The Tribune

TOMORROW The Bahamas will mark the first anniversary of an election like no other – the former governing party tossed out like two-day-old stew fish and the FNM swept in with an unprecedented vote of confidence, winning 35 of 39 seats.

Disgust with corruption, overspending, extravagant travel expenditure, out of control crime, high unemployment and behind closed doors sweetheart deals that left the country bereft of morals and money and drove the Progressive Liberal Party out of power, some predicting it would never recover.

On the eve of the 2017 national election the nation’s hopes were high, perhaps even unrealistically so, believing a change of faces imposed in the same framework of highly centralized power would make an instantaneous and dramatic difference.

As is often the case with great expectations, measuring up is difficult and the greater the expectations, the harder the measuring up becomes. That is especially the case if expectations exceed what is realistically possible. We see the syndrome played out in politics just as it is on the big screen. The star-studded heavily hyped Hollywood movie release often leaves the viewer with high expectations disappointed, whereas the quiet well-scripted and cast sleeper takes viewers by surprise and leaves them with a sense of satisfaction.

When high expectations go unmet, disappointment runs deep. Perhaps the hope and hype account for some of what we are experiencing with our disappointment in the performance of the government and, in particular, with the style of leadership or lack thereof of the Prime Minister, Dr. Hubert Minnis.

We do not dislike the Prime Minister. We just expected more when it comes to leadership and we want to address those concerns in a way we believe will be helpful. The honeymoon may be over, as the recent poll by Public Domain suggests, but there is still time to rekindle the flames if the Prime Minister and his closest advisors open their eyes and ears and listen to what the public is saying. If they continue to closet themselves in a tight circle and pretend nothing is wrong, we fear the lack of confidence in leadership at the top will have an incalculable impact on those in Cabinet and on the very ability of the FNM to move its agenda forward in a steadfast and productive way.

There are three key areas of concern, each of which can and must be addressed.

First, the immediate wave of anti-corruption activities, including charges against prominent people who were allegedly benefitting from deals that cost the government hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars, must be pursued. The public felt duped, made fools of and voted overwhelmingly in favour of a change of government because it wanted justice as well as change.

The old boys’ network cannot continue to protect parliamentary pals in a post-Christie era. Along with punishing the sins of the immediate past, the government must be seen to be moving forward with freedom of information and anti-corruption legislation. We are pleased a consultant from Jamaica will be here to conduct FOIA workshops this week but we wonder why civil society is invited only to the final day and not for the first two days? Is it paying lip service to promises or were the promises of public engagement for real? Leadership, Mr Minnis, is needed now. You can make the call.

Secondly, the people of The Bahamas want to see a government that strives for a balanced budget and operates more efficiently, effectively and less costly. The Bahamian people are sick and tired of being treated as if they don’t matter and their time is unimportant when dealing with government departments. From unseemly delays for application handling at Immigration to a lack of a timely postal service, from the outrageously antiquated systems of the passport office to the hoops you have to dance through to get the most mundane chore done, The Bahamas sells itself as first class but continues to show its own citizens third world service.

The government is the largest employer in the country and the only major employer that provides no serious skills and customer service training. We should not be surprised if the result is a surly civil service more dedicated to a pay cheque and pension than performance.

Thirdly, the prime minister must stop ignoring the public. Letters go unanswered with individuals, associations and businesses all complaining to this newspaper, trying to understand why the Office of the Prime Minister is so inaccessible. Hardly a day goes by that we do not receive a complaint from someone who asks if we can get through to anyone close to the PM because they cannot. They tell us they do not even receive the courtesy of a receipt acknowledging their calls, hand-delivered letters or e-mails.

We have heard numerous reports about behaviour that borders on rudeness when the PM is at a public function and ignores people lined up to speak with him. He finishes a speech and flanked by colleagues or security makes a beeline for the door, avoiding human contact with the very public that put him into office.

There have been several improvements since the FNM came into power. Violent crime appears to be down, morale within the RBPF and RBDF appears to be up. There is movement on some significant pieces of legislation. The Minister of Health has done a yeoman’s job tackling the nation’s problem of obesity and poor health and unlike the prime minister, he has gone on radio and made appearances explaining what he is doing and why.

To the best of our knowledge, the prime minister has not made a single radio talk show appearance though it is one of the most popular mediums of communication in this culture.

If the prime minister is fearful of people, which he seems to be, he can communicate electronically but his office must understand when phone calls and letters go unanswered the answers will come in the next election. 10 Downing Street and the White House acknowledge correspondence. Surely a country of this size can.

When the prime minister does not even answer the concerns of the Bahamas National Trust - which his government funds - this non-answer sends a clear message of its own. “We are just like them (PLP). You can worry about impact of a crude oil refinery all you want but we are going ahead with what we want to do. Your opinion doesn’t matter.”

The Bahamas must address very critical issues including energy and food security, climate change and education. But this is a country that depends on strong leadership. And right now, this is a country that is not experiencing it.

We want to have our faith restored in the man who despite leadership capability concerns of those in his own party prior to the election, we believe will still be able to take the high moral ground and unite a divisive population.

Three simple steps, Mr. Prime Minister. Three simple steps. Ethics. Operations. Accessibility. There is still time to rekindle the flame though the window of the honeymoon is surely closing.