The Tribune

AT a PLP rally on Thursday night, Prime Minister Perry Christie threw the Royal Bahamas Police Force a half-chewed bone — at last they will receive their court-ordered overtime pay. But how much will be paid is still a mystery.

It took four years coming, but at last it was announced five days before a disgruntled police force goes to the polls to cast their ballots for the government of their choice. The police always vote early so that they are free for duty on election day – May 10.

For four years, Police Staff Association Chairman Inspector Dwight Smith has been fighting for his members to be paid for the overtime they put in in 2013 and 2014. Until Mr Christie’s impromptu announcement on Thursday night, they were not certain if they would ever be paid, despite the fact that, exactly a year ago, the Court of Appeal upheld Supreme Court Justice Milton Evans’ ruling that all ranks had to be paid overtime if they worked more than 40 hours in a normal work week.

At least the police are relieved to know that they will be paid overtime, but they do not know how much. That question is unlikely to be known before they go to the polls on Wednesday. Their first pay of what is owed will be issued on May 29 – 19 days after the May 10 election.

Insp Smith told The Tribune that the next step would be to arrange a meeting with National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage to discuss the particulars of the overtime payment, such as how much should be paid to each officer for the hours worked, irrespective of rank, to ensure that the government doesn’t “just throw something to us”.

Prime Minister Christie’s announcement on Thursday night was as much of a surprise to Insp Smith as it was to the men of the force.

“And so that’s the question that for me, as the association chairman that I am being asked from all of the police officers, from all various ranks,” said Insp Smith. “And I cannot answer it because I did not actually sit with the government as yet to see what is it that they’re actually offering.”

Really Mr Christie’s announcement was poorly timed coming so near to election day. Most Bahamians, including the police force, will interpret his offer as an inducement.

However, inducement or not, regardless of which way they vote, the police will be compensated for the hours they have worked. The FNM has also guaranteed that if they become the government, the new prime minister will see them paid.

We, therefore, hope that the members of the force will have sufficient self respect to vote their conscience and not be swayed by the toss of this bone that is minus some of its flesh.

Can such promises be kept?

We caution DNA leader Branville McCartney to be less effusive in his promises to Grand Bahamians, especially promises that — like the PLP and its promises of a crime-free Bahamas — he is most unlikely to be able to keep.

Mr McCartney promised at a rally in Grand Bahama on Thursday that if his party won, he would “restore the magic that was once Freeport”. He would also introduce new industry and make an effort to restore the island’s tourism.

On July 26, 1969, Sir Lynden Pindling attending the opening of the new Bahamas Oil Refinery Company (BORCO) made his infamous “bend or break” speech - Bahamians, he said, are “the victims of an unbending social order which, if it now refuses to bend must now be broken.” According to the leaders in Freeport that was the moment that the “magic” went out of the “magic city” – Freeport.

Anyway, whoever attempts to revive a dying Freeport today should read with a great deal of thought the article published in the Insight section of today’s Tribune —page 13 — and learn of the major obstacles facing Freeport today.

The article is written by Mr Carey Leonard, a commercial lawyer and an associate in the law firm of Callenders & Co, Freeport.

It will be an uphill battle to solve today’s problems in Freeport, and so Mr McCartney would be well advise not to make the mistake of the PLP government in 2012 when they made promises that they should have known they could not keep. At the time they were either completely out of touch, or just tossing the dice to win an election.

Hired by government - no worries

At a mini-rally in Marathon last month to mark the birthday of Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald, those attending seemed more concerned about whether the temporary jobs they now hold would continue after the election. Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell stepped up to the plate to assure his listeners that there was a clear difference between the Ingraham government’s 52-week programme and the PLP’s “empowerment programme”. We do not know what that difference is, but The Tribune participated in the 52-week programme accepting the young woman who was sent to us. Today she is one of our top reporters.

However, we do not know what Mr Mitchell’s programme involves, but we question whether — as Mr Mitchell claims – his government’s present employees have nothing to worry about.

“You’ve been hired by the government and the only way that will change is if you elect the FNM to be the government. What you need to do on Election Day is make sure the PLP is the government and then you don’t have to worry about losing no job,” said Mr Mitchell.

Does that apply to the workers cleaning up the roadsides, and painting various buildings — always a sign that an election is near? And does it apply to all those inexperienced Bahamians now in the various government departments, who appear to members of the public to be unnecessary employees? In fact in one department where it seemed that these untrained persons were getting in the way of efficient service, one of the older staff members remarked: “Don’t worry, they’ll soon by out of here!”

“If you vote PLP you don’t have to worry about whether you’re going to lose your job after election, so don’t come asking us what’s going to happen after Election Day. You have that power in your hands, vote PLP, you don’t have to worry,” said Mr Mitchell.

In our opinion, judging from what we have seen and heard these Bahamians have much to worry about. We think that this is another promise that Mr Mitchell and his PLP will not be able to keep — especially when taxpayers learn that they are footing the bill.