If public confidence in the
integrity of the political
directorate of The Bahamas is to become a hallmark of our
political culture, it is of the first importance that the prime minister and other ministers of
government observe -- and be seen to observe -- the highest standards of probity in
public life.
-- PERRY CHRISTIE, 2002

As prime minister of The Bahamas, Perry Gladstone Christie has proven to be a hypocritical leader who presides over a shameless and scandalous administration.
He loves to hear himself speak, clearly.
He assumes everybody else does.
But his words are often hollow.
He pledges to be about ensuring the highest fidelity in public office.
He is not to be believed.
He has demonstrated that his words carry little to no weight.
He represents us abroad and pretends to be something he is not. His words do not always match his actions.
Incredibly, he has remained silent in the face of blatant self dealing and conflicts of interest in his Cabinet.
But he gets up and quotes Scripture, looks for sympathy as he plays victim, while turning a blind eye to wrongdoing among his ministers.
If Bahamians elect him and the PLP again next week, we truly would deserve all that we would get.
We would have sanctioned the actions of a deplorable all-for-me-baby crowd that demonstrated a stunning level of greed, an insatiable lust for power and an unimpressive ability to ignore blatant abuse in office.
The bad governance would probably get worse.
The total disregard for standards in public life would, for sure, continue.
We shudder to think what would be left for the next generation of Bahamians with an administration that has failed to move the country forward, and, even more significantly, has acted to benefit themselves, their families and their cronies.
At a rally in North Abaco on Monday night, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham accused Christie of backing compromised ministers.
There is evidence of this.
Christie has backed Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald, despite the stunning revelations of his abuse of office and self dealing. Fitzgerald privately solicited contracts for his family's business from Sarkis Izmirlian, who was the Baha Mar developer.
Fitzgerald was later selected by the prime minister to be a lead negotiator after Izmirlian filed for bankruptcy. The negotiations included talks with principals of China Construction America (CCA), Baha Mar's main contractor.
Allyson Maynard-Gibson, whose family has stores at Baha Mar, was also a lead negotiator -- a clear conflict.
There are very legitimate questions about whether Fitzgerald's soliciting extended beyond Izmirlian.
Certainly, he would have been even better positioned to seek contacts for his family's business.
It is not unreasonable that these questions would be asked, given Fitzgerald's track record in begging Izmirlian for deals.
In one of his emails to Izmirlian, dated January 5, 2014, the minister says: "Unfortunately, despite all efforts by you and promises to me by [CCA Senior Vice President] Daniel Liu that we would receive the brokerage and trucking work, we have not, apart from a one time deal to move 40 containers."
CCA and Liu have not responded to this revelation, but it is easy to see why some would question whether the minister solicited CCA once Izmirlian was out of the picture.
This is precisely the kind of behavior Christie vowed to condemn when he became prime minister the first time, and the second time.
He recommitted himself to ensuring his ministers adhere to the highest ethical standards, that they do not use their power for self gain, but act at all times in the best interest of the Bahamian people.
What an absolute joke!

Moral signpost
In 2014, when Christie flew down to the Cayman Islands to address a UWI anti-corruption conference, he told his audience that fidelity to the performance of their legal and public duties by elected officials in The Bahamas is aided by a code of ethics promulgated during his first term in office.
Christie noted that in 2002 he tabled a code of ethics for ministers (which also extended to parliamentary secretaries) in the House of Assembly at the opening of Parliament.
The prime minister said this was a moral signpost and guide for the conduct of political decision-makers in The Bahamas.
He noted that in introducing the code, he said: "If public confidence in the integrity of the political directorate of The Bahamas is to become a hallmark of our political culture, it is of the first importance that the prime minister and other ministers of government observe -- and be seen to observe -- the highest standards of probity in public life."
Christie said: "I believe in leading by example, and it is clear that one of the necessary ingredients for the success of any national initiative to fight corruption is sustained political will and the power of personal example.
"... There is nothing in the whole of my more than 40 consecutive years in frontline politics of which I am more proud than the fact that there has never been any serious allegation of corruption levelled against me. And in a place of intense scrutiny and frequently malicious partisanship like The Bahamas, that is really saying something, I assure you!" the prime minister said.
"But I'm really proud of that record, because say what they like about me -- and I've been called a great many unkind things -- it is, I think, generally accepted that, for Perry Gladstone Christie, integrity in the conduct of the people's affairs is absolutely central to his personal ethos and to his personal philosophy of governance. And as long as I have any breath in my body, that's the way it's always going to be."
While Christie has not been accused of any corrupt act, and while he jealously guards his personal integrity and reputation -- as he should -- his already challenged legacy is being marred by his refusal to discipline ministers who violate the code governing the conduct of ministers.
Christie should not, on the one hand, boast about his tabling a code of conduct, and about his unblemished reputation on integrity matters, and then close his eyes and turn his head to wrongdoing and conflicts of interest involving his own ministers -- all violations of the code he bragged about.
As opposed to condemning Fitzgerald's actions, Christie has incredibly ignored them. At a rally last week, he praised Fitzgerald for his work in education.
Meanwhile, the disgraced and disgraceful minister, in his usual arrogant and shameless fashion, took to the rally stage, quoting scripture as he played the victim card.
It was Fitzgerald who abused his power and used his ailing father as the reason why he needed to lock in contracts with Baha Mar.
And he wanted the whole hog. Big money contracts. Huge deals. Locked in.
He should be ashamed of his hoggish behavior.
Instead, he accused detractors of attacking his father, as if someone pulled the emails out of thin air or fabricated their contents.
As opposed to showing contrition, as opposed to having the decency to resign for his secret dealing and abuse, he looked for sympathy as he was backed by Christie and other colleagues.
It was straight out of the PLP playbook -- quote some Scripture, flip the script, play the victim, talk about "attacks" on your family.
Do anything but acknowledge in the strongest possible terms the error of your ways.
In the face of even the strongest evidence that has exposed your guilt, look straight into it and declare it is not what it appears.
Reject reality. Convince the people that what they are seeing is not really what they think they are seeing.
Deflect, confuse and pretend so hard you are not at fault, until the matter fades off the front pages and people stop talking about it altogether.

Recalibration
This behavior from those entrusted with the people's assets and charged with the management of the people's affairs is sickening.
It should stir the core of all who believe in and stand for clean and transparent governance.
Fitzgerald's matter, and Christie's condoning of such actions with his silence, speak more urgently than ever to the need for a recalibration of our national affairs and the make up of our governance.
Bahamians ought not allow this to be the standard of our public officials.
If we accept this, then we can accept just about anything.
The door is open for even more shady and unscrupulous wheeling and dealing by those who should maintain the highest standards of probity in public life.
In that same Cayman Islands speech in 2014, Christie, continuing to speak to his code of ethics for ministers, noted that the document stresses the point that transparency and probity in public life can only be maintained if ministers hold their positions and powers in trust for the benefit of the Bahamian people; devote themselves to ministerial service as a full-time occupation; avoid any material conflict between their private interests and their public duties; avoid using their ministerial status or influence for the enrichment of themselves or their families and avoid all forms of ethically improper behavior, including the solicitation or acceptance of personal gifts or loans from organizations or individuals who are seeking to obtain or retain the patronage or favor of the government.
Fitzgerald has breached that code in multiple areas.
Of course, his colleagues are also silent.
Dr. Charles Clarke, the PLP's candidate for St. Anne's, faced fire within the PLP camp after he was brave enough to come out and acknowledge that Fitzgerald appeared to be in breach of the code governing ministers' conduct.
Clarke also suggested that Fitzgerald should resign.
Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis has made it clear that the party is standing behind Fitzgerald. He declared that Fitzgerald is the PLP candidate and "we fully expect him to win".
As we observed last week, the silence of the others makes them complicit in this sordid and sad affair.
PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts, who is on a crusade to uncover any shade in the background of FNM candidates, has shied away -- not surprisingly -- from speaking to the Fitzgerald matter. He called it a "non issue".
More and more Bahamians are feeling an urgent and compelling need to get their country back out of the hands of the Christie-led PLP.
The PLP condones wrongdoing if it is one of their own.
Fitzgerald reminded us last year in Parliament that "if you touch one, you touch all".
Implicit in that statement was a declaration that PLPs will protect each other, even if they are wrong, even if they are conflicted, even if they are being abusive while in office.
It is a secret code, an unbroken pledge, a dark vow among them that keeps them united in their effort to hold on to power at all and any cost.
Collectively, they are a shameless and arrogant bunch.
They have proven repeatedly that, in the long run, they are simply bad for the forward movement of The Bahamas.
We choose them again at our peril.

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