Opposition 101: Ask Better Questions

ABAGAIL CARTWRIGHT WRITES FROM DEANS BLUE HOLE

In education, teachers use Bloom’s Taxonomy to assess how deeply students think. At the lower levels are remembering and understanding. At the higher levels are analysing, evaluating and creating. Good teachers do not remain at the bottom—they ask questions that require deeper thought.

Perhaps our politics could use some Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Last week, Opposition Leader Michael Pintard again raised concerns about the National Investment Fund (NIF), describing its handling as “grand fraud.” Minister Michael Halkitis subsequently accounted for $310.9 million in NIF proceeds used for infrastructure, while questions remain about the balance of the approximately $700 million previously identified as transferred to the Fund.

Those questions deserve answers.

Government is accountable to the Bahamian people. Public money requires public accountability, and the Government should provide, in plain English, an itemised accounting of where the money went.

But accountability also requires responsible questioning. The absence of a complete accounting, by itself, does not establish fraud. Allegations of criminal wrongdoing require evidence.

Instead of the Opposition beginning with recklessly accusing the PLP of “fraud,” they should ask the higher-level questions: Why was Island A not selected for airport development or dock upgrades? Why was Island C prioritized over Island D for clinic repairs? What criteria determined which infrastructure projects received funding? How much was allocated to each project? What provisions exist for Island B, which also needs water improvements?
Those questions scrutinise decisions made by the government while giving Bahamians information with which to judge those decisions. The FNM, as the government-in-waiting, must not be seen to be resistant to modernization of critical infrastructure where the Bahamian people benefit.

The PLP was returned to office for a second consecutive term in May. That election result does not exempt the Government from scrutiny, nor does losing prevent the Opposition from providing it.

But opposition should be more than a vocabulary of “crooks,” “thieves,” “lies” and “fraud.”

Bloom’s Taxonomy teaches us that the quality of thinking improves with the quality of the questions.

Perhaps our political discourse should move from lower-level thinking—name-calling, accusations and repetition—to higher-level thinking—analysis, evidence, evaluation and substantive questioning.

To the leaders of the FNM, its advisors, and social media analysts, stop asking questions designed merely to accuse. Start asking questions designed to uncover answers.

-Abigail Cartwright