The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Re: Jeanne Thompson letter, February 28.

Usually, from the general impressions garnered from these articles entered daily in newspapers, it appears that many of them lack the want-to-help-scenarios…not my articles is fair to say. If we were complaining about someone else, but this is the Rt Hon Prime Minister Minnis. A humble man, whose office door swings open to anyone wanting to meet with him, or give advice and so I am concerned, anytime someone who occupies a prominent position in the country, and knowing diplomacy, ought never as a first resort/expedient to run to the media, when he would have gladly given them a meeting with him to discuss whatever and this type of discipline, is in high demand right now.

I read with interest the article entitled “Offer hope, not blame” by the learned retired Judge Jeanne Thompson, dated Friday, February 28, 2020.

The problem I have is that she has taken the Rt Hon Prime Minister to task for a press statement: ‘We will take our Country back.” I have been following the contributions made by our elected Prime Minister since he won the last General Election in May 2017. And suffice to say, he has made adjustments to all of the Government departments, ministries and offices, is the first point.

Secondly, and he is a man that believes that he cannot and will not make comments on a subject, prior to being debriefed, no matter who the reporter may be asking the questions on a matter/or matters occurring within the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is the second point.

Thirdly, this is a Prime Minister who believes in hitting the ground running, a man that has met with all of the sections involved in the administration of his tenure as Prime Minister and Chief Executive Officer of the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Fourthly, he has collaborated, consulted, embraced, and instructed the leaderships, management, lower-level staffs, from all of the Bahamian people’s entities and about what were expected of them, on the way forward, etcetera, is what a good leader does.

Fifthly, let us not forget that this Prime Minister was ushered into office in one of the largest landslide-seat differentials in a general election victory in the history of our Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the margins were unbelievable. And they are only two years in their governance… now tell me, what could have been happening in the country that was so dire that the country sought a catastrophic result, like what we got of the 39 seats, the now opposition, or defunct Progressive Liberal Party walked away with only four seats?

Surely, if we were to ask the defeated Progressive Liberal Party about what they perceived in part caused their defeat at the poles – which perhaps is a good question, what will the answer be?

From what I acquired via the Political Channel, the newspapers, Talk Radio, words on the streets, our country prior to Hurricane Dorian, had had Hurricanes Andrew, David, Jean, Matthew, Hurricane Joachim, Irene, Sandy and others, they left destruction in many islands of this Commonwealth and the government would attest that there was no real programme equipped with sufficient funds to restore the damage. The economy was in a tailspin from then, not to forget the recession of 2008.

We were also having difficulties with the number of illegal immigrants in the land and the Public Treasury of The Bahamas took quite a hit, funding the repatriations of these illegal Caribbean nationals, back to their homeland. One reminder, the government continues to underwrite and bankroll the expenditure of the government with borrowed moneys. And a good chunk of the revenues derived from the tourism industry are being shipped out of The Bahamas.

There is no doubt that the economy has taken a hit and, therefore, it reflects in the numbers of unemployed Bahamians in the land, but on the other hand, the foreign work permits component, accounts for over 100 thousand working individuals (foreigners), and while fees were being paid, the differentials of funds going out was tremendously more, than intake-to-the-public treasury… when in essence, we have over forty thousand Bahamians not working. So the question is knowing human nature, a person not working and with no perceived way to eat and pay their household bills, normally will steal if they have to, commit crimes of all types and do any manner of wickedness to survive. These things are not good for modern societies, there is a breakdown in the family structure, very many things are to be blamed, but it is unfair to say that the Prime Minister is responsible for all the items of decay evident in the land, is wrong and unfair.

The Bible leads us to conclude that lack of sins can cause all manner of ills, of the likes that we are seeing in our country today.

Finally, prior to Hurricane Dorian, the Prime Minister had numerous visits and conversations with those Haitian Pastors about convincing those Haitian illegal immigrants on Abaco, Grand Bahama, to show proof why they should be allowed to stay?

They were given several grace periods, but never left the country and then, Hurricane Dorian came and we know the result.

It is unfair to expect the government to know who were among the dead from Abaco in those trailers post Dorian. We suspect that very many of those bodies are of Haitian descent/citizens of the Republic of Haiti, representing the illegal immigrants. As for the pity and help that the learned Judge said was lacking from the Prime Minister, well, he has shown more compassion for the Haitian people than the Government of Port au Prince, Haiti. My Honourable Prime Minister, after the Weather Channel showed a direct path of the storm Dorian going directly over Abaco and Grand Bahama, Prime Minister Minnis, got on the radio and television and told those illegal immigrants living in those two areas identified, “to please leave and save yourselves, not to worry about the immigration situation…please leave and don’t let this be the last time you hear my voice”.If that is not offering hope and showing compassion, I do not know what is.

Finally, God gave every nation its country, its boundaries and all that it needed to live, but many countries’ citizens have squandered their talents and now they went seeking countries that appear to have much, and what do you suppose will happen to those countries that these people are seeking to enter illegally and to plunder? If the laws are not enforced, these illegal immigrants will most definitely over-run and destroyed the countries, like they have done their own…is this the kind of compassion you want, Judge? What then will the next generation of Bahamians have? Already we have thousands of Haitians in our country, available in our school systems and wherever employment can be had, competing with ordinary Bahamians, is it fair? We do not think so. What then ought Prime Minister Minnis do? He was not elected by the Republic of Haiti, but the electorates of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Editor, I rest, this is a no brainer. Thank you for the space and opportunity to air these several points.

FRANK GILBERT

Nassau,

February 29, 2020.