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A CDR Perspective
The budget is the
single most important policy vehicle for giving effect
to a nation's economic and social priorities. It is in
the budget "where policy objectives are
reconciled and implemented in concrete terms."
Policy is nothing
to be taken lightly or trivialized. Policy is not an
idea, nor simply a list of hopeful intentions or
expectations, but a plan, a strategy. A strategy as to
how the government intends the nation to get from
point A to point B; how the nation will arrive at the
destination, determined by the government, as the goal
for a specific fiscal period.
That, however,
requires knowing where points A and B are. It
presupposes that the government's policy is guided by
a vision as to what kind of Bahamas it wishes to
create; that it has an overall strategy and a plan to
implement so as to create that Bahamas. It requires
knowing where we are with the vision, being certain as
to where we & iacute;re going and on a mission to
get there.
Successive Bahamian
governments continue to give the impression that they
have no vision, that they see no need for a plan and
that their policies are being made up as they go
along. It is frustrating, it is disconcerting; it is
downright discouraging. Year after year, month after
month, week after week, day after day, those of us who
are law abiding, trusting, concerned citizens of the
Bahamas do not know whether the country is coming or
going. Everything appears to be made up as we go
along.
This government has
been unable to persuade the vast majority of
Bahamians, most of whom voted for it in the last
election, that it has direction. It has not been able
to persuade discerning Bahamians that it either knows
for certain where we are, nor has it been able to
persuade us that it has any idea where we should be
going. It just seems to be making it up as we go
along.
On the 28th May
2001, the president of the Bahamas Baptist Missionary
and Educational Convention, on the occasion of their
66th Annual Convention, gave a heart-rending
presentation of the state of the Bahamas and of
Bahamians at that time. He spoke of crime ... He spoke
of industrial unrest ... He spoke of the nurses sick
out ... He spoke of the air traffic controllers ... He
spoke of the loss of Bahamianisation ... He spoke out
on the environment ... And he rationalised the voter
registration apathy.
Ordinary citizens
of the Bahamas, in the congregation that night,
obviously agreed with the president's analysis, as
indicated by their applause and shouts of affirmation.
On that occasion, the government of the day was given
a thorough lashing for the effects of its policies on
ordinary Bahamians.
A mere two days
later however, the then Minister of Finance, in his
annual Budget communication, reported on what a good
job the government was doing, "for all intents
and purposes balancing the budget," reducing
unemployment to less than 7 per cent, achieving for
The Bahamas, the highest standard of living in the
region and so forth. Indeed he was so impressed his
own and his government's achievements, that he patted
himself on the back as he quoted from Alfred Lord
Tennyson thusly:
"Men my
brothers, men the workers, ever reaping something new;
That which they
have done but earnest of the things that they shall
do;
For I dipt into the
future, far as the human eye could see,
Saw the vision of
the world, and all the wonder that would be;
Saw the heavens
fill with commerce, argosies of magic sails;
Heard the heavens
fill with shouting;
With the standards
of the people plunging thro' the thunder-storm;
Till the war drum
throbb'd no longer, and the battle flags were furl'd..."
Here was an
intelligent, competent Minister of Finance, obviously
satisfied with where the Bahamas stood at the time and
where he saw it going, but on the ground, the people
could not see what he saw or feel what he felt ...
they did not recognise The Bahamas, which he thought
Tennyson's inspiring poem exemplified!
Instead, what the
people saw emerging was a picture of two Bahamases,
one in which the Baptist minister, moderator,
president and leader was guiding his flock, listening
to their cries and seeking help to ease their pain,
while the Finance Minister, an intellectual and a
leader was experiencing another Bahamas, in which he
was collecting his taxes and balancing his budget. He
was so busy patting himself on the back, that he could
not hear the people's cries or feel the reality of
their pain!
Is it now a case of
deja vu? People in this town, people in this island,
people in this nation say they are hurting! The CDR is
not saying that the people are!
People in this town
say that the government is doing nothing. It isn't the
CDR that's saying that, nor the FNM, nor the BDM, it's
the people! This is not a biased, partisan view
expressed by disingenuous opponents of the government.
PLPs are saying
that nothing is happening... and they are saying that
to anyone who would listen! They are the ones who are
all over the country... on the blocks, in their homes,
in the workplace, on the sports fields, in the bars
and in the churches expressing their disappointment
with their government, which they worked so hard to
install and for whom they sacrificed so much to secure
victory in the last election! They are the members of
the Stalwart Council of the PLP, who summoned the
Leader of their Party and its chairman to their
meeting so that they could articulate their grievances
and make their demands in the privacy of their
council, and it is they who went out and told everyone
what they had done! It is PLPs who say that they
hardly know their Members of Parliament and the
members don't know them. It is PLPs who say that they
cannot get to see minister in the government, who are
too busy "doing nothing!"It is PLPs who
complain that they do not know the members of Boards,
the members of the various Commissions appointed by
the government and it is that, which they believe has
led to the apparent inactivity of the government as a
whole. What they are saying is that these people are
not PLP, do not understand the philosophy of the PLP
and thus whatever policies they create are not
achieving the vision that PLPs have for the nation!
The Prime Minister,
last week, in addressing the accusation that his
government was doing nothing dismissed those who were
saying it as silly, but to his credit immediately
swung into action with a media public relations blitz.
The Prime Minister was way off base and unusually
condescending when he asserted that the people who are
saying that his government is doing nothing are silly.
Moreover, the Prime Minister, who prides himself as
having his finger on the pulse of the people, and
whose political instincts are respected by his
opponents, should know better. Even when the people
are wrong, in matters such as these, they are right.
More importantly he should take care not to fall into
the trap of his eminent predecessor in office and come
to the mistaken conclusion that he is right and
everyone else, including the people are wrong. There
is a stiff penalty to pay for what the people perceive
as arrogance!
Just over a year
ago, around the time of the beginning of the Iraq war,
the people were restless at this same perception of
government inertia and malaise. The Prime Minister was
forced to take to the airwaves in a national address,
reassuring the nation of his government's plans for it
and promising that henceforth he would ensure that we
were fully informed of steps being taken and benefits
that the people would reap. He blamed the people's
ignorance of his government's activities on poor
public information and he promised to correct that. In
his Party's Nation General Convention last November,
he announced an impressive array of investment
projects, designed to develop the country, provide
jobs and uplift the possibilities for the people.
A few months later,
stung by continued criticism, he held a simulcasted
news conference in prime time, designed to allay the
fears of the people and to show what was being done.
He did not succeed. When asked by a member of the
panel of reporters, all of whom seemed overawed by the
occasion, what was the status of the projects, which
he had articulated at the Party convention, the Prime
Minister skilfully recanted what the projects were but
did not give a status report. That was good political
gymnastics, but discerning listeners were not
impressed and we were not silly either ... we were
concerned.
We, the people,
know that the government has modernised and renamed
some Family Island health facilities; we've seen the
ceremonies announcing a number of upcoming Family
Island developments. We've even been encouraged by the
activities of the Urban Renewal, the Constitutional
and the Cultural Commissions. But on the issues that
touch us in our daily lives, this government's
statements and its actions are often not in sync.
Let's look at a few
examples:
The government is
yet to articulate its policy on the FTAA, with less
than a year to go before it is to come on stream. No
one in government seems to be able to say what's going
on. We are concerned about the impact of the FTAA on
the economic and social life of Bahamians ... we're
not silly.
The Minister of
Trade and Industry has been announcing the imminent
granting of licences to build at least one, if not two
LNG plants in the Bahamas to supply consumers in
Florida. Indeed, so zealous have been his
pronouncements, that a Tribune columnist labelled him
as more of a lobbyist for the LNG companies than a
government policy maker. In contrast, the Prime
Minister, last week, made a statement, which indicated
that the government is far from making a decision and
is very concerned about the potential negative effect
on the country's major industry, tourism. Is it we the
people who are silly?
The Governor of the
Central Bank, who is supposed to be the country's
regulator of the Financial Services industry, comes
across, every time he articulates a position on
anything, as a lobbyist for the private sector, rather
than its regulator, acting in the nation's best
interest. Indeed, his recent demand that the
government cede to the private sector, responsibility
for determining which investments are approved and
which are rejected, suggests that he wants no
government. Are we the people silly or are we just
concerned at the confusing utterances of so many very
important players in the country?
In its attempt to
update and upgrade the insurance industry, the
government is going through the "nth"draft
of the new legislation. "Consultation" with
industry participants has descended to ludicrous
levels. Insurance companies, are accusing each other
of seeking to influence the government to pass a Bill
that would be in their own selfish interest and to
hell with the people. These companies continue largely
unregulated, controlling a vast percentage of the
country's savings without adequate accountability.
That these same actors can write their own legislation
is unconscionable. Are we the people silly to be
concerned that when we retire our pension funds are
available to us and have been prudently managed?
In Bimini, the
Bimini Bay project, to which the PLP, in opposition,
objected so strenuously, suddenly has the approval of
its hitherto most vocal objectors. In a most
remarkable about turn, the controversial chairman of
BEST, the government's environmental overlord, and
previous opponent of the project, flew into Bimini and
within hours, if not minutes of his arrival,
pronounced his approval! Whatever happened about
concerns about damage to the mangroves, potential
eradication of the wildlife, destruction of the
natural marine environs etc? Are we the people silly
to be incredulous and to wonder to what could we
attribute this startling spontaneous reversal, which
was accompanied by no explanation or justification
whatsoever by him or his senior colleagues?
The Sheraton Grand
Hotel on Paradise Island is closing. What
opportunities will be available to the current
employees? The Emerald Bay Hotel in Exuma is open. Why
are Exumians not taking jobs, which are available? The
huge Cable Beach resort redevelopment project, which
was announced with such fanfare last year ... is it on
or off? Is it true that the investors became fed up
with the government's indecision or is there some
other reason for the apparent stalling of the project?
If it gets back on stream and the hotels have to close
for the period of redevelopment, what will happen to
the current employees?
Is the New
Providence Road Project on or off? To be more
specific, what has happened on the commencement of the
Harold Road segment, announced with such fanfare last
month?. What went wrong? Are we silly because we
cannot see anything happening? Are we wrong to be
concerned and to voice our feelings when there has
been no explanation?
Policy is meant to
define a course of action and to determine decisions.
A government's policy is its contract with the people.
It is the strategy it puts in place to achieve the
objectives outlined in its vision. Out of policy is
born the actions that will transform vision into
reality.
In the spring of
2002, the PLP presented "Our Plan" to the
people and promised "Help and Hope." The
people bought "Our Plan,"lock, stock and
barrel and voted the PLP unexpectedly and
overwhelmingly into power. Now, many of the people are
expressing regret, or disillusionment, or
disappointment and along with them helplessness and
hopelessness.
The Prime Minister
knows that when the people say you're doing nothing,
they do not necessarily mean that literally. What they
are trying to tell you is that whatever it is you
think you are doing, it is not benefiting them! They
are not feeling it in their pockets and they are not
seeing any difference in their circumstances.
So instead of
calling us silly Prime Minister, try a different
tactic. Explain to us why we can't see or feel what
you say you are doing and show us what you are doing
and how we can benefit! As the Minister of Finance,
whose major instrument of dialogue with the people is
the annual Budget Communication, set out for us what
the government intends to achieve in the 2004-2005 so
that we can monitor your government's intentions and
assess the extent to which they are likely to meet our
needs and at the same time we can monitor your
government's actions and determine whether you are
achieving your objectives. At the end of the day
however, we will judge you on a simple criterion ...
whether what you plan and what you do make life better
for all of us or at the least, those of us who are
most in need.
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