The Tribune

By Malcolm Strachan

THERE is seemingly no end to the embarrassing statements that leave the prime minister’s mouth. Although during his tenure as Opposition leader there was no shortage of strange utterances from Dr Minnis, in his capacity as prime minister he has seemed to up the ante on the big stage now that he has a megaphone that reaches out to the rest of the world.

Quite a scary place we find ourselves.

During his travels to the Summit of the Americas meeting in Lima, Peru, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London, England, a few weeks ago, the prime minister took it upon himself to quantify the level of corruption in the country – stating it was costing us up to $200m a year in GDP losses. Many here at home were confused and embarrassed by what the prime minister - whose job is to be our primary cheerleader and make The Bahamas look attractive to the rest of the world - would take the opportunity to do just the opposite.

Charging that his government would put an end to corruption in the country, the prime minister said: “Corruption itself accounts for about five to ten percent of loss of GDP revenue… You’re talking about over $200m possibly lost in the Bahamian populace as a result of corruption. It is a form of taxation on the poor to benefit a few. So it is an illegal taxation on the poor to benefit the few and it is something that has to be stopped.”

As if that was not confusing enough, upon his return to The Bahamas, the prime minister held a press conference at Lynden Pindling International and was asked about the corruption figures he publicised in Peru. There was no retraction on his part. Rather, he upped the alleged figure stating that by his calculations, taking five percent of the country’s $10 billion GDP, the country actually loses $500m.

Thank God we are a Christian nation (as he said) and that the prime minister elected not to be the Minister of Finance.

Perhaps the prime minister confused corruption with another c-word – crime.

A recent IMF study revealed that crime costs The Bahamas roughly five percent a year. Somehow, we feel there is a very strong chance the prime minister stuck his foot in his mouth again when a microphone was pushed in his face, and now he refuses to walk back on his statements.

Despite The Bahamas being recognised as one of the least corrupt jurisdictions in the region by multiple credible sources, the prime minister figured the experts had it wrong. Those here on the ground at home with more knowledge on the subject took no time in debunking the prime minister’s alarming statements. While we know we have our fair share of corruption, the issue that many had was the time and place he chose to have a come-to-Jesus epiphany could not be more inappropriate. Additionally, the numbers the prime minister gave were incredibly questionable.

Interestingly, one of the most lethal blows to the prime minister’s argument on the nation’s corruption came from a former Cabinet colleague. Former Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing said on his Guardian radio show that corruption, in fact, does not cause a country to lose money. Rather, it recirculates the money into the country. Though the methods by which it is done are through corrupt practices, the movement of the money does not negatively affect the country’s GDP, as the prime minister would have inaccurately indicated.

Furthermore, the Department of Statistics has also come out and said there is no way to measure losses caused by corruption. Now, if a department under the government is unable to corroborate what the prime minister is asserting, we are only left to wonder - where was he getting these numbers from?

The current government rode the wave of accusing the former government of corruption all the way into high office. No doubt, the previous government had its fair share of bad apples, but the prime minister has a long way to go before all of his talking matches up with his actions in his government’s fight against corruption.

At this time, there have been no major convictions, snail’s paced movement on enacting Freedom of Information Act legislation, Integrity Commissions bill and the Proceeds of Crime bill – granted the latter are recent drafts. Moreover, even with the government giving itself “greater teeth” to battle corruption, enforcement is even more important as the public perception of corruption in the country highlights the police force as the most corrupt organisation in the land.

Maybe equally as important is having a prime minister who understands what he’s fighting for in theory and in practice if he wants to be seen as a man who knows what he’s talking about. Making inaccurate public assertions is perhaps one of the greatest ways to lose credibility, particularly if this is what he wants to be remembered for – a hard-nosed prime minister who rid The Bahamas of corruption – all $500m worth of it.

Sadly, it has become so commonplace for the prime minister to blurt out absolute buffoonery. Worse, the way he is continuously given a pass by some in the populace to continue to utter nonsense is much scarier.

The standard has been set at an all-time low for what Bahamians expect out of leadership. If former prime minister Perry Christie did a lot to harm how Bahamians view the seat of prime minister in the country, what Minnis is doing is overkill.

Disappointment looms far and wide as he continues not to live up to what many had hoped – a saving grace for a country in desperate need of new, fresh leadership.

Constantly his own worst enemy, the prime minister entrapped himself in more triviality when soundbites from his live feed at the Freedom of Information workshop went viral this past week. While he is consistently seeming uncomfortable and trying hard to fit into a suit that simply is not worn by him well, the prime minister made a joke with the Defence Force Commodore Tellis Bethel that, if said in private, would have been viewed as cultural banter.

However, because the prime minister constantly struggles with what to say and when to say it, something that some view as minor, is indicative of something far greater – his inability to understand what is expected of him as a leader.

His job should already be challenging enough without his constant unnecessary media blunders. While many in the electorate look on with shaking heads saying, “I told you so”, there are those of us who hoped that with the right public relations and coaching, he would be made into a prime minister.

While there is still time for that to happen, the process of watching him transition from the proverbial caterpillar to a butterfly can be excruciating to watch at times.