We have made the point before: One of the greatest threats to national development in an independent Bahamas has been blind political allegiance. It stagnates us and it keeps us divided. It is this tribalism that leads many politicians to act in arrogance and out of ignorance. Oftentimes, their views are shaped by the side of the fence they sit at any particular time.
The reaction of politicians to any particular problem or issue is predictable in many cases. If it is something being proposed by their side then it is a marvelous idea that will enure to the benefit of the people. If it is presented by the side opposition it is surely a bad proposition that must be opposed.
As Marco City MP Greg Moss observed during debate on the mid year budget statement in the House of Assembly last Thursday, "You cannot fault the general public for listening to the debate in this House and for seeing it as political theater. The contributions that were made by the governing side are the same contributions that were made by the opposite side when they were in government with a few twists and turns, different projects, different names. And the contributions being made by the opposition are the same contributions that were made by the present governing side when they were in opposition.
"It's always the same thing. We come into this House and whoever is governing paints a rosy picture, everything is going well. All the things make sense and whoever is in opposition says the opposite. It is going terribly and disaster is at hand, and people were once very satisfied with that, Mr. Speaker. That was very good theater at one time. That was very good entertainment, but all of a sudden it has gotten very serious because people finally understand that politics impacts their lives."
Moss used the mammoth national debt as an example. While PLP MP after PLP MP blamed the nation's fiscal woes on the Ingraham administration, he pointed out that both the PLP and FNM are responsible for piling on the debt.
In her contribution to the debate, Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin said squandering by the FNM administration caused hurt, pain, hopelessness and devastation. She said the FNM government did not provide prudent management of the economy and the country is already benefiting from sound fiscal management.
As Griffin excitedly told the story of the marvelous interventions being made by the Christie administration, several miles away, hundreds of Bahamians waited in line outside Sandals resort for a handful of available jobs. They and we can only hope that the unbridled optimism repeatedly expressed by Prime Minister Perry Christie is well founded.
As Christie would have us believe, we are headed to utopia under his stewardship. Everyone who wants a job will soon have one, good jobs. National Health Insurance will no longer be a dream, and value-added tax will be one of the greatest success stories in our country's modern history. It is sometimes hard to separate reality from political theatrics.
Disingenuous
Indeed, we have had our fill of disingenuous politicians. It is to the point where it has gotten sickening. One politician who repeatedly gets the award for being disingenuous is MICAL MP V. Alfred Gray, a comedian of a politician with a track record of spewing utter nonsense. Gray took this approach when he contributed to debate on the mid-year budget statement last Wednesday.
In typical arrogant fashion, he declared that the Christie administration did not break a promise to the Bahamian people when it chose to ignore the results of the 2013 gambling referendum. In fact, Gray suggested that due to the actions of the court, the government was powerless to act against web shops.
"Even though there are those who say the government broke its promise on the referendum, that's not true," Gray said. "The government did not break any promises on the referendum. After the referendum the government intended to enforce the law as it were. The numbers people went to court. The numbers people took the matter to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court intervened.
"That is what happened. So if you can't close them down, it would be wise of the government to make the decision to get something out of them in the way of the tax. Otherwise it would have been an economy driven underground."
While Gray seemed to have been pointing to an injunction web shop operators secured immediately after the referendum, he conveniently forgot that the Court of Appeal later determined that courts in The Bahamas have no authority to block police from taking action if they deem anyone is carrying out an illegal activity. So yes, the government did break its promise to abide by the results of the referendum. Its decision on the matter had nothing to do with the courts.
The reason Christie gave was that after the referendum the Central Bank governor raised concerns that web shops might facilitate money laundering. Of course, that was also a bogus explanation provided by the prime minister, who long before the referendum had pointed to money laundering concerns, and who had still committed to abiding by the results of the referendum.
Indeed, tribalism and spurious reasoning from politicians have created widespread distrust of our leaders. There are so many examples of politicians fashioning their statements for political expediency. In opposition politicians see crime as a problem the government cannot control.
In government, crime becomes all of our problem. It is not something that the government alone can tackle, and we are reminded that it is not something we can address overnight. In opposition, politicians lash the sitting administration when unemployment rises. They point to the government's failed policies. They even criticize the professionals in the Department of Statistics.
When they are in government, however, they are quick to explain, as the prime minister did in his recent budget statement, that while the number of jobs increased the work force also increased. So really, as Christie would have us believe, the government is to be applauded for creating those jobs. Of course, this kind of context does not matter when they are in opposition. It would make the other side look too good.
Much of the same
Like mindless robots, MPs often pound their tables and beat their chests in support of anything being uttered by a member of their side. If it is an MP on their team, surely it makes a lot of sense. If it is something left in place by the former administration, then surely there is something wrong with it. Edison Key, the South Abaco MP, pointed to one example, the national youth service program that was in operation in Andros.
The program was introduced by the first Christie administration. It got the axe when the Ingraham administration came to office. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham explained that too much money was being spent that did not justify the number of young men in the program. Key said in his many years in political life he has seen too many examples of tribalism and it has not proven to be good for the country.
"No matter what this side says that side says it's wrong or vice versa," he said, noting that when ministers are appointed they suddenly become gods. "If it's right, it's right. Let's give credit where it's due and work together for the betterment of our Bahama land."
Speaking of administrations, the FNM MP, who once played on the PLP team, concluded, "They're all the same. [They are] no different. The PLP does the same thing. Whatever one government in this country starts, whether it is doing well or not, the next one comes and it's gone. It shouldn't be that way.
"We should all be thinking about The Bahamas and the future of The Bahamas and the future generations of The Bahamas. That's what we should be doing. We are here to serve the people of The Bahamas, the people in our constituency."
Moss, the Marco City MP, believes that in changing administrations over the last few elections, the Bahamian people have gotten much of the same.
"If you look at the political parties in this country you can very easily come to the conclusion that there is just one big bus and all the top people are on the bus, and the only thing that changes every five years is who's driving the bus, but the bus continues going on that same course, and that course is for the detriment of the people and for the benefit of the established few," he said. "And so there has been a general increase in [disaffection], Mr. Speaker, a general increase in disconnect in our country, a general increase in hopelessness under both governments and the question is what do we do about it."
Moss pointed out that since 2002, voters elected new administrations. He suggested, "That has to send a message to the people in this House. That has to send a message to the political directorate and it has to send a very coherent, very loud message as to the dissatisfaction of the people in the way in which we are governing."
While allegiance to one's political party is important for members, acting for the overall good should not be sacrificed in the process. There is an important balance that must be achieved in this regard. As Moss sees it, our politicians have long been spinning the bottle and the game has continued.
"Are we really about building a country?" he asked.
Speaking directly to so-called new generation leaders in Parliament, Moss added, "This is what we were elected for in 2012."
While there are some hopeful signs that a new brand of politics is emerging, the failure of Moss and others to play the political game could mean that they are on the outside looking in when the bottle spins again in 2017, officially cut from the tribe for failing to fall in line. Instead of benefitting further from their contributions, we would likely be left with new players, and old ones, committed to the tribal agenda, all to the detriment of national progress.
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