Between now and the general election, which is likely next spring, the government will spend tens of millions of dollars in the hurricane recovery effort. Hurricane Matthew caused an estimated $500 million worth of damage as it passed through the northwestern Bahamas. In an effort to help pay for restoration the House of Assembly passed a resolution last week for the government to borrow $150 million.
Because an election is near, however, and because the governing party has a reputation for helping those close to it first, public fears have been expressed as to how the borrowed money, and other funds the government will allocate toward redevelopment, will be spent.
"We agree that lives were changed. We agree that businesses have been lost and we agree that it has attributed to unemployment. It needs to be fixed. People's lives need to change and their homes need to be corrected. But this government has a terrible track record of transparency and accountability," said Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis during the debate on the borrowing resolution.
"So when you're borrowing, we would like to see some sort of reconstructive committee with oversight [of] whatever funds there are and they have available to them an independent tender board that will be totally transparent who is not concerned with whether you are a member of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) or FNM."
Shane Gibson is the minister Prime Minister Perry Christie charged with overseeing the government's storm response. As a guest on Guardian Radio 96.9 FM's "Let's Talk Live", he said that while there will always be observers who second-guess the Christie administration, the PLP has "not done anything to cause people not to trust" it.
"Everything we did, we can justify it and we are able to explain exactly why we are making the decisions that we are making," he said.
"Now, not every time individuals will agree with it, but we can always justify the decisions that we make."
Whether PLPs will be helped first or most often will not be up to Gibson. It will be up to Christie. As prime minister and minister of finance he has the authority to ensure Bahamians receive assistance based on need and not political affiliation. If he insists upon this and ensures that the state bureaucrats who disburse these funds insist upon it, Bahamians of all political stripes, and those unaffiliated, will be able to apply and receive aid. If this effort turns into a program to primarily make PLPs happy, and the scraps go to others, then that will be because that is what Christie wants.
We hope the PLP realizes that there is so much devastation and desperation out there that it would be cruel, immoral and inhumane to dispense funds based on party connection. There are Bahamians who have no place to live; Bahamians who have nothing to eat; Bahamian small businesses that may have to close because they cannot afford the cost of repairs. They need state help. They need a compassionate leader to protect them from those who see nothing wrong in linking aid to political gain.
Christie has toured the hard-hit parts of The Bahamas. He has mobilized the state to act. He has given hugs and promised to help. One of the greatest ways that he could be of assistance is by making sure his government is fair. Bahamians are a resilient people. When given some help they stretch that little goodwill and push forward. Help. Don't make the desperate beg for funds they have a right to access.
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