The Tribune

SUDDENLY, at lunch yesterday, in the middle of a conversation that had nothing to do with politics, one of our friends, his face taut with worry, interrupted.

“You know,” he said, “I am really fearful, I believe that this government is going to be even worse than the Pindling government — certainly worse than the last PLP government.”

We hope the present government comes nowhere near the Pindling government, or there will indeed be much bag packing with tickets for departure. However, we could agree that it is already showing signs of being more dictatorial than the first Christie government, because, this time, although the PLP did not get the popular vote, they did get the majority of House seats. This gives them the power to run the show, regardless of the Opposition.

However, as we move around among what we consider the PLP’s core voters, there is an uncanny silence, almost an ominous silence. We know that during the election the PLP were full of promises — many of which any sensible person would have known would have been impossible to keep. The mutterings that we have heard since the election has turned on the failure to keep some of those promises.

Our luncheon conversation soon turned to Urban Renewal — you remember the PLP’s cure-all for the country’s social ills, particularly crime.

“You know this is one of the biggest scams pulled on this country!” one of our friends blurted out. And how could that be, we wanted to know. He claimed that several persons had told him that little contractors, who need work, apply for a job, choose an area and set to work. At the end of the job they submit a price to government and are paid. We have no idea whether this is true or not, although our friend believes it because of “his sources.” He claims that the prices quoted to clear a piece of land are “ridiculously high” and out of order. Again we find this difficult to believe— especially the prices he quoted. However, this is taxpayers’ money for which government will have to give an accounting.

For us the object of Urban Renewal is clouded in confusion. We no longer know what it is meant to achieve when workers arrive in more affluent areas — like the Eastern Road — and set to work clearing private property. We were told by owners in the Mount Vernon area when they complained that “urban renewal” workers had trespassed on their property, that these workers arrived all of a sudden and started to chop down trees without the owner’s permission. On checking their complaint an official told our reporter that they had had written permission from the owner of every property. Not so, said the angry owners. Not only had they cut the underbrush on the property, but a tractor had felled the ancient trees — leaving patches of desert waste throughout the private subdivision.

On the Eastern Road there is a large Urban Renewal sign on a property, on which there was once an attractive cottage owned by a prominent Bahamian family. The owner has long since died, the property has been sold, and the house has been humbled by vandals. We do not know who owns it today, but we do not think that the Urban Renewal programme – paid for by Bahamian taxpayers – was designed to clear private property.

A few weeks ago a couple of men with machetes in hand arrived early one morning and set to work on a piece of property owned by a member of our family. They worked there daily for several days. Each member asked the other what was happening, no one knew. They had hired no one to work their property. Then a tractor arrived and positioned itself on the property. Obviously the intent was to fell the trees and scarify the land. Told that it was an Urban Renewal project, a member of the family called one of the officials to discuss the matter of private property. The official seemed genuinely alarmed on whose property their men with machetes and tractor had decided to squat. Before sunset they had disappeared.

We suggest that whoever is in charge of this programme, should reassess its worth, and try to find out how and why it has seemingly got out of control. Also the public would like to know how much it is costing the Public Treasury.

We have criticised the Christie cabinet for moving to Abaco, where an election campaign is in progress. Facetiously we asked if the spirit had moved them to have an Out Island trip, why didn’t they choose Freeport, which has equally fine accommodations, but no election to arouse suspicion as to why they had taken the Abaco trip. Obviously, the Prime Minister missed our sarcasm, and has now announced that Freeport also will be graced with his and his Cabinet’s presence.

We are certain that Moody’s and Standard and Poor will be impressed at this country’s reckless spending rather making some show of trying to cut expenses with an eye to reducing our national debt.

We have never forgotten old Grandma Carron’s sage advice: “Be careful in life, remember every mickle makes a muckle.” Translated it means that every penny saved contributes towards making the £1. We recommend this to our Prime Minister as a bit of good advice.