The Tribune

IN these columns earlier this week, we condemned the refusal of leading figures in the Progressive Liberal Party, in particular the former Member of Parliament for Fox Hill, to accept the reality of a failing economy as a result of mismanagement and alleged malfeasance during the past five years of the Christie government. We also drew attention to the requirement for stern action to restore the nation’s economic fortunes.

Today, we reflect further on this and on Mr Mitchell’s distorted view about the conduct of foreign affairs. We also look at the pressing need, following its crushing defeat in May’s election, for the PLP to re-establish itself in opposition with fresh leadership and policies in order to be able to keep the new Free National Movement government under constant parliamentary scrutiny.

Despite the refusal by Messrs Davis, Roberts and Mitchell to recognise the serious fiscal position left by the outgoing PLP government - leading to an unprecedented level of debt and downgrading by the ratings agencies - the party’s interim leader has finally conceded that major mistakes were made resulting in a loss of public trust. He has at the same time admitted that the election result was a clear message to the PLP that it now needed to change, though his attempt to justify his and his colleagues’ actions while in government on the grounds that they always put the people’s interests first will be seen as lame and unconvincing.

It is therefore welcome news that Mr Davis and other PLP leaders have already started a period of reflection and listening to the people. A strong opposition is vital for our nation’s democracy as a constraint on potential excesses and abuse of power by the sitting government.

The original ideals and mission of the PLP were laudable, but the party has sadly lost its way as a result of recent weak leadership together with greed, dishonesty, alleged corrupt practices and poor governance overall. In order to regroup and reinvent itself as a force to be reckoned with, the party must accept the reality of what has happened on its watch and why the voters turned against it. It must also rid itself of the failed old guard and listen to newcomers like Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper who seems to talk much sense and could lead the way with innovative thinking untainted by previous flawed attitudes and actions.

The FNM government has reacted sensibly and responsibly to the seriousness of the nation’s economic situation by cutting public expenditure in an attempt to balance the budget and start reducing debt together with the cost of debt servicing. Reliant as we are on the tourism and financial services sectors, this country depends on the sale of services to create foreign currency earnings that provide the means to import the goods and services not produced in the Bahamas which are essential to our way of life. We hope that, in addition to imposing fiscal discipline, the government will look for ways of diversifying the economy. But at present it is vital to ensure that our country remains a user-friendly place to both tourists and businessmen, and our top priority must be to make it attractive for inward direct foreign investment.

In addition to Mr Mitchell’s ill-judged views on the economy, his criticism of the FNM’s decision to make savings by reducing the number of Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff overseas is equally misguided. His reportedly grandiose ideas about “enlarging the footprint of the Bahamas throughout the world” seems to be based on personal aggrandisement and on a need to justify his cavorting around the globe at public expense on spurious missions of little, if any, benefit to the Bahamas. Moreover, his attack on the Baha Mar project’s founder and original investor, threatening him with deportation, sent exactly the wrong message to foreign investors.

With cleverer and wiser people now at the helm, we hope there will be a review of the nation’s foreign policy in our current straitened economic circumstances. Instead of trying to grandstand on a world stage, there should be greater emphasis on events nearer to home.

First, we need above all to maintain a harmonious and productive relationship with the USA as our giant neighbour and remain a reliable partner on issues like drug interdiction, counterterrorism and human trafficking. We should also seek to persuade the US to play a full role in dealing with climate change, the effects of which could be devastating for us as a small island state, and we should be active in the United Nations committees in New York. While our bilateral relations should be mutually beneficial, as a small nation we also look to the US for protection, to the extent possible, of our own interests. It is noteworthy that, with an ambassador-designate now going through the confirmation process in Washington, the Bahamas is under the spotlight with US Senators expressing concern about China’s growing involvement in our economy.

Secondly, we should seek to play as full a role as possible in CARICOM consistent with our size, wealth and influence as a leading country in the region; and, thirdly, it is in our interests to address anew the issue of illegal Haitian immigration, not least because one aspect of statecraft is to identify incipient threats and take action to prevent them from developing into major ones.

It is worth reiterating that this newspaper does not favour one political party over another. Our aim, on behalf of the people, is to help to ensure good and effective governance in accordance with the established democratic principles and practices of our nation. In order to try to fulfil this aspiration, we shall continue to hold the political class to account – and we trust that the PLP will successfully regroup as a party in order to provide a viable parliamentary opposition.