The Tribune

By TANEKA THOMPSON

Tribune News Editor

tmthompson@tribunemedia.net

NEARLY three years into the Christie administration’s second term in office, many voters and, by Prime Minister Perry Christie’s own recent admission, PLP supporters are growing restless with the lack of fulfilment of the promises that were used to sway them at the ballot box in 2012.

As the government grapples with an ever-worsening crime problem, high unemployment and start-up issues with many of its grandiose plans, some in the electorate are feeling buyer’s remorse.

Last week, the prime minister appeared to acknowledge the glut of broken promises, but told reporters his administration’s mandate “is all a work in progress.”

He said some supporters of his party are also upset because he has not “fixed them up” since coming into office.

There are countless others, he said, who routinely besiege him with requests for a job.

His comments came on the heels of recent jobs figures released by the Department of Statistics, figures that should be cause for great concern to the Christie administration.

The numbers are hard proof that there are more Bahamians out of work, Bahamians who have families to support, children to feed and need more than rhetoric from politicians to pay their bills.

The data shows that unemployment grew by 1.4 per cent, from 14.3 per cent in May 2014 to 15.7 per cent in November 2014. Perhaps what should be most troubling is the large number of jobless youths in our country.

The survey results show that young people, ages 15 to 24, continue to face a considerably higher rate of unemployment than any other group.

That sector’s unemployment rate was 31 per cent, an increase of three per cent from the previous survey, when it was 28 per cent.

The spike in unemployment, as reported by the Labour Force Study, has brought one of the PLP’s nettlesome election campaign promises back to the fore.

While stomping on the 2012 campaign trail, big job creation numbers – including 10,000 “immediate” jobs – were promised by the PLP.

Specifically it was Cat Island MP Philip “Brave” Davis who made the lofty 10,000 jobs promise, but the party in general touted that it had solutions and mechanisms ready to put in place on day one to get more Bahamians working.

“Vote PLP. Vote for a PLP government that is ready to create 10,000 immediate new jobs for young Bahamians,” Mr Davis, now deputy prime minister, told a crowd gathered at a PLP rally in Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera in April 2012.

The latest jobs figures were released on January 9. Days later, when confronted about the unemployment spike by reporters, Mr Davis appeared reluctant to accept reality.

“I doubt it, in my own mind I doubt that. I will just have to look at the numbers,” Mr Davis told a Nassau Guardian reporter when asked about the higher unemployment rate.

Smartly, Mr Christie and Minister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson have taken a more rational approach to the dismal figures.

Last Wednesday, Mr Christie told reporters that he has accepted the unemployment numbers and instead of questioning their accuracy, would use them to spur his government to generate more employment opportunities.

“I have to accept what they (Department of Statistics) say, not because I don’t want to question it, but because I want to use it to drive the investment programme I am responsible for, because I know that beginning virtually now, there’s going to be significant employment taking place,” Mr Christie said.

“The Statistics Department, they set out figures, I assume that the figures include 5,000 plus children who came out of school – and they come out every year – in July and I assume that 5,000 added to the unemployment.”

Mr Gibson has said the figures are not surprising but hopes that tourism projects slated to come on stream this year, namely the opening of the Baha Mar resort in March will curb unemployment.

This year, the government will be confronted with a laundry list of missed targets or delayed initiatives. Among them are the delayed constitutional referendum on gender equality, legislation for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a sex offender’s registry and a revamped Mortgage Relief Programme to help homeowner’s facing foreclosure.

The public is already restless and will not give this administration much more time to deliver.

• What do you think? Email comments to tmthompson@tribunemedia.net