This is how an opposition behaves when it is heaping coal on the head of a WUTLESS GOVERNMENT! Here is a clip from the Australian Parliament when John Howard raked then Prime Minister Paul Keating on a censure motion. Howard later won the government and kicked Keating out of office. A Real Opposition call the government out when things are going bad in the country. NOT sit around with a ‘PUSSY CAT’ at the helm counting his wiskers whilst the nation races to hell in a backet! THE PLP NEEDS NEW LEADERSHIP AT THE TOP AND THE WAY IT LOOKS, THEY WILL LOSE AGAIN WITH CHRISTIE! As you watch to this CLIP, consider the time this censure was brought, it is identical to the times today here in the Bahamas. Change the name Paul Keating to Hubert Ingraham, now let’s see who could be the voice of John Howard for the opposition here in the Bahamas.
Rupert
You are so right this happend before the recession and the fault lies at the feet of Ingraham and the FNM we where lead down a path of lies and scandals during the last elections and we where made to beleive that Ingraham had the anwears for the make beleive problems.
This is why Iam still struck by the cowards that the FNM have become in recent times they are hideing behind the lies and scandals that they themselves at this time can’t beleive when the S&P dropped that report a few weeks ago they then said that the S&P where liers but in real time the FNM is about to get “it’s come upins.” to say it this way.
Ingrham was clearly out of touch with the way to do business when he took office the FNM had no plan when they took office they had no agenda that was real they where surprise that they had even won the election becaus if you go back and look at the last election and the fast forward to this year we will all be in disbelief the chickens that the FNM has hatched is coming home and I hope that the Bahamain people rise up and demand that an early election be called so that we can put our country back on a path to better times
This all happened before the recession media, Mr. Ingraham had his voodoo hands all over these projects that’s why we catching hell now.
Rupert let’s be clear here, did the recession slow them or did Ingraham review them and then they stalled?
Bahamas Press/ Editor
Oh you think so JAN? Perhaps you never sat in the House of Assembly when the Long Island debacle was in the Parliament ech? When Bradley Roberts was the member for Grants Town Ech? When Roberts titled Ingraham and ‘the Maximum Leader’ and ‘Minister of Everything’, ‘Master of Arrougance and DISORDER’! Those were the world we heard often ‘JAN’ where were you, and the PLP was in opposition at the time.
Well if you don’t, please go to the Parliamentry Channel’s office and get a tape, and then ask your self the question, WITH ALL THIS HELL IN THIS COUNTRY, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE VOICE OF THE PLP?
Bahamas Press/ Editor
A John Howard-like raking over the coals would only work in the Bahamas if the current Speaker of the House allows the opposition to speak, and stops invoking seat of the pants rules, and if the sitting members on the Governement side refrains from heckling and trying to drown out the voices of the side opposite.
The Australian Speaker if the House made his points, BUT NOTE, he allowed John Howard to finish his point.
That is how Parliament is supposed to work …. Yes there will be disagreements and lively debates, BUT both sides are allowed a voice.
Status Of Major Tourism Projects In The Bahamas
Prior to the financial crisis in the U.S., the government of The Bahamas expected more than 50 projects to begin in the country, worth more than US$10 billion, which would have drastically changed the economy in the next five to seven years. However, the global economic crisis dented these plans.
Below is an update on the major projects in The Bahamas.
Ginn sur Mer
The project, a mega resort in Grand Bahama, was valued at the time of signing at US$4.9 billion. The plan called for 2,000 acres of land, 1,400 home sites, 4,500 condo-hotel suites, two golf courses, a grand canal with water taxis and gondolas, a 55,000-square foot casino, two water theme parks, a 500-slip yacht marina, a private airport, and other facilities. The project was expected to take 10 years. The main idea behind the project is to alleviate the marina congestion in Florida by bringing yachts to Grand Bahama (only 40 minutes away). In 2007, Ginn raised in excess of US$300 million in lot sales, raised the land 10 feet above sea level, dredged for the creation of four to five miles of canals, staked out the golf course, purchased Old Bahama Bay, and, with money for residential infrastructure held in escrow and somewhat protected from creditors, is still tracking favorably despite Ginn’s credit woes. The project is still in the stage of the infrastructural work. Vertical buildout was not planned in the first four to five years. Infrastructure and the marina are expected to be completed in the next 18 months to three years. Construction of the cabanas is projected to begin in July 2009. Ginn is expecting to host its first golf tournament on its property in June 2009.
Baha Mar
The mega project on Cable Beach in New Providence is valued at US$2.6 billion. The initial project included the renovation of the three existing Cable Beach properties and the construction of a new tourist zone around Cable Beach, including building a 100,000 square-foot casino (the largest in the Caribbean) and a new West Bay Village complex to house offices, restaurants, nightclubs, and shops. Two hotels have been renovated, and the company is refurbishing the third one. So far, US$500 million has been spent, but the total size of the project is likely to be scaled down to US$1.2 billion. A big setback occurred in spring 2008 when a strategic gaming partner, Harrah’s, pulled out of the deal. The Bahamar project has been stagnant since then and the company is now looking for a new partner and new financing. The project currently employs 2,500 people but is reducing its staff. The Bahamian investor leading this project remains fully committed to it.
Cotton Bay development and Cay development
The Cotton Bay Development is valued at US$400 million and is located in Eluthera. The Rum Cay development is valued at US$700 million and is located in Rum Cay. Both projects are stalled. Although the future and speed of activity of the largest scale projects (Ginn sur Mer and Bahamar) are uncertain, smaller projects are moving ahead. In general, The Bahamas is trying to shift from large scale to smaller scale, boutique developments and eco-sensitive types of tourism.
Baker’s Bay Golf And Ocean Club
Baker’s Bay is the current model of the eco-resort. The full project includes the construction of 300 homes, costing anywhere from US$10 million to US$20 million.
I-Group
This project is a US$1.8 billion joint-venture development in Mayaguana. Work is on track and continuing. The development covers some 10,000 acres and includes an airport, utilities, marina village, residential lots, private villas and condos, a boutique resort, and nature preserves.
PGA village
PGA Golf Club The Bahamas (the First PGA golf course outside the U.S.) is a 36-hole facility, a PGA Learning Center, and a PGA Historical Center in Cat Island. The development is moving ahead.
Ritz Carlton Rose Island development
The project, valued at US$700 million, is in development. No slowdown has occurred, despite Lehman Brothers’ involvement (the bank was the lender of record for this project and was the 50% equity stake holder in the Ritz Carlton hotel and in a residential real estate project on Rose Island).
Albany project
Despite controversy regarding the project location in Nassau’s most important freshwater lens, the US$1.4 billion project, encompassing 565 acres of land and 350 estate-type homes goes ahead. (It will include million-dollar homes, a canal, two golf courses, and a marina.) In addition, the project includes a club house, an Ernie Els-designed championship golf course, and a 100-room condominium complex. Also, 370 acres of land will be made available for the government to build low-cost homes for Bahamians.
South Ocean Development Co.
This is a US$1 billion mixed-use resort project located on 385 acres of the southwestern coast on New Providence Island in Nassau. The exclusive development will encompass a large upscale casino hotel, an intimate five+ star boutique hotel, a lifestyle hotel brand, a mega yacht marina, a spa, retail outlets, a world-class tennis center, and residential components. The Blue Shark Golf Club, a 7,200 yard, 18-hole championship course, recently redesigned by Greg Norman, is scheduled to open in late 2008/early 2009.
Other projects
• Freeport Container: US$300 million expansion.
• International airport: US$400 million expansion started.
• Ross University addition: construction of a US$2 million building (to serve about 250 students) for the U.S.-based medical school, to be opened in January 2009
Political Environment
· The government faces a difficult policy making environment as it balances social pressures and economic discipline.
· Structural reforms remain delayed.
· Renewed pressures targeting the tax heavens are coming from the organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The Free National Movement (FNM) party, which won the general elections in May 2007, faces a challenging task of leading the country through the current turbulent economic times. Fortunately, it is not the first test for Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who led the government through the 2001 U.S. slowdown during his previous term in office in 1992-2002. However, the current economic downturn is more severe and prolonged, necessitating a timely and disciplined policy response, which may be hard to balance with the party’s election promises. So far, the prime minister has announced a number of measures (such as new unemployment benefits, increased social transfers, temporary tax relief for the electricity company to improve distribution of electricity, and encouragement of banks to work out the debt repayment solutions with the debtors in arrears) to stabilize the rapidly slowing economy and support the social safety net. Given the uncertain magnitude of further economic deterioration, it remains to be seen
to what extent the government chooses to accommodate the social needs and bolster the economic growth at the expense of the fiscal accounts. Standard & Poor’s believes that the long-standing fiscal prudence will prevail, albeit a widening of the fiscal deficits and an increase in the debt levels seem unavoidable.
The FNM party won the elections on the mandate of increased transparency, with the party’s Trust Agenda focusing on the accountability and transparency issues, strengthening institutional framework, and promoting better governance. On the back of these promises, the government initiated a widespread review of the public contracts upon assuming the office in mid-2007. Addressing other social issues, such as tackling the rising crime, fostering small and medium entrepreneurship, upgrading the tourism-related infrastructure, and improving education will be more difficult and protracted, especially in light of the slowing economy.
Crime is on the rise, with a 14% increase in major crimes in the first ten months of 2008. The biggest increase has been recorded in the area of property crimes, which was up 18%, versus the 6% decrease in crimes against persons. Improving the investment climate is also essential, as the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business index for The Bahamas deteriorated to 55 from 51 (from 1 to 181, with 1 being the best) during the past year. The particular weaknesses were seen in the areas of dealing with construction permits, registering property, and enforcing contracts.
On the domestic front, the government makes all efforts to push ahead with the long-postponed privatization of Bahamas Telecommunications Co. The government is now open to sell a majority holding, rather than the originally proposed 49% stake. However, the negotiations with the prospective investor, BlueWater Communications Holding, are currently delayed because of legal disputes and difficult negotiations with the labor unions.
In the international arena, The Bahamas maintains good relations with the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Establishing legislation against drugs and money laundering was an important policy step. Although The Bahamas is a member of the Caribbean Community, the country decided not to participate in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
The Bahamian population is most concerned about the CSME’s provision for free movement of labor (given the vast difference between the average wages in The Bahamas and other Caribbean countries) and the lack of trade benefit from such a union for The Bahamas. The country trades mostly with the U.S., while the trade of CSME participants is more regionally oriented. The Bahamas also continues to oppose any free-trade agreements (FTAs), including the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU. Given the challenging international environment, there is no incentive to take risk in the liberalization of capital controls at this time. Finally, renewed pressures may be coming from the OECD. Although The Bahamas successfully cleared its name in 2002 after being put on the OECD blacklist in 2000, the European authorities are reviewing the tax heavens.
Your welcome Wisdom, but all i did was copy and paste. I got this info from one our local websites. I was hoping that “Bahamas Press” would publish the entire report, that is if they have it.
Good stuff Rupert. Thanks.
I note the latest credit rating and economic outlook by the international credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) on the 17th December 2008. In its analysis, S&P downgrades the country’s economic outlook from stable to negative and attributes this to not only external economic forces, but on the economic policies of the FNM government.
The report indicates that following real GDP growth of 4.5% in 2006, the growth momentum has been interrupted “by the protracted period of contracts review by the FNM government after it came to power. The review of $80 million worth of contracts and the eventual cancellation of a $23 million public contract for a straw market negatively affected investors’ sentiments and brought substantial disruption to the contractors’ activity”. The report went to state that because of this policy, “the important economic growth momentum has been lost”.
This analysis by this internationally respected organization with no political axe to grind is both a vindication of the PLP and a major repudiation and condemnation of the now infamous, ill-advised, and failed “STOP, REVIEW, CANCEL economic policy of the FNM government.
The PLP is on record repeatedly warning the FNM government that it “cannot turn the economy off and on like a faucet” and that its policy decisions will shake investor confidence and cause the country great harm. The FNM is yet to admit to its policy blunder.
As for accountability and transparency, the general public does not know to this date what was reviewed, the criteria for the review, the findings of the review, and the public benefits of the review and cancellations. I remind the FNM government of their proclaimed “mandate of increased transparency, with the party’s (so called) Trust Agenda focusing on the accountability and transparency issues, strengthening institutional framework, and promoting better governance” according to the S&P report.
To date, there is no evidence that the actions of the government demonstrated accountability or transparency. Further, the consequences of the government’s policies suggest a weakening of the public institutional framework and the delivery of poor governance as literally tens of thousands of Bahamians were adversely affected by this ill-advised public policy.
More from the S&P report….
Economic Prospects
· Growth is slowing rapidly, reflecting the close link of the narrow-based Bahamian economy to the U.S.
· The status of the investment projects is mixed: large ones are stalled/progressing slower than expected, while smaller projects move ahead.
· A larger tourism dip (compared with the expected 6% decline in arrivals in 2008) is expected in 2009.
The Bahamian economy is narrowly based, with tourism accounting for 60% of GDP, 62% of CAR, and employing more than 50% of the labor force. Over the years, tourism has benefited from the country’s proximity to the U.S., the strong brand name of the Atlantis resort, the country’s dominant position as a cruise line destination, and a strong inflow of tourism investments. However, all of these factors recently have turned against the country, exposing The Bahamas’ high vulnerability resulting from its dependence on one product (tourism) and one market (the U.S. accounts for 87% of total tourism).
Following real GDP growth of 4.5% in 2006 (see table 2), the growth momentum has been interrupted by the election and then by the protracted period of contracts review by the FNM government after it came to power. The review of $80 million worth of contracts and eventual cancellation of a $23 million public contract for straw market negatively affected investors’ sentiments and brought substantial disruption to the contractors’ activity. The situation has since normalized, but the important economic growth momentum has been lost. Real GDP grew by 2.8% in 2007 (1.4% in per capita terms) . The 2008 growth prospects are constrained because of slowing domestic activity and the negative impact of external events–the U.S. slowdown and hurricanes. The effects of the U.S. slowdown are being felt across all sectors of the Bahamian economy, but especially in tourism, construction, and retail. At the same time, the damage from the two major storms that hit The Bahamas in late August to early September resulted in a further drop in economic activity. Category 4 Hurricane Ike passed over the island of Inagua (population 1,000) in September, causing widespread damage to most buildings and infrastructure.
In addition, the Morton Salt evaporation facility, which employs more than one-half of the working population of the island, was badly damaged and is currently closed. The hurricane also led to tourist arrival disruptions, costing the Bahamian hotel industry approximately US$900,000 in revenue. Similarly, the tropical Storm Hanna resulted in losses of about US$760,000 in cruise and stop-over tourist cancellations. Overall, Standard & Poor’s estimates the real GDP growth at 1.1% (down from an earlier projection of 3% and less than the government’s recent estimate of 2%). We expect economic performance to remain depressed in 2009, with real GDP growth forecasted at 1% next year.
The Bahamas’ tourism outlook for 2009 is bleak. The industry was experiencing difficulties even before the full effects of the international economic crisis began to take hold. Reconstruction and unavailability of rooms in 2005 (Royal Oasis) and 2006-2007 (Bahamar), the tightening of the U.S. passport requirement, and a slowing U.S. economy are the main reasons for the below-average performance in the tourism sector. In fact, stay-over arrivals declined each year since 2005. During the first seven months of 2008, total visitor arrivals fell by 3.2%, including a 5.9% decrease in sea visitors and a 2.2% increase in stayovers. Overall, we expect visitor arrivals to decline by 6% by the end of this year. Besides the plummeting demand from the U.S., the loss of scheduled flights to The Bahamas during the high season of October 2008-March 2009 as well as a drastic reduction in marketing efforts from the major hotels will impair tourism in 2009. The hotels are drastically reducing their staffs and cutting employees’ workweeks. For instance, Atlantis, the largest employer in the country outside the government, is laying off approximately 800 employees, or 10% of the resort’s workforce. Bahamar, a stalled US$2.6 billion project, is also reducing staff, as the prospects for reopening the project are becoming ever more distant. The cuts are the result of the lower occupancy rates (Atlantis used to boast more than 85% occupancy and has now revised its forecast to 64%) and poor advanced booking (Atlantis is forecasting that it is 50% behind on bookings for the first three months of 2009). Despite the bleak outlook, the government marketing efforts to promote The Bahamas continue and the appointment of a well-respected new minister of tourism with expertise in international tourism is encouraging.
The slowing investment activity in the country is taking an equally hard toll on the construction sector. This is a reflection of a substantial slowdown/halt in several large foreign tourism projects as a result of constricted credit and capital flows as well as the slowdown in the construction of second homes and real-estate presales to finance tourism investments. As a result, unemployment is now a most serious concern. With many contractors and tourism workers losing their jobs, the unemployment rate is rising rapidly and could reach 13% in 2009, up from 7.6% in 2006. The government plans to address the unemployment problem through increased capital spending aimed at creating new jobs and new unemployment benefits.
__________________
May I take this opportunity to wish all a NEW YEAR that sparkles with possibilities. And since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes that see reality. Let each of us devote our efforts, not to party politics, but to the betterment of our Bahamaland!
Good point Wisdom!
But Joe, your wish is very hard to achieve when persons vote for party rather than people.. In fact I believe that people vote for the party that has the leader that they would prefer to be the PM…
Our elections are basically about the leaders which is why we definitely need electoral reform!!
Joe, the Government seems to bring in foreign consultants for every area of government. We should ask for foreign political consultants to oversee parliament, and to bring a new electoral system.
Our politicians like to say Bahamians cannot do the job. So let us start with them.
In my opinion both parties need some serious overhauling, the PLP more than the FNM only because HI seemed to have brought in some new faces. We have to get away from politics as usual and neither HI or PC can achieve that. I just want some real serious uncorrupt people who actually care about this country, it doesn’t matter the party because there is no distinct difference between the two.
Media; Can you give us an update on the new T.G. Glover primary school???
It was supposed to be opened next week but I passed there yesterday and does not look like that will open any time soon!!
One of my brother’s who is a strong FNM gave PC a chance also but this time he went with the FNM and is currently angry.. so because you voted for the PLP does not mean that you are no longer an FNM. It just means that you supported the PLP for a time… My brother is wondering why did the govt fire so many people and then rehire so many. He is also wondering why did the FNM stop all those contracts for so long as if they had some evidence of corruption and as soon as people including the PLPs started complaining about the lack of jobs, they have restarted many of them!! Their excuse for firing was that the govt could not afford it but in just 1 month they have signed millions of dollars of contracts!!
And on top of that NO PLP is being charged for any corruption!!
So if PC failed miserably as you have said then that must mean that you have the numbers to prove it.. If you don’t (which I am 100% sure you don’t) you are just repeating FNM propaganda!!
Lastly, I am saying that if anyone wants to replace PC as leader of the PLP, they should have started their campaign as soon as they made that decision!!
I have always said that it only made sense for PC to stay on for 2-3 years to defend his govt’s policies without being challenged!! Then the people can choose to keep PC on or replace him!! That choice will be made in the up coming convention in my opinion!!!
Objective Thought, I just knew you would accuse me of the ‘FNM’ thing, however,that’s far from correct. I do know PC and was one of those who gave him the benefit of the doubt, sadly he failed miserably. Are you saying that no one should challenge PC or that they should start now? I think they should have started when the PLP lost but presently there are nobody that I can see who is strong enough or brave enough to do so. So what they do is take the coward’s way out and just undermine each other.PC taught them well.
Morehands your original point is invalid (if that was your original point) because HI has said on many occations that the people fired the PLP because they did not want their ideas…
Right now HI is the one who can get something like that started and allow the PLP to be a part of it but he has made it clear that he is NOT interested in anything that the PLP has to say!!!
So any plan that this govt comes up with will be an FNM plan… If persons like you would focus on the person who has the power to make something like that happen rather than always making it seem like it is PC and the PLP that does not want this to happen, maybe we will get somewhere!!!
Joe, I could understand if you say we need to get rid of all the corrupt politicians but because politicians have been around for 10 or 30 years does not mean that they have no new ideas!!
If you say that PC is weak then obviously you don’t know him and is just repeating FNM propaganda… And ofcourse I know that those stories are leaked by PLPs but like I said before, how else can a person who seeks to lead any party be considered for the job if the current leader style is not challenged!!
If no one challenges PC’s style prior to convention, who would take them serious when convention is called??? That would be as stupid as the FNM waiting for PC to set the date for the general election before starting their campaign!!!
I beleive that both points are right we have in PC a leader that has not lead the way he should have done but we must remember that we can lookt at HI and say that he is the exact opposite of PC now we have in these two men night and day but in PC defense we can truely say that PC is a better administrator than HI was or will ever be.
I also beleive that we do need a 20 year plan and that we must and have to get our Country prepard for the future …but in order to do this the call must go out for leaders that have the Nation close to their hearts and have a clear vision to tkae the Nation to the level in which it need to be taken…to do this we must have a shift in our ideology and a shift in our politics .
We have come true a terrible year in which many,many Bahamians have lost their jobs and houses so in our country we must face the facts that the change must first begin with us and then there has to be change in our government and I totaly agree with Altec that the points that he has stated with electotal change is great and if there is ever to be change in our system this is where itmust change.
Well this may be my last blog for 2008 I have enjoyed blogging here and I hope that everyone here has a safe 2009 and may you all have a prosperous year …God bless you all and God bless the Bahamas.
I think you missed my point Objective. My point was that political parties wait too long to implement their plans and seem to only wait until the final days of governing before the major works/repairs are done.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that the governing party takes the first two years getting all their people into the posts of power and influence and once everyone is in place then the plans can begin but it comes across as too late.
If the PLP were talking about the major projects from them getting into power, why hasn’t more come into being? In fact, which ones did come into fruition under the PLP that were not already on the board from the FNM? But this isn’t that type of comment (for now).
Please note, and you can relax your PLP armour now, my original comment was not directed towards any particular party but rather as a flaw in our system of governance.
I admire Dr. Myles Munroe’s concept of the establishment a long term national vision and national mission which transcends the present governing party, is devised in a non-partisan forum and is implemented regardless of change in political parties.
Let me give you an example(s). Say, a national mission is that the Bahamas will obtain at least one-third of its energy from non fossil fuels in 10 years (using solar, wind, hydro, etc). Another may be to locally produce at least 40% of our foods within 15 years in order to become more self reliant as a nation. Another may be to phase into a one-car-per-household mandate within 10 years in order to reduce traffic and toxic emissions. Then regardless of whether the FNM is in power for the next 10 years or not, these missions will be carried through with fervor because it is a goal of the Bahamas and not the FNM or PLP.
Objective, as far as the projects, Christie took almost 5 years to make a decision, he tried to rush approvals right before election. He frustrated so many developers, he was just a waste of time and HI is proving that he is tired and lack lustre. We need change and it has to come from some new and vibrant people. Just about all of the MPs are old school, run of the mill politicians. Very few of them can bring the change this country needs.
Objective Thought, I am not speaking about things I read, I am speaking about what I know is going on. Those stories are all planted there by certain PLPs, it is just that the genreal public may think it is the Punch, Tribune etc, buit these stories are leaked or given to certain reporters or informants, by PLPs interested in leadership. As far as PC and HI, when we look at the election HI took the lead and PC followed. PC is just plain weak.
Morehands; You are totally wrong when you said that “word only came out about the large/mega projects in the last year of the PLP govt.”
I just watched one of my video tapes from 2004 and they were already talking about large/mega projects…
You asked WHY, WHY, WHY??? Well the answer is simple…Both parties put out their manifesto/plan and asked the people to give them the chance to carry them out… In 2002 the people gave the PLP that chance and in 2007 they gave the FNM that chance!!
In other words, if any govt does not do the majority of what they promised, the people will fire them!! Hopefully this time they will let FACTS influence their decision rather than FICTION!!
Joe HI does not have PC’s number.. Actually the “SWING VOTERS” were the ones who were swung by all the lies put forward by the FNM especially HI!!!!
Now if you mean HI could lie better than PC, well, I could agree with that!!!
Joe the only way you could say that the PLP is fighting amongst itself is because you believe the NONESENSE that the news papers write especially the Punch… When those stories are written clearly to make people think that PLPs are fighting amongst themselves….
At every convention persons can run against the leader for that position or any other position for that matter… And if anyone who wants to challenge a position does not campaign to win votes then they are wasting their time….
In other words, there is NOTHING wrong with persons campaigning for any position in the lead up to convention if they are serious about winning!!
But for now (until convention 2009) the PLP does not have a leadership problem!!! PC is the leader and those who can’t respect that, too bad for them!!!
I am such a proponent of us fixing the problems in the Bahamas but I am more of a realist. And reality in the Bahamas says that the government will not (will refuse to) make any major steps towards improving anything in the Bahamas anytime soon. It is far too early in the political season and election is more than 3 years away. Our political system is based upon election to election and our MPs are only concerned about getting re-elected and looking out for their pocketbooks and children in the event they are not re-elected.
Friends, this is the Bahamas’ sad reality.
Why should the government allow PLP projects to continue and for next campaign the PLP say that the FNM only benefited because of the PLP?
Why should the government step in to find jobs and revenue to get us out this economic slump, if in 3 years the people will forget who bring them through?
Why should government crack down on crime within the inner communities if it may mean that the criminals will then begin working their communities?
Why should HI call together the best minds within the country to help develop a master plan for the nation if it will make him look like he doesn’t know how to lead?
Why should HI make decisive, hard, cross the board changes within the civil service and corporation if it will mean that friends and cronies will lose their plush positions?
WHY? WHY? WHY? And the PLP worked exactly the same. The word of the large projects only came about in the final year of the PLP governing term.
Sad, this is our reality.
My estimation is that it will take at least 16-18 more years for there to be any significant change in the way we do politics in the Bahamas. The only problem is that most predictions say that the Bahamas will be destroyed by a tidal wave in mid-2012.
Objective thought, put you television on mute when PC is speaking he looks like a clown performing an act. He is too much of a flammer for anyone to take him serious. HI is not afraid of him, he has Perry’s number, that’s why they lost the election. PLPs need to wake up and demand new leadership!
I have said it before and I will say it again, the problem with the PLP is the PLP. The MPs are too busy destroying each other in pursuit of leadership. They are not united and some of them are downright treacherous. They will do whatever they can to make each look bad, not realising that they make the party look bad. PC is the blame for this because this is how he lead always tearing someone up behind his/her back. He believes in divide and conquer, unfortunately, a house divided cannot stand. Fred is trying real hard and the only reason some folks have not attacked him through his friends in the press is because he doesn’t perceive him as a threat, trust me if he did all kind of stories would be appearing. I am sure he has his arsenal ready just in case!
You can include BP in that group of haters too because they seem to downplay anyting good PGC does and act like he is the cause of our problems.
I am sitting here reading these comments about PC’s leadership but I am totally confused… I am wondering if any of you watch parliament at all or you all depend on what you read in the daily news papers which don’t cover what the PLP does in the HOA!!
I love watching parliament and I have hours upon hours of parliament recorded.. I think that the opposition does a good job in the HOA but the news media don’t cover those stories.. Their job seems to be pushing and covering the govt only…
Everytime PC speaks almost everyone in the HOA listens except HI!! I think that HI is very afraid of PC and wants him to quit just as much as the Tribune and Guardian don’t want to see PC back as PM!!
PC did good for this country but what amazes me is that foreigners have the most respect for PC and his leadership style whereas most Bahamians have next to no respect for him!!
This only proves that Jesus was right!!
Great commentary “Rb75” let’s see if in 2009 we can have many more contributions like this from persons noting their experiences.
BP
The problem we have in this country is that our ELECTORAL SYSTEM IS BROKEN. We are a 21st century country operating in 19th century electoral and parliamentary style.
I believe that the system of electing officials should be changed.
1)The voting of MP’s and the PM should be separate (some sort of Republic system).
2)The senators should be voted in not appointed.
3)We need a system of recall for every elected official.
4)Term limits should be introduced.
Currently none of these provisions exist so the elected officials here get elected and for 4 yrs sit on their hands until election yr. PC and HI are in no rush to fix the system because they know they and their offspring benefit from it being broken.
rb75 you are right on, and yes we need an independent body to govern all areas of government.
Yes Media both are to blame ….They are both makeing a mess of things in this country ….both political parties lack any vision for our country …Media let me tell you something that happend to me yesterday, I was enjoying a day end cocktail at a spot on P.I. after work and I happend to strike up a casual conversation with a stranger who was down here vacationing with his family and was enjoying a kalik light…..at the end of a great conversation he then told me the following first he said that he is a venture capitilist and he worked out of New Jersey and he and I then went on to talk about many topics and we came to US politics but finaly he said something that raised my eyebrows he stated that he noticed from comming here in the past few years that the government of our country lacks vision and that the only people that are doing well in the country are the freinds and bussiness partners of the government ….Media this has to be something… that when strangers can see that something is rotten in Denmark why can’t the majority of Bahamians see it…
I realy beleive ib my heart that if we are to bring change about in our country both parties has to be taken down….again I support thr PLP I truly beleive that the PLP had a plan that was better for our country and our people the only thing was that the plan was not advertised right and we all now know what happend there…..The thing is that when all is said and done we here in this country have been and is on the outside looking in our white masters as well as our current black masters have kept the majority of people in one corner of our country and therefore we have what we have today a country that is diminished and slipping away from the promise that it was and should be.
Before too long we as Bahamians will no longer be welcome at the kids table but we will be put back outside the dinner as we where a few years ago before majority rule day and before independance. once upon a time the Bahamas was the number one black democratic country in the world we where second to no one as a free black ran democratic country ,we have lost the promise and have let visionless men and women who have sold themselves to nepotism,cronyism, mass corruption ,and the all to famous all for me and my boys club.
This is all to clear from The Colledge of the Bahamas being out of reach of many Bahamian students to Bahamian banks given loans to expats who just came here today and have a letter from his/her big time boss stateing that they make this and that and will pay back the loan without a penny in the bank and not any colataral at all…Media this is the Bahamas that we live in where certain groups of people in our country get away with murder,rape ,money fraud ,theft and any other crime that you can think of but mothing is said or printed in the press or said on the radio and yet the country continues to spin there is public knowledge on many issues and yet nothing is done or said …..
We love to compare ourselves to America and we love to say that the states do it so we can do it to but here is some of the thing that the states do that we do not.
1 : Impeachment herrings being considerd against the governor of chicago.
2 : Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Reps in 1998 the second president to be impeached.
3: Special Attorney for Washington as of Dec 08 decideing if to charge Dick Cheney V.P. U.S with constitutional corruption regarding his involvement with his company in Iraq.
4 : FBI investigated the last New York Governor for partcipating in a sex ring and call up service .
Now do anyone out there even can dream something like this can happen in our country…The answear a big fat no.
Thanks Media for allowing me this time to voice myself and sorry for all the typo’s
The heat must turn on the government and equally so on the opposition. NOT ONLY Hubert Ingrahama is making a mess of things in this country. The PLP is equally must be blamed as well.
Bahamas Press/ Editor
Hello All fist of I hope all bloggers had a great christmas and I wish you all a happy newyear:
I watched the clip of Howard from Austraila and he was very good at his attacks on the then Liberal Austraila Government which at the time was doing a horrid job at looking after the countries economy and other such social and ecomonc problems which at that time Austraila had in huge amounts…..but it was this same Howard dyring recent times whic pushed Austraila inti Iraq and is same now as a lap dog for Mr Bush ….Yes I think that we should learn a lesson from Mr Howard on how to fire back at a government which is now proven not only by the real situation on the ground but also by the recent S&P report that stated finaly that because of the stop and review of some 80 million in contracts that this had a very damming effect on our country and economy.
The reason why we have in our opposition what we have because we have a group of lackluster people in the H.O.A what we have is people on both sides that are well off to rich or have well placed connections that they and there families are well taken care off…in the H.O.A we have member’s who parents at one time or the other was The Governer General,Deputy Prime Minister,Cabinet Minister,Ambassador and this is just to name a few.
On the eve of 2009 I will like to ask everyone who visits this site just one question …Do you think that cahnge will ever come to the Bahamas or will the downhill spiral continue on?……As a young Bahamain and yes I support the PLP but I sit back and watch and have actual converstaions with people who have a great plan and way forward foe tgis country and at the end of most of these conversations the same question has been asked over and over again ‘how come they don’t think of this’.
Well my hope for 09 is that we begin to put our blogging into action I have read some smart and realy great stuff here on this site and I will hope that in 09 we can actualy start to come together as a group and turn up the Heat on the government and show the Bahamian people that the time for change is now .
It is interesting to see though that S & P (Standard and Poor), an INTERNATIONAL financial rating agency, is now confirming what Christie and the PLP have been saying for over a year now. That the FNM’s stop, review and cancel policy is largely responsible for the down turn in our economy.
Absolutely brillant and beautiful.
lets be serious here, we need leadership all over this country and not just in the PLP. Our PM too has to go for the country to advance. like the USA we need a new generation leader so that the people could become excited. Sadly, i do not see any in parliament. what should we do? let us look on the outside for these people.
Watching that clip insert really shows that the Bahamas does not have any opposition in our house of representative. YES! THE PLP NEEDS NEW LEADERSHIP AT THE TOP AND THEY WILL LOSE AGAIN WITH CHRISTIE at the HELM! The PM and his Minister are continuing business unchallenged. We will pay for it tomorrow. THE STORM IS COMING AND ITS NOT THE ECONOMY ISSUES. MARK MY WORK, I WILL REMIND YOU ALL LATER, IN THE NOT TO DISTANT FUTURE.
The Jamaican Gleaner Editorial:
EDITORIAL – Debate state of emergency
Published: Tuesday | December 30, 2008
It is not new in Jamaica to witness media images of residents in large sections of communities bundling their belongings into trucks or on their backs, making their escape in the face of violence and threats from armed criminals. It used to be mostly the effect of the country’s divisive politics, a sort of partisan cleansing to make this or that area electorally safe for one or the other of the major parties.
What was new about Gravel Heights in St Catherine was that criminals had ordered the expulsion of people who wanted to uphold the law and a supine Jamaican state, to its infamy, acquiesced. For it was nothing short of a declaration of surrendered authority to have policemen with high-powered rifles on watch, providing ‘safe passage’ to evicted Gravel Heights residents.
Lack of outrage
What is surprising about all this is the lack of outrage, beyond a few obligatory declarations about the need for law and order from official quarters, over the Gravel Heights episode. It was, it appeared, just another milestone on the continuum of the devolution of the Jamaican state to armed thugs and the hard men of violence.
Should we not be careful, this creeping derogation of authority will lead ultimately to the Balkanisation of Jamaica, with an insipidly effete central government where real power is in the hands of community warlords. Gravel Heights may just be the start of the new, higher threshold of acceptance, just as how we now embrace more than 1,500 murders a year in Jamaica to be the norm.
It is in this context that we note the warnings of Dr Peter Phillips, the former national security minister, contained in an article published by this newspaper on Sunday. Indeed, we believe that Dr Phillips’ call for serious debate on the imposition of a state of public emergency, on a limited basis, is valid and sensible.
Serious distrust
As Dr Phillips pointed out there is serious distrust in Jamaica between political parties and the public over the use of a national state of emergency. It is believed – with much validity, we would add – that the last one in the mid-1970s, imposed by the then People’s National Party (PNP) administration, was corruptly administered for partisan advantage.
The fear is that such a danger still exists. But Jamaica faces an abnormal situation in that “its democratic institutions are threatened” and action is threatened “by a body of persons of such a nature and on so extensive a scale as to be likely to endanger public safety”.
Moreover, there has been substantial change in Jamaica over the past three decades, including the emergence of vocal civil society advocacy that can provide effective monitoring of the use of emergency powers. There are, too, people like Dr Phillips, who is a member of the party accused of misusing the 1970s emergency, proposing its declaration with his opponents in office.
Dr Phillips also makes the point that the use of emergency powers on a short-term basis and with limited geographic application may be more benign to civil liberties than legislation being contemplated. It is a debate worth having.
We must learn from history, not be atrophied by it, unless we believe that we should have dialogue with community dons and devolve power to them.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
Comments are closed.