Dr. Andre Rollins and double standards

Dr. Andre Rollins and compromise. Or are we witnessing double standards?

By Rick Lowe


I think I can refer to Dr. Rollins as an acquaintance. He used to visit Nassau Institute events where we would exchange thoughts/ideas.

But as we pointed out in this post... in politics, Mr. Obama included, appears to force a double standard or compromise when it comes to his deciding when to send troops off to "war" for example.

We also have reports of a recently elected Republican in the US receiving farm subsides and when pressed would not offer to give his subsidy up. Saying something like, farm subsidies need to be rationalised. Go figure.

Now let's look a little closer to home, where we have a political figure stating that foreign investment is both good and bad.

According to a story in The Nassau Guardian on April 1, 2011 by Chester Robards, recently nominated PLP candidate Dr. Andre Rollins chastised the current government for not attracting foreign investors to The Bahamas.

He was quoted as saying; "We need to cause businesses to come here that are outside of the scope of our current economic model."

While he is correct that The Bahamas needs foreign direct investment he does not appear to have indicated what those foreign businesses are that should be asked to come in and invest.

But what's the double standard or compromise then?

Well Dr. Rollins party just came off a heated campaign against allowing a foreign company into the country to buy BTC the government monopoly phone company and now he says we need foreign investment.

I sometimes wonder how we say these things with a straight face. And to our College of The Bahamas students no less.

I must paraphrase Mencken yet again for a little respite from this:

I dislike double standards and the compromise of politics forces on values, common sense, common honesty. It seems this makes me forever ineligible for public office.

Oh, you might find this article on Politics as the Art of Confined Comprises interesting.

Monday, April 04, 2011

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Bahamian Labour Leaders At Odds Over the International Labour Organization - ILO Convention 87

The pros and cons of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 87

Labour Leaders At Odds Over Freedom Of Association

 

By Candia Dames

Nassau, The Bahamas

21/06/2004

 

 

Two leaders of the country's trade union umbrella organizations have different views on whether proposed legislation should soon be brought to parliament to enact the much talked about ILO Convention 87.

This would allow workers to join the union of their choice, as opposed to the union of their craft.

Trade Union Congress President Obie Ferguson continues to press the government to pass the necessary laws to give employees the right to choose.

But National Congress of Trade Unions President Pat Bain believes now is not the time to take such a step because he said all parties concerned have not yet been properly educated on the Convention.

Minister of Labour Vincent Peet announced recently that officials at the Attorney General's office are drafting amendments to the relevant pieces of legislation to enact the Convention.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham sees this as an unwise move.

 

While making his budget communication last Thursday night, Mr. Ingraham said he was concerned by the inappropriate policy announcements of the Progressive Liberal Party Government.

Although the Convention was ratified under his administration, Mr. Ingraham said, "Now, when we seek to make ourselves even more attractive to good direct foreign investment, is not the time to talk about ILO 87."

He added, "I trust that this is more bark than bite and that the PLP government recognizes that legislating this Convention at this time could have a negative impact upon the investment climate and business environment."

Mr. Ferguson told the Journal Friday that he found these comments "surprising."

"It was the FNM government that put forward the ILO 87 resolution and had it ratified and registered - so I don't understand that, but no progressive country would want to think along those lines," he said.  "It is inextricably connected to the World Trade Organization."

Mr. Ferguson added, "Investors can't turn away because WTO is driven by foreign investment.  It is a multinational trading regime and that is one of their conditions."

He said he believes that freedom of association would force unions to be more efficient.

"If they're not happy with my leadership, the members have a choice, just like with the FNM and PLP," Mr. Ferguson said.  "People must have choices all over the world."

He said the right to choose is fundamental and he doubts that the government would work against that.

Mr. Ferguson also said that he wrote to Minister of Labour Vincent Peet requesting a copy of the draft amendments.  But Minister Peet said Sunday that he was still awaiting the proposed amendments from the AG's office.

Mr. Ferguson added that ILO 87 "would support democracy."

Mr. Bain, said, meanwhile, that the Convention is very confusing and education is key before any laws are passed to legislate it.

He said that is precisely why the NCTU is planning a seminar on July 24 with regional trade union experts to discuss the pros and cons of the Convention.

"While I am right now ambivalent about it, I say let's have the education process going through before we make the legislative changes," Mr. Bain told the Journal Sunday.

He noted the challenges that would be involved in negotiating industrial contracts for members of a particular union who may belong to many different professions.

"It's confusing in that for 30 years or more we were operating on the basis of craft unions," Mr. Ferguson said.  "Let's proceed with caution…Let's ensure there are discussions first."

While he is against legislating the Convention at this time, Mr. Bain disagreed with Mr. Ingraham that it could have a negative impact on the investment climate.

"Unionisation is always being used as a means against foreign investment," said the NCTU president, who added that it is not.

FNM 2007

FNM Launches “Restoration 2007”

By Candia Dames

candiadames@hotmail.com

Nassau, The Bahamas

Claiming that all the new jobs created since May 2002 were created by the Free National Movement, party leader Tommy Turnquest did what was expected last night – he slammed the performance of the Christie Administration, while again declaring it a “do nothing government.”

“The PLP is a government of show without substance,” said Mr. Turnquest, who brought the keynote address at a rally at the R. M. Bailey Park where he launched a campaign dubbed “Restoration 2007”.

“Let them know that thousands of Bahamians who get swing last time will pay the PLP back next election for their lies and empty promises,” he said.

The rally came one day after the Progressive Liberal Party Government observed its second anniversary in office, with Prime Minister Perry Christie declaring that he and his team remain on course.

Mr. Turnquest spent much of the time accusing the PLP of taking credit for the work he said was done by the Ingraham Administration.

Pointing to a number of resort developments on the Family Islands, including the much talked about Emerald Bay project in Exuma, Mr. Turnquest said the PLP “didn’t do anything to make any of that happen, just like they didn’t do anything to make Phase III of Atlantis happen.”

“All that was planned and approved by the FNM,” he said.  “The FNM built or caused all of them to be built.”

In recent weeks, the government has been boasting about its housing record, saying that the PLP built nearly 600 houses in two years, compared to the fewer than 800 houses built by the FNM in nearly 10 years.  But Mr. Turnquest sought to set the record straight.

“The PLP is building houses in existing subdivisions, many of which were planned and created by the FNM,” he said.  “They are building without building permits and are not providing parks, or open spaces or commercial areas like the FNM did.”

Free National Movement Chairman Carl Bethel, meanwhile, said the government fell far short of its projection for the rate of growth of the Bahamian economy last year.

“Despite the government’s promise of 2.5 percent economy growth for the last budget year, the latest figures from the IMF show that the Bahamian economy last year grew by 0.9 percent,” Mr. Bethel said.

During his budget communication last May, the prime minister actually said that the International Monetary Fund projected real economic growth of the Bahamian economy of 2.9 percent its April 2003 World Economic Report.

Mr. Bethel claimed last night that, “Last year, under the PLP The Bahamas had the worst economic performance of any comparable country in the Caribbean.”

He also claimed that the level of Net Foreign Investment in the Bahamian economy fell from $400 million left by the FNM in 2002, to only $200 million.

Mr. Bethel again attacked the quality of governance in the country, saying that under the PLP the country is beset by “bad government and laziness.”

“There is no money in the Treasury, and while the government is racking up a record-breaking budget deficit this year, the people who could have paid good money to ease that pressure have been giving a whopping tax cut,” he charged.

Mr. Bethel said certain real property exemptions granted under the PLP Administration will provide significant benefits for wealthy persons like those who live in the exclusive Lyford Cay community.

But on Sunday, while appearing as a guest on the Love 97 Programme “Jones and Company” Prime Minister Christie pointed to real property tax cuts as initiatives that have benefited Bahamians who need them most.

“We have given all first-home buyers exemptions from stamp duty on their homes up to $250,000,” Mr. Christie pointed out.  “We have eliminated real property tax for Bahamians up to $250,000…This has all proven already to have a direct positive impact.”

At the rally, Mr. Bethel also slammed the PLP on national security issues.

“The Police Force and the Defence Force are demoralized and unhappy,” he claimed.  “They are under-funded, under-equipped, under-staffed and under-paid.  The government does not seem to have any plan or strategic vision to develop and improve our armed and security services.”

He vowed that “when this one-term government is run out of office the FNM will aggressively grow the economy; attract real foreign investment, stimulate increased Bahamian investment and ownership in the economy, create jobs and empower Bahamians.”