First published in The Tribune, in the column Young Man's View, onThursday, August 19, 2010

By ADRIAN GIBSON

TODAY I continue my annual report card giving my view of the performance of government ministers in their various ministries.

In Monday's column I gave my assessment of the performances of Mrs Loretta Butler-Turner, Minister of State for Social Services, Minister of Works Neko Grant and Housing Minister Kenneth Russell.

On Tuesday it was National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest and Environment Minister Earl Deveaux.

On Wednesday I turned my attention to the portfolios held by Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Charles Maynard and Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette.

Today I give my opinion on how I believe Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Larry Cartwright, Phenton Neymour, Minister of State for Public Utilities and Dion Foulkes, Minister of Labour and Social Services have performed in their ministries.

Larry Cartwright, the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, is an unpretentious, hands-on minister who participates in each project, from the planning stages to implementation. Mr Cartwright, with limited resources, has been progressively promoting farming and economic diversification alongside BAIC chairman Edison Key.

During the past three years, the agriculture minister and Mr Key have been attempting to reverse 70 years of farm decline, whilst seeking to address inefficiencies in produce distribution and marketing and correcting the unfavourable shipping conditions that cause spoilage during transport.

Under Larry Cartwright, a fruit tree planting project–where two farmers were contracted to "moss" 15,000 persian lime plants and mango, avocado and sugar apple trees imported for sale to farmers at cost–was initiated; provisional greenhouses for schools and a school garden programme; implemented an embryo transplant programme; promoted agribusiness expos; implemented the backyard gardening initiative; purchased farm tractors for North Andros; established a weekly farmers market at GRAC; continued the "feeder farm" roads and land clearing programme for Family Island farmers, 50 per cent of which is subsidized by government; instituted duty exemption on all imported items being utilized by registered farmers and fishermen for job-related tasks; overseen the refurbishment of packing houses, the abattoir and the produce exchange in Freeport as well as ongoing renovation of the Produce Exchange on New Providence; established marine protected areas in Abaco, the Berry Islands and Exuma; and pushed for the passage of a new animal control bill to control stray and roaming animals and also sanction their owners.

As a Family Island native, I'm not in support of a total ban on the harvesting of all types of turtles. However, Mr Cartwright can also be credited with implementing a ban to preserve these marine species.

Moreover, as a farmer himself, the minister's recognition of the urgent need to resurrect agriculture and fisheries has, in conjunction with FAO consultants, led to the creation of the first five-year development plan for agriculture and fisheries. I'm told that the plan will be launched shortly.

Mr Cartwright–a Long Islander–simply performs his job, without much fanfare. He earns a B-plus.

Desmond Bannister, the Minister of Education (MOE), has shown humility and pureness of purpose in addressing the issues plaguing the education system. Once Carl Bethel was bounced from the Cabinet and Mr Bannister was given an opportunity to shine, he provided a morale boost from the ministry/department and, through worthwhile initiatives, is earning the confidence of the nation. He seems cool under pressure, exhibiting the political will to make tough decisions. That said, the nation is waiting and watching his ministry's back-to-school process, mindful of the back-to-school debacles that have beleaguered the public education system in recent years.

The minister is wisely carrying out early repairs and preparations for school openings in September. Indeed, there is also a need for the training and re-training of teachers. Frankly, the ministry must align the curriculum with the development needs of the country in order to imbue a strong sense of self, speak to nation-building, address the question of self-reliance and entrepreneurship, teach the Constitution, etcetera.

In the face of a troubling crime wave, students must be taught interpersonal skills and the Ministry of Education must foster an alliance between schools and communities to tackle what appears to be a severe social disconnect.

Moreover, awful teachers must be weeded out of the system. In fact, the Bahamas needs a separate institution that focuses solely upon teacher training, vis-à-vis the former Teacher's Training College in San Salvador. Teachers, if interested in furthering their studies, can then go on and complete their graduate studies at the local college/university. Greater attention should be paid to the recruitment of prospective quality educators, as well as to the impartial evaluation of teachers, rendering constant feedback between the Ministry of Education and schools. Additionally, a reward system for meritorious teachers, beyond the bi-annual teacher of the year exercise, should be commenced.

Mr Bannister has established a sexual complaints unit, conducted an in-house audit and implemented cost cutting measures such as requiring staff to leave government vehicles parked at the Ministry after office hours, will personally oversee school repairs and construction this summer before paying a dime to any contractor and has organized a national parenting seminar for the end of this month. He has also met with security officers to address shortages and security concerns at schools.

Notably, the physical plant at schools, such as Government High, is old and has been condemned as being too dangerous to house students. Something must be done!

When will classrooms be outfitted with cable tv/internet to foster interactive learning?

As a former educator who grew up with parents who also were educators, Mr Bannister has institutional knowledge about the educational system and is seemingly attempting to restore the system to one that was once underpinned by merit-based assessment. He earns an A-minus.

Phenton Neymour, the Barry White-sounding Minister of State for Public Utilities, has displayed some giddiness about his charge and has shown an apparent dereliction of due diligence. The aforesaid was evident with the BEC fiasco in Abaco–the buck stops with Mr Neymour.

The tourist industry cannot survive if the country is in a perpetual state of darkness, while lame excuses about load shedding and poorly serviced generators are promulgated. Mr Neymour continues to have oversight of the apparent mismanagement at BEC. BEC is hardly fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly, continuously leaving a large carbon footprint and, in addition to facing financial woes, persistently incurring maintenance issues.

Most Bahamians are still inquiring about how light bills are being calculated!

Releasing press statements and talking about alternative energy is mere hot air, and environmentally-conscious Bahamians are wondering when the talk of biofuels and green energy will evolve into more than pie-in-the-sky pipe dreams. When will citizens be granted permission to use solar panels and/or to explore alternative energy sources?

When will a windmill be installed at Clifton Pier? When will a water-to-energy facility be demonstrated at New Providence? When will wave technology be deployed?

When will the 27 BEC power plants be revamped to facilitate the incorporation of alternative energy? Moving forward, what will be the fuel hedging strategies being utilized by BEC?

When will water supply losses be reduced? When will Water and Sewerage be divested by the government and potentially sold to stakeholders or other qualified parties?

Further, there are complaints that an over abundance of chlorine in the city water is bleaching people's clothes!

Indeed, there is a need to rationalize both the electricity and water supplies in order to fetch any significant gains. The junior minister receives a D.

Dion Foulkes, the Minister of Labour and Social Services, has assisted with the institution of social security mechanisms to curtail massive unemployment.

Mr Foulkes serves as Labour Minister during a drawn-out, economic recession and has thereby seen the rate of unemployment skyrocket during his tenure. He has also been entangled, as mediator, in several cases of union infighting, internal splits and court battles.

Nevertheless, more can be done at the Ministry of Labour to assuage the fears and concerns of workers.

Mr Foulkes has been informative; however, a likely blight on his record has been the labour situation in Grand Bahama and the fallout from the recent industrial catastrophe which left three dead and highlighted labour concerns at the Container Port. The minister has been very forthcoming, even prompting an International Labour Organization report, which he laid-out in the Senate.

He earns a C.

Tomorrow will be the final column in this series when I shall discuss the portfolios of Dr Hubert Minnis, Minister of Health, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism, Byron Woodside, Minister of State for Lands and Local Government, Attorney General John Delaney, and finally Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. I shall then give a final grade on the performance of his government during these economic hard times.