By RICARDO WELLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
rwells@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie emphasised on Friday that the responsibility for good governance and quality representation lies at the collective feet of the government and not any one member in isolation.
Speaking directly to the topic of adequate representation in Family Island communities, Mr Christie told a crowd in the Berry Islands that it is critical that the country’s electorate move away from the belief that the quality of their lives hinges on the failures or successes of their respective member of Parliament.
Mr Christie added that as the country progresses more in the coming years, voters must understand and respect the government’s national approach to societal matters.
He added that this style of governance lends itself to achieving the greatest possible good for Bahamians.
“There is always a question of representation,” he said on Friday. “There is always the question by persons who live in a community, ‘Am I being effectively represented?’
“Whether or not the member of Parliament meets the standards of your expectations, your participation, leave here today knowing that you heard from representatives of the government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, you are hearing from the prime minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and I have need to say to you that I am your representative,” he said.
“Because when I make a commitment regardless to the views of the member of Parliament, regardless to the extent to which the member of Parliament carries out his duties; the prime minister has made a commitment, his government has made a commitment, (and) you have evidence of the government being present today saying what would happen. We are now talking about a Bahamas where that must rise itself from out of this, that I live and die by the performance of my member of Parliament - you live or die by the performance of a government.”
“But hear this, a government that is (attempting) and seen to have an integrated and coordinated approach to delivering services nationwide, is a government that you must respect, you must acknowledge and quite frankly, you must support.”
Several Progressive Liberal Party MPs have been criticised for the quality of representation they have offered to their constituents.
In April, dozens of PLP supporters in Exuma used a town meeting to communicate their issues about area representative Anthony Moss.
According to the official minutes of that meeting obtained by The Tribune earlier this year, 56 PLPs expressed the desire to have a new candidate, one person did not vote and another failed to indicate clearly whether they would still support Mr Moss, who has represented the area since 2002.
In July, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Danny Johnson, citing personal reasons, announced he would not seek re-election for the Carmichael constituency and endorsed Senator Keith Bell to represent the area instead.
Some observers have suggested that a disconnect with residents in the area has made his term in office difficult.
However, Dr Johnson has already made his interest to seek a nomination in another constituency known.
Comments
proudloudandfnm 8 years ago
What would Perry know about good governance!?!?!?!
ohdrap4 8 years ago
i was wondering the same thing.
sheeprunner12 8 years ago
How can this man open his mouth after what he has done (or not done) to Centreville for over 40 years????? ............ he has NO moral authority to speak about good governance at the MP, Cabinet or PM level because he has a legacy of failure at all levels ...... his record speaks for itself ........... he is the quintessential ultimate example of public service failure
John 8 years ago
Jim Brown, author of When Nations Die, lists "10 Warning Signs of a Culture in Crisis": (1) Increasing lawlessness (2) Loss of economic discipline (3) Oppressive bureaucracy (4) Decline of educational excellence (5) Weakening of cultural foundations (6) Loss of respect for tradition (7) Gross materialism (8) Gross immorality (9) Decay of religious belief (10) Devaluing of human life (30
ohdrap4 8 years ago
you forgot to list money laundering and racketeering.
bogart 8 years ago
Resting on the feet of collective government means that when a wutless tief robs an elderly female noone should intervene including the MP to say dey is a good boy and let him go, no Banking institution including the national Bank should have their shareholders shares drop from 5.22 to 1.96 and noone is investigated or fired, means that BEC should be made to pay for the countless customers whose allpiances and electronics have been destroyed be surges instead of submitting a claim waiting for results and hearing a cokkamamie excuse that the customer' wiring is wrong and those persons should be promptly fired, all MP's who wanted to have hanging and senior Church members too should be held responsible for their silence after the election, means any banker found to have fiddled with customers loan application in order to 'qualify' them and the loan goes bad when any forensic investigation may or can proves that the loan should not be given in the first place should go to jail and the public should not have to subsidize that loan under the mortgage relief plan, means that all loans in RESOLVE should be investigated and where bank employees have been found to be negligent they should be jailed likewise evvery othey bank employee involved, means that charges of money laundering should be brought in the case of banks as in the case of the COB employee and the banks cited where the accounts were opened, means that etcetcetc.
bogart 8 years ago
i should point out that it is very easy to examine loans, income is taken expenses are deducted, 40-45% of income is taken to service all loan payments and projected expenses to live and maintain house must fit the remaining 55% and have leeway for success. Central Bank govt entity must have dept where officers can report if they arre forced, coerced or any means used to push loans especially where it is alleged that the cutomer is someone special. Govt alsoo needs to look into banks and them dealing with insurance products especially when they involve the well being of the loan customer and indemnity insurances.
John 8 years ago
Abe Lincoln also reminded us: "
(as reserved in Articles 9 and 10 of the Bill of Rights). You have been forewarned. Be prepare
sealice 8 years ago
I wish.... I really almost "can't" wait
licks2 8 years ago
That is original from John Lock. . ."Treaties of Two Governments"! His idea fueled the French and American evolutions. . .the American founding fathers placed a "right" in their constitution where the people will always have the right to have guns available in their homes so that they have arms readily available to overthrow a rogue government! Out British overloads made sure that "having" a gun readily available was never given to Bahamians or any of their other colonies! As a result, they could be the poorest government and exploit the people. . .they did not have enough guns to mount a challenge to governments miss-rule by the British!
Hence, the gun laws in the Bahamas. . .the people have very little means to mount any concerted and structured over throw against a rogue government. . .now shot guns license raised from $50 to $150. . .and the mind set is that if we have more liberal gun laws. . .plenty will be killed with them. . .
asiseeit 8 years ago
If this man had any clue as to what good governance was I doubt the Bahamian people would be as angry as they are! This fraud of a man thinks he can spend, spend, spend, and tax, tax, tax, and that is good governance? Wasting the peoples money, looking out for croneys and party faithful, disregarding the will of the people in a referendum to reward your money men, and not being able to manage a hill of beans is what this man is about. The hatred people have and the anger they feel towards this man shall be displayed come election day!
sheeprunner12 8 years ago
He does this because assholes (like Birdie) fall for his drivel ....... how can an educated or common sense Bahamian vote for a doofus like Perry???????? .......... the only votes he should get is those greedy sell-outs that he hands out Public Treasury money to by contracts, jobs and gifts ........ and it seems that he will not hold back on that in 2017
asiseeit 8 years ago
Not to worry, they are already giving out T-Shirts, you know they making they back room deals, The numbers boys, and that nasty man out west gonna have to pay this time around, people are VEX!
Publius 8 years ago
I did not even bother to read this story. The headline was enough to spark profanities.
sheeprunner12 8 years ago
BOL ........... did you see his reaction to the question of running against Sears????? ........... this guy is really out there in the blue!!!!!!!!
realfreethinker 8 years ago
I didn't read it for the same reason,plus I need to watch my blood pressure. It si never good to hate people but i am at the border with him. There is so much disdain for him and birdie
SP 8 years ago
..................... Nobody With Sense Waste Time With Christie's Fairy Tales .....................
Sign in to comment
OpenID