Dear Editor,
Back in the day, Eugene Dupuch wrote under the pseudonym 'Smokey Joe' and he used to start his letters and column "Well Bullah."
Well Bullah, the week ending October 3, was another interesting one in Bahamian politics.
Dr. Andre Rollins refused to apologize to Bradley Roberts and his committee and the Honorable Perry Gladstone Christie still couldn't fire Parliamentary Secretary Renward Wells, although he danced around the thorny issue in his usual colorful and elliptical speaking style leaving most Bahamians baffled and asking, "He said that to say what?"
This time, Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis matched him in dubious eloquence and tried to explain why he is not forcing his leader out. The sounds bites were matchless in their incomprehension.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis picked up another head of steam and took his message of accountability to the DPM's home town (the Cat Island Constituency).
On his arrival on Cat Island, Minnis received an enthusiastic welcome from supporters. Later he was again greeted warmly by more than a hundred Cat Islanders at the Knowles Media Center, where residents like me, recounted tale after tale of woe about conditions on the island, represented by Davis, who is not only deputy prime minister but also minister of works. It was very clear that there is much discontent on this Island with this PLP administration. It was also evident that the DPM might be in serious trouble with his constituents.
Dr. Minnis and his team were told that the clinic on the island is in desperate need of renovations. Doctors and nurses are needed on the island, especially for trauma cases which is a concern among most of the residents. Also, quantities of medical supplies are in short supply, or completely depleted.
Additionally, there is no ambulance or fire truck for the island.
The school needs more teachers and proper transportation for the children to get from Arthur's Town to Old Bight, where the school is located. A school bus system serves northern Cat Island but not the south.
At the same time, the director of education was in Nassau telling the press that some expat teachers were not paid due to the fact that their contracts were not renewed pending new references and proper background investigations. This is simply inaccurate, as re-employment documents are submitted in March of each year, but the ministry is so slow that sometimes it takes a year before confirmations are received. In the meantime, the teachers are still in the classrooms teaching Bahamian children.
The director of education and Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald are simply out of touch with how a school system should be run.
On Cat Island all four schools, the three primary and the lone high school, do not receive clean drinking water for water fountains. There have been numerous complaints made to the government but to date no action has been taken to correct the situation. A parent said that the water the children drink is contaminated and results in various fungus infections suffered by the children.
The complaints about poor government service went on and on. One example highlighted by other residents was how inconvenient it is to have to travel from Cat Island to Nassau to receive their passports.
The roads and the sea walls in many areas have not been repaired since Hurricane Ike.
The entire island needs a proper water system. There is no government water system, everyone has water tanks and catches rain water.
Farmers had special concerns. Cat Island was once rich in agricultural endeavors. There was a time when Cat Island pineapples and tomatoes and watermelons found markets as far off as Florida.
That's how Academy Award Winning actor Sir Sidney Poitier happened to be born in Miami. His father took a boatload of tomatoes to Miami with a wife who was eight months pregnant. This was no small feat back in the day.
Today, farmers receive $14 for a box for tomatoes at the packing house on Cat Island, and even after they take their products to the exchange, there is often a long delay in receiving their payments, which results in late payments to their other obligations like NIB, BEC, BTC, with little left to buy seeds and supplies.
Farmers need subsidies and a proper system needs to be in place whereby the farmers receive fair and equitable compensation for their labor and produce, especially considering the $20 million investment at BAMSI to train 50 would-be farmers.
What is worse, most of the older farmers are dying out and there is little incentive to encourage younger men to go into farming using newer and more modern farming methods.
The Ministry of the Environment must come and deal with the mosquitoes in the northern and southern areas, one resident noted. Two trucks and an adequate supply of chemicals are needed on the 80-mile long island to reduce the mosquito population in these areas.
Cat Islanders are concerned that there are numerous foreigners arriving who are seen as having more privileges than the Bahamians. Residents claim certain winter residents are allowed to bring in cheap labor to work on their projects instead of using locals.
There is some hiring of Cat Islanders by winter residents and this somewhat alleviates the chronic unemployment, but meaningful employment is scarce except for some farming and fishing.
The only meaningful jobs on the island are government jobs and in many cases there is over-hiring for political purposes.
Additionally, residents believe foreigners are able to pay lower duty charges for the materials and items they import, whereas Bahamians have to pay the full price.
The airport on the island needs an upgrade and a tourist booth must be added. On an island with such a rich heritage there are few signs indicating the historic landmarks, tourist destinations or attractions throughout the island.
Cat Island has three well-run tourist facilities but only one taxi and no tour buses. Except for a modest string of open-air facilities in New Bight that sell native food, Cat islanders have few opportunities to benefit from the tourist industry.
Like our brothers and sisters in Exuma, we are looking for a new brand of politics and governance.
There must be proper leadership from the ground up and from representatives whose first and main interest is the Bahamian people. The new politician must possess the mindset of 'service over self', must not be concerned about winning the next election but be concerned about the present and future conditions of the people.
We want to pick our candidate for the Island. The person must come on the ground early, the person must be willing to serve the community. Their main concern should always be, "What Can I do to improve this community, not for self-recognition but for the empowerment of the people, to ease their burdens, and that person must be able to take care of their family before coming to help the residents of the island."
Additionally, they all agreed that when a party is elected into government they must take care of the people; they must not forget who put them into office and who can take them out! Cat Islanders said that the party must stay in constant communication with the residents and they would like to see a representative of the party at least once every three months.
Attendees at the meeting almost unanimously agreed that both the PLP and the FNM failed them in the past.
Cat islanders like me were extremely happy to see the FNM leader and hear him share with the residents a little about his background. His story of how he made it through life despite being one of seven children of an unmarried woman, who earned her living as a lunch vendor.
Minnis told us of growing up over the hill on Peter Street and having to go to the government pump to collect water and take it back home. He said he still makes the rounds in his old neighborhood, which is now represented by the prime minister.
Centerville and Cat Island, represented by the prime minister and deputy prime minister respectively, are two of the most destitute constituencies in the nation, he noted, which shows how much rich and powerful men sometimes care about the Bahamian people.
- M. Thompson
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