by Rick Lowe
Just back from a two week holiday and see by reading the papers that little has changed regarding the the governments juvenile approach to the the Marquis work permit affair. Minister Gibson is now going to formalise the Immigration Departments work permit process.
First of all, this was recommended by the Prime Minister’s Bahamas Financial Services Consultative Forum back in 2003, but as usual it was never implemented. See this link for more information on a paper written for the Financial Services Task Force.
This blogger is willing to bet this government will not present a clear and unambiguous written immigration policy so everyone will know exactly what is required. This will take their "power" away, at least in their minds.
You might also like to take a look at this the following link to an old column prepared for The Bahama Journal sometime ago titled Bahamians First…no matter what.
See Nicolette Bethel’s Blog – Blogworld for another interesting discussion on the subject as well. One of the comments from Ms. Sweeting a former reporter at the Tribune deserves comment. When she states "Further, there would be no training opportunities, there would be no chance of an upwardly moving career, there was no chance of ever reaching the editor’s chair, no chance of ever making a decent salary, no chance for advancement whatsoever", I am left to wonder if she has forgotten that a Bahamian by the name of Ms. Athena Damianos was once news editor and now a Mr. Paco Nunez, another Bahamian holds that post.
In the final, why would government think they can tell an employer who their key person should be in their business? What qualifies a government minister to make such a decision? Don’t they have enough to be concerned about without attempting to micromanage businesses?
Obviously an election is nearby, but judging from the lack of support for the government on the Marquis permit issue it would appear that Bahamians have cottoned on to politicians silly little games.
God knows this blogger hopes so.
Anyone who has a business of any kind will understand that six people with the same credentials may not be equally qualified for the same position.
A piece of paper with a degree will not indicate a person’s character, ability to motivate, attitude, ability to work with others,etc.
I agree with Nicolette, it really is disturbing, and frightening, to know that a government should even think that they should tell a company who they should have in a key position.
This is not just about Mr. Marquis, this is sending a very disturbing message to us all.
I just hope that BTC has Mr. Medick doing a good training course, or the minister may have to deferr his application. Based on what he has been hired to do according to press releases it could be a whole lot of trouble if anything happened to our personal info.
Good one Rick. Welcome back. The PLP seems to be about stifling outspoken voices in our society….myself beingone of them. I have been threatened with being disciplined in one of my professional undertakings by certain elements of this excuse for a government. I welcome it!
Any minister or member of this government that attempts to victimise me in any way will discover where the youth of the Bahamas stand, and that I would not be silenced by any threat from anyone—including the PM. This is a democracy……and I will be guided by the principles of a democracy.
Free speech is not just a fancy term, it is what I live by….and I fully intend to continuing doing so. So Mr Mitchell and gang, I’m not done by a long shot….I will exercise my democratic rights no matter the fallout….and trust me, victimising me would lead to much fallout.
Forward, Upward, Onward, Together! This is not 1970, 80, or 90………welcome to the new millenium.
I don’t think I took any stand in this, quite frankly. I don’t think that there’s enough objective information floating around out there for me to make up my mind one way or another — everybody who has something to say either has an axe to grind or doesn’t have enough information to be definitive.
If Lynn is right, the Tribune has a poor track record of employing Bahamians in its top positions (and I think that by “top” she means higher than News Editor).
On the wider issue, I don’t believe that we can know whether freedom of the press exists in The Bahamas because the press doesn’t exercise the freedom it has; news stories come either from press releases or confidential informants. I don’t see any real evidence of investigative journalism in this country. Most news stories are not drawn from fact, but from opinion, and fly closer to propaganda than to news.
Thanks.
I beleive the Tribune has a right to put whomever they want in their top chair. They own the job – not the government!
Also, do you think a freedom of information act is necessary so government is forced to release information allowing more investigative journalism?
Freedom of information act? Probably. That always helps.
However, there’s lots of information out there to be had without such a thing if our current members of the press were trained to do research. Long before John Marquis, there was Etienne Dupuch, who investigated the murder of Harry Oakes during what must surely have been one of the most difficult times to get any information at all — the Second World War, one year after Burma Road. There was Mary Mosely, who covered that trial in such impeccable detail that books have been written from her work.
The press today relies on press conferences and the kinds of people who are anxious to talk about things, which makes it extremely vulnerable to spin. In my time as a teacher of journalists and as a senior civil servant, I have yet to face a reporter who has asked me the kinds of questions that betray a working knowledge about the subject they are asking about; most of the questions that are asked are superficial, aimed at getting basic information, rather than probing — or otherwise they are founded in rumour, and are thrown out as though the rumour is truth. I have been questioned about issues as sensitive as Junkanoo, and found that reporters’ knowledge was only as good as the answers they got from the obvious people — the Minister, the Permanent Secretary, etc. I have taught issues as sensitive as Cable Bahamas vs ZNS, and was astounded that not one of my students got their information about Cable Bahamas from Cable Bahamas itself!
Before we need a freedom of information act we need a real hard training programme for reporters. And whoever occupies the top chair of any newspaper should be responsible for implementing that.
“I don’t see any real evidence of investigative journalism in this country.”
Nicob … but what about the Punch??
[nyloc runs and ducks for cover!]
The Punch, oddly enough, has very sound editorial policies as newspapers go. Of course it’s a tabloid, which means that its business is sensation. I do believe that nothing’s printed in that paper unless it’s confirmed by a number of sources. That doesn’t make the story any more factual, but at least it’s coming from the mouth of more than one horse.
The Journal does do a fairly good job of investigative reporting. However, it seems as though the focus of its parent company falls more on the broadcasting side of the business these days.
Don’t forget the Tribune Business does some good stuff too.