Dear Editor,
Am I the only person who is deathly afraid?
I am concerned about the direction in which this country seems almost irreversibly to be headed. The latest Standard and Poor's report and consequent downgrade, the fourth downgrade in four years, despite all of the flowery language of the government in its own defense, simply means that we have been making too little and spending too much for too many years and it is all catching up with us.
Our problems are fundamental and point to our own inherent weaknesses as a people. We don't work hard enough; we don't create wealth; we don't save, and we spend too much.
We have little to no discipline or accountability in all our institutions - be they government, social, economic or religious. If we were children, the assessment would be that we need discipline, parents who don't let us have our way but who lead by example and tough love.
Our governments, unfortunately, have been a reflection of ourselves, lacking any real vision or courage and looking only to their survival and the next election. Therefore, they pander to our irrational and excessive desires in their quest to secure our approval of them for the next election. We have shown that we are not difficult to please, requiring only that they provide us hams and turkeys, give us government jobs and party celebrations when things really get tough. After all, is there anything a little food and rum, or a government contract, can't fix?
There seems to be a lack of courage, conviction or perhaps even desire on the part of our leaders to do what is right if there is any risk of it being unpopular. This is evident from the referenda which were brought to the people. In each case, there was no need to seek a referendum on any of the issues. The government and its leaders knew what should be done and sought to pass responsibility onto the people. Although our parliamentary system is modeled after the Westminster system in the United Kingdom, our prime minister, unlike David Cameron (who resigned after Brexit, a failed referendum/opinion poll similar to our gaming referendum), lacked the courage, conviction or perhaps the ability to do what was right and resign after two "failed" referenda.
This tendency to pass the buck and failure to lead is evident in the recent efforts for a National Development Plan. While the idea is laudable and it is good that it is being pursued, I believe that it is being used by the government to mask and excuse inaction. All of our leaders are aware of many of the things that need to be done and that discipline must be enforced, but are afraid to do the necessary for fear of losing popularity.
What is wrong?
Education
Our educational system is failing. Somehow we have come to accept grades of D or less as the norm. D is now a passing grade! Every year the educational systems churns out a new batch of functionally illiterate children who have only unrealistic hopes to hold on to. We claim that the answer to this is to move The College of The Bahamas to university status. Whilst this is admirable, our children in public primary and high schools do not have books, sufficiently compensated and motivated qualified teachers, a safe environment for learning and oftentimes lack electricity or water. When they go to their homes, the situation does not get any better. The policy of social promotion ensures that they will pass through the system whether they learn anything or not. What good is The University of The Bahamas to them?
Crime
Without a doubt, many of our young people are growing without a moral compass, an appreciation of right and wrong or a respect for human life. There is also a sense of hopelessness. For the first time in our history many children do not believe that their lives will be as prosperous as that of their parents'. The reality is that they will make less and own less. For some, the idea of owning their own homes is an implausible dream. We are now fearful of being on the streets at night and often alone in our own homes. The people committing these crimes are our own. They are us. How have we lost them?
Economy
Our almost complete reliance on banking and tourism has become a noose around our neck. Over the years we have taken too much for granted. Given the head start and advantages we have had in both areas, it pains me to see that we have fallen in comparison to many of our counterparts.
We have been unable to adapt to the times and to remold ourselves to meet the demands of an ever-changing market. When I completed university in the 70s, it was rare to find that students studying abroad did not want to come home. Often the only reasons they failed to return was because of marriage to a foreigner or pursuing a career for which there was little or no opportunity in The Bahamas. Now our young ones have no desire to return home if they can find any employment at all abroad. We often lament what we believe is a loss of nationalism. However, I believe it is more concrete than that. The truth was that back then we believed that the economic opportunities for us in The Bahamas were as good as they were anywhere else. That belief has been shattered.
We still import more than 90 percent of what we consume.
Where we are now is not the singular fault of the PLP or the FNM. They both bear responsibility. This country has been gradually deteriorating for years. Successive governments have sought to shift responsibility for the steady degeneration by blaming the other party or masking it by absorbing the loss, increasing expenditure, becoming employer of last resort and borrowing heavily to staunch the hemorrhaging. The problem is that we now have to pay the piper.
The present government, when in opposition, blamed the increase in crime on the then FNM government and even placed billboards prior to the election prominently in high-traffic areas where the same were viewed by tourists. Now that they are in power, they say that the issue is too big to blame on any one party or government.
We say that we abide by the Westminster system but, in truth, we honor it in the breach. By convention, when things go wrong, or a situation is not corrected, someone has to take responsibility. Taking responsibility does not mean that I am a bad person or a failure; in fact it is the sign of a honorable man. At one time, it went without saying. Remember the PVC pipes fiasco? How can those who minister over education, crime or the economy hold themselves out as successes? Now we believe that everything is a matter of message, how you spin it. I note that the present government says that the problem is only in getting their message out. That the people do not understand what good they do.
We now have politicians who have learned to manipulate a gullible and trusting public. We believe that someone is a good MP, minister, party leader or prime minister simply because the party machinery has said so. Recent events within both the PLP and the FNM illustrate that the party machinery is often more influenced by personal agendas rather than the common good. The belief is that there is no absolute right or wrong, but, because of the electoral system, right is determined by what numbers you can convince. I disagree. Right and wrong are not a matter only of perception or a numbers game. As Henry David Thoreau said: "One man right is a majority of one."
One opposition politician some months ago made the comment that we are worse off now than we were in 1967. I waited with bated breath to see the reaction. Surprisingly, notwithstanding his repeating this on at least two other occasions, no one bothered either to refute this or to comment on the effect of this if it is true. I often wonder if he himself understood the full implications of this statement, bearing in mind that his party shares responsibility. It is just an example of how numb we have become. Whether his observation is strictly correct or not will be the subject of healthy debate. However, the point that he was making - i.e., that we are in a sad situation - is not for dispute.
An election approaches shortly and supposedly we have a choice between PLP and FNM each with their leader. For some time I have held the belief that it is a false choice. Neither party shows any real vision or the moral fortitude to do what needs to be done. Neither party's leadership shows the strength or will to take the necessary measures without fear of losing the next election. Neither party's leadership has shown any real interest in getting us out of this morass.
I understand the frustration that drove Branville McCartney to start the DNA (which was the only successful effort to challenge the monopoly of the PLP and FNM by contesting every seat); Gregory Moss to create the UPM; that created The Gatekeepers; that spearheaded Alfred Sears' bold campaign to take over the PLP; that gave way to the We March organization and events; that caused the newly minted Dissident 7 from the FNM; and which caused voter registration to be lower than it has been since the country got the majority vote. It is a recognition that we cannot survive doing business as usual.
We all know that something is drastically wrong. We also know that the present system of successive PLP and FNM administrations is doing precious little to solve our problems. Unfortunately, because of our deterioration and the persons we presently have as our "servants", our standards have sunk so low that we believe that anybody can do it. That anyone can be prime minister, minister, MP or senator, and now "anyone" wants to be.
We ourselves have become unthinking. We let others do our thinking for us and grab on only to headlines without concern for the details or any analysis beneath the surface. One reason for this may be our fear and a feeling of hopelessness; or quite simply, the pervasive laziness that has afflicted us as a people.
This is no time for petty divisions. Quite frankly, political identification means nothing to me. It really is all meaningless when you look at the obstacles and risks we now face. The truth is that there is little difference between the FNM and the PLP, philosophically or in practice, and we are forced to decide on the lesser of two evils. In the result, we move between the two each time hoping that one will miraculously change and bring us something they never did before. We need to find a way to put our differences and egos behind us, address what really ails us and do what is necessary to extract ourselves from the mire in which we are sinking.
We need a government which will attract our best and our brightest. A government not afraid of intelligence and competence, but who will instead encourage these qualities; a government with sufficient courage and conviction that is prepared to do what is right, even if "right" is not popular; one without ego and prepared to admit when it is wrong and to accept responsibility. We need a government which can encourage and inspire our most capable leaders both in the public and the private sectors and who will in turn not cater to petty jealousies and allow our greatest minds to express themselves and serve.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. We need a "unity" government in which all sectors of the population can be represented. We need persons to serve not because of some claim to entitlement, but because they have something to offer us, who are not afraid to admit when they cannot do the job and are willing and able to surrender their positions, should this be the case. We have too many people now in government who feel forced to compromise on principle because they cannot afford to lose their positions. I am not saying only rich people should serve, but I do believe that no one should run who cannot afford to walk away on principle. Our earlier history abounds with people who, though not rich, took a principled stand even to their financial detriment. Carlton Francis is perhaps the foremost example of this.
We do have people in this country who are capable of this. This is where I challenge us to see beyond our limitations. For years, we have heralded majority rule, which really we interpreted as black government. In previous years, although black people were the majority, a minority white population through various devices controlled the vote in The Bahamas. The crucial feature of majority rule is one man one vote, and the determination of the government and institutions of the country by a majority of the citizens (comprised of white and black people). Contrary to what many of our present leaders would assert, it does not necessarily mean an all-black government, nor even does it mean a majority black government. The emphasis is that it is a government freely chosen by we, the people. We have this "bogeyman" our leaders have maintained through the years called "White Bay Street" meant to symbolize our oppressors. This was necessary in 1967. Is this still necessary, or can we now see ourselves as Bahamians who are black, white and in between? Can we see that the problems we encounter today are of our own making? That our "oppressors" today look just like us? Or perhaps the dire straits in which we find ourselves necessitate that we stop catering to petty jealousies?
If you were to ask most of the intelligent and educated people in this country whether the best person to lead such a government was Brent Symonette the response would be fairly consistent. They would acknowledge that yes, he, a former deputy prime minister, is probably one of the savviest persons we have with the requisite experience in politics, government, business and law. He is intelligent and possesses keen judgment and intellect and a sense of compassion. He is financially independent and therefore less likely to be tempted by opportunities for personal gain in a leadership capacity. He has shown that he can and will walk away where principle and convention so dictate. He is probably best able to command the respect of the diverse talents (both black and white) this country has and desperately needs to come to the fore.
Yet, these same educated and intelligent people will tell you, despite our supposed enlightenment and equality, he is white and the Bahamian people will never accept a white man especially one whose father led the old UBP regime. How horribly ironic that we eschew a competent, and arguably the best, candidate this country has to lead it because of his color. Is it 2017 or 1967? Was the Quiet Revolution for naught? Can we finally be true to our motto "Forward, Upward, Onward Together"?
- Luther H. McDonald
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