their identities in the strictest confidence. Indeed, community policing can open the door for greater intelligence-gathering, particularly since the criminally-minded mostly commit crimes against persons residing within their communities. Furthermore, some police officers should immediately participate in desperately needed seminars in civility in order to heighten their obvious lack of interpersonal skills and decorum.

 In fighting crime, the seemingly defunct Urban Renewal Programme could have been revamped and utilized more effectively. In the past, the focus of the programme was merely on marching bands and police walkabouts, but it should be modified and used as a community mechanism to generate meaningful employment, teaching high school dropouts and training people for the workplace and entrepreneurial ventures.

 Moreover, greater incorporation of civil society in the national security conversation can offer solutions and foster dialogue among people with specialised knowledge.

 Does Mr. Turnquest truly have an appreciation for the level of social discontent associated with crime and his ministry's response?

 We are all waiting for a report of the workability of the ankle bracelets for alleged criminals out on bail?

 As I’ve said before, the entire prison should be razed. Fox Hill prison has structural issues that cannot simply be resolved by building on to the present, archaic structure. A new structural design must reflect the latest approach to incarceration, which implores that greater emphasis be placed on reform. That said, I do applaud Mr Turnquest for ensuring the construction of special courts at the current prison to facilitate speedier trials and alleviate the burden of transporting high-risk prisoners, on remand, from the prison to the courts in Bank Lane the usual dangerous and high speed manner. However, a new prison should, in the near future, be constructed on Andros or another island with tremendous land resources.

 The Broadcasting Corporation (ZNS), for which Mr. Turnquest is also responsible, needs further re-directing and large scale retrenchment. ZNS continues to be plagued by inefficient, antiquated programming that lacks in-depth investigation and research, needs upgraded and quality production and a systemic transition from analog to digital signals. Whilst ZNS has got rid of staff, there is no evidence of a serious transition to a true public broadcasting network.

 And why am I hearing accounts of ZNS reporters being muzzled and sanctioned for their pursuit of stories?

 On a positive note, Mr. Turnquest did oversee the purchase of equipment, vehicles and planes for law enforcement agencies and there has been a move to equip the police with technical facilities (DNA lab). However, based on my conversations with police officers of all political persuasions, one wonders if police officers are satisfied that they are suitably rewarded and protected (e.g. bulletproof vests)?

 Perception is reality in politics and it appears that Mr. Turnquest lacks the political will to read death warrants, ushering in the finalization of legal appeals so that convicted murderers can receive their court-ordered, just desserts. More could have also been done by Mr Turnquest to supervise the establishment of a witness protection programme to protect state witnesses who are being bumped off!

 Indeed, whilst there is no blame game for crime, the extent of Mr. Turnquest's national security experience is as an assistant bank manager.  After a tumultuous reign, Mr. Turnquest is undoubtedly the weakest of Mr. Ingraham’s major portfolio selections.

 There are also several other mediocre Cabinet ministers who are runner-ups on the list for the five worst ministers, namely: Minister of State for Lands and Local Government, Byron “Mr. Stealth” Woodside and Minister of State for Social Services Loretta Butler-Turner who, if I may add, is a very nice lady.

 Next week, the best of the 2007-2012 Ingraham Cabinet….

Caribbean Blog International                         

...exactly why was Ken Russell fired from Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham's Cabinet?

Cabinet rules that led to firing

By LARRY SMITH



WELL, this is all very confusing, isn’t it?

Just before an election the leader of the FNM gets into a nomination spat with a three-time successful candidate in one of the party’s Grand Bahama strongholds.

The 58-year-old candidate is a Cabinet minister, who has complained publicly about changes to the boundaries of his High Rock constituency, recently redrawn as East Grand Bahama. And in quick time, he is sacked from the Cabinet and starts behaving like Tennyson Wells – right before the election.

So what is this all about? Where does party business end and government business begin in this political squabble? And exactly why was Ken Russell fired?

Social media websites were deluged over the weekend with questions and opinions on these unusual developments. Most of those comments, and much newspaper coverage as well, focused on the nomination issue, and the supposed rift between “original” FNMs and so-called “Ingrahamites”, who joined the party after 1990.

For example, Ivan Johnson in The Punch said the controversy revolved around Russell’s “gross disrespect” of Ingraham over the nomination issue. And tensions were so high at a meeting in Grand Bahama on Sunday, The Punch said, that a special security detail had to accompany the prime minister.

This was denied to me by individuals who attended the packed meeting in Freeport, and an online video of Ingraham’s remarks showed no evidence of dissent or hostility amongst the exuberant crowd of FNM supporters, despite Ken Russell’s obvious presence in the audience.

“The PM has enraged the Cecilite FNMs with his cold and harsh treatment” of Ken Russell, Kendal Wright and Verna Grant, The Punch wrote on Monday. Meanwhile, Russell had earlier told the Freeport News he did not know why he was fired. Branding Ingraham a “tyrant”, he said he would seek to run in the next election anyway.

However, insiders say the sacking had little to do with Russell’s attempt to hold onto the FNM nomination, or to any disagreement over the redrawing of constituency boundaries. He was fired because he publicly opposed a Cabinet decision.

Under our system of government, ministers must support in public the collective judgment of the government and their Cabinet colleagues. A minister who cannot support a major government policy is expected to resign. Or face dismissal by the prime minister.

This is clearly spelled out in The Manual on Cabinet Procedure: “A fundamental principle of Cabinet government is unity. It is important to present a united front to the public. If any minister feels conscientiously unable to support a decision taken by Cabinet, he has one course open to him and that is to resign his office.”

And in a telling comment to The Tribune by Maurice Moore – one of the original so-called “Cecilites” and the former parliamentary representative for High Rock – “Russell didn’t handle the matter correctly.”

In fact, the reason for Ken Russell’s firing goes back to the waning months of the Christie administration, when the government received a proposal from an American company known as Beka Development. Beka reportedly wanted to acquire 64,000 acres in east Grand Bahama at a concessionary price of $2,800 per acre.

According to Sir Arthur Foulkes, writing in The Tribune in March 2007, “Mr Christie and his colleagues in the PLP government must have taken leave of their senses even to entertain such a proposal. But it is obvious that preliminary talks have taken place and that Beka has been encouraged to proceed.”

Since then, Beka has turned its attentions to the island of Eleuthera, where it is supposedly pursuing a multi-million-dollar project on privately owned pristine coastline at South Point. This project is opposed by environmentalists, and last summer Beka said its failure to advance the Grand Bahama project was also due to environmental issues, “and the fact that 80 per cent of the required land was government-owned”.

Meanwhile, the original east Grand Bahama project seems to have morphed into something else. Last year, The Tribune reported that a mysterious company called “the Cylin Group, whose principals include the daughter of the Chinese defence minister, was looking at a major tourism development on 2,000 acres of land in the Sharp Rock area”.

This project was said to include hotels, a casino, a cruiseship terminal and a marina to be built by Chinese companies. Most of the land was said to be owned by the Grand Bahama Development Corp (Devco) and the Port Group. Devco is half owned by the Port Group and half by Hutchinson Whampoa, a Chinese company.

Insiders say that after the FNM took office in May 2007 the Grand Bahama Port Authority told government it had not agreed to transfer any land to Cylin, and subsequent inquiries as to where the money for the project was coming from were not favourable. “Nevertheless, the government gave the project the benefit of the doubt and allowed it to come before Cabinet, where it was voted down on four separate occasions.”

In Ingraham’s own words, “we would like to have any kind of project in Grand Bahama, but we also want to do things that we think make sense and not everybody who comes along and says we’ve got something is somebody who we could trust”. He added that Russell promoted the project in public even though it had been rejected by the government four times.

On Monday, Russell admitted as much to The Freeport News. He said he was working with investors seeking to do a $1.5 billion development on Grand Bahama. He acknowledged that the investors had applied to the Port Authority for land but their request had been turned down. Very little is known about this proposed project or the developers themselves.

The nomination issue is a separate matter, insiders say. This is apparently a case of the FNM leadership trying to recruit fresh talent to revitalise the party ahead of an election. However, there are those who argue that the Cabinet rules issue was a pretext to get rid of Russell, an ineffective minister who was obstinately refusing to step down as a candidate despite an earlier undertaking to do so.

In this context, there is no doubt that the FNM leadership has the biggest say in deciding the slate of election candidates. According to the party’s constitution, candidates are recommended by the executive committee (chaired by the party leader), after consultation with constituency associations. The recommendations are then ratified by the FNM council, which is also chaired by the party leader.

“I met with the High Rock, now East Grand Bahama, Constituency Association earlier this afternoon,” Ingraham told the crowd in Freeport on Sunday, “and invited them to put forward the names of at least two candidates that you could consider to carry your party’s flag for East Grand Bahama in the next election, and I expect to hear from them in short order.”

He added that some sitting FNM members of parliament will resign of their own volition and others will be asked to make way for new candidates.

The subtext to all this is the future of the Grand Bahama Port Authority itself – a private franchise with enormous value for the country as a whole. Insiders say that the island’s economic woes combined with the Port Authority’s lack of direction creates a huge dilemma for the government, which does not want to be seen as intervening heavy-handedly in private enterprise, abrogating the Hawksbill Creek Agreement or pre-empting the courts.

But at the meeting on Sunday Ingraham put the GBPA on notice. “After the next election we will say to the Port Authority, this or that. And so it will be very much a question of Grand Bahama’s future in the next general election, which will take place not long from now.” It is not clear what he meant, and Ingraham declined to elaborate for me.

Meanwhile, the opposition PLP is said to be working assiduously behind the scenes to get disgruntled FNM’s to run for the PLP or cross the floor and support a vote of no confidence in the government. This would presumably force the prime minister to dissolve parliament, after which a general election must be held within 90 days.

If this does not happen the government can constitutionally continue in office until May 2 (the date of the 2007 election), when parliament must be dissolved and an election held within 90 days. So theoretically, the prime minister has until the end of July to hold elections, although most observers believe a February poll is more likely.

Of course, most observers believed a November election was in the cards too.


• What do you think? Send comments to larry@tribunemedia.net, or visit bahamapundit.

December 15, 2011

tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham on the firing of the Minister of Housing, Kenneth Russell from his Cabinet

PM: Why I fired minister


By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net


BEFORE a packed room of FNM supporters, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham yesterday explained in detail why he fired Minister of Housing Kenneth Russell from his Cabinet.

He met with the FNM's High Rock Council and has invited members to put forth at least two names as candidates that the party could consider for the new East Grand Bahama seat in the next general.

Supporters turned out at the Foster Pestaina Hall at Christ the King Church at 4pm to hear from Mr Ingraham.

He was greeted with cheers and applause as he made his way into the auditorium. Also present were Brent Symonette, deputy leader, MP Zhivargo Laing, Senator David Thompson, and former Cabinet Ministers and MPs Maurice Moore, and C A Smith.

Prime Minister Ingraham said he did what any Prime Minister would do to a minister who acted in a manner inconsistent with the Cabinet of the Bahamas.

Mr Ingraham stated that sometime ago, he had sent Brent Symonette, the deputy leader of the FNM, to speak with Ken Russell about stepping aside.

Mr Russell, he said, had sent a message with profanity back with Mr Symonette.

Mr Ingraham said he had chosen Russell to replace Maurice Moore in High Rock, and had appointed him to his Cabinet.

He stated that the party is always in search of new and additional talent and that was the purpose of asking Mr Russell to step aside.

The Prime Minister said he spoke with Mr Russell himself and informed him that after the next election, if the FNM was successful, he did not intend to put him back in Cabinet, and suggested that he step aside so the party can nominate someone else.

"I made him an offer of what will happen for him if he did that. He told me he would get back to me next week," Mr Ingraham said.

The Prime Minister said at a meeting in Grand Bahama, Elkenny Pinder and Mr Russell had questioned him about a proposed project for East Grand Bahama.

Mr Ingraham said the matter was considered by the Government of the Bahamas on four separate occasions, and on each occasion they could not and would not support the project.

"In fact, we would love to have a project like that in Grand Bahama and in the Bahamas, but ... not everybody who comes to the Bahamas and says we got something is somebody who you could trust," he said.

After returning to New Providence, Mr Ingraham withdrew the offer he made to Mr Russell.

"I told him the offer I made last week is hereby withdrawn, because if it wasn't so near to the election, 'I would fire you for what you did,' " he said.

"He (Mr Russell) explained himself but that did not change my view. I told him I decided that he had to tender his resignation."

"He did not tender his resignation and so I dismissed him. Although I dismissed him, he is still my friend," Mr Ingraham said.

Mr Ingraham also said that Mr Russell had made a remark, "Who does Hubert Ingraham think he is?"

"I am the leader of the FNM. You elected me as your leader. I assure you I did what any Prime Minister would do to a minister who acted in a manner inconsistent with Cabinet of the government of the Bahamas.

"There is nothing personal, I did what had to be done," he said.

While in Grand Bahama, Mr Ingraham met with the High Rock, now East Grand Bahama Constituency Council, and invited members to put forward to the party at least two candidates that the party could consider to carry the party's banner in East Grand Bahama in the next general.

"As you know Grand Bahama is important to the FNM. It is important for the FNM to renew itself by bringing in new additional talent.

"Maurice Moore made it possible for Ken Russell; David made it possible for Zhivargo Laing, and I got in Abaco because Charles Bootle made room for me," he explained.

"We want for this election to put forward the best team that we can. In order to do that, some of our members who are now in the House are going to retire.

"Some have asked to go on their own volition, and some are going to be asked not to go again," Ingraham said.

The leader of the FNM said he will unveil to the Bahamas in the coming weeks, the FNM's line up for the next general election.

"I am asking Grand Bahama to continue to support us. We are the best party for Grand Bahama and the best for the Bahamas.

"The evidence of our goodness in Grand Bahama can be seen, heard and touched. Your choice in the general election is going to be very simple, PLP or FNM; Hubert Ingraham or Perry Christie would be Prime Minister of the Bahamas.

"Never mind the noise in market. It is, will be, PLP or FNM. You are in safe hands with the FNM.

"Grand Bahama, we want to inject in our parliament some new blood.

"We ask Grand Bahama to accept the new blood. We want you in GB to select at least two names for the seats in Grand Bahama," the Prime Minister said.

Mr Ingraham said the seats that were reconfigured in Grand Bahama were done in response to the feedback from the people

"We have not reconfigured Marco City and Pine Ridge, we reconfigured those seats for a reason. We listened to your cry in Grand Bahama and much of what we do is in response to what you say," he said.

"There is nothing sinister about what we are doing. We do have your best interest at heart," he told residents of Grand Bahama.

Mr Ingraham then asked supporters to stand in recognition of the late FNM stalwant Ron Darville who died yesterday.

December 12, 2011

tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

Minister of Youth, Sports and Housing Neville Wisdom, under whose portfolio Junkanoo fell before the February Cabinet reshuffle, disputed a portion of the Auditor General most recent report

Minister Disputes Audit

 

 

 

 

By Candia Dames

Nassau, Bahamas

12 May 2006

 

 

 

Minister of Youth, Sports and Housing Neville Wisdom, under whose portfolio Junkanoo fell before the February Cabinet reshuffle, disputed a portion of the Auditor General's most recent report on Thursday as it related to the controversial 2002 million-dollar Junkanoo bleacher contract.

 

As reported by the Bahama Journal, the Auditor General said that based on documentation from the then Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture it appears that the contract for rental of the bleachers did not receive Cabinet approval before an agreement was signed between the ministry and Towers Scaffold Services INC.

 

But the minister said this is not so.

 

"The Cabinet approved the bleacher contract," he indicated. Mr. Wisdom said the contract was approved before it was signed.

 

The Auditor General noted that Section 58 of the Financial Regulations states that the Cabinet shall make all contracts for supplies, works and services required by the government for amounts in excess of $250,000.

 

But the report said that based on documentation from the ministry, the ministry entered an agreement with Towers Scaffold Services INC. on October 28, 2002. However, approval for the venture was noted on November 28, 2002.

 

Asked to explain this, Minister Wisdom said that oftentimes Cabinet conclusions do not come out immediately when decisions are made. He suggested that this might be the case as it relates to the Junkanoo bleacher contract, although he was not sure.

 

The report also said that an examination of smaller Junkanoo bleacher contracts awarded during the 2002/2003 season revealed that the contracting parties did not sign three contracts.

 

The three contracts, the report said, were awarded in the amounts of $1,800 each.

 

To this, Minister Wisdom said, "I know absolutely nothing about that."

 

He promised to give a more detailed response after reviewing the Auditor General's Report, which was released in very limited numbers.

 

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Brent Symonette, who is the Member of Parliament for Montagu, has continued to ask the government to provide each member of the committee with a copy of the report so that it can meet.

 

Mr. Symonette made his most recent request on the floor of the House on Wednesday evening.

 

The other members of the committee are Lucaya MP Neko Grant (FNM); Long Island MP Larry Cartwright (FNM); Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP Philip "Brave" Davis (PLP); and St. Thomas More MP Frank Smith (PLP).

 

Mr. Symonette told the Bahama Journal on Thursday that it's sad that the government has not been able to come up with five copies of the report for the members of the committee.

 

He said that when the committee meets it will call officials of the various ministries in for questioning.

 

He said the permanent secretary of the former Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture will be among those called.

 

"We're going to ask for various contracts and ask when they were executed," Mr. Symonette said.

 

Asked whether the Auditor General's report that the ministry violated the financial regulations concerned him, he said, "It concerns me a lot."

 

"The auditor general asked the government to verify the information and the government failed to do so, and the auditor noted it," Mr. Symonette added.

 

"This is a very fundamental issue. [Minister Wisdom] never should have signed this contract without approval."

 

The auditor general said that relevant Cabinet conclusions regarding the Junkanoo arrangements were not forthcoming. Therefore, he relied on information from files at the ministry. The report was tabled in the House of Assembly several days ago.

 

After the million-dollar contract was executed to rent the bleachers, Minister Wisdom faced a firestorm in the House of Assembly over the arrangements.

 

At one point, he informed that, "Yes, a million dollars is being invested, but the return anticipated from the exercise is $3 million."

 

But the auditor general noted that the revenue for ticket sales was estimated at $2.1 million, but only $695,000 was realized.

 

The auditor general recommended that for future years the budgetary process should be "more realistic".

 

During the Junkanoo bleacher contract debacle, the Bahama Journal reported that a draft report from the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche had put losses to the Bahamian taxpayers at $1,189,562 during the Junkanoo season in question.

 

Amid criticisms from opposition forces, Minister Wisdom consistently denied that his ministry executed the bleacher contract without first getting the necessary approval from Cabinet.

 

With the newly released Auditor General's Report resurrecting the controversy, it's likely that he will face further questions about the contract.

 

Prime Minister Perry Christie now has ministerial responsibility for the Junkanoo parades, which come under the Culture portfolio.

The Constitutional Commission: The Bahamas should be a Democratic Parliamentary Republic with the Head of State being The President

The Constitutional Commission Recommends that The English Monarch no Longer Be Head of State of The Bahamas and The Office of The Governor General Be Abolished

Abolish Governor General

By Candia Dames

Nassau, The Bahamas

23 March 2006

Saying that the time has come for a Bahamian head of state to be elected by both Houses of Parliament, the Constitutional Commission is recommending that the English monarch no longer be head of state of The Bahamas and the office of the governor general be abolished.

The Commission also says in its preliminary report presented to Prime Minister Perry Christie at his Cable Beach office on Wednesday that The Bahamas should be a democratic parliamentary republic with the head of state being the president.

"Executive powers shall continue to be exercised by the cabinet with the head of government being the prime minister," the report recommends.

It also says the head of state should be a citizen of The Bahamas.

The Commission found it "curious" that there is no requirement for the holder of the office of governor general to be a citizen of The Bahamas.

"Because of the method of appointment of the governor general, it hardly seems logical that the person appointed to this office would be a non-Bahamian," the report says.  "To remove all doubt it should be declared that the governor general or head of state be a Bahamian citizen."

The report says it is apparent that the position of head of state of The Bahamas is not seen in reality to be the Queen of Great Britain, who constitutionally is also the Queen of The Bahamas.

It adds, "People appear not to be troubled by the concept and are apparently satisfied to regard the governor general, although wrongly, to be the head of state of The Bahamas.  The reaction to the proposition that the queen is constitutionally queen of The Bahamas was usually met with silence."

The Commission notes on page 12 of its preliminary report that the abolition of the English monarch as head of state of the Bahamas is part of the evolutionary process toward a truly peoples government, not one of the Queen’s dominions, but part of the Commonwealth.

The report says, "The Commission would wish the Bahamian people to focus on whether the position of a foreign monarch and one that is shared with many other countries, is reconcilable with the founding provisions which state The Bahamas shall be a ‘sovereign’ democratic state.

"We cannot on the one hand assert ourselves as a sovereign country and a free and independent actor in international affairs while relying on the legal fiction of ‘Her Majesty in Parliament’ and ‘Her Majesty’s Government’ in the ‘speech from the throne’ to give legitimacy to our government."

Additionally, the report says it is conceded that in an increasingly interdependent world the concept of sovereignty as it denotes a self-sufficient national territory is waning; sovereignty must denote an independent legal entity, where some supreme body has virtually unlimited capacity to make laws.

It notes that although the existence and validity and rules in the country’s legal system are determined by reference to a written constitution, those laws still require the participation of the ‘Queen in Parliament’ to be properly enacted.

"This is inconsistent with being a completely independent legal entity," the report says.

The report reveals that during its consultations on every inhabited Bahamian island, except three cays in the Exumas, there were mixed feelings about the retention of the Queen of England as Queen of The Bahamas and head of state of The Bahamas.

It notes that there was a significant number of persons who expressed no opinion on the institution of monarchy; there were others who were of the opinion that the status quo should remain, while others were of the view that this link to the British Monarchy was inconsistent with Bahamian independence and sovereignty and should be severed while preserving membership with the Commonwealth of which queen is symbolic head.

The Commission recommends that the provision of the Constitution that permits the chief justice and the president of the senate to serve as acting head of state should be removed to avoid a conflict of interest.

Deputies should be appointed from among eminent citizens to fill any vacancies of that office, the report says.

Prime Minister Perry Christie Says No To Cabinet Shuffle

Christie said he disagreed with the notion that making changes to his Cabinet was a must because it is a sign of good governance

No Cabinet Reshuffle

By Candia Dames

candiadames@hotmail.com

Nassau, The Bahamas

03/05/2004

Saying that he does not want to disrupt major projects underway in various ministries, Prime Minister Perry Christie has shelved plans to make "adjustments" to his Cabinet.

"I have to have a real purpose for changing because the results are important," said Mr. Christie, who was a guest on the Radio Love 97 Programme "Jones and Company" which aired Sunday.

He said he disagreed with the notion that making changes to his Cabinet was a must because it is a sign of good governance.

Rumors regarding the prime minister's planned Cabinet reshuffle have been rife over the past several weeks, with Mr. Christie indicating to the Journal at the beginning of the year that he planned to make changes to his team.

At the time, he said, "The prime minister must always examine his government with a view to making adjustments and most certainly I am looking at making adjustments."

But on the Sunday programme, Mr. Christie revealed a change of heart.

He explained that he did not want to draw attention to a small number of ministers and ministries by making one or two changes.

"So as not to put undue pressure on one or two ministries by making adjustments, I decided to wait for a certain process to complete itself," the prime minister said.

He indicated that he is generally pleased with the job being done by his ministers, pointing to several examples.

"I realized that in tourism, for example, I had a minister in the middle of new marketing programmes that have resulted, that will continue to result in, an improvement of [the industry]," the prime minister said.

He added that if he were to make changes to the portfolio of Works and Utilities Minister Bradley Roberts, it could further delay the New Providence road improvement programme many people are anxious to see start and finish.

Pointing to Labour and Immigration Minister Vincent Peet, Mr. Christie said in considering whether to make adjustments, he realized that, "I had a Minister of Labour who had proven to be acceptable on the part of and had credibility with labour unions."

In addition, he pointed to what he indicated was a fine job being done by Minister of Housing and National Insurance Shane Gibson.

"I had a Minister of Housing who, in 22 months had build 558 houses, [compared to the former government] that built in ten years 780 houses," Mr. Christie said.  "So I had a minister who was functioning efficiently."

In recent weeks, government officials have been pointing to their record on building houses, as an example of what they say is significant progress being made by the administration.

In the case of Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna Martin, Mr. Christie said it would be difficult to change her right now, given that she is working to meet a crucial international July deadline for the upgrade of port security throughout the country.

He also said that it would be unwise to reassign Youth, Sports and Culture Neville Wisdom who is working on very important youth projects, including the implementation of a National Youth Service.

Mr. Christie said, "I had to take stock of what I call the complex nature of governance and judge what I do by the results I hope to achieve and the results I hope to achieve will be attainable if I delayed what I intended to do."

Prime Minister Perry Christie To Do The Cabinet Shuffle

But Christie said he did not want to go into details regarding the specific changes he planned to make to his Cabinet

PM Finalizing Shuffle

By Candia Dames

candiadames@hotmail.com

02/01/2004

Prime Minister Perry Christie has put speculation to rest, indicating that he is finalizing plans to shuffle his Cabinet.

"The prime minister must always examine his government with a view to making adjustments and most certainly I am looking at making adjustments," Mr. Christie told the Bahama Journal recently.

But he said he did not want to go into details regarding the specific changes he planned to make to his Cabinet.

Rumours regarding his planned Cabinet shuffle have been rife over the past several weeks, but Mr. Christie had been tight-lipped on the matter.

The Journal was informed by a source close to the government that one of the changes the prime minister was considering is making Financial Services and Investments Minister Allyson Maynard-Gibson Attorney General.  Mrs. Maynard-Gibson would still retain her present portfolio, according to the source.

With the many challenges being faced in improving the national examination average from a "D", it would probably come as no surprise to many if changes were made to the portfolio of present Attorney General and Minister of Education Alfred Sears.

The Official Opposition has long been calling for changes to the Cabinet - demanding the removal of certain ministers from government altogether.

Free National Movement Leader Senator Tommy Turnquest told the Journal Friday that, "We've made it very clear over the past few weeks that we think to have a minister responsible for both Education and the Attorney General's Office is not in the best interest of the education system or the legal system of The Bahamas.  We believe there ought to be some changes in that regard."

Again calling for the removal of Neville Wisdom as the Minister responsible for culture, Mr. Turnquest added, "We believe that after two consecutive years of having controversy in Junkanoo there ought to be movement in that regard and we ought to move Neville Wisdom from the portfolio of culture that is responsible for Junkanoo.

"We believe that he ought to be removed out of the Cabinet altogether.  But at a minimum, he ought to be relieved of the portfolio of culture, which includes Junkanoo."

Mr. Turnquest also said the Official Opposition believes that Trade and Industry Minister Leslie Miller should be sacked, given the fact that The Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation has already been removed from his portfolio, which Mr. Turnquest said was the main aspect of his responsibilities.

"Leslie Miller publicly said he did not know what was going on at BAIC and for a Minister to say that about a matter under his portfolio is condemnation in itself," Mr. Turnquest told the Journal.  "For that statement alone he ought to have been relieved of his Cabinet responsibility."

But Minister Miller's response to that was that, "Tommy Turnquest needs to get a life and find something constructive to do for 2004."

"I don't have time for foolishness," said Minister Miller, when asked to respond to Mr. Turnquest's suggestion.  "What about his mishandling at the Ministry of Tourism?  He's not even the true leader of the Opposition."

He said he does not pay attention to anything Mr. Turnquest has to say.

But Minister Miller added, "I wish him all the best for 2004."

In his interview with the Bahama Journal, Mr. Turnquest also said one of the biggest disappointments in the Cabinet has been Glenys Hanna-Martin, the minister responsible for transport and aviation.

"I had very high hopes for her because she is a very intelligent person...but I have been very disappointed with her over the past 12 months...I think she ought to be removed to a more suitable portfolio," he said.  "I believe she has the skills to perform in government, I just have been disappointed with her performance in government.  She hasn't done a good job in that portfolio.

"In terms of looking at it objectively, those are comments I think are shared by a cross section of the Bahamian society."

But he added, "We also accept the fact that the appointment of the Cabinet is the prerogative of the prime minister."

However, Mr. Turnquest charged that "the country has been drifting aimlessly without a clear national plan and the prime minister ought now to seriously consider appointing men and women in portfolios best suited to them as we move forward because we do want the Bahamas to succeed."