Compiled, edited and constructed by Russell Dames Updated every Sunday at 2 p.m.
Volume 5 © BahamasUncensored.Com 2007
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
IMAGE IS EVERYTHING
There were seven or so seats that the Free National Movement won,
no let’s put it this way; that the PLP lost by less than 60 votes.
These are the seats that the PLP’s legal team is now examining in a forensic
way to determine whether or not the matter should proceed to an Election
Court. Hard put to win in an anti PLP judiciary what you could not
win on the ground but a right is a right one guesses. What would
be more useful and admittedly a more long term exercise is to see who it
is that voted against the PLP and hazard some guesses as to why that might
be and win them back on the ground.
For example, in Pinewood, South Beach, Carmichael, Blue Hills and Golden Isles, why would communities that clearly benefited from the economic progress and stewardship of the PLP vote against the PLP? Some argue that it was disaffection, that in the short five years in office, the PLP simply lost touch with their base, assuming that the base would know of its good works. So like it happens when a product is off the market for a time, the customer gets used to some other product and when the old product returns his tastes have changed and it is simply difficult to get him to revert.
Why did the PLP lose the street in these areas? The marauding bands of young men, filled with liquor and drugs, riding on the back of trucks and shouting obscenities were on the FNM’s side. Why would that be, when the bedrock of the working class is supposed to be PLP territory? Was it simply money or was it something about the image of the PLP that caused them not to identify with the PLP? Some were of Haitian descent, this is likely where you have poor people, the immigrants are usually in the bottom rung, and they perceived that the PLP was locking up Haitians and refusing to give them their rights to citizenship in this country, and so they turned against the PLP? Imagine the irony of the sons and daughters of Haitians who brought freedom to the Indies voting to put the descendants of the slave masters back in power. And yet some argue that this what happened.
Those voices who jumped all over former Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell for arguing a kinder gentler strategy, for arguing integration, and for arguing for closer ties with Haiti, and those in the PLP who argued that the Haitians had to go and it was a great strategy to round up Haitians and send them home, now come to see that the damage is done. They did not muster their xenophobia into votes; the country has changed anyway and the government is now gone into history anyway. Both Rene Preval and Jean Bertrand Aristide, President and former President, wanted to visit The Bahamas officially but it appears that we were too frightened by the anti immigration crowd to do anything about it. Now we are where we are.
What about the record in housing and the expansion of credit that allowed private housing to flourish as never before? Again there seems to have been a disconnect with the electorate on that. They saw that it seems as by their own power and not by any climate which the PLP would have facilitated. Struck out again.
What about the fact that the United Bahamian Party and its descendants were being ushered back into power? One just has to look at where the invited guests were seated in the public square for the state opening of Parliament on Wednesday 23rd May. Just behind the spouses of MPs, were all the descendants of the UBP sitting there with their medals, their hats and in their glory. They were back in power. Curiously, those same bad boys who we talked about in the earlier paragraph were sitting at the back, confined to shouting abuse at PLPs as they passed by. But at the back they sat.
Here’s a curious and tortuous argument. The black middle class, and it is difficult to generalize, but let’s prescribe even further, the upper middle class of rich blacks; the upwardly mobile blacks that you find in Fox Hill, Yamacraw, and Pinewood, Sea Breeze and South Beach, do not want to identify with what they regard as race politics. Why do we want to bring this up? According to their creed, race was an issue that was conquered years ago. They judge their success by their ability to get along with white Bahamians who they perceive as the upper end of the economic and social ladder. The fact that there is still not social integration in The Bahamas does not disturb them. What they know is that they can work with whites on their jobs; that they can occasionally eat with them at lunch, and sometime sit at their table. The PLP bringing up this race business all the time embarrasses them because it reminds them of where they came from, and one thing they do not want is to remember in any way is the poverty, the sheer devastation of being born poor and black in Bahamian society. Let’s not have all this talk about where we have come from. That is not them now, and they don’t want it ever to be them. So the PLP loses the argument with them. Then there are core supporters and others who voted for us to give them a licence, a permit, a taxi plate, a job. Too many report that there was not one in the five years. This left them bitter and demoralized.
None of these things by themselves add up to very much. The problem is that in a situation where 420 voters going the other way and the PLP would have been in office, you have to count up the individual slights and then you see just why the PLP in part lost. Edison Key walking out in the first years of the government and the PLP saying let him go. Mohammad Harajchi saying that the PLP promised him a bank licence and when he didn’t get it, he and his support left in huff and attacked the PLP and its leaders in a vicious way and the PLP said let them go. There was never nay effective response to it. Then there were the voters disaffected in the problems of the MPs and the perceived inability of the Ministers to get along with the MPs on the back bench. The Government seemed to be drifting, and no resolutions seemed to be coming to any issues. It allowed the hasty decisions of the bad man named Ingraham to be successfully portrayed as decisiveness. The glow of his nastiness faded away and the disaffected FNM went back longing for the certainty of imperious behaviour.
Never mind then that things were going well in the economy. Never mind the economy. Never mind the obvious improvements to infrastructure. Even Sol Kerzner who got everything he wanted from the PLP was saying after the election that he did not think that the PLP did enough to fix the airport. The evidence shows otherwise but you know never let the truth interfere with a good story.
So that’s the fix the PLP finds itself in. We sum it all up as an image problem. No doubt about it, image also has to do with fundamentals as well. All issues about the PLP must now be on the table, and it should be done now rather than later. For our money though, there is still too much wringing of hands and who did what and didn’t do what. The fact is it is done. The leadership; and this means collectively, not the individually ambitious, now requires deft and forward movement because we have so little time to get this government back from the hands of the evil one.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 2nd June 2007 up to midnight: 194,670.
Number of hits for the month of May up to Thursday 31st May 2007 up to midnight: 1,361,262.
Number of hits for the year 2007 up to Saturday 2nd June 2007 up to midnight: 3,360,795 (Does not reflect hits prior to 14th February, 2007).
WHO
BURNED THE PLP HEADQUARTERS?
The FNM must be the first organization that the
police should go to and question them and their leader Hubert Ingraham
in particular to find out if they know or if he knows who if anyone set
fire to the PLP’s headquarters Gambier House, the Sir Lynden Pindling Centre
on Farrington Road.
Former Prime Minister and PLP Leader Perry Christie
was called to the scene shortly after ten p.m. to find the fire trucks
extinguishing the fire on Saturday 3rd June. The damage to the building
is extensive but the structure still stands and the property inside seems
to have been saved. Hubert Ingraham’s man was seen on the cell phone
on the steps next door talking continuously as the fire blazed. We
have no doubt that Hubert Ingraham got a blow by blow description of what
happened.
The police were out in full force and Leader of
the PLP Perry Christie made a statement to the press “…it will be difficult”,
said the Leader, “for us to cause our supporters not to believe that this
was an attack on the PLP.” Please click
here for Mr. Christie's full remarks. Supporters gathered at
Gambier House Saturday night in their scores. Most supporters believe
that the FNM set the fire and that this is part of a continued programme
of trying to intimidate the PLP. We withhold judgement but we are
not very far behind them in our thinking.
Photo: myplp.com/Andy Burrows
HUBERT’S
BUDGET IS THE PLP’S GOOD WORK
Well so now Mr. Ingraham is saying that there is
going to be a budget surplus. Yes he did in the House when he announced
his budget on Wednesday 30th May. Now he says that there is going
to be good fiscal management of the economy. How in the hell does he think
that all happened that he is able to come to the table with such a rosy
picture if not for the patient work of the Progressive Liberal Party under
Perry Christie. He ought to be thankful that he was left such a healthy
picture. His budget address broke no new ground. It could not
have been otherwise because all the budget was set by the time he got elected.
All Mr. Ingraham has to do is to stand by and watch
the economy develop according to the PLP’s plan for development.
All he can do now is muck it up. He is trying to make a good stab
at it too by cancelling and firing and spreading fear in the country.
One clear allocation that indicates how the FNM is simply borrowing the
PLP’s plan is the allocation for the purchase of Defence Force ships.
This was a plan left in place by the PLP and so for Mr. Ingraham to go
around touting that as if he and the FNM suddenly decided that they would
help the Defence Force is ridiculous.
Perry Christie, the Leader of the Opposition and
former Prime Minister and whose budget this ought to have been, issued
a statement claiming credit for the whole thing and debunking all that
the trickster Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had to say. You may
click
here for his full statement.
Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie MP gives his initial reaction
to the national budget of 2007. BIS Photo: Patrick Hanna
The Bahamas Baptist Missionary and Education Convention
is headed by Rev. Dr. William Thompson, who up until last month was the
President of the Bahamas Christian Council. The convention opened
on Tuesday 29th May and he charged that during the general election campaign,
the nation seemed to be up for sale. He charged that the question
of who could circulate the most money in the campaign gave rise to this
impression. Many people responded that it was a little too late.
Some said better late than never.
The church was silent as Hubert Ingraham and his
cohorts drove a nail in political civility in the country during the campaign;
the FNM spun lies, deceit, untruth, and slime to new and unprecedented
levels. Mr. Ingraham condoned the speech on a public platform by
now Senator Frederick McAlpine that was unexcelled in its nastiness.
It is really shameful that this man McAlpine must be called honourable
today. An absolute shame! The church said nothing.
Rev. Thompson went on to call for reform in campaign
financing. The FNM has no interest in reform in this area since most
of the money comes to them. The PLP has no power to change it and
is busy trying to get money of its own. What we know is that in the
past money has always been in the hands of the United Bahamian Party and
its heir the FNM. That has not stopped people from voting PLP in
the past. The PLP has its work cut out for it now. They have
never run into a man as vicious as Hubert Ingraham. He is out to
destroy the PLP and its legacy. The PLP must realize that and get
back to basics.
THE
FNM JUST DON’T GET IT
The same way the UBP keep saying it aint so, we
keep saying that it is so. The FNM started playing the race card,
and then when it was turned on them, they said the PLP played the race
card. Guess what, people bought that idea, the blacks. Interesting!
But what we think is happening here and the PLP had better be wary and
aware of it is that the criticism about the race card is being used as
a smokescreen and red herring and a form of intimidation by the FNM and
its progenitors from the old UBP. They want to frighten the PLP into
not talking about what is glaringly obvious.
The problem is, what is wrong with the black middle
class? They seem to have forgotten from whence they came and that
there are still many others who need a hand up. The feeling seems
to be that the mark of success in The Bahamas is the ability of black people
to be able to get along with white Bahamians and accepted into their society,
not the other way around. Since the PLP still talks about black pride
and Bahamian nationalism, that reminds too many of the black middle class
of those outside toilets and those tough times. So no dice for the
PLP.
We say that just as Eileen Carron can continue every
week to repeat her racist claptrap with the ‘white is right’ philosophy;
this column will continue to send out the message that, with the election
of the FNM in 2007, the country has been put back 40 years. It is
disgraceful. It is embarrassing. It is shameful. It’s
not the PLP who don’t get it. The FNM don’t seem to get it.
THE
PLP MUST GET READY
There are two schools of thought now emerging in
the PLP. One says that the PLP must be more activist and refuse to
co-operate with anything Hubert Ingraham and the FNM propose, and to fight
and embarrass them at each and every step of the way. Then there
is the other side who say that the country is in need of some normality
and calm, and the PLP is making itself look shrill and ridiculous by engaging
in a confrontational strategy.
Whatever side there is, there is a certain frenzy
connected with the opinions for there is a feeling that something must
be done and done soon to recover from a disastrous loss at the polls one
month ago. The issues are not easily resolved on the way forward.
Clearly with a sharp and intelligent and aggressive bunch like those who
survived in the House for the PLP, there will immediately be jockeying
for the leadership. At least one former Minister has put his hat
in the ring, even before the question was begged. But what is also
clear is that whatever happens, the plan has to include the present leader
whose responsibility will be to hold the thing together to make sure that
there is something for all the would be adherents to take over.
We are on the activist side, and believe that there
ought to be a sustained programme of measured non co-operation; a high
public profile. But the main focus ought to really be on the preparation
below the surface not what is being done on the surface, in the belly,
not at the head. There is where the PLP's greatest weakness is.
Its inability to successfully shape public opinion, and to get rid of the
feeling that it always has to compromise its core principles in order to
get ahead.
THE
CHALK’S VERDICT IS IN
The New York Times reports in its Thursday 31st
May edition that the National Transportation Safety Board, the investigative
crash arm of the United States government, has ranked regulatory failure
as an equal cause of the crash of the 58 year old Chalk Airlines
seaplane in the Miami Harbour on 19th December 2005 with 20 people abroad,
all of whom died, and most of them Bahamians from Bimini. In other
words, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the U.S. that is responsible
for looking after the safety of the flying public did not do its job.
The airline in a hearing on Wednesday 30th May in
Washington claimed that it followed all of the rules that were then in
place for the plane. But the Transportation Safety Board said that
the FAA had sufficient issues just in the poor paperwork of Chalk’s Airlines
to identify a problem and the Agency didn’t do anything about it.
The wing of the plane broke off shortly after takeoff because of an improper
weld, a welding job that had been done several times, and for which no
record could be found on paper.
This is quite a serious matter for The Bahamas since
Bahamians have the impression that with the FAA looking after an airline
the airline is safe. It also causes us to wonder whether our own
domestic fleet is safe what with the recent crash of the Bahamasair plane
and other crashes of small aircraft. Is the Civil Aviation Authority
in The Bahamas up to the job?
THE
BAHAMAS SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS STATEMENT
We found it very curious that The Bahamas Society
of Engineers sought fit to issue a statement in which it welcomed the new
Ministers who run the Public Works Ministry and are now responsible for
relations with the engineers and with the Town Planning Committee.
The engineers are a group that the Progressive Liberal
Party went to bat for. It ensured that the legislation was put into
place and brought into force to make sure that engineers could be registered
as Bahamian engineers and get qualified to work in their own country.
Not only that, but from the start of the term of the PLP, meetings were
held with engineers to ensure that they had contact and first hand input
into what happened at the then largest employment project in The Bahamas,
the Atlantis Phase III.
So while one supposes there is no harm in saying
welcome to the new Ministers, one must ask what happened though to thanks
to the Progressive Liberal Party for all that was done to ensure that Bahamian
engineers could make living in their country? The whole statement
of the engineers seemed to suggest that the PLP did nothing to help during
their term in office. We find the statement to be very strange indeed
and it is very suspect for political pandering. The story was reported
in the Bahama Journal of Wednesday 30th May.
THE
US EMBASSY NASSAU
When John Rood was Ambassador to The Bahamas for
the United States he took an active interest in the well being of persons
who were applying for visas in The Bahamas. It is nothing short of
a scandal that the United States embassy has a situation in this and other
countries where lines snake around the block for people wanting to get
visas to enter the U.S. as visitors. The persons applying are demeaned
by the entire process in a situation where freedom to travel is said to
be an article of faith of American democracy. Much was done by Mr.
Rood to improve the way the service is delivered. Since he has left,
there has been silence from the embassy on so many things, perhaps waiting
for a new Ambassador but the report that appeared on the BBC’s web site
on Friday 1st June about the treatment of BBC reporter Matt Frei and his
family at the embassy’s facility in Nassau is interesting. He wrote
about it and here is what he said:
“Truncheon and Tempers
The visa process is bureaucratic and cumbersome
involving at least two interviews and a separate appointment the following
day to collect the visas. Allowing for flights from the U.S. the
whole process lasts at least three days. Shame!
The tedious part is the three hours waiting time
in the embassy. This demands a suspension of all cell phone activity,
monastic silence, and a Byzantine queuing system enforced by large Bahamian
women with truncheons and tempers.
The atmosphere is a combination of fear, reverence
and anticipation. Prayer vigil meets lottery.
My children were so terrified, they have never
behaved better. George did his maths homework in silence. Amelia
read her book. Lottie drew flowers. Alice was a time bomb,
growing increasingly fractious. But then, she is American.
The experience was annoying and stressful.
But all the same, it was a good deal safer than the option taken by many
illegal immigrants of walking across the border in New Mexico or Arizona,
risking death in the process.”
This is not a Bahamian writing this, so it can’t
be easily dismissed in that way, and the embassy should give an answer.
The embassy should also explain what the situation
is with regard to the issue of passports from the United States re the
travel of U.S. citizens. The U.S. embassy here assured the Bahamian
public that the State Department was up to the task of meeting the expected
demand for passports as a result of the rule that all U.S. passengers returning
from their holidays in the region have to have passports going back into
the States. USA Today reported in its Friday 1st June edition that
the State Department has not been able to keep up and they now ask U.S.
travellers to apply 12 weeks in advance in order to get a passport.
Even the expedited passport is going to take two to three weeks according
to the Times report. It appears that this passport rule was implemented
before the country was ready to do so. We wonder if The Bahamas is
not suffering any way because of this to the advantage of other American
destinations in the Caribbean.
There is to be a conference on the future of the
Caribbean on 19th and 20th June in Washington D.C. which will see a summit
with President George Bush and a meeting with Condoleezza Rice and the
Foreign Ministers of Caricom. Surely these two topics ought to be
on the agenda. We repeat something that was said by the former Foreign
Minister of The Bahamas Fred Mitchell: there needs to be visa free access
for all people in this region to the United States just as US citizens
have visa free access to all of our countries.
IN PASSING
Dame Lois Brown Evans, founder of the Progressive
Labour Party of Bermuda has died. She was a classmate of Sir Lynden
Pindling’s at law school in England and served as attorney general in Bermuda’s
first PLP government. She will be buried on in a state funeral in
Bermuda on Tuesday.
BUMPY
WATKINS ON JOHN MARQUIS
Errington ‘Bumpy’ Watching is a retired police officer
who once helped to lead a rebellion to oppose independence for The Bahamas.
He now writes a column in the Bahama Journal. We reprint the column
of Thursday 31st May because it describes quite accurately our feeling
about the man John Marquis. We congratulate Mr. Watkins on an excellent
piece.
“During the mid-1960s, one John Marquis, a Reporter
with The Nassau Guardian, ran afoul of the then Government (UBP) and received
his walking ticket out of this country. It was obvious at that early stage
of his career that he was a racist with a Jim Crow mentality.
“Some nine years ago, this Racist was hired by
a local media as an Editor on a work permit. One of the conditions of that
permit was that he should train a Bahamian to fill the capacity for which
he was hired, at the end of his Contract. Nine years down the road, he
has yet to fulfill that condition.
“From the commencement of the Christie-led PLP
Administration, this racist bombarded Christie and his Government mercilessly.
It is common knowledge that Eileen Carron has very close ties with the
U. S. Government through a former U.S. Official, with whom a close relative
was employed. It was only natural that the combination of a racist and
a ‘flunky’ of the U.S. Government combined to do all in their power to
bring down a legitimate elected Black Government of this country, that
did not have the blessing of the U.S. Bush-led Administration. This ‘carpet
bagger’ wasted no time, while increasing his coffers by publishing a concocted
and misinformed version of the Oakes Murder Case, in ridiculing and denigrating
the Government of this nation. When a group of citizens threatened to expose
the true character of this individual, he wrote some tripe in The Tribune,
saying that a lady friend once told him that he did not "look like a homo"
or words to that effect. I do not recall anyone calling him a ‘homo.’ What
I do remember is that Ricardo Smith promised to expose some pictures.
“Marquis also wrote some garbage about his head
being attached to the body of a homo or something to that effect. Those
pictures, Mr. Carpet Bagger, do not look like fakes to me. What Smith should
have done was made them public without saying anything about them. Word
on the street is that the New Administration is about to give John Marquis
Permanent Resident Status. If this happens, then the REAL reason for this
Racist imported expat’s untiring efforts to bring down the Christie’s Administration
would be revealed in its intricacies. He really worked hard, and with the
procrastinated style of Perry Christie, was aided and abetted in achieving
his perverted goal to add further INSULT and RIDICULE to Christie.
“This perverted transplant, in his last assault
on Perry compared him (Perry) with Bush and Blair. It would appear from
his assault on Tony Blair, that he (Marquis) is blaming Blair for the large
influx of Blacks in Great Britain. As I remember, after WWII, Britain opened
her doors to Blacks from Africa and The Caribbean, and indeed all former
colonies worldwide. At that time, Tony Blair was no where around – not
even in a dream. In that same article, he – apparently trying to lick Brent
Symonette’s boot – referred to Sir Roland Symonette, saying that Sir Roland
instructed Sir Stafford Sands to get rid of certain individuals in the
casinos at the port. For your information, Marquis, Sir Roland was only
P.M. in public. Around that Cabinet Table, Sir Stafford was THE MAN. When
Pop and his crew started making noise, Stafford gave all – including Etienne
Dupuch – CONSULTANT fees. When this fact was revealed, Dupuch wrote a series
of Editorials explaining how he donated his ‘Consultancy fees’ to charity.
There are many of us in John Q. Public that were around when you were kicked
out of this country by Stafford Sands, and when the infamous ‘Consultancy
fees’ were given to silence the objectors.
“The majority of people in this country are fed-up
with you and your degrading journalism of Blacks in this nation. One day
Eileen Carron will awake from her slumber – I hope it won’t be too late
– to see what the real motive in your journalistic mischief to gain Permanent
Status, devious as it is, one has to be completely blind not to see that
your diabolical goal, is to gain unfettered CONTROL of Etienne Dupuch’s
beloved Tribune.”
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
The latest FNM propagandist: Meet Johnley Ferguson
I would be remiss if I did not weigh in on the
comments made by Johnley Ferguson on ZNS news on Monday, 21st May 2007.
First of all, the $80 million were allocated as follow:
$23 million for the state of the art straw market.
$25 million for road work.
$32 million for several schools in New Providence and the Family
Islands.
These projects were all budgeted for in the 2006/2007
fiscal year that expires at the end of June 2007. The period during which
the contracts were issued is immaterial as it was within the fiscal year.
The decision of the government to suspend these projects is a departure
from the Westminster convention of an incoming government honoring agreements
entered into by the previous government unless there is some aberration
and reason to believe that the public interest is not being served.
To date the FNM government has not given a reasonable
explanation for their actions. Simply saying that the contracts were awarded
within three months of an election is not reason enough to depart from
an established convention. Further, they have failed to prove that the
costs of the straw market in Nassau and the school house at Salina Point,
Acklins were prohibitively high, given the structural designs and scope
of work. If there exists a quantity surveyor’s report or some other scientific
evidence that presents costing that is significantly lower than the contracted
sum or sums, then Mr. Ferguson should simply present the evidence and make
the case for his government’s decision. This will offer credibility to
the FNM government and underscore its claim and governance theme of transparency
and accountability. To date, he and his government have failed to do so.
This exercise appears to be both a witch hunt and an opportunity for the
FNM government to ensure that the contracts are awarded to contractors
of their choosing. There is no evidence that the public interest is not
being served in the award of these contracts.
Mr. Ferguson questioned the fiscal prudence of
the PLP government when he described it as a “run away train”. I take grave
exception to this characterization. The FNM and its operatives have no
moral authority to question the fiscal responsibility of the Christie administration.
Mr. Ferguson will be well advised that it was the FNM government that left
$325 million in unpaid bills when they demitted in 2002 that the PLP government
paid off in its first 22 months in office. It was the FNM government that
drove the public overdraft beyond $100 million, the highest in this nation’s
history. It was the FNM government that deferred payments for eight of
the ten years they were in office. It was this same hypocritical FNM government
that bragged about government revenue increasing by 10% per year for 10
years, yet left the treasury broke when they were kicked out of office
in 2002. One of the dubious distinctions of the first FNM administration
was that they squandered the prosperity of the 1990’s. When countries like
the US were recording surpluses, the Bahamas, under an FNM led government,
suffered record budgetary deficits.
This level of unsustainable borrowing came to
an abrupt end when the Christie administration came to office in 2002.
Our monetary policy led to the largest foreign exchange reserve in our
nation’s history of $604 million. Our fiscal discipline resulted in a recorded
GFS deficit of just 1.6% in 2006. This was just four years after inheriting
a stagnant economy with only 0.8% growth and a GFS deficit of 3.4%. Additionally,
Mr. Christie’s management of the Bahamian economy delivered 6% economic
growth and reduced unemployment to below 7% within one term of governance.
One of the distinctions and legacies of the Christie administration is
its fiscal and monetary discipline in addition to its competent management
of the Bahamian economy. Clearly the Christie administration has set the
gold standard as it relates to the delivery of good governance and in particular,
stewardship of public finances and economic management.
Mr. Ferguson is either intellectually dishonest
or suffers from selective dementia. Given the atrocious legacy of the FNM
in the management of the people’s money, they now seek to tarnish the reputation
and taint the legacy of the Christie administration through pure, naked,
and unadulterated propaganda. If he is plain ignorant of his party’s fiscal
legacy, I will gladly edify him.
Elcott Coleby
THIS
WEEK WITH THE LEADER
Fire at Gambier House
TOP: Progressive Liberal Party Leader Perry Christie
with colleagues and staff outside PLP Headquarters at Gambier House after
Saturday night's blaze. ABOVE: The leader calms supporters gathered
behind police lines in concern over the fire.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THIS CLASS OF 2007
It is very interesting watching this new crew of FNM wannabes at
work in the House of Assembly. They are all dolled up in their new
suits and fresh from a victory, all knowing and all powerful. People
are calling them minister and they all have brand new cars with blue plates
furnished with the characteristic CM and then their number. You can
see the cars darting all over town as they get into the groove.
But the groove about which we are concerned is the one at work in the House of Assembly and of course the one in their offices and how they actually work for The Bahamas. What we don’t need is a repeat of the earlier Ingraham administration of sycophants and lord and masters who don’t do any actual work. From what we see it looks like it's headed in that direction. You get the impression that this is a crew who have no idea why they are in public service save and except they want to be in Parliament, and they want to get their pictures on the front pages of the paper. They like the idea of the public recognition and to heck with whether they actually do any work.
The most talkative of the bunch is the very verbose, sickeningly loquacious Zhivargo Laing who simply rattles on, minute after minute, sometimes mumbling to himself in a stage whisper. Always something clever to say. Too clever by half. The rest try to compete with one another to say clever things that will distract and cause one another to laugh at their own jokes. And if they can get Hubert Ingraham their bigger boss to laugh, well all the better. It is really quite pathetic to see grown men and women act this way.
Mr. Ingraham is as imperious as ever. He is as biggety as ever. In one case as the Speaker’s procession is entering the gallery, he orders the Garden Hills MP Brensil Rolle to get to his seat. “Brensil get to your seat!” Mr. Rolle jumps and runs to his seat. In another moment of candour, he tells Ken Russell, the newly installed Minister of Housing and National Insurance to button his coat (new coat too) when he comes into the House of Assembly. Button his coat he did. This is interesting indeed. It gives the impression or should we say furthers the impression that PLPs had during their first term that this is a group that is incapable of thinking for themselves. They are beholden to the master, maximum leader at all times and for all things.
There has of course been a marked generational shift in the FNM. There are so many first timers, some of whom have been trying to get to parliament for years. You get the impression again that having gotten to the House of Assembly they can’t quite believe it, and so they are really enjoying it for all the trappings of power but can’t be taken seriously for anything else. That precisely is the danger for the country. People talked about the malapropisms, bad grammar, mispronunciations of their House statements. This is the future of The Bahamas from the most well trained generation. They make fun of the D average across all school children and say they are pledged to correct it but what about their own D average that is found in the examples of how they present to the country.
The oddity in all of this is the Speaker of the House of Assembly. How did he get to be Speaker? Alvin Smith, the Member of Parliament for North Eleuthera was known for his disrespect of the chair when he served in the previous Parliament refusing to obey the directions of his homeboy the previous Speaker the Member of Parliament for South Eleuthera Oswald Ingraham. Yet he is the Speaker now and he is pledged to protect the rights of all. He has so far restricted the debate in his attempt to impose order that the debate is in fact stifled. What you have to give him credit for is getting the House started on time. But already he has had to back track from his penchant of not allowing members to intervene during the course of untrue statements being made by other members. The public no doubt waits to see where this is headed. No doubt, he would have expected to be a Minister of the Government. This is the second time that Mr. Ingraham has shunted him aside after promising him more.
What this all goes to show is that democracy has no special magic but it is a magic of its own in another way. In one day an ordinary mortal is transformed from no one to someone and that someone is a Member Parliament or Minister of the government. Usually though, the newly transformed try to wait for the praise of others. The present crew is busy praising themselves. Perhaps that is the PLPs fault, and why they are where they are today and the FNM is where they are today. Whatever the case, our country is in an especially dangerous situation where power is the only fact, and where the individual’s thoughts and opinions count for nothing and where Hubert Ingraham’s word is law. Where this exists, the country is in for a tough time. No one will stand up for us but all our leaders will be busy thinking how they protect their blue plates, cars and other perquisites. This is the FNM’s incoming class of 2007. Now more than ever we need the PLP.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 9th June 2007 up to midnight: 243,661.
Number of hits for the month of June up to Saturday 9th June 2007 at midnight: 290,574.
Number of hits for the year 2007 up to Saturday 9th June 2007 at midnight: 3,651,369 (Does not reflect hits prior to 14th February, 2007).
THE BUDGET DEBATES REVEALS SOME BOOBS
 |
PHENTON
NEYMOUR’S FALSE ALLEGATION
Phenton Neymour really let down all his former colleagues
in the PLP and the CDR by his latest comments in the House on Thursday
7th June. He took so much time to ingratiate himself to the new FNM
that he went overboard with the praise of the new people that he is with
and seeking to damn the people whom he left. It is demeaning to him
and unnecessary. It is embarrassing. First he does not impress
the FNM with that. He only makes himself suspect, and for his former
friends he proves to be unworthy because he is telling tales out of school.
But one of the things he ought to do is try to be accurate and truthful
and tell the full story when he speaks. As the Minister of State
responsible for Utilities, he made the following assertion in his statement
to the Parliament on Wednesday 6th June:
“Mr. Speaker, I have recently discovered what
I consider to be a gross abuse of power by the previous administration,
whereby the previous Minister of Works and Utilities and Member of Parliament
for Grants Town approved the swap of 8.63 acres of reclaimed swamp land,
in the vicinity of the end of the runway at NIA, for 10 acres of WSC owned
prime land in the Perpall tract area. Who was this deal made with?
None other than Arawak Homes.
“What is worse is that the WSC has no need for
this reclaimed swamp land, other than to ensure that it would not be developed,
nor impact the well fields adjacent to the airport. Further, this
reclaimed land was designated by Civil Aviation as “not to be used”, as
it was needed for rain run off and drainage for the existing runway.”
This is another patently stupid and dishonest statement
by the new member. It is only half the truth and disingenuous.
The facts are that Bradley Roberts was not involved in the transaction.
The Water and Sewerage Corporation approached Arawak Homes who were about
to commence construction on the land near the airport. The Corporation
and the Civil Aviation Department wanted the land not to be used, to be
sure that there was a rain run off and to ensure that there was no damage
to the well fields.
So don’t try and portray something that was not
initiated by Arawak Homes as dishonest for political purposes. It
is also true and his record should show that Robin Brownrigg, the real
estate appraiser, did a valuation of both properties and Arawak Homes accepted
the valuation and then paid the difference in the value to the benefit
of the Water and Sewerage Corporation. No dishonesty at all. But
in an effort to please the maximum leader who is a Bradley Roberts hater,
this one gets himself into a twist. It is really pathetic and you
really feel sorry for these people.
BRENT
SYMONETTE FLUBS IT
It was very interesting to see Brent Symonette run
to the press to report what he had done shortly after the former Foreign
Minister Fred Mitchell's address in the House of Assembly on Wednesday
6th June. Fred Mitchell, the former Foreign Minister, told the House
that Brent Symonette is now traveling and that he will have to travel if
he wants to represent the business of The Bahamas abroad. (You may click
here for the full text of the address of Mr. Mitchell and see
it on youtube at this link. The sound may be low and so you may
have to adjust the sound on the video.)
Mr. Symonette was criticized for not informing the
Bahamian public what he was doing so he ran to call a press conference
quickly to say that he had been to Panama to attend the Organization of
American States General Assembly.
The most stupid statement however was his assertion
that relations between the United States and The Bahamas have improved
considerably since he came to office. On what does he base that?
The US officials in this country have already said that the relationship
was an excellent one throughout the term of the last Minister. How
does one get better than excellent? Mr. Symonette says that the American
Charge D’affaires is his neighbour and somehow that means that the relationship
is better. He is silly if he thinks that makes any difference to
the interests of nations.
Mr. Symonette does not know what the hell he is
talking about. It shows all the more reason why he is not fit for
the post and it is a disgrace that this country is represented by him in
this post in the 2007. The 58 million dollar man cannot represent
The Bahamas abroad. Mr. Symonette’s response in the House to that
is “jealousy is a bitch”. The only person who was obviously jealous
was him who coveted a job as Foreign Minister so he could get to hobnob
with the rich and famous and powerful. Unfortunately if you have
nothing in your head you cannot succeed. It is not wealth but the
content of your character that counts.
FNM
IS VICTIMIZING CIVIL SERVANTS
Fred Mitchell, the former Foreign Minister, gave
an example in the House of Assembly and on one of his podcasts of a civil
servant who with 30 years experience has been sent off to a place with
nothing to do because she is a PLP. Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, the MP
for Cat Island gave an example in the House on Friday 8th June of a similar
case of victimization. It was directed at Carl Bethel, the Minister
of Education, who immediately got bent out of shape. He swore that
he has never victimized anyone. The reports are coming in from all
over the country of PLPs being shunted out of jobs because they are PLPs.
The FNM’s master victimizer is back on the job, and Hubert Ingraham is
like a leopard. He cannot change his spots. You may click
here for the podcast.
FRED
MITCHELL VISITS THE STRAW MARKET
The Opposition’s Spokesman on Foreign Affairs and
the Public Service was called to the Straw Market in Nassau on Thursday
7th June by supporters in the Straw Market. He has always had a working
relationship with the straw vendors. It was pouring rain and the
tent that they have been under since the fire in 2001 is leaking again.
The vendors gathered around him. He had come because the Minister
of Works Earl Deveaux had a meeting with Straw Vendors during the week
and gave information which seeks to blame the PLP for the latest developments
at the market. Mr. Mitchell told them that the FNM should take the
responsibility for canceling the contract with Woslee Dominion for the
construction of the straw market.
It was reported that Mr. Deveaux was blaming the
PLP saying that the PLP designed market had made no provision for the straw
vendors. That is a complete lie. The booths in the market are
not on the architectural drawings because they are considered furniture.
Architect Michael Foster went on radio to tell the country that he had
just been given instructions prior to the election to design the stalls
for installation into the market.
Mr. Deveaux is reported to have told the straw vendors
that the PLP lied to them when they told the vendors that they could not
move into a building on which the FNM had spent three million dollars on
the Prince George Dock because of security objections by the U.S. government.
Mr. Mitchell told them that if Mr. Deveaux said that, then he did not know
what he was talking about. He reiterated that the FNM must take responsibility
for their decisions.
The fact is the earth works are complete at the
market site on Bay Street after having run into problems with including
finding the foundation of the old building; having to have that removed
and then the base redesigned to accommodate the pilings already in the
ground. The contractor is already in funds. The work stoppage
is costing the Bahamian public the sum of 10,000 dollars per day on tangibles.
The work stoppage ordered by the government has caused the date to slip
for completion in August 2008.
The vendors were told that the FNM does not propose
to put them in the new facility on Bay Street but wants them to go on the
Prince George Dock. The vendors do not agree to move because they
believe that once on the dock they will be forgotten. The U.S. government
needs to say whether they have flipped on this issue now that the FNM is
back in power. The photo is by Dennis Fountain.
MITCHELL
TO SPEAK AT HILTON FORUM
Fred Mitchell, the Opposition’s spokesman for Foreign
Affairs is to be the first speaker at the public forum organized by Ricardo
Smith at the British Colonial Hotel on Wednesday 12th June beginning at
7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
A
SECOND FIRE AT PLP HEADQUARTERS
Fire engines were called again to the PLP’s headquarters
on Thursday 7th June to investigate another fire at the headquarters.
This time the fire was only smoldering. The police have brought in
experts from Florida to investigate the first fire. They believe
the fire is electrical but the PLP is so suspicious of the Police that
there is a feeling that the fire was deliberately set, the crime scene
was contaminated by police action, and that the second fire may have been
a patch job to settle the verdict in favour of an electrical fire when
in fact it was arson. The PLP has called in its own experts to investigate
the matter.
MITCHELL
AT THE HOUSE
It has been a busy week for Opposition Spokesman
on Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell in the House of Assembly. A sample
shows him leaning back speaking with former Speaker and representative
for South Eleuthera Oswald Ingraham and conferring with PLP whip and former
Minister of Social Services and Community Development Yamacraw MP Melanie
Griffin. All in a week’s work.
KNOWLES
& NESTOR WIN FRENCH OPEN
Bahamian Mark Knowles and his Canadian partner Daniel
Nestor have won the French Open men's tennis doubles title, and now they
need a win at Wimbledon to complete a career Grand Slam.
It was the seventh Grand Slam final appearance for
the pair who were runners-up at the French Open in 2002. Knowles
and Nestor have now added this third major to their Grand Slam tennis titles
from the 2002 Australian Open and 2004 U.S. Open. Knowles has won 45 doubles
titles in his career.
Breaking up may now be a little harder for the partners
who had planned to split after Wimbledon.
Knowles, left, and partner Nestor are shown raising the French Open
championship trophy after winning the men's doubles title Saturday at Roland
Garros Stadium in Paris. (Michel Spingler/Associated Press)
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Johnley Ferguson's Folly
Three storms in two years, and we have not learnt
anything from our experiences. I speak of Senator the Honorable Johnley
Ferguson, Vice Chair of the FNM’s appearance on Jeff Lloyd’s Radio Talk
Show Real Talk Live where he sought to make a case that the Progressive
Liberal Party Government was being wasteful by allocating 3 Million Dollars
for a Primary School in Acklins.
What Senator Ferguson failed to outline is the
fact that the 2.8 Million Dollars that was allocated for the Primary school
was a multipurpose facility entailing a Community center, School, Auditorium,
a 440M Track, and a Hurricane Shelter.
Acklins is one of those remote southern islands
I am told that it would take as much as two days to reach via Mailboat;
so to invest 2.8 Million Dollars in a School/community center able to withstand
hurricane force winds is not an unreasonable figure.
Listening to the Senator’s view it became clear
that he could not identify with the catastrophic experiences that Grand
Bahamians realized during hurricanes Francis, Jean and Vilma and a suggestion
of any type of wooden structure is a non starter, therefore, as a Leader
he should not be around ANY table making public policy decisions that would
affect the lives of ordinary Bahamians in a modern Bahamas.
The following day Prime Minister Ingraham presented
his Budget communication, it was interesting to note that high on the agenda
of the new government was a 1 Million Dollar PER ANNUM grant to the Bahamas
National Trust for all the wonderful work they do in conservation and preservation
of the environment yet 2.8 Million Dollars is too much to invest in a school/hurricane
shelter for the people of Acklins.
As we chart a new course, it would be a grave
mistake for the Government to allocate less than 1 Million Dollar grant
PER ANNUM to the various children’s homes, homes for the aged and the disabled.
Finally, I trust that we are not following other
nations that put animals and nature over people, to do so would be heresy.
Brian N. Seymour
Paul D. Moss Jr. Joins PLP
(Excerpts from his news statement - Click
here for the full statement)
After careful and considered deliberations, I
have joined the Progressive Liberal Party, and am now a card carrying member!
I am fully persuaded that I have much to contribute
to the Party’s rebuilding process, and that is why I have made this move.
For me, now is a perfect time – an exciting time to be PLP.
The PLP has always demonstrated that it is the
party that not only best represents the interest of the grassroots Bahamians,
or the less fortunate Bahamian, but it is a party committed to the empowerment
of all Bahamians. The many national social initiatives and programmes enacted
by them over the years show that they are indeed the party with vision,
innovation and heart. Under successive PLP governments, the country has
grown and progressed. There is still some ways to go, and I truly
believe that the PLP is still the best vehicle to take us there.
Today, the Bahamas is faced with many pressures,
both from within and out. Issues like globalization, for example, continue
to press us and will have to be dealt with. How we respond to these
issues will determine what kind of country we leave for our children. I
am willing to entrust my country to the PLP, and am willing to do my part
to ensure their success.
Paul Moss
THIS
WEEK WITH THE LEADER
Full Speed Ahead
PLP Leader Perry Christie confers with his spokesman
on foreign affairs and the public service Fred Mitchell just before Mr.
Mitchell's contribution to the Budget Debate in the House of Assembly.
| 17th
June, 2007
Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com |
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| PLP FILES COURT CASES... | LORETTA BUTLER’S NEW LIFE... |
| NO VISION IN FOREIGN POLICY... | THE STRAW MARKET DEAL IS CANCELLED... |
| PM’S PENSION BILL... | LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION’S BUDGET DEBATE... |
| SPEAKING ABOUT THE MIDDLE CLASS... | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR... |
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| PLPs On The Web... | Interesting Places... |
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| Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte | Bahamians On The Web |
| Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw | Bahamian Kayaking News |
| John Carey / PLP Carmichael | FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES... |
| Keod Smith / PLP Mount Moriah | |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE CRASSNESS OF HUBERT INGRAHAM
The headlines were too titillating for the newspapers to miss and
so the anti PLP press all carried the headlines that Hubert Ingraham when
speaking on Wednesday 13th June in the House of Assembly, called on Perry
Christie the Leader of the Opposition to resign. He said that this
is what leaders do a democracy. Hubert Ingraham is an ass.
The PLPs in the House should have told him so. There is no other
way to put it than to say just that. He is a biggety ass and really
should join the pantheon of JACKASSES OF THE WEEK in this column.
We would not dignify him with that epithet.
The first thing we need to ask him is, what business is it of his who the PLP’s leader is? The answer is clearly none of his business. And yet feeling his oats as he does, like he is anointed of God, he comes wandering into something that clearly is not his business. The Bahamian people have by giving him this victory now made him feel entitled to it. He is entitled to nothing. In our view he is not even entitled to respect. His conduct in the House of Assembly during the past two weeks has been boorish and crude. There is a saying that needs to be revived to describe him and that is: “You can’t put a goat on a board floor because it will prance”.
The PLP looking at that big, dumb and happy lot that he leads on the other side of the House must come to the conclusion that they (the PLP leaders) should be horsewhipped and shot at dawn for losing, indeed some would say giving away an election to the Free National Movement. One FNM Minister after the next clearly does not have clue what they are doing.
On the outside of the House as they take the reigns of government, we have a new a situation where a purge is taking place throughout the public service. Each day comes the news that some civil servant has been removed, some have been fired and that others are relegated to doing nothing. He listed at last three permanent secretaries who are in the Cabinet Office who literally have nothing to do.
The most prominent of the victims this week was that of Rory Higgs, the Managing Director of the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation. Mr. Higgs was delivered a cheque during the week for one year's pay and told to go home. This is Mr. Ingraham’s modus operandi. In his contribution to the debate on the Budget Perry Christie, the Leader of the Opposition, tried to make the case for the way he did it, where he left certain FNMs in place. That approach is clearly not one that the Bahamian people accept. They prefer the ways of the feral beast that is now in charge of the country. If there is a hint of being PLP, then you are gone.
How does the PLP intend to fight this? One thing for sure, we don’t have the press on our side. During the week, you had each newspaper trying to prescribe for the PLP what they should do and what they should not do. The fact is at the moment the PLP should do nothing. It seems clear that in an atmosphere where the election result is as close as it is, and with the possibility of another general election in the air, it is important in the short term for the PLP to stand pat with its present Leader, and begin the reconsolidation from below. The retrospective on the election must be done quickly. All of the problems with the theme, the lack paraphernalia, the money and the general management of the campaign have to be set right. This is the only way to face a quick election. The long term clearly requires change at all levels.
In speaking this week to the New Progressive Institute (NPI) the next generation of PLP leaders, Mr. Christie himself referred to the need for a review by the party. He said that the review must allow the party to transition without collapsing but that the review must also include the leadership and the extent to which the present leadership has managed the party, and whether the present leadership has taken the party as far as it can, and where do we go from here.
That is the PLP’s business. Clearly this is not Hubert Ingraham's business. His comment that one resigns after a loss in a democratic society is not even accurate. In his own party Tommy Turnquest was the leader of the FNM and he kept his position when the party lost in 2002 even though he even lost his seat in the Assembly. Then there is Patrick Manning, the now Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago who held on when he lost and became Prime Minister again. There is Kenny Anthony who just lost as Prime Minister of St. Lucia. He too is holding on until he can lead the party into the Government again.
Anyone who looks at the House of Assembly tapes can see that Hubert Ingraham has a dog in the manger, pubescent attitude. He is bad for The Bahamas. The people of The Bahamas made a serious mistake re electing him to office. But that is where we are and the PLP had better get its act together and quickly so that we can be rid of this crassness once and for all.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 16th June 2007 at midnight: 200,964.
Number of hits for the month of June up to Saturday 16th June 2005 at midnight: 505,527.
Number of hits for the year 2007 up to Saturday 6th June 2007 at midnight: 3,866,322. (Does not reflect hits prior to 14th February, 2007).
PLP
FILES COURT CASES
The press reported on Friday 13th June that the
PLP had obtained leave on Thursday 12th June to file two election court
petitions. The two are believed to challenge the results in the Marco
City (Grand Bahama) election and the one in Pinewood (New Providence).
The incumbents Pleasant Bridgewater (Marco City) and Allyson Maynard Gibson
(Pinewood) allege that the result in the election was not correct because
of irregularities in the voting, mainly that people voted in the election
who were not entitled to vote. It is not known when the cases will
be heard.
The question the PLP will now have to ask itself
is whether or not it is ready to face a general election. It is open
to Hubert Ingraham if he believes that the results will go against him
to then advise the Governor General to call a snap election. Is the
PLP ready for such an election? If not, they should get ready for
one.
No word on the whether or not the PLP filed the
case to challenge the Senate appointments for the three senate seats that
are still not filled (click
here for a previous story). The Leader of the Opposition insists
that the seats must go to the PLP. The Prime Minister believes that
he is the appointing authority and that he can appoint those whom he wishes.
The court is to be asked whether or not the Prime Minister is bound to
give the seats to the PLP as advised by the Leader of the Opposition.
Two more cases are expected to be filed in the election
court before the deadline on Monday 18th June. No word on whether
or not the FNM has filed any cases against the PLP on the election.
LORETTA
BUTLER’S NEW LIFE
The Butler who is in the FNM and belongs in the
PLP is having a hard time of it. She can’t take the pressure of her
new job. She was being put under severe pressure by Melanie Griffin,
the former Minister of Social Development, to answer some questions relating
to the budget which the FNM has proposed for the area of social services.
Her response was to pull a tantrum: “I am the Minister now”, she said.
Yes we suppose she is the Minister and that answer must be the answer to
all things. The fact is it isn’t. This new crew will quickly
find out that the cars and the ‘yes minister; three times full, minister’
will not get you to understand your job or deliver the services for the
Bahamian people.
Mrs. Butler Turner has the same kind of complex
that Earl Deveaux, the Minister of Works and Transport has. He is
constantly trying to impress people that he is a mannerly and orderly fellow,
his version of order. How can he be? How can he sit in a Cabinet
with Hubert Ingraham who acts like a boor when he is on the floor of the
House and cannot simply answer straight questions when asked in the House?
If he is hanging with the crows then you would consider him a crow.
What is happening throughout the FNM is that they
all will have to adopt the attitude of Hubert Ingraham: crass, boorish
and ugly. This is to make up for lack of talent and ability, their
embarrassment for not knowing. Instead of saying I don’t know, you
try to bluff it but by being crude and crass. This is unfortunately
again what the PLP has wrought: a group of people who are more interested
in the trappings of office than in the jobs they actually will have to
do.
Loretta Butler Turner’s answer simply exposes the
insecurities they all have. It was she who having just come into
the House was lecturing members on decorum. It is as if this crew
thinks that this is a school hall, what between them and the new Speaker
Alvin Smith who has throttled lively debate in the House by the silly adherence
to rules. This would be fine except they allow their Prime Minister
Hubert Ingraham to be as rude and boorish as he wishes. What they
need to do is to make him behave and then perhaps the PLP can pay attention
to what they are saying.
NO
VISION IN FOREIGN POLICY
Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum are off to Washington
on Wednesday of this week for a meeting with U.S. President George Bush
and Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State of the United States.
Who is Twiddle Dum and Twiddle Dee? Why none other than the salt
and pepper team of the Free National Movement. This group who ridiculed
the travel abroad by the former Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell to work
for and on behalf of The Bahamian people are now travelling themselves
in order to do the work of the country.
The reason for the trip is a long planned Conference
on the Future of the Caribbean. This was a matter mooted by the former
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell when the U.S. Secretary of State travelled
to The Bahamas for a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Caricom.
Several countries in the Caribbean have set themselves the goal of becoming
developed countries by the year 2020. These include Trinidad and
Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica. The conference should help to fine
tune that goal for the region, have the region interact with the Caribbean
Diaspora in the United States, and set mutual goals on trade, security
and politics between the region and the United States.
Eventually there will have to be a free trade agreement
with the United States and the region. It was clear from the answers
to questions asked in the Parliament last week, the current Prime Minister
Hubert Ingraham and the Foreign Minister Brent Symonette have not one clue
as to what they are going up to the United States for save that they are
going to get a photo op with the President and one with the Secretary of
State. What a hopeless bunch. Nevertheless, we hope that the
diplomats who work for and on behalf of The Bahamas will get to doing the
job they are supposed to while these nitwits who are presently in charge
waste the taxpayer’s money.
THE
STRAW MARKET DEAL IS CANCELLED
Hubert Ingraham, the Prime Minister, continues to
be a national embarrassment. During his two hour rant in the House
of Assembly on Wednesday 13th June, he announced that the straw market
contract will be cancelled his by government. That is not okay but
on one level if the government wants to pay the penalties and the loss
to the contractor for getting out of the contract all well and good.
Mr. Ingraham will have to explain to the taxpayers why he felt the need
to waste their money in that way.
What we found reprehensible for the boorish and
crude way in which Mr. Ingraham attacked the contractor on the job essentially
saying that he was not qualified to do the job. This is a young Bahamian
contractor with the requisite experience to do the job, and if Mr. Ingraham
had uttered those words anywhere else than in the House of Assembly he
would have been sued for slander and libel. This Prime Minister of
The Bahamas has come back with vengeance with his anti Bahamian attitude.
He is so wrapped up in pro white policies that nothing good can come from
black men and women; only white men and women will do. His racism
knows no bounds.
The straw market contract should not be cancelled.
The straw market should be built and the project should be re commenced
immediately. It is interesting Mr. Ingraham’s cancellation of the
contract came while his Minster of Works was telling the straw vendors
that the matter was being reviewed; that he did not have a final answer
with regard to the contract. He has his answer now and that is that
the straw market will not be rebuilt. But that’s how a minister in
the Ingraham government finds out what the Cabinet’s decisions are -- in
the House of Assembly just like everyone else.
PM’S
PENSION BILL
Fred Mitchell, the former Foreign Minister, was
designated by the Progressive Liberal Party to speak to a Bill that the
FNM proposed to clean up Hubert Ingraham’s dirty work when he was in the
House over the last five years, where he collected both his pension and
his salary. He was asked to give up his pension since he was not
retired and to accept his salary. The law allowed him to do both.
Mr. Ingraham was labelled a double dipper and that label stuck with him.
What it means is that he was supposed to be a retired Prime Minister but
he was able to collect over $200,000 per annum and he spent his time using
it to fight, organize and campaign against the PLP.
Mr. Ingraham deliberately set up an act to force
the late Sir Lynden Pindling to resign on the ground that he had to leave
the House of Assembly but he did not apply any such thing to himself.
The PLP did not act on this legislatively until this year and it gave Mr.
Ingraham the opportunity to say that he would suspend his pension for the
duration of the time that he was a member of the House. That was
shortly before the election. Now Mr. Ingraham has come with his own
bill, and this will allow him to accept the pension and then repay to the
consolidated fund the monies he collected when he served in Parliament
for the previous five years.
This man is devious and good at fixing himself up
and making things look good when he has committed the most evil acts.
You may click here for the full address
of the Member of Parliament for Fox Hill on the matter. The bill was
passed with all PLP MPs present opposing and voting against it.
LEADER
OF THE OPPOSITION’S BUDGET DEBATE
Perry Christie, Leader of the Opposition, spoke
to the House of Assembly on Wednesday 13th June. He was speaking
to the country’s budget. It was clear to the former Prime Minister
that this was the budget he should have been delivering. The country
decided otherwise. It must have been a bitter pill to swallow, that
of providing a healthy surplus and good revenue stream for Hubert Ingraham
to deliver to the Bahamian people. History will show that Mr. Christie
took a country that was broke and in serious problems and delivered it
to his successor with a full Treasury. He passed on the best economy
in the history of The Bahamas. None of that was good enough to allow
him to become Prime Minister for a second time. You mayclick
here for the full address of Mr. Christie.
BIS photo: Peter Ramsay
SPEAKING
ABOUT THE MIDDLE CLASS
Debbie Bartlett is celebrating the 10th anniversary
of her CEO Network. Ms. Bartlett is a tireless worker in the cause
of women's rights and in the field of promoting Bahamian business.
She is now the part owner of a radio station, and has substantial public
relations interests with the Turks and Caicos government. Her conference
just concluded on Friday 15th June in Nassau with a gala banquet at the
Crystal Palace. During the banquet she honoured a number of deserving
personalities including Bahamian writer James Catalyn, Dame Marguerite
Pindling, the widow of the former Prime Minister of The Bahamas and former
Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson.
Earlier in the day former Prime Minister Perry Christie
spoke at the luncheon meeting on the theme ‘Strengthening, Preserving and
Protecting the Middle Class’. Mr. Christie spoke about the work he
had done in the government to attract investment to The Bahamas and strengthen
the middle class. What he did not say is that the middle class cut
his hand off in return.
The photo shows Mr. Christie (centre) at the luncheon with from left
Fred Mitchell, MP PLP Fox Hill, Melanie Griffin, MP Yamacraw, Catherine
Egan Catherine of Egan Ministries and Mrs. Paulette Zonicle. The
photo is by Neville Bethel Please
click here for a photo spread of this event by Peter Ramsay of the Bahamas
Information Services.
MITCHELL AT SPEAKERS FORUM
Opposition Spokesman on Foreign Affairs and the Public Service Fred Mitchell
was the guest at the Speakers Forum at the MeTing Place - Hilton Hotel
on Wednesday past. Forum Moderator Elcott Coleby (pictured), a frequent
correspondent to this site, introduced Mr. Mitchell and his subject:
"The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a free, modern
democratic state, and as such, the responsibility of every Bahamian citizen
is the development of democracy. We at the Speaker’s Forum take this responsibility
very seriously and have engaged in public forums to highlight, critique,
and discuss critical areas of public policy and the collective effect it
has on the growth and development of our nation.
"Let’s examine for a moment the housing policy
of the PLP government vis-à-vis that of the FNM. In its first tenure
as the government, the FNM constructed 780 houses or 78 per year. This
was because they felt that the private sector should provide for the housing
needs of the Bahamians. The PLP believes that since a significant number
of Bahamians would become victims of market forces, Government intervention
was necessary to empower the weaker and less fortunate and more vulnerable
among us. The waiting list for affordable housing numbered some 8,000 applicants
who were apparently ignored by the first FNM administration. It is interesting
to note that many who sought affordable housing were among the uniform
branches, nurses, and teachers. While the leader of the FNM boasted of
commanding political support from this strategic grouping of the order
of 70%, the PLP can tangibly show that they have empowered the lives of
this grouping through sound and relevant public policies. The historic
collective bargaining agreement with the BUT, its aggressive housing program
that resulted in over 1,500 homes being constructed in 5 years or 300 houses
per year, the provisions for expansive insurance coverage for the entire
uniform branch as part of the Police Act, and NHI are testaments to this
fact.
"We are proud of our public policy initiatives
because they were consistent with the role of government which is the use
of the instruments of government to continuously improve the lives of the
Bahamian people. Effective public policy must consistently reflect the
collective will, desires, aspirations, sensibilities, and expectations
of the citizenry. All and sundry would be hard pressed to prove that the
policies of the PLP did not meet these criteria. The constant attacks on
the personalities and styles in the PLP confirm this. Bahamians will be
well advised that personalities do not develop a country, but sound polices
do.
"The FNM now promises to build 3,000 houses in
5 years and 600 alone in this legislative term. This is a departure from
the neoconservative position previously held by this party. This drastic
shift in policy was no doubt driven by the resounding success and vote
of confidence of the PLP’s housing program. I can only assume that the
FNM government is continuing with the Olympia project in south west New
Providence where 350 acres of land was purchased by the Christie administration
to be made available to Bahamians at concessionary rates. The PLP must
remain vigilant in ensuring that social justice prevails in this country.
The needs of the many must never be sacrificed for the desires of the privileged
few.
"In my parting shot, based on some of the revelations
of the recent budget debate, it is safe to say that the use of Contingency
Warrants and Inter-ministerial or internal virements are practices from
a former era. I would be very disappointed if these legal, but obsolete
instruments of government are used by this administration, as it could
be perceived as a veiled attempt to defraud the Bahamian people and engage
in malfeasance of the worst kind. The PM is invited to publicly repudiate
his junior minister because surely, a trustworthy government cannot afford
to be seen in that light."
The event was carried live on GEMS radio 105.9.
Pleaseclick here for the text of Mr. Mitchell's
remarks.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Conflict of interest?
I wanted to ask a question in relation to conflict
of interest as it relates to a minister of state. It is interesting
to note that since the swearing in of ministers to their portfolios that
one Mr. Phenton Neymour is still engaged in the advertisement business
for Indigo which is in the communications business while being not just
employed with the Bahamas government and its people, but that he is also
minister of state for works and transport.
Would this sort of advertising be undermining
BTC and its staff while serving as minister and perhaps against house ethics
which they (FNM) speak about from both sides of their mouth?
Thank for your balanced views on the state of
this country and I look forward to hearing from you.
A Concerned Voter
St. Andrew’s Graduates Come from Far and Wide
I attended the St Andrew’s 2007 graduation ceremony
on Thursday June 14th, 2007. As a guest I appreciated the many wonderful
accomplishments and future plans of the graduates highlighted at the event.
However all of this was greatly diminished when three young, talented students
were introduced and had to stand at the podium to essentially declare “We
are the Class of 2007 Scholarship Graduates” – different from all the rest!
It occurred to me that no matter what my station in life, if my child had
to pay the price of enduring the “scholarship spotlight” I would not want
them to attend the institution.
The Tribune headlined a photo essay of the event
as “St Andrew’s Students Come from Far and Wide” with a photo of the “inner
city children”. The far and wide should have read rich and poor as
the photos clearly depict – graduates of well known privileged Bahamian
families and then the “inner city students” standing at the podium declaring
their “ticket” to the event.
Many private schools in this country and around
the world provide scholarship for students who could not otherwise afford
to attend - but don’t make the students stand in front of their peers and
publicly declare this fact at their graduation. This is truly a disgrace
for an international school whose motto is ‘Ethics and Excellence’.
St. Andrew’s still has a long way to go before
it truly excels as an ethical institution that embraces and serves the
entire community and eliminates this and any other kind of economic discrimination
from its policies and practices towards the students and families they
serve.
Saddened and Outraged
Wary of Mr. Moss
This is in response to your letter
published last week from Mr. Paul D. Moss Jr. who announced he is joining
the PLP. I would be wary of Mr. Moss. I would want to see if his
beliefs are in line with the party's; especially as it relates to drug
interdiction and extradition. He may be seeking a platform to more successfully
address or provide impetus for his agenda. Look at his activism in the
past?
Name Withheld
| 24th
June, 2007
Welcome to bahamasuncensored.com |
|
| INGRAHAM HAS TO TURN ABOUT FACE ON CSME... | THE MEETING IN WASHINGTON... |
| A 12 YEAR OLD IN JAIL... | THE SENATE DEBATES THE BUDGET... |
| IN PASSING... | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR... |
| ST. AGNES PRIMARY CHOIR... | |
| The Official Site of the Progressive
Liberal Party... |
The Official Site of the Free National Movement... |
| PLPs On The Web... | Interesting Places... |
| Vincent Peet / PLP North Andros & Berry Isl. | Bahamas Government Website |
| Neville Wisdom / PLP Delaporte | Reg & Kit's Bahamas Links |
| Alfred Sears / PLP Fort Charlotte | Bahamians On The Web |
| Melanie Griffin / PLP Yamacraw | Bahamian Kayaking News |
| John Carey / PLP Carmichael | FredMitchellUncensored.Com ARCHIVES... |
| Keod Smith / PLP Mount Moriah | |
 |
| PHOTO OF THE WEEK: The Free National Movement government dubbed by former Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell as the ‘stop, review and cancel government’ can’t seem to make up its mind about the straw market. Their leader Hubert Ingraham announced that he intended to terminate the straw market contract. Indeed, the project is on hold as we speak, racking up charges of $10,000 per day in penalties while they are reviewing something that is straightforward. They ought to build the straw market. Fred Mitchell met with straw vendors in the market following reports of a meeting with Earl Deveaux in which he blamed the PLP for wanting to build a straw market that did not make provision for the straw vendors. Secondly, he said that the PLP had lied to the straw vendors when they told the vendors that they could not go into the old customs warehouse on Prince George Dock because of security objections by the government of the United States. A meeting was organized with the straw vendors and the Leader of the Opposition. Speaking at the meeting on Thursday 21st June was former Minister of Works Bradley Roberts, former Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt and former Prime Minister Perry Christie. Mr. Christie told the vendors do not let your politics get in the way of making the right decision and to resist going onto the Prince George Dock. You may click here for the full address by former Minister of Works Bradley Roberts. Our photo of the week is that of former Prime Minister and now Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie speaking with the straw vendors at the British Colonial on Thursday last. Photo: PLP media / Andy Burrows |
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
THE MEANING OF BITTERNESS
Fred Mitchell, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, told a story
to the forum at Ricardo Smith’s club on Wednesday 13th June and we quote
from it:
“I am amused these days as I sit in the House of Assembly and watch those filled with the heady wine of new found power flex their muscles. But what is interesting is that which I have always said and I always believe: those who have power, those who are in the majority; need the minority in order to feel powerful. In order for there to be rich people, there must be poor people. And so those who have new found power are in need of and hungry for the day that those they perceive to have defeated will acknowledge them as the winners and the Lords of the day.
“I was virtually assaulted the other day by a Minister of the Government from the FNM who came up to me in the House of Assembly to complain in my face that he had said good morning to me and I had not responded. He had the temerity, the gall, effrontery to say further that if I did not want him to speak to me, just say so and he would not do so. Quite frankly I was speechless. He had never entered my mind or consciousness and the question whether he speaks or does not speak is not matter of any concern to me.
“I will always be civil but what I am concerned about is not acting out niceties to some person who spent a campaign telling lies, slander and dispensing vitriol against me and my colleagues. What I am concerned about is that you do your job while in public office. In other words when I call that Minister, would expect him to respond appropriately and carry out my requests on behalf of my constituents if it is within the power and resources of the government to do so.”
This is a story worth repeating because all around the town, the FNM leadership is crying out for acceptance from those who they defeated. That is part of the business of “you need to get over it” that is being preached by some of them. The question any PLP has to ask themselves is why exactly should we get over it, and what exactly do we get over?
It is clear that the FNM have the reigns of power, so let them continue along their path and be happy. There is no need for an acknowledgement of them. The country is divided right in half and yet they have started to govern as if they got the majority vote. In fact they did not. Most people voted against them. So they are now getting testy in all the public forums because they are not acknowledged as they want to be. And they should not be so long as they do not apologize and recant from the nasty vicious and lying campaign that they ran against the PLP, only to come to office and accept uncritically all the kudos for the good economy that they have inherited.
As for getting over it, you would not believe that the FNM's candidate in Fox Hill (we make it policy never to call her name in this column) was in the Senate during the week complaining about how she got done in by the PLP in Fox Hill. She claims that the PLP put T shirts on little children in the school yard of the Sandilands Primary School. The Member of Parliament for Fox Hill has responded to it in his latest podcast and you may click here to access it.
But what an irony, the group who says ‘get over it’ now has the gorgon at the door complaining about how she got done right in. She needs to get over it.
We quote from Fred Mitchell’s podcast with agreement: “The fact is the FNM lost the seat in Fox Hill. Their candidate was a lousy candidate and what we have now is an attempt at someone who simply will not accept that she got beaten in the election and is jonesing to be the representative. So we shed no tears for the FNM candidate. She was a bad candidate. Making her a Senator is merely an attempt by the FNM’s leader to harass me, part of his campaign of hate Fred Mitchell, but PLPs will stand their ground against the attempts by the FNM through that senator to victimize the people of Fox Hill. You can see her coming a mile off; pushy, aggressive, disgusting in the way she practices her politics, nasty in fact. Simply doesn't know her place. Pretending to be nice but not nice at all. Sad but true.”
This particular FNM candidate is emblematic of what the FNM is at its best, pretending to be one thing but really being the next. Their leader for example said he was changed man but he came to office and is the same biggety, vindictive, spiteful person that he was when he was kicked out of office. He successfully fooled the Bahamian public.
Now to our theme, the meaning of bitterness. Bitterness, anger are normal human emotions and here is nothing wrong with them, provided one is not consumed by it. They are emotions that call you to action, spur you onto succeed. They are also emotions that signal your displeasure to those who need to see that signal, amongst them the voters who made that bad decision. The fact is there was no reason for the people of The Bahamas to vote against the PLP; no logical reason, but they did and they no doubt have their reasons why. It is not then a question of acceptance. It is clear what the new status quo is but out of the depths of this present hell, the PLP must and will rise again.
Michael Manley said in his own country and we repeat with approval: “We routed them before and we can rout them again.”
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 23rd June 2007 at midnight: 171,936.
Number of hits for the month of June up to Saturday 23rd June 2007 at midnight: 727,427.
Number of hits for the year 2007 up to Saturday 23rd June 2007 at midnight: 4,088,222. (Does not reflect hits prior to 14th February, 2007).
INGRAHAM
HAS TO TURN ABOUT FACE ON CSME
You will remember that during the Budget Debate,
the voluble Zhivargo Laing, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance
was crowing from the roof tops about how the FNM will not sign on to the
Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME). In doing so he walked away
from his own views that we had no choice but to sign on to it that he wrote
in his book ‘Who Stole My Conch?’ In light of that then, it was interesting
therefore to see how the Prime Minister of The Bahamas Hubert Ingraham
went up to Washington D.C. and did an about face on that. If it is
not an about face, then he has to explain why he joined the consensus but
does not follow up with the public policy in The Bahamas.
You may click
here for the full statement issued by the U.S. White House, the Office
of the U.S. President. But we quote the operative parts for our
purposes now: “We recognize the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market
and Economy as a critical element of the growth and development strategy
of the Caribbean Community.” This is taken from the joint statement
that in paragraph one says that the Prime Minister of The Bahamas joined
the consensus. So what we have to ask is, if the CSME is so critical
to the growth and development of the economy of the Caribbean Community
(Caricom) of which The Bahamas is a part, why is The Bahamas not implementing
this critical element?
Mr. Ingraham and his crowd during the time they
were in opposition contradicted his own policy when he was in the Government.
During his first time in Government he agreed that he would sign onto the
CSME but he wanted to take advantage of the tide of xenophobia and ride
it to office. Now reality will set in. They have to be part
of Caricom and The Bahamas cannot go it alone. Brian Moree and the
others, whose disdain for West Indians got the better of The Bahamas, need
to be put in their places.
The CSME will be just one area where Hubert Ingraham
will have to do an about face. We predict that his loud mouth and
crass behavior will have to be reversed in not building a new Port for
New Providence. We already see that because the government cannot
meet the deadlines for the improvements to the harbour and to the city
of Nassau, the Norwegian Cruise and Carnival line ships are pulling out
in the summer of 2009. This is because Mr. Ingraham stupidly announced
that he was not going ahead with the Nassau Redevelopment Project.
He will have to reverse himself on the straw market as well; this is an
integral part of the development of Bay Street which the cruise ships have
asked to be done or else they will have to leave because Bay Street is
too run down. He will have to reverse himself on Urban Renewal as
well, which he is in the process of gutting simply because it is a PLP
project. Mark our words well.
THE
MEETING IN WASHINGTON
Can George Bush really deliver anything to the leaders
of the Caribbean who gathered in Washington last week? Was it just
a talking shop? Was there any substantial progress made? What
did The Bahamas get out of the deal? The answer to the first question
is mixed: yes and no. Mr. Bush the US President is at the lowest
rating in the polls of any US President since the Nixon presidency and
Watergate. But he does have the ability to mobilize effectively against
a push by his political opponents in the legislature. He promised
that he would look to the extension of the Caribbean Basin Initiative.
This is the programme that presently violates the rules of the World Trade
Organization that allows duty free access of Caricom goods including Bahamian
goods into US markets.
Owen Arthur, the Barbados Prime Minister, appealed
for the extension of the Caribbean Basin Initiative on behalf of Caricom.
Two points, can the US get the exemption beyond 2008 from the WTO?
Will the US Congress go along with it? There was not much reported
about the view of the Congress but the Democrats are very sympathetic to
the Caribbean cause and so there might be co-operation between the two
political sides that will allow it to come off.
On the question of whether it was a talking shop
or any progress made? You will not be able to tell in the short term.
Certainly the Diaspora seemed energized by the fact of the meeting, and
let’s hope that this means more investment by them in their home countries
and using their political clout to get the CBI extension passed.
As for The Bahamas, the BBC reports that our Prime
Minister prevailed upon his colleagues to change the focus of Caricom from
economic to more social issues. This seems laughable since Caricom
is in fact a trade pact. Observers at the meeting said Mr. Ingraham
spent much of his time in the private corners of the meeting room laughing
and talking with his old buddy Owen Arthur, the PM of Barbados and the
incoming Chair of Caricom. He will find that his personal relationship
with Owen Arthur cannot help him with redirecting Caricom to social issues.
The Secretary General Edwin Carrington seemed to have the answer for him
when he expressed the hope that The Bahamas will join the CSME.
Mr. Ingraham came home saying that he had useful
meetings with his Haitian counterpart Rene Preval. Co-operation on
that front is absolutely crucial. We hope now that the FNM and the
Bahamian people see that the PLP’s foreign policy is entirely correct,
we and Caricom are one and we cannot seek to separate ourselves from them.
A
12 YEAR OLD IN JAIL
Every self respecting parent and citizen of The
Bahamas must have been concerned about the report that a 12 year old female
was last week placed in the adult prison by the Bahamian authorities because
she was an uncontrollable child. What seemed even more alarming was
that the new Minister of State for the Willamae Pratt School Loretta Butler
Turner seemed lost in space when it came to what was happening and why.
She could not answer the question as to how this happened and it was only
later in the day after the press’ first enquiries that she was able to
cobble together an answer. This will not do Minister and we are sure
that Melanie Griffin your predecessor would have known what to say and
why it happened. Whatever the reason, the imprisonment of a 12 year
old girl is unacceptable in today’s Bahamas.
THE
SENATE DEBATES THE BUDGET
The PLP’s team in the Senate did a good job during
the past week defending the record of the PLP and putting the lie to many
of the FNM’s propaganda points. They are Opposition Leader in the
Senate Allyson Maynard Gibson along with Michael Halkitis, Jerome Fitzgerald,
Pleasant Bridgewater and Hope Strachan. It was the job of Jerome
Fitzgerald to deal with the Works portfolio and in particular to the issues
arising from the cancellation of the straw market contract. In patient
detail, he laid out the PLP’s case. You may click
here for his full address. This buttressed the words of Bradley
Roberts, the former Minister of Works who spoke to straw vendors at a special
luncheon held by the PLP for the straw vendors on Thursday 21st June.
You may click here
for that address. The problem we have is the strange way that
Lynn Holowesko, the Senate President, has of running the place. She
seems to side always with the FNM in allowing points of order that are
not really points of order. It leads to one interruption after the
next of FNM senators popping up in the middle of a PLP Senator’s statement
and not being able to finish a thought. A point of order is really
a procedural matter, not simply that you have a different version of the
facts. If you have a different version of the facts then when you
get up to speak you can put that point. What was really silly was
the President’s insistence that matters in which an act was characterized
by the PLP about the Government had to be led with the words “in my opinion”.
How ridiculous? Whose opinion is it but the speakers? But this
is when you get schoolmarms and neophytes in political positions and they
are overzealous in guarding their political party. The result is
the throttling of free speech. This was not so in the PLP’s time.
We have photos of all of our Senators at work. From left, Allyson
Maynard Gibson, Michael Halkitis, Jerome Fitzgerald and Hope Strachan.
BIS Photos: Peter Ramsay. Not pictured is Senator Pleasant Bridgewater.
IN PASSING
Urban Renewal Gets The Wrecking Ball
Despite the smart talk of Zhivargo Laing, the Minister for State, despite
the clever language of the Parliamentary Secretary Brensil Rolle about
how much they are going to do for Urban Renewal, the programme is being
dismantled. The programme is an internationally certified award winning
programme which helps the community deal with a number of pathologies including
the isolation of the senior citizens, the housing stock and its repair
and building for the under privileged, mental and physical health issues
for the community, the training of the young in productive activities.
The police led the way. Now the police have been told to pack up
and move to their local headquarters with all their equipment. They
have also sent the housing officers and social service personnel packing.
They have stripped each office down to its bare essentials. In the
mean time, since they have been in office and begun this exercise there
have been 13 murders in the country. This is a phenomenon that to
hear them tell it during the election that would stop once they took office.
PLP leader Perry Christie is expected to address this as an issue.
Condolences
We extend condolences to the families of the later Idella Taylor of
Fox Hill. Mrs. Taylor is the mother of famous singer Leon Taylor
of the Roosters fame, known for his song Eternal Love and Isaiah Taylor,
the leader of Bahamen, known for its hit single Who Let The Dogs Out.
Also we extend condolences to Michelle Fox, attorney at law, on the death
of her mother Mary Fox.
Prison Staff Association Chair
Clive Rolle, 38, who led the Prison Staff Association on an unlawful
strike during the waning months of the PLP's administration died in new
York last week unexpectedly. He was 38 years old.
Fred Mitchell Attacked In The Senate
The lady who lost the election in Fox Hill is still moaning and complaining
like, well, a little cry baby, although she is far from that. She
claimed that the PLP had put PLP T shirts on children in the school yard.
That is a lie. What we believe is that the FNM wants to remove the
teachers from the Sandilands School and are trying to make a public case
for their removal by making the false accusations that they are.
Mr. Mitchell’s podcast this week covers that subject and you may click
here to hear it.
Election Court Cases Are Filed
Three former PLP Members of Parliament have challenged the results
of the 2007 general election in the Courts. They are Allyson Gibson
from Pinewood, Pleasant Bridgewater from Marco City and Leslie Miller from
Blue Hills. It is not known when the cases will be heard but the
Chief Justice has chosen Anita Allen and Jon Isaacs as the two justices
to hear the cases. You may click
here for a full chart of the election results as compiled by Philip Galanis.
Hubert Ingraham told the press on his arrival from the U.S. where he met
the U.S. President with colleagues from the Caribbean “bring it on”.
He said he had no fear of election court cases. He reminded the public
that he has the power to call elections. He added that no court can
determine who the Government of The Bahamas will be.
Give It A Rest Johnley Ferguson
Johnley Ferguson is the Vice President of the Senate and now Chairman
of the Free National Movement. He is obviously feeling his oats,
and in doing so is trying to defend the indefensible. He is defending
his stupid comments about the Acklins School to be built in Salina Point.
The FNM has cancelled the project on the grounds that it is too much to
spend 3.1 million on the students of Acklins. His home town people
are livid, yet he keeps wiggling himself into a deep dark hole by seeking
to defend something which is self evidently inane.
Antioch College Closing
The alma mater of former Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell has announced
that it is closing its doors as a college at the end of the academic year
2008 after being in the business of tertiary education since 1852.
The school was started by the Quakers in Yellow Springs, Ohio, U.S.A.
Congratulations To Anglican Priests
Venerable Fr. Keith Cartwright celebrated his 25 anniversary as a priest
with a solemn high mass at St. Christopher's Anglican Church in Lyford
Cay today. Archdeacon Cartwright is the rector at St. Christopher’s.
Rev. Fr. Stephen Davies celebrated his 21st anniversary of the ordination
to the priesthood with a concert at the Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday
20th June. Fr. Davies is the Chaplain of the Royal Bahamas Police
Force. Congratulations to them both.
Should the GG?
Sir Arthur Foulkes is Deputy to the Governor General but is still writing
a political column in The Tribune every week. This is wrong on the
face of it.
Conflict of Interest
Eyebrows are also raised with a Minister of State in the Ministry of
Works Phenton Neymour in advertising for Indigo while he is the Minister
of State in the Minister of Public Works.
Glenys Hanna Martin On The Budget
Former Minister of Transport and now Member of Parliament for the Englerston
Constituency spoke during the Budget Debate 11th June. In a comprehensive
statement, she spoke to issues including the closure of Urban Renewal,
Transport and Security issues at both the sea ports and the Lynden Pindling
International Airport. You may click
here for the full address.
Coleby Introduces Griffin
During the Speaker's Forum of 20th June 2007, Elcott
Coleby – in introducing Yamacraw MP Melanie Griffin - commented on the
conference in Washington DC about the future of the Caribbean. He reiterated
the PLP's foreign policy position regarding CARICOM in the 21st Century
and its’ definition of the nature and quality of the relationship with
the
US as articulated by the opposition's spokesman on foreign affairs.
“The Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and Brent Symonette,
Foreign Affairs Minister are in Washington this week attending the Conference
on the Future of the Caribbean. As you know the former Foreign Affairs
Minister took the leadership role and worked diligently to make this a
reality with the first of such meetings being held in Nassau. This opportunity
for constructive engagement at the highest levels between the US government
and those of Caricom of which The Bahamas is a part must not be squandered.
The PLP government has moved CARICOM from an after thought and has given
it a level of prominence on the foreign policy agenda of the United States.
The FNM government must not drop the ball.
“I wish for the record to reiterate the position
of the PLP regarding this conference as enunciated by the party’s spokesperson
on Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Fred Mitchell MP. The record will show that
the push for first world status was a vision of successive PLP governments.
Two countries in the region, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, have determined
that by the year 2020 they will be developed countries. They have begun
to make the necessary economic adjustments and the requisite facilitating
investment in the future. The Christie administration envisioned a similar
goal for The Bahamas. Closer economic ties with China with an embassy presence,
plans for more embassies within the EU, the Economic Partnership Agreement
initiative with the European Union and visa free access to the EU attest
to the PLP’s commitment to further global trade integration. No such commitment
has been made by the FNM as they have no trade policy.
“Coming out of this conference should be at least
the following:
1. There should be a greater understanding between the US and Caricom
of the need for continued dialogue between Caricom and the United States
on issues of mutual concern and interest.
2. There must be a commitment on the part of the United States on region-specific
security issues, beyond the decidedly narrowly defined terrorism agenda
that they are most concerned about. Security in this region means a fight
against the drug barons and the drug culture that is steadily engulfing
our countries and systematically weakening our social infrastructure. This
weakening retards both economic and social development.
3. There must be greater support for education and for health care
to ensure that the populations can survive into the future.
4. There should be a commitment to a free trade agreement with the
region, with special and differential treatment for the small island developing
states that make up Caricom. This commitment should include visa free access
for Caricom citizens into the United States. The PLP government has negotiated
visa free access to the European Union and we fully expect this FNM government
to provide the same into the US.
5. The Bahamas should make a special push for an accelerated pace of
development and enhanced security for Haiti.
“In my parting shot, Congress recently voted 379-45
to delay until 2009 the now suspended passport requirement for trips to
the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada and Bermuda. This is indeed good news for
the Bahamas. Special thanks to former Minister of Tourism, Obie Wilchcombe
and his able staff at the MOT for the work they have done that made this
a reality. While the side opposite stood on the sidelines, threw stones,
fabricated controversy, and engaged in destructive political mischief,
Mr. Wilchcombe and the CTO laboured on behalf of CARICOM citizens and their
labour was not in vain.”
Melanie Griffin At The Forum
Opposition Spokesman on Social Services and former Minister Melanie
Griffin spoke on Wednesday 20th June at the Speaker’s Forum at the British
Colonial Hilton on the work that she did as Minister and the FNM’s attempts
to gut that work. You may click
here for the full address.
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Conflict of interest?
"It is now clear that the Free National Movement and their propagandist
partners are not at all concerned with the truth when it comes to the Progressive
Liberal Party and our leader, the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie", writes PLP
Media at www.myplp.com in an introduction
to a letter from Gary Christie, brother of PLP Leader Perry Christie.
Mr. Gary Christie has published a letter in reply to a story in the Tribune
concerning his late father, which he called "malicious". Please click
here for the letter from Gary Christie, published at www.myplp.com.
ST.
AGNES PRIMARY CHOIR
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TOP: - The St. Angnes Primary Choir in St. Agnes
Anglican Church last Sunday 17th June for their Sixth Annual Concert.
The godchildren of BIS photographer Peter Ramsay, children of Dwight and
Janet Dorsett are part of the choir. ABOVE: - Archdeacon Brown addresses
the congregation. Photos: Peter Ramsay.
