The Tribune

“IT JUST ain’t fair!” grumbled one woman, tossing her head in the air and shaking a threatening finger. “Isn’t it so!” remarked the other, seemingly in total agreement, but also agitated about something.

“What ain’t fair?” we enquired. Rather than minding our business and moving on, having asked the question, we had to pause for the answer. And what an earful that was.

Turns out the maid who was in a frenzy of disgust over what she considered unfair criticism, had not been to the airport in years — in fact she had not been on the western road since the completion of the extensive road works. She had read about the airport improvements, and the road improvements, but after seeing the results for herself she was angry. She felt she had been duped by all the political hot air about how Hubert Ingraham had wasted taxpayers’ money on all these new roads and general upgrading of the island’s infrastructure “out west”. She considered the criticism unfair.

Persons reading this column will probably dismiss her as an Ingraham fan. In fact, we don’t believe she is a fan of any politician. She certainly belongs to no political party, and as far as we know she does not vote. So when she speaks it is usually an opinion untainted by party bias.

She certainly was hot over this one.

The new roads, the airport, the “pretty roundabout” just left her breathless. “I really could not believe I was in the Bahamas!” she exclaimed.

“And to think all of the fighting and criticism Mr Ingraham had to take to build this for us — it just ain’t fair!”

Of course, she is not the first person we have heard express this. However, she is the first Bahamian in this social group that we have heard so pleased by the results, and so angered by the unfair criticism.

Foreigners, and Bahamian business people have often said what a high-class, impressive entrance we have to the country. Residents who live in the west praise the easy flow of traffic and are pleased with how it has reduced the time it takes them to get to their offices in the mornings and back to their homes in the evenings.

“At least we have proof of how our money was spent — that’s more than we can say for that other lot!” the two women concluded.

The two maids then turned to the proposed borrowing of another $3 million to “dig up our roads”.

What they were referring to was Works Minister “Brave” Davis’ announcement in the House last Wednesday that government had been advised by a team of consultants that several push-fit elbows that are connected to pre-existing water mains have failed resulting in underground water leaks.

Mr Davis said taxpayers would have to spend at least another $3.3 to $3.8 million not only for officials to run a series of corrective measures on the roads that have already cost about $206 million, but to reinstate several miles of roads at main carriageways after the elbows have been replaced.

These two ladies are so turned off by their politicians that they are sceptical. They went so far as to suggest that the borrowing of this extra $3 million was probably just a ploy to get money out of the Treasury to create the 10,000 jobs the PLP promised if they won the election. If it wasn’t for that then… we shall let our readers speculate the rest. All we can say is they went down a very thorny path of speculation, punctuated by uproarious laughter.

However, the gist of this conversation suggested a complete lack of trust in the integrity of this government.

Taking the “beautiful roads” as an example, they feel that they have been lied to about Mr Ingraham wasting the public’s money. At least these two are pleased with the results and don’t want to see their roads messed up by any push-fit elbows.

When world economies crashed in 2008, taking the Bahamas down the sink-hole with them, the PLP were loudly critical of then prime minister Ingraham’s decision to borrow money to repair the country’s infrastructure and keep as many Bahamians employed as possible.

In his 2011 Christmas message, he again explained the reasoning behind the borrowing to keep the economy from complete collapse.

“My Government,” he told his radio audience, “has taken care to manage our economy prudently and sensibly so as to ensure that we are well-positioned to benefit from the global recovery as it occurs. This prudence has enabled us to preserve jobs in the public service and to avoid salary cuts or lay-offs within the public sector as experienced in many developed and developing countries.

“We are pleased also that our extensive programme of public infrastructure renewal and upgrade, particularly in New Providence but also in our Family Islands, is progressing well. The New Providence Road and Utility Project will be completed in July next year. In the meantime, all roads under construction in New Providence are open and drivable this Christmas seasons.

“The construction of the new Cargo Port at Arawak Cay and its related In-Land Storage Depot are also progressing well, permitting the revitalisation of the Historic City of Nassau to take shape. And, the Phase II redevelopment of the LPIA is moving ahead well.

“Similar progress is being achieved with road and water works in our Family Islands. In Abaco and Grand Bahama construction of new public sector office complexes are completed and construction of the new Marsh Harbour International Airport terminal is progressing well.”

The infrastructure was upgraded and in place against the day when the economy would start the slow road to recovery. That was the plan.

How quickly this plan will move ahead with all the missteps taken so far by the Christie government to make business persons, both local and foreign, stop and consider whether this is the right time to further invest in the country, remains to be seen.

Many business persons believe today that instead of moving forward, the country is slipping backward. We hope that Bahamians will soon see the light and speak up to save their future.