The Tribune

DESPITE his absence from the front-line for many years, there is no one who can quite stir up the political scene quite like former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. Like him or not, he gets people talking.

In yesterday’s Tribune, we reported on his comments in which he described the Davis administration as being reluctant to make decisions on controversial issues since being elected.

He said: “They’ve not done anything major since they came in except they reduced VAT from 12 to ten percent and put it on breadbasket items… what I do know is they have been very reluctant to make decisions about anything that’s possibly controversial. As you know they can only push that back so far.”

Mr Ingraham pointed towards issues at the National Insurance Board as one example – where the Minister of State with responsibility for NIB, Myles Laroda, has been warning that something must be done, such as increasing rates, with the fund due to run out in six years.

And yet, despite Mr Laroda’s warning, no action has been taken.

It is not the only area where there has been a lack of action.

Also in yesterday’s Tribune, the issue of marital rape was discussed, including in the Insight section, where Malcolm Strachan noted the way marital rape legislation was being talked about “is exactly the way an issue gets discussed that a politician has no intention to do anything about”. In the same edition yesterday, activists at Equality Bahamas noted that their requests for copies of the draft legislation on marital rape and for a meeting with the Minister of Social Services had fallen on deaf ears – even as the government talked about meeting religious leaders to discuss the bill.

A controversial issue? Absolutely. And no sign of any substantive engagement or any strong push to get legislation through.

How about marijuana legislation? We have been told the government is “hopeful” that legislation in that area will be presented to Parliament before the end of the year. At last report earlier this month, the legislation is at the Attorney General’s office for “fine tuning”. This is another controversial area – so progress in this area might test Mr Ingraham’s criticism of the PLP, even if such legislation has been a long time coming and the government is still not showing its hand with regard to what we can expect exactly.

Another controversial area is that of citizenship issues – which earlier this month Prime Minister Davis said remained on his administration’s legislative agenda. In June, Attorney General Ryan Pinder had suggested legislation on that by the end of the summer. That seems to have drifted now – but is not entirely off the radar.

As you would expect, PLP chairman Fred Mitchell was quick to answer Mr Ingraham back – taking shots at the suggestion that the PLP had just been carrying out public relations. He pounced on that to say that the PLP has done more than public relations.

He pointed at VAT reduction, at settling outstanding labour contracts – which it’s true is no small task. He talked of fixing the economy of Grand Bahama, though that is a long way from being fixed yet. He talked of finishing three major international airports in the country – and we’ll judge those when they are finished.

But Mr Mitchell steered clear of some of those more controversial talking points. Finance and economy are one thing, and a major task for government it is true, but issues such as fixing NIB, dealing with women’s rights, legalising or decriminalising marijuana, and the citizenship issue that failed at referendum, are thornier matters.

The proof will be in the final outcome – but for the moment, the PLP does look to be keeping its hands off on some of those more controversial issues, just as Mr Ingraham says.

Of course, it is simple enough for the PLP administration to prove him wrong – and the legislation they leave at the end of this term in office will be the evidence to show how right Mr Ingraham will have been.