The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has another chance to act in the best interest of the Bahamian people when Parliament returns on October 4. They have not done enough to improve Bahamian lives since being elected to office two years ago.

The PLP came to office at a time when our economy was turning around after the worst of the pandemic. The end of the pandemic helped that recovery to continue.

The PLP’s focus has been on ensuring PLPs are taken care of. Massive consultancy budgets have been allocated to them. Contracts are going to PLPs. Consultancies and appointments are going to PLPs. Life is improving dramatically for select PLPs.

What has been even more insulting is the travel of Prime Minister Philip Davis. Rather than being here to ensure the people’s business is done, he’s setting records for the most travel by a Bahamian head of government in one term.

He is up and down and all over the place attending conference after conference. All this is paid for by taxpayers. The Prime Minister is often missing. And when he is here, he is unfocused and unresponsive to the needs of Bahamians, planning his next foreign trip.

There have been scandals in Cabinet as a result of the Prime Minister’s inattention and poor handling of his job. He just had to shuffle his ministers.

The New Day PLP has been disappointing to many. They are not even able to repair and pave roads and keep roundabouts and verges maintained on a regular basis.

Problems we face

Parliament is the place where our laws are made. It is where money is allocated to run the government and its agencies.

Governing parties lead Parliament’s agenda. The people entrust them with this mighty responsibility. They expect that party to take on the problems of the time to help make their lives better.

We in the Opposition are responsible for holding the governing party to account on behalf of the people.

There are significant challenges facing us despite the global economy improving since the end of the pandemic.

The cost of living crisis lingers. The war in Ukraine, pandemic-related supply chain issues and excessive stimulus in the rich countries all contributed to inflationary pressure.

However, the governing party made it worse in The Bahamas. The PLP added taxes on breadbasket foods and medicines, unnecessarily increasing costs. The PLP also increased various fees the state imposes.

The worst PLP contributor to inflation was the debacle at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL). My administration left in place a hedge to protect Bahamians from out-of-control prices. The PLP messed up the hedge agreement we left in place.

This has resulted in sky-high electricity bills for Bahamians and businesses. Many are struggling to keep their lights on.

Insurance, health care and other costs continue to increase.

Crime remains a major problem. There are too many murders; too many shootings; too many robberies; and too many thefts and break-ins. Bahamians are scared. Our people are angry.

Too many have suffered loss of money and goods. Too many have had to spend large sums to increase their personal security because the government has no effective strategy to substantially reduce crime.

The collapse of the Haitian state has also worsened our immigration problem.

Waves of desperate Haitian migrants keep coming to our shores.

We are a small developing country. We cannot receive all these people.

Sprawling shantytowns exist across many of our islands. These illegal communities are public health hazards, and are areas for unhealthy behaviours and practices.

We need action

The PLP has performed poorly as the governing party. In Parliament, they are disorganised and have no coherent agenda.

Bills are presented to members at the last minute before debates. Legislation is often pulled from the agenda at the last minute.

The PLP is poor at consultation with stakeholders. An example of this is the recent fiasco with the Protection Against Violence Bill.

Women’s rights advocates remain upset. At the last minute the PLP changed the bill these activists worked on for years, bringing forward a new bill they did not properly consult on.

The Bahamas faces significant challenges. It needs the governing party to get organised and focused.

We need well-reasoned legislation brought to Parliament to better address the cost of living and crime crises. We need to bring to Parliament legislation to address immigration and other problems.

The people want better performance in our legislative chambers from their governing party.

The PLP must start focusing on the people and the people’s concerns and not just those of the PLP elite.

As an elected member of the Opposition, I have fought hard to bring the concerns of the people to the floor of the House of Assembly. The Opposition has challenged the Prime Minister when he has lost his way. We must continue to hold the PLP to account. There are unanswered questions of PLP scandal from the last session to which we in the Opposition intend to get answers.

The Bahamas is a beautiful country. It has industrious and resilient people. Our people deserve better than what the PLP has offered these past two years.

Dr Hubert Minnis

Nassau,

October 2, 2023.