The Progressive Liberal Party
October 16th 2011
This past week the House of Assembly began a debate on a number of Crime Bills. Crime is described as the breach of rules or Laws for which some governing authority governing (via mechanisms such as legal systems) can ultimately prescribe a conviction. Outlined hereunder is a creditable example of how the rules of natural justice were denied long standing senior staff of the Ministry of Works and Transport?
This Ministry in February of this year advertised for five senior positions (Chief Civil Engineer, Senior Engineer-Drainage, and Senior Engineer- Structural) and the post of chief quantity surveyor, which attracted three applicants from within the Ministry.
The PLP is shocked and indeed deeply sadden to have received incontrovertible evidence that qualified and long experienced Bahamian Engineers (Senior Engineers Civil, Structural) including Chief Quantity Surveyor who applied for vacancies within the Ministry of Works (MOWT) were excluded from consideration before they were interviewed by a MOWT internal Committee (as confirmed in an intra MOW&T mail dated February 22nd 2011 (copy attached) because in the view of the Director of Works John C Canton an expatriate contract worker who wrote “Of these (applicants) none on paper, or on the basis of prior knowledge are ideal candidates”, who then directed the positions be advertise regionally and internationally. We are also advised that MOW&T applicants did not receive favorable consideration from the Public Service Commission and expats are being recruited to fill the vacancies.
Director of Works John C Canton also said in the mentioned intra memo before they were interviewed as mentioned above, “I suggest we write to existing applicants and inform that depth of field for interview is insufficient, so we are advertising more widely when results of shortlisting will be made as soon as we are able to”.
The Progressive Liberal Party is very concern as to the extent this serious breach of natural justice is being perpetrated in the Public Service.
The Minister of Works & Transport Neko Grant failed to support the promotion of long standing and fully qualified Bahamians who met all the relevant requirements for the advertised posts, but instead lent his support to the engagement of foreign engineers at salaries and benefits we are advise are greater than Deputy Directors of Works and unashamedly continues the policy of having no confidence in Bahamians Professionals. The FNM clearly pays lip service to Bahamianization. The Progressive Liberal Party believes in Bahamians and will insure that all rights for Bahamians are protected.
The man say on paper, and from their antecedents, that the Bahamians who applied did not meet the standard required. Who are we to question that, and on what basis? Paul Adderley says all the time that there are too many dumb lawyers who cannot be elevated to Magistrates, much less sit on the Supreme Court. Why then, should the engineering profession be any different, especially since we know that our math and science scores in exams have been worse than any other subject?
@Media – I agree that there is lip service paid to the “notion” of Bahamianization; on all sides of the political divide. We all know of the duplicitous nature of gambling (foreigners and not Bahamians (read – black Bahamians) or the other oppressive StaffordSandsian ideologies that permeate through the Bahamas. As to this specific case however, we should step back and review all of the facts rather than react on emotion. We should look at what the qualifications were and whether or not the Bahamian individuals did meet them. On what basis are we considering these individuals as qualified? Because they are “long experienced?” I ask this question to not be cynical, rather to highlight something more serious. By which standards are we judging qualifications? By which standards do we judge any qualifications in our country for that matter? BP, you seem very keen on highlighting many of the ills within our society. When will we step back and look at the root causes of them? I’m sure it’s not only due to incompetencies of the ruling party. We are confronted with problems that have been allowed to fester and marinate for decades because we have have refused to hold ourselves to transparent standards, we enjoy a little grease – essentially we LOVE slackness. When we are mature enough to begin this conversation of addressing slackness then we can begin to deal with our problems.
Looking at the past as far back as Columbus will not solve the issues of the present True Truths! We must deal with the present and look to solving them for the future! People dredging a “PROTECTED” marine park and nothing said by the crooked minister!
BP
My goodness, Nassau Gone Funky Eh?!
You mean to tell me you gatta foreignize the Ministry of Works? Shouldn’t these be Bahamian positions?
Seriously???
What’s going on with these donut heads? Is it a psychological pattern where black people just don’t want to support their own because they are the same skin colour?
This has been a continued practice with both PLP’s and FNM’s. The PLP should not talk. Several years back. while they were in government, they recruited over 20 engineers less qualified than Bahamian engineers from the Caribbean. These Caribs could only work in their country and of course the Bahamas. This will continue until Bahamians realize their self worth.
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