PINDER
08-02-06, - 10:06 PM
Fantasy Island -- PLP Style
The Christie administration is like a television reality show: for all of its pretense at being real, it is mostly a scripted media production without much “reality” or substance.
Despite all of the press releases, photo opportunities, agreement signings, speeches, stop-gap measures, junkanoo shuffles, publicity stunts, propaganda pieces through ZNS and BIS, distortions and evasions; the truth behind the fiction is that the nation is in a state of decline, disrepair and deterioration after years of weak leadership, showmanship and poor administration.
As lead character in this PLP show, Perry Christie acts more like a Governor General than a Prime Minister. He is more a ceremonial leader than a chief executive: content to make speeches, cut ribbons, shake hands and preside over public events.
The tough tasks of managing an increasingly divided and directionless cabinet; of coordinating the work of the government; of reigning in the excesses of a PLP culture still prone to victimization; of pursuing a balanced Bahamianization policy, and of ensuring improvements in the delivery and effectiveness of public sector programmes and services all elude a Prime Minister whose chronic indecisiveness and procrastination continues to embarrass even PLPs.
Mr. Christie has decided that talk is more important than action and that if he says something then it must be true. For him, talk is action. The government is in many ways a rerun of the old television show Fantasy Island.
Mr. Christie and his government brag interminably about billions of dollars in new investments in endless heads of agreements. What they have not told us is that many of these projects are unfunded and will not come to life, that others could quite possibly be scaled back and that still others pose serious threats to our environment and ought not to proceed.
A heads of agreement is like a promissory note; it is not a tractor in the ground actually starting a project. In fact, some of these agreements may be like a Perry Christie speech: long, indeed very long on promise, and very, very short on follow through.
Giving Away Millions
And for all the talk of billions in new investments what the governing party downplays are the massive and unprecedented concessions and giveaways in terms of land and tax exemptions, which over time may cost the Treasury over a billion dollars.
The PLP Government has given away millions upon millions in concessions with no tangible benefit to Bahamians; levels of concessions which an FNM would not even consider at this point in our development.
These millions of dollars in concessions deprive the Treasury of money which could be used to protect our borders from illegal immigration and protect our streets from criminals.
But there is something else the governing party does not talk about, but that we already know. For all the talk of billions in new investments, Bahamians do not feel it in their pockets or bank accounts. The poor have slipped further behind and the middle class is being squeezed.
Dramatic increases in gas prices, health care costs, electricity, school fees, insurance and various consumer goods continue to wreak financial havoc on Bahamians with both moderate and above average incomes.
The governing party talk is about a booming economy. The Bahamian reality is about busted bank accounts and lighter and lighter pockets.
The additional financial burdens on the average Bahamian have not been offset by a resurgent economy creating more wealth for increased numbers of our people. Instead, the types of projects approved by the governing party, if they eventually come on stream, will create primarily low-end jobs and not the higher-end jobs needed truly to grow the economy.
Meanwhile Mr. Christie has been promoting grand plans for the redevelopment of the northern waterfront and the City of Nassau. In another exercise in make-believe in Fantasy Island – PLP style -- we have been shown elaborate models, power point presentations and slide shows. We have listened to countless speeches and promises. But no action!
(The redevelopment plans for the City of Nassau touted by Mr. Christie were first launched by the FNM. We are committed to transforming both the City of Nassau from east to west and north to south and the northern waterfront. To read about our concrete and specific proposals in this regard, please go to the FNM website and review our plans for the transformation of Arawak Cay.)
How are we to believe that the governing party is really committed to such a redevelopment plan if it cannot get urban renewal right, keep the island of New Providence clean and maintain public infrastructure throughout the country?
The Talk and the Reality
Once again, the talk and the reality are two different things. Mr. Christie, if you want to keep the country clean, tell your ministers to do their jobs. Better still take a drive around New Providence after reading this column. Get pad and pen and write down basic things you can do right now to clean up the island.
You don’t need to make a long passionate speech, cause a press release to be written or convene a meeting. Just use the authority of your office and act! As the Nike commercial says: Just do it! Like the Bank of Scotland commercial urges: Make it happen!
The FNM contracted for the transformation of a section of the former Harrold Road (between Milo Butler Highway/Bethel Avenue and Blue Hill Road) into a four lane thoroughfare. This was but one segment of the 19 corridor New Providence road improvement project. This segment was removed from the project and built and opened with much fanfare by the present government who, also with much fanfare, renamed all of the former Harrold Road the Tonique Williams Darling Highway.
After millions spent refurbishing this highway and naming it after one of our sports giants, why has the government failed to adequately landscape it or keep the grass on the median mowed, or regularly clean the median from debris? As of this writing half of the grass is mowed, another half is not, the roundabouts are overgrown and trash continues to litter the median.
Is the new highway not the responsibility of the same Minister of Works who is content to fly around the country lecturing others about their responsibilities? Before going into other people’s backyards and talking fool and telling lies, he should make sure that our public front yard, including streets, cemeteries, parks and beaches are maintained
After being stripped of much of his ministerial portfolio because of incompetence, can he not at least keep our streets clean?
By the twisted logic of the governing party’s “reality” show goes beyond maintenance. Plans the FNM left in place to complete the strengthening of sea walls have in New Providence and the Family Islands have only begun now, after four years of delay. And, much of this work began almost on the same day this year’s hurricane season began.
A really sensible, prudent government would begin seawall work early in the year and not wait until the hurricane season to start.
It seems that we cannot trust the governing party to do the big things right, like telling us facts regarding the so-called billions in new investments. We also cannot trust them to get small things right, like keeping our islands clean or prepared to confront annual summer storms.
If the Emmy Awards were being given out for best “reality show” the present government would surely be nominated -- and might even win.
However the production costs of this “reality show” are too expensive for the Bahamian people. After five seasons of Fantasy Island, we have to ensure that their contract is not renewed and bring some substance and genuine reality back to the heart of government.
_____________
Other urgent projects are also being ignored. The front street of Cooper’s Town; the north Eleuthera dock; the gateway to Harbour Island - one of our premier tourism destinations, all endure and suffer from disgraceful negligence on the part of the governing party.
The Christie administration is like a television reality show: for all of its pretense at being real, it is mostly a scripted media production without much “reality” or substance.
Despite all of the press releases, photo opportunities, agreement signings, speeches, stop-gap measures, junkanoo shuffles, publicity stunts, propaganda pieces through ZNS and BIS, distortions and evasions; the truth behind the fiction is that the nation is in a state of decline, disrepair and deterioration after years of weak leadership, showmanship and poor administration.
As lead character in this PLP show, Perry Christie acts more like a Governor General than a Prime Minister. He is more a ceremonial leader than a chief executive: content to make speeches, cut ribbons, shake hands and preside over public events.
The tough tasks of managing an increasingly divided and directionless cabinet; of coordinating the work of the government; of reigning in the excesses of a PLP culture still prone to victimization; of pursuing a balanced Bahamianization policy, and of ensuring improvements in the delivery and effectiveness of public sector programmes and services all elude a Prime Minister whose chronic indecisiveness and procrastination continues to embarrass even PLPs.
Mr. Christie has decided that talk is more important than action and that if he says something then it must be true. For him, talk is action. The government is in many ways a rerun of the old television show Fantasy Island.
Mr. Christie and his government brag interminably about billions of dollars in new investments in endless heads of agreements. What they have not told us is that many of these projects are unfunded and will not come to life, that others could quite possibly be scaled back and that still others pose serious threats to our environment and ought not to proceed.
A heads of agreement is like a promissory note; it is not a tractor in the ground actually starting a project. In fact, some of these agreements may be like a Perry Christie speech: long, indeed very long on promise, and very, very short on follow through.
Giving Away Millions
And for all the talk of billions in new investments what the governing party downplays are the massive and unprecedented concessions and giveaways in terms of land and tax exemptions, which over time may cost the Treasury over a billion dollars.
The PLP Government has given away millions upon millions in concessions with no tangible benefit to Bahamians; levels of concessions which an FNM would not even consider at this point in our development.
These millions of dollars in concessions deprive the Treasury of money which could be used to protect our borders from illegal immigration and protect our streets from criminals.
But there is something else the governing party does not talk about, but that we already know. For all the talk of billions in new investments, Bahamians do not feel it in their pockets or bank accounts. The poor have slipped further behind and the middle class is being squeezed.
Dramatic increases in gas prices, health care costs, electricity, school fees, insurance and various consumer goods continue to wreak financial havoc on Bahamians with both moderate and above average incomes.
The governing party talk is about a booming economy. The Bahamian reality is about busted bank accounts and lighter and lighter pockets.
The additional financial burdens on the average Bahamian have not been offset by a resurgent economy creating more wealth for increased numbers of our people. Instead, the types of projects approved by the governing party, if they eventually come on stream, will create primarily low-end jobs and not the higher-end jobs needed truly to grow the economy.
Meanwhile Mr. Christie has been promoting grand plans for the redevelopment of the northern waterfront and the City of Nassau. In another exercise in make-believe in Fantasy Island – PLP style -- we have been shown elaborate models, power point presentations and slide shows. We have listened to countless speeches and promises. But no action!
(The redevelopment plans for the City of Nassau touted by Mr. Christie were first launched by the FNM. We are committed to transforming both the City of Nassau from east to west and north to south and the northern waterfront. To read about our concrete and specific proposals in this regard, please go to the FNM website and review our plans for the transformation of Arawak Cay.)
How are we to believe that the governing party is really committed to such a redevelopment plan if it cannot get urban renewal right, keep the island of New Providence clean and maintain public infrastructure throughout the country?
The Talk and the Reality
Once again, the talk and the reality are two different things. Mr. Christie, if you want to keep the country clean, tell your ministers to do their jobs. Better still take a drive around New Providence after reading this column. Get pad and pen and write down basic things you can do right now to clean up the island.
You don’t need to make a long passionate speech, cause a press release to be written or convene a meeting. Just use the authority of your office and act! As the Nike commercial says: Just do it! Like the Bank of Scotland commercial urges: Make it happen!
The FNM contracted for the transformation of a section of the former Harrold Road (between Milo Butler Highway/Bethel Avenue and Blue Hill Road) into a four lane thoroughfare. This was but one segment of the 19 corridor New Providence road improvement project. This segment was removed from the project and built and opened with much fanfare by the present government who, also with much fanfare, renamed all of the former Harrold Road the Tonique Williams Darling Highway.
After millions spent refurbishing this highway and naming it after one of our sports giants, why has the government failed to adequately landscape it or keep the grass on the median mowed, or regularly clean the median from debris? As of this writing half of the grass is mowed, another half is not, the roundabouts are overgrown and trash continues to litter the median.
Is the new highway not the responsibility of the same Minister of Works who is content to fly around the country lecturing others about their responsibilities? Before going into other people’s backyards and talking fool and telling lies, he should make sure that our public front yard, including streets, cemeteries, parks and beaches are maintained
After being stripped of much of his ministerial portfolio because of incompetence, can he not at least keep our streets clean?
By the twisted logic of the governing party’s “reality” show goes beyond maintenance. Plans the FNM left in place to complete the strengthening of sea walls have in New Providence and the Family Islands have only begun now, after four years of delay. And, much of this work began almost on the same day this year’s hurricane season began.
A really sensible, prudent government would begin seawall work early in the year and not wait until the hurricane season to start.
It seems that we cannot trust the governing party to do the big things right, like telling us facts regarding the so-called billions in new investments. We also cannot trust them to get small things right, like keeping our islands clean or prepared to confront annual summer storms.
If the Emmy Awards were being given out for best “reality show” the present government would surely be nominated -- and might even win.
However the production costs of this “reality show” are too expensive for the Bahamian people. After five seasons of Fantasy Island, we have to ensure that their contract is not renewed and bring some substance and genuine reality back to the heart of government.
_____________
Other urgent projects are also being ignored. The front street of Cooper’s Town; the north Eleuthera dock; the gateway to Harbour Island - one of our premier tourism destinations, all endure and suffer from disgraceful negligence on the part of the governing party.