"The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Last week, we noted that several weeks ago Dr. Bernard Nottage, minister of national security, asserted that the Christie administration is arguably "the most progressive government The Bahamas has ever seen".
In part 1 of this series, we delineated the characteristics of a progressive, liberal government under several headings. This week, we would like to Consider this... how well has The Bahamas measured up to the criteria manifested by progressive, liberal governments under the headings of civil rights and liberties, consumer protection, environmental and smart growth, health, public safety, social services, taxation, voting and elections, freedom of conscience and association and freedom of information.
Civil rights and liberties
Last week, we observed that liberal, progressive democratic nations are founded on the principle that all men and women are created equal and discrimination is forbidden on the basis of race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Since coming to office in 2012, the Christie administration advanced the noble objective of amending our constitution to ensure gender equality, a reality that has escaped us since independence.
The government promised a referendum to determine whether Bahamians support gender equality. To date, that objective has eluded us although the Constitutional Commission recommended this amendment. Several dates for the promised referendum have come and gone and a definite date still remains to be determined, with only 15 months left in this government's term in office. The window is quickly closing on the referendum and the closer it gets to the general election, the more difficult it will be for a successful outcome.
A progressive, liberal government, unlike the gaming referendum, will clearly have a horse in the race. It is vitally important for the government to fully support the constitutional amendment because that is what a progressive, liberal government would do.
Consumer protection
We also suggested last week that a progressive, liberal government would enact legislation to ensure consumer protection. To date, the government has not demonstrated a serious commitment by the passage of legislation to protect consumers from unsafe food products, price gouging by businesses generally and, in food stores, for breadbasket items, or for the abusive practices by commercial banks, either by the excessive bank charges or the interest rate spread that banks charge their customers. Some of the banking practices that are allowed to persist here are not permitted in those banks' home countries, and citizens should challenge government to protect their interests.
The environment and smart growth
We observed that a liberal and progressive government protects the quality of life for all of its citizens and residents.
To date, we have not developed a national policy to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels or the development of clean, renewable sources of energy, or policies to reduce the carbon footprint from automobiles and industrial activities. Notwithstanding enormous lip service paid to protecting our environment, very little has been done to curb the expansion of commercial enterprises to protect us from environmental degradation, both on land and at sea.
No Bahamian government has seriously addressed the elimination of out-houses in densely inhabited communities, which continues to represent a serious health risk for our citizens. We have failed to adopt a serious and systematic policy that encourages our citizens to recycle waste products.
Health
Last week, we observed that every citizen should be able to access the health care they need, when they need it and at an afford price. This has become immediately more important in the face of the combative controversy that is furiously fulminating in the public square on the implementation of national health insurance. It is not sufficient for the government to provide a national health insurance scheme.
A progressive, liberal government would also ensure that medical coverage is available at an affordable cost to every citizen as a matter of right. In addition, such a government would encourage healthy behavior and lifestyle choices that are inculcated and indorsed from childhood in the primary schools and throughout the citizen's entire educational and adult career. Furthermore, a progressive and liberal government would protect its citizens from unhealthy behavior, while allowing people to make their own health-care choices.
Public safety
We observed last week that the most fundamental responsibility of government is to protect residents from crime, the fear of crime and focus on strategies that enhance our safety. Furthermore, while serious crimes deserve serious punishment, greater measures must be taken to prevent crime and to ensure justice. This government, which has presided over the record number of murders in Bahamian history, is as impotent as the criminals are prolific in adequately addressing this phenomenon with innovative initiatives to arrest the paralysis that has overwhelmed our national psyche.
Social services
We observed that a progressive, liberal government must assist persons in our communities who are vulnerable, especially our children, the elderly, the disabled and victims of illness, crime and natural disasters. Many of our citizens have developed an attitude of despair because they sense that the safety-net which is supposed to safeguard them no longer works to their advantage. Chronically unemployed, discouraged workers and young Bahamians who endeavor to improve their lives are frequently frustrated by persistent impediments that prevent their ability to fully participate in their communities, often resulting in them making unproductive life choices.
Taxation
We also observed that a progressive, liberal government would ensure that everyone pays a fair share of taxes. While we recognize that the value-added tax that was implemented last year has resulted in increased revenue for the public coffers, the more fundamental question that a progressive, liberal government would address is what is the fairest form of taxation? Invariably, it is the poor and middle-class citizens who pay a disproportionate amount of taxes, often at the hands of large, foreign companies that extract unfair "taxes" through grossly-inflated prices and who do not pay their fair share of taxes in the community where they also earn indecent profits. Successive governments have contributed to inordinately high corporate profits by granting companies what can best be described as excessive, if not obscene, tax concessions. Similar benefits are not extended to Bahamian companies that, therefore, must bear an unfair tax burden.
Voting and elections
Last week, we maintained that in order to ensure that our electoral system is transparent, a progressive and liberal government must guarantee that every citizen can easily register and should be afforded the opportunity to vote. Additionally, the cost of elections has spiraled out of control. It is therefore incumbent on a progressive, liberal government to enact campaign financing laws that would minimize corruption of the electoral process by wealthy special interest groups, foreign and domestic. Increasingly, foreign interests have insinuated themselves into our electoral process by making "excessively generous" campaign contributions to political parties which are not required by law to be disclosed.
Freedom of conscience and association
A progressive, liberal government must ensure that its citizens enjoy the freedom of conscience and association which are enshrined in our constitution, but often openly abused in our country. In a truly progressive society, nobody should be made to suffer or be disadvantaged in any way for exercising this right, in politics, for example. Furthermore, persons whose points of view differ from the political directorate should not be vilified, victimized or terrorized by those who hold public office as the latter are inclined to do.
Freedom of information
A progressive, liberal government would encourage its citizens to be fully informed on issues of national importance. Such a progressive and liberal attitude would fully appreciate and encourage the public's right to information. For quite some time now, the enactment of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act has been stalled without any apparent justifiable reason for its delay. Since the proposed revised FOI Act would take months, if not years, to fully implement and refine, every moment its introduction in the House of Assembly is delayed adds to this already lengthy process in freeing information for the people.
Conclusion
As we conclude this series on a progressive and liberal government, we recall the words of the late John F. Kennedy who wrote in his "Profiles in Courage": "If by a 'liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people - their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties - someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'liberal', then I'm proud to say I'm a 'liberal'."
It would be wise for governments that would call themselves "progressive and liberal" to remember that they must fulfill principled and far-seeing criteria to earn that name; that they must remember it is their care of, and attention to, the needs of the people that truly defines that "progressive and liberalness"; and that they must always be mindful to preserve the essence of a philosophy that, in many people's minds, is a pathway to a better life and a future full of freedom and abundance.
o Philip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis and Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament. Please send your comments to pgalanis@gmail.com.
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