Political victimization and incompetence on the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF)

By Dennis Dames:

I received a telephone call from my father today.  He is a retired Assistant Superintendent (ASP) of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF).  He’s very outraged about a Superintendent of that organization in the name of Stephanie Demeritte, escorting prisoners to court.  He says that it is out of place and dead wrong; it’s really a job for a Constable. 

 

My dad further stated that Superintendents are essentially executive officers on the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) - who in some cases, command hundreds of men and women.  He said that it was also wrong to have had the late Superintendent Sands performing the same low ranking work.

It is a shame to see Superintendent Demeritte like the late Sands waste away in a senior rank which is just below Assistant Commissioner.  It is a reflection of an organization which appears to be in the evil grip of politicians, or plain old incompetence.  The Commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police Force should be embarrassed and ashamed every time he sees a senior commander of his force in the newspapers or on the evening news holding on to prisoners on their way to court.

It’s a situation, according to my father – which no doubt is contributing to the low morale on the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF).  Why would a competent Bahamian join an organization that has no respect for its executive rank?  It means that it’s possible for a Superintendent of police in The Bahamas to direct traffic, work on the fire truck, be a chauffeur et al - under the existing status quo.

It is not a good reflection for the future of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) in my opinion.  We need to do better in our beloved country, if we expect better.  Stop the political victimization and shallowness in The Bahamas; or like the late Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling (SLOP) use to say: What goes around comes around – my brother!

April 07, 2014

Political victimization in The Bahamas... ...as John Marquis concurs with Dennis Dames

Questions For John Marquis


 

EDITOR, The Tribune:




As we near the fortieth anniversary of independence, I too am saddened like John Marquis that some things never change. Mr. Marquis believes that the “PLP’s taste for intimidation and victimization appears to be one of them.” He wrote as much in his op ed, Marquis At Large” that was published in The Tribune on the 15th September 2012.

He went on to opine about the “redeployment” of senior staff at ZNS, playing favourites and loathsome practices within the government and government controlled corporations.

In my opinion, he sought to rewrite history and reflect the PLP government in a negative light while giving the FNM government a wink, a nod and a pass. This position is widely believed to be the official editorial policy of The Tribune.

I have this proposition and a few questions for John Marquis: Within one month of forming the government on 2nd May 2007, the FNM government released six employees from their contracts at the Bahamas Information Services (BIS). For the record, they were Gregory Christie and the late Dudley Byfield from the Grand Bahama office and Luther Smith, Al Dilette, Marlon Nichols and Steve McKinney from the Nassau office. In doing so did the FNM displayed “a taste for intimidation and victimization” as Mr Marquis so eloquently attributes to the PLP government? Was this FNM policy decision “indeed a sad and depressing state of affairs” as Mr. Marquis concurred it was as he echoed the sentiments of Guardian commentator Dennis Dames? Yes, Mr. Marquis, some things never change.

Further, Mr. Marquis had a platform in 2007 to revisit “the history of political victimization” in The Bahamas as he now finds it so convenient to do. In 2007, there was no outrage, no weeping, no wailing, no gnashing of teeth and no righteous indignation expressed over the unceremonious dismissal of our six fellow Bahamian brothers in what many believe to be part of a politically motivated purge of the public service by the strong arm of the FNM government.

Perhaps Mr. Marquis would want to dig deep and find an appropriate adjective to describe the actions of the then FNM government in the interest of fairness and balance. Does he have the journalistic integrity to direct some of the venom and invective (he ostensibly reserves for the PLP) at the policies and practices of the FNM, policies and practices he appears hell bent on excusing, winking at and looking that other way when chastisement was the appropriate response? Again he should do so in the interest of fairness and balance.

In the end I issue the same challenge to the leadership of the FNM as Mr. Marquis issues to Prime Minister Christie. I hope that the next FNM government “can summon the courage to outlaw victimization forever…for the nation’s sake.”

ELCOTT COLEBY

Nassau,

September 17, 2012

Tribune 242

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Political Victimization in the Bahamian Society

By Dennis Dames

The issue of political victimization in the Bahamian society is a grim one - which every political party that ruled The Bahamas is guilty of.  Healing and resolution will only come when the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Free National Movement (FNM), and the United Bahamian Party (UBP) principals admit to being associated with it.

Continuous denials will only sow seeds of distrust among the masses, because he who feels it knows it.  Nasty political divisions run deep in our country; and political victimization is the main reason for it – in my view.

The Bahamas will not mature gracefully and prosperously when we are hurting one another.  We are about to celebrate forty (40) years of Independence, and all we have to show for it is hazardous political gangs fighting to control our government and economy.

The people and country’s best interest have been lost somewhere along the way; and all we have just now is a battle to see who could fool the electorate to elect them, so that they could victimize the hell out of their political enemies without mercy.

Yes, we prefer to see our fellow Bahamian brothers and sisters as foes rather than partners for a better Bahamas for all and sundry.  This is indeed a sad and depressing state of affairs.

Respect is due to doctor Hubert Minnis - the leader of the Free National Movement (FNM), for admitting that his party did victimized Bahamians while in power, and thumbs down to those in the same party who say otherwise.

The good doctor should realize now that he has wicked adversaries within the ranks of the Free National Movement (FNM), and I believe that he has the public support in weeding out those who are in denial about his Party’s past victimization reality.

These are some grave times in our nation - and in order for us Bahamians to move forward, upward, onward and together – we must unite accordingly.  Political victimization is alive and well in The Bahamas today; and the governing party is not the only guilty party in this regard.

Check out the various political groups on Facebook – for example, and one would easily discover the high level of political intolerance amongst Bahamians - and towards Bahamians.  Even the most educated of us condescend to the lowest of levels when we do not agree with another brother or sister’s political perspective.  It’s like so many of us have turned in to political cannibals for the sake of dedicated political affiliation.

It’s destroying us, and we will proudly celebrate forty (40) years of being politically divisive in 2013.  What madness is this my people?

Caribbean Blog International