The Tribune

THE “all for me baby” crowd is back in town with their belief in entitlement — remember “God gave this country to the PLP” and “I only lookin’ out for PLPs.” Mixed in with their bag of political tricks is victimisation of those who don’t sit in the same political pew and the belief that jobs have to be found for the boys — whether or not the boys have the ability to do them.

This theme is now gaining traction as the chatter, spreading like a forest fire, continues by critics of the Christie government’s hirings and firings, and appointments to various government boards and committees.

As someone reminded us, the Pindling administration was notorious for putting their friends in positions for which they were not educationally equipped. “It was a scandal then,” he said, “and it’s a scandal now.” That was the era that rewarded the culture of mediocrity. Now — like the Pindling years — there is no opposition strong enough to effectively oppose the trend. During the Pindling era one’s job was at stake if he or she dared grumble against the regime. Surrounded by frightened silence — except from The Tribune— the politicians got away with it. As a young journalist on The Tribune’s staff, John Marquis dismissed the Bahamas of that era as a “frightened society” and returned to England. It was impossible to have healthy intellectual development in such a claustrophobic atmosphere.

Today it might make it more difficult for the “new” PLP to pull it off as successfully as did Sir Lynden. For that Bahamians will always have former prime minister Hubert Ingraham to thank. It was he who opened the airwaves to all — no longer would they be silenced by the government-controlled radio, ZNS, and TV 13. Nor would politicians like Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell have to fly to Miami to broadcast his political message to his supporters in New Providence. Of course, Mr Mitchell does not have to face that difficulty today, because he is now one of the “boys.”

“It was all about them,” recalled a former politician of that era. “It is in their genes, they haven’t changed. It’s still all about what’s in it for them.”

Such an attitude is an insult to the people they now govern. Bahamians have the right to expect that the most capable people — regardless of party politics— will be appointed to head the various organisations that are essential to good government.

In Freeport the accusations of “victimisation” still swirl as Urban Renewal contracts have not been renewed to make room for the new government’s supporters. There would be less reason for argument if the replacement to head the Urban Renewal programme could meet the qualifications of the capable lady who has been pushed out to make room for her.

Ms Tirzah Carey, former Urban Renewal manager, is university educated in social work with 15 years of experience as a welfare officer in the Department of Social Services and Grand Bahamas Probation Department. She was an executive officer in the Ministry of Housing in addition to having business experience in the private sector, and extensive management training. She has now been replaced by a PLP campaign official, a cook by trade, who claims that her only qualification for the job is that she has “lived” the problems that Urban Renewal was set up to address. Unless Ms Michelle Reckley is a miracle worker, it is going to be a case of the blind leading the blind. In our opinion her appointment is unfair to the less fortunate of Grand Bahama.

We always remember the advice that the late Sir Etienne Dupuch would give to those who wanted to help the less fortunate. You are of no help, he used to say, if the best you can do is get down into the hovel with them. You have to so equip yourself on the outside that you can lean down and give them a helping hand out.

Already it is claimed that Ms Reckley’s first handling of a touchy situation shows that she is not experienced for such situations. Ms Reckley claims that the outgoing Urban Renewal staff — when she arrive earlier than expected to check their handing over inventories — were rude to her. They claim that she accused them of stealing and called in the police to back up her claim.

It was all an unnecessary tempest in a teapot that was badly mishandled by a person whose only qualifications is that she lived “urban.”

Apparently when Ms Reckley saw that an industrial sewing machine was missing, she demanded to know where it was. When she did not get an immediate answer, it is said she sent for two police officers.

In a report from Freeport and published on today’s front page, the outgoing Urban Renewal manager tells how, in a “thank you” for the generosity of the priest of St Stephen’s Church to the Urban Renewal programme, the industrial sewing machine — which her programme did not know how to use – was donated to the church for its work. Ms Tirzah Carey said that the machine was not stolen, but, because it was of no use to the Urban Renewal centre, it was given to the church. Ms Carey said Ms Reckley contacted the priest and insisted that he return the machine or she would have the manager of the Urban Renewal centre arrested and prosecuted.

If this is the training that Ms Reckley learned in living “urban”, then the future for Urban Renewal in Grand Bahama does not look promising.

Prime Minister Christie has remained unusually quiet recently, but silence is not going to remove the fact that the buck stops at his desk and when there is failure, it is he who is going to have to take the blame.