Duane Sands
(Editors Note: While we attempt to avoid posting political commentary from party officials, we thought Dr. Sands speech contained some important points worth sharing. There are aspects over which we disagree, and there's some rhetoric, but over all it was a well reasoned presentation and worthy of discussion. Thanks to Dr. Sands for agreeing to allow us to post it.)
This year, just like every year, the government of the Bahamas has presented a budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
This exercise, along with our legislative agenda forecasts not only the annual spending and collections strategy but offers tremendous insight into the priorities of the Prime Minister and his cabinet and parliamentary teams. It places under the microscope the level or depth of creativity of those individuals charged with governing, their sensitivity to the needs of the country and its people and their commitment to problem solving. The budget reflects the decisions of the group of Bahamians who have a constitutional duty to manage the affairs of the country.
The collaborative process leading to the final budget allocations you see presented involves thousands of civil servants from all disciplines who look at the needs, challenges and strategic vision of their various areas of responsibility. Ultimately, the total list of requests are collected, sorted and presented for final decisions to be made.
Over-riding this process are fiscal realities – the projected (and ultimately actual) amount of revenue (money) deemed collectible – which is not unlimited…the short and long term national debt (how much we owe), the past, present and projected performance of the economy expressed as Gross Domestic Product or GDP, fixed expenses etc. How much money is there in the national cookie jar? Creating a national budget is as much art as science. While there are guiding principles, sometimes real world issues force an adjustment of absolutes.
Now, contrary to popular belief, the government cannot spend money that it does not collect in taxes, fees or other charges, or borrow from a local or international lender without accumulating debt. Debt has to be carefully managed or the consequences can be catastrophic. We need only to look at the current crisis in Greece and the effects on the entire European Union.
There are also pressing social realities and national priorities. So notwithstanding the total wish-list presented, all items have to be prioritized.
Some items stay in…others get cut out. Some new items get added! Items are cut out or left in as a result of deliberate decision – making. Above all – there is no formula … no cook-book for the creation of a budget.
The consequences of budgetary inclusions and exclusions… out… or… in… are real… real consequences for the people we are privileged and challenged to serve.
Madame President.
Budgets are not created in a vacuum. Instead, they follow on the success or failure, flexibility or restrictions of previous budgets, national and international economic realities and public demand.
This year’s, (2011-2012) national budget is… by the previously mentioned yardstick… no different.
And yet, this morning, Madame President… It is an honor and a pleasure to support this national budget because this budget demonstrates what effective Governance is all about. It is making the best of a bad situation through timely critical decision making and bold efficient execution.
There is no question that as a country we all feel as if we are under siege.
Collectively, we have become very distressed in the face of the economic woes, the horrible level of violent crime and the overwhelming pressure of day to day life.
At a personal level, there just doesn’t seem to be enough money to cover the rising cost of gas and electricity, food, school fees and living expenses.
At a national level, we need new hospitals, courts and schools, jobs, new planes for Bahamasair, modernization of BEC, newer, cheaper, greener more sustainable forms of energy. Many of our public buildings need renovations or replacement. We need improved defenses or our fishing grounds and tighter protection of our borders. Civil servants are asking for higher salaries and better benefits, health insurance, etc. The list goes on and on…
And yet there is not enough money in the national kitty…
We have borrowed as much as is prudent to borrow.
Some – many… of us have entertained a view – a few have even conceded …that the solutions to these burdensome Bahamian problems can only be found by rolling the dice – (whether literally or figuratively.) In response to heavy demand, Numbers houses have sprung up on many street corners and every day almost religiously – people spend their hard earned money (boxed or straight) hoping – fantasizing for the big score.
A big hit that will pay all the bills, pay off the mortgage, pay the school fees and grocery bills… sort out BEC and BTC, keep the car running or heaven forbid buy a new car or cover the cost of a vacation.
Some Bahamians are entertaining rolling the dice with their country’s future by taking another chance with indecisive, disorganized leadership or worse – gambling on untried unproven leadership.
At the same time, day in and day out the cry is heard that “someone” has to do something about crime… “Someone” has to rescue the economy. Some have said that “surely the government must not be – cannot be – or is not serious about crime or about the economy, education, healthcare, immigration or the environment.
How Madame President… did we arrive at this point?
We have blamed the police, the courts, the Minister of National Security, the church, the schools… as the root cause of all of our problems…everyone but ourselves.
These cries have come from all corners of our Bahamas – from every segment of our society. These are cries that reflect the deep pain and suffering of a people being battered and beaten by a relentless perfect storm – a storm which has lashed families and businesses all over this nation. It is a menacing storm with dark clouds of economic hardship and unemployment. We have endured a tempest with an uninterrupted flood of murder, robbery, rape, burglary, extortion and intimidation.
As the serious health challenges and spiraling healthcare costs howl around us people continue to cry out. Is there any reason to hope?
Make no mistake… we live in a society which is unwell.
These are challenging times.
Madame President… the public … for better or worse… looks to us to lead the charge – to find solutions.
The public – the people we serve – will also hold our feet to the fire as the suffering continues, as we make decisions, whether right or wrong.
Governance… true governance is not a task for the faint of heart, the indecisive, the disorganized or the unprincipled.
Rev. Martin Luther King stated: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Madame President, as I rise to second this progressive, timely budget, I stand also to offer a voice of reassurance to the Bahamian public that there is hope! This government is totally, thoroughly, completely aware of the suffering of the people of this country and we have listened to the various thoughts as to the root causes of our problems.
We share and feel the pain.
We have heard the assessments of the problems.
Unlike those that have gone before, we decided to act.
In spite of the worst recession of our time…
Even as huge economies falter and fail, despite the hurdles and challenges, the political rhetoric, the misinformation and disinformation we decided to act.
Instead of endless consultation… we decided to act.
We decided on a course of action to overcome these challenges and create a brighter future and we are delivering a realistic plan for the restoration of this country.
It is a long, difficult and controversial road. But is a road that we must walk together. This budget outlines the funding strategy and priorities for the next twelve months of a journey that started four years ago. Critical components of this journey are outlined in our manifesto 2007. We have succeeded in adhering to and delivering on most of the components of that Trust agenda. And even in the face of unexpected massive challenges – this year we escalate our resolve to live up to every component of that commitment – the contract that we made with the Bahamian people.
I stand to say that we have overcome immense challenges … we are turning the tide. We have started the long road back. This budget reflects a no-nonsense action plan for continued recovery.
This is an action plan for real relief – a plan that seeks to address our challenges at the root. While creative, it is not the wishful thoughts of dreamers. This is not a time for gambling.
It is an action plan based in reality and courage to tackle problems head on – no matter how great. It is a plan that recognizes the power of ordinary people doing ordinary things and achieving extraordinary results.
Madame President… There are not and there will not be… showers of dollars from on high…
There will be no cavalry to ride in and rid us of criminals and criminal behavior.
There will be no magic potion to cure us from AIDS, Diabetes, Heart Disease or Cancer.
All of the solutions to Crime, the Economy, Jobs, healthcare, Education and Immigration lie within us – they must come from us – from the industry, creativity and perseverance of the people of this country.
There are many voices seeking to impress the Bahamian public with catchy phrases and slogans. These voices identify the destination but they don’t tell us how to get there. Or they describe an easy road – that does not involve sacrifice or hardship – even when that road does not exist. They use fancy marketing and glossy ads.
There are times when razzle-dazzle does not work – when catchy phrases and repetitive slogans fall flat. There are times when we don’t have the option of unending consultation and no decision. There are times – like these – when we must roll up our sleeves, grit our teeth, pray for strength and guidance and combat problems head on.
We have reached that time!
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, the Rt. Honorable Hubert Ingraham was spot on when he said that “Budgets are about making choices and accepting responsibility.”
Assess the problems…. Review the options…. Consider your resources… determine your goals and destinations – Decide!
Then Act!
Madame President… my career in medicine and particularly my role as a trauma surgeon for the last two decades has reinforced my ability to make decisions during dire circumstances. When faced with a critically injured patient my first task is to assess the nature and extent of the injury… to decide on a plan of action and to act quickly and safely fix the problem with surgical precision.
Assess
Decide
Act
These three components are inseparable determinants of real leadership ability.
In order to illustrate this point, with your indulgence, I wish to tell this honorable senate a short story about an event that happened twenty-nine years ago.
It was on January 23, 1982 at 7:36 pm – a cold, overcast and foggy night, when World Airways Flight 30H from Newark, New Jersey overshot the runway while attempting to land at Logan Airport in Boston.
There were 200 passengers and twelve crew members on board the DC-10 Jumbo Jet built to carry up to 380 passengers.
Due to wind and rain, the plane had touched down about 600-700 feet beyond the normal landing zone.
Now, ordinarily this would have been no big deal and the plane would have had enough asphalt to come to a full stop on the 10,000 foot-long runway. That is… if conditions were normal and the runway was dry.
That night, however, the temperature was 38 degrees Fahrenheit (without the wind chill factor), the runway was covered with ice and snow and the braking action for this massive aircraft was poor to non-existent.
The aircraft could not stop… It did not stop… and wound up in the Boston Harbor.
Forty-three (43) seconds after touchdown at just over 165mph, this huge aircraft – almost as big as a 747 slammed into the seawall at 50 mph and it came to rest – broken into two pieces – in the icy water of the harbor.
The cockpit and front cabin were separated from the main body of the aircraft just at the first row of passenger seats and submerged in the water. The rear engine continued to run at full throttle. The two front engines were flooded. The cabin was filled with smoke and the scent of jet fuel. Passengers were screaming, some were bleeding.
Miraculously, only two passengers seated in the front row were killed. The third passenger in that row climbed back into the main cabin. Many people were injured – some seriously – but only two people died. The remaining passengers jumped into the icy river and waded or swam back to shore.
Madame President… I am intimately familiar with the details of this incident
… Because I was one of the passengers on that plane.
Like all the other survivors, I got off that plane quick fast and in a hurry because we thought it was going to explode. We swam through the ice, climbed up the muddy bank and waited for the rescue teams to reach us.
I won’t use up more of this senate’s time with the details of that night but you can imagine the lasting impression that it has made on my life.
What I experienced that night taught me a lot about life…very important life lessons.
I was a senior in college headed back to school after Christmas vacation. It had been a turbulent flight so I was quite relieved when we touched down at Logan.
But…
Within a few seconds of landing and for most of those forty-three seconds from touchdown to collision I was aware that something was dreadfully wrong. For many of those seconds, I felt an incredible sense of powerlessness and a feeling of impending doom. I wanted somebody to do something.
I became very concerned when the engines went into full reverse and the plane did not slow down.
I was afraid when the aircraft started sliding sideways.
I felt terror when the plane ran off the runway and down the embankment.
I can still recall the incredible crash when we hit the dock and the screaming and shouting that started immediately afterwards.
The pilots knew almost immediately that something was dreadfully wrong as the voice recordings from the cockpit confirmed. By thirteen seconds after touchdown they informed the control tower that the aircraft was not slowing down.
And yet in the face of overwhelming odds…
Faced with an unexpected disaster not of their making…
With the fate of hundreds of souls in the balance… they made bold, difficult deliberate decisions.
They made decisions that valued people (the passengers) as the highest priority.
Madame President,
When it became apparent to the captain and first officer– two experienced professional pilots that the aircraft was not going to be able to stop on the runway, despite full reverse throttle, full braking and flap engagement, they steered the plane off the runway in order to avoid hitting the immovable bank of approach lights at the end of the taxiway.
They did not attempt to take-off again. They did not give up trying to salvage the catastrophic situation.
They assessed the situation. They decided on a plan of action and they acted.
As a result of their clear thought and deliberate decision making – many passengers- including me – are alive today. The plane skidded across a field and a taxi-way before coming to rest in the ice-cold water of the Boston Harbor. The plane split into two. The 65 million dollar aircraft was destroyed.
The first mate was seriously injured. More than 50% of the crew was injured. Almost all of the passengers survived.
Madame President… I witnessed and lived bold, decisive decision-making that night in 1982. I learned what a difference experience and professionalism brings to a crisis.
I have spent my entire surgical career practicing and teaching these same skills.
Since 2007… and now in 2011, I have been fortunate to witness this same approach to the problems of this country applied by Hubert Ingraham and the Free National Movement Government.
Assess…. Decide…. Act!
Problem solving requires determination, resolve and commitment. Dreaming about a solution will not produce solutions unless a clear plan of action is implemented. Talking about problems and endless consultation does not solve problems.
Three years ago, we were faced with a rapidly contracting world economy. Countries everywhere were experiencing financial challenges from the great recession brought on by the sub-prime mortgage melt-down – a matter that I discussed at length in my previous contribution.
Anticipating massive lay-offs, this FNM government opted to stimulate the economy by deficit spending (borrowing) which allowed us to keep thousands of Bahamians employed and to begin to tackle the horrendous state of our public infrastructure. It was a deliberate strategy that we knew would be unsustainable. With each year, we reassessed the problems facing the Bahamas and made difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions – again staying critically focused on the fragile state of our economy and the welfare of the majority of Bahamians. Every-one was asked to tighten their belts, to sacrifice, to endure hardship. At the same time, we aggressively pursued a program to restore this country to a position that would insulate it from ever having to experience the same degree of hardship again.
That program of restoration continues to this day and will take the next decade to complete.
You see, Madame President, despite years of plenty in the boom years of 2002 – 2007, The Bahamas and particularly her major towns like Nassau and Freeport had run-down to a decrepit state. In fact, for various reasons, since Independence, maintenance has not been a consistent national priority. Just take a look at Bay Street, East of Rawson Square. It is a sad empty shell of her former glory. Pipes, all over New Providence were corroded so badly in the ground that we could not deliver clean water to huge areas of New Providence. Crime had continued to escalate and many of our crime-fighting forces, judicial services and social programs were in need of attention.
We acknowledged the massive task and each year… we have steadfastly decided to correct as many of the problems as could be tackled.
Let us look at this budget and the impact on the problems that matter most to Bahamians.
At the top of the list is Crime.
Crime.
Every day, I am struck by the high level of interpersonal violence and the brutal skill that Bahamians have for harming each other. It is a national tragedy that I have witnessed as a surgeon and (for many years) Director of Emergency Services at PMH.
Though I deal with it almost every day, I am distressed at the amount of gun and knife violence that consumes hospital resources, snuffs out lives and destroys families.
In the last two weeks, two cases seen at PMH have been particularly disturbing. The first was a teenager who was stabbed in the brain by another student – while at school. That young man continues to fight for his life in hospital.
The second is a young man shot multiple times about the body who had clearly embraced the “Thug Life.” He came in to hospital … a casualty of the ongoing street battle fought by men and women who live the motto “Get rich quick or die trying.”
We “do” trauma well at PMH. If you get shot, stabbed, beaten or assaulted in any way, we have a team with the expertise to repair your injuries and help you to get well. While not all injured patients survive, our staff members (nurses, junior doctors and medical students) are becoming experts at managing seriously injured patients.
We have not been surprised by the increase in the number of murder cases per year.
Quite frankly, the murder count underestimates the brutality – the hostility and the anger being expressed in our streets. Were it not for the efforts of the Emergency Medical Services staff, Accident & Emergency Services, Surgical, Anesthetic and ICU services – the count would be much, much higher. For every death from violent trauma, there are more than twenty persons assaulted. For every death from a gunshot, there are almost four who are more fortunate.
At the current rate, two hundred and fifty Bahamians, give or take… will be shot in this country this year Madame President.
As Bahamians, we cry about the rising “murder rate” and call for “some-one to do something” as the number climbs.
We have focused on this number (which we quote like the temperature) which reduces complex societal illnesses and choices that we have all made…. choices that lead to crime, violence and murder… to a simple number –one we have embraced so well that we focus only on the number of our brothers and sisters that die. When it goes up…we despair. When it goes down, we celebrate. But we ignore the fact that the murder count is just the tip of the iceberg and that the murders happen because the fabric of our society has deteriorated over a period of many years. As a matter of fact, it is disintegrating.
We are deceiving ourselves! The” murder count” tells very little of the true story. It is a raw statistic that fails to fully capture the pain, rage, anger, jealousy, misunderstanding or other emotions that leads to violent altercations. Whatever the number of murders, the truth is that we now live in a society where disputes are now more likely to be “settled” with bullets from powerful fire-arms ( Glocks, UZI’s, AK 47’s), where weapons are used more often than not and fist fights are certainly no longer common.
The gun is the great equalizer of men. In an instant, the short, weak, skinny or cowardly criminal is immediately transformed into a virtual giant who is able to decide whether another human will live or die.
The Bahamian reality… the cold hard facts…are that crime and criminality has arisen from us – and has been nurtured by the choices we have made – or not made! We have not made the difficult decisions; we have allowed the rot to set in; we have turned an eye to immoral, unethical and illegal behavior and have pretended that it was OK! We do not live in a peaceful, loving community. We do not care as well as we should for each other.
We have given corrupt and dishonest politicians, doctors, lawyers, pastors and businessmen a free ride.
We have allowed drug trafficking to co-exist with legitimate businesses and have revered drug dealers as neighborhood heroes. We speak fondly of the benefit of drug money to businesses of all kinds.
We refused to accept that our “little crimes” the traffic violations, lying on our customs forms, receipt of stolen, counterfeit or pirated goods and services, hiring of illegal immigrants, sexual misconduct or theft of time, supplies or services from our job-sites could have contributed to the violence that we now see. Our children have not been raised in an environment where there is absolute respect for the rule of law.
At the same time, we allowed our judicial system to become ineffective in the administration of justice. Too few justices, too few courts, an overburdened, understaffed and underequipped Attorney General’s office.
We have allowed defense attorneys to “game” the system with countless adjournments and delays – while claiming concern for rights of the accused.
We have not done the best job in the protection of witnesses so some have been harassed and some killed. Murderers, violent offenders and other criminals understand that the system is badly in need of repair… and that is to their advantage.
Madame President,
There has been a legacy of criminality in the Bahamas for more than three hundred years.
It is a legacy that has led to the modern day culture of criminality. By the looks of things, it appears to be encoded in our DNA.
In the chapter entitled: The aura of Blackbeard: Piracy and Its Legacies, Michael Craton and Gail Saunders in their book Islanders in the Stream state:
“Piracy stands for the opposite pole in the Bahamian lifestyle and character from that implanted by farming, fishing and other respectable pursuits. But there has rarely been a clear-cut or permanent division, even at the individual level within a single lifetime. Rather, there has always been an almost schizophrenic tendency to crossovers, particularly when there has been a recurrence of the conditions of extreme poverty, lack of profitable alternatives, and the absence of strong forces of law and order found during the classic era of Bahamian piracy.”
Simply put… Bahamians have always run “a lil bit loose with the law.”
Let us go back to the period 1698 -1718 when the Bahamas became the world’s capital of piracy.
Nassau provided inns, brothels, shops for provisions and a place for successful pirates to “filter into a more respectable life.”
Merchants in Nassau made substantial profits from selling or bartering supplies at inflated rates to wealthy pirates…accepting payments in stolen cargo.
Several of the Governors of that period were documented to have taken bribes and a share of the ill-gotten loot as well as legitimate fees.
Governor Woodes Rogers arrived in Nassau in 1718 with a mandate to clean up the Bahamas. He was a smooth talking naval hero who arrived in Nassau on July 26, 1718.
There was a fresh wind blowing when he sailed into Nassau Harbor with the largest British fleet ever seen there. Help & Hope were on the way.
He declared martial law, attempted to set up a basic judicial system and government and initially he set out enthusiastically to rid the Bahamas of the scourge of piracy.
But he accomplished very little in his first three year term.
He talked a very good game… but after assessment and decision, he failed to act!
His first term was a miserable failure and he left the Bahamas in 1721, bankrupt, frustrated and ill.
He returned in 1729 as governor until his death in 1732.
During this term, he made his name as the founding father of the Bahamian colony. The representative legislature that exists to this day was formed during that term. The first slate of permanent laws was introduced and the motto EXPULSIS PIRATIS RESTITUTA COMMERCIA was introduced. Ironically … no such thing happened.
The truth of the matter was that decline of piracy was due not to Woodes Rogers but to general international economic expansion and the quiet but deliberate and decisive actions – Let us call it …. The Trust agenda of Governor George Phenney who served between 1721 and 1729.
Phenney’s focus was on infrastructural development. He created a Bahamian economy based on shipbuilding and farming using imported slaves. He dramatically strengthened the administrative capacity of government.
He laid the groundwork for Woodes Rogers’s fame.
“It was under George Phenney that the first substantial cargo of slaves was imported directly into the Bahamas, namely the 295 Negroes brought from Guinea in the Bahama Galley in 1721. Under George Phenney, shipbuilding also increased the number of Bahamian vessels over three tons. During the decade after Phenney’s arrival, the settled population of the Bahamas rose from under a thousand to almost fourteen hundred including a 60 percent increase in the number of “Blacks” (mainly slaves.)”
Woodes Rogers talked the talk…. Governor George Phenney walked the walk.
Isn’t’ it is interesting… hundreds of years later… how that scenario is playing out all over again.
Dr. Saunders and Mr. Craton go on…
“Poverty, Lack of resources and the heartbreaking drudgery of alternative occupations meant that the Bahamians would recurrently be tempted by the chance of instant or easy riches, irrespective of legal prohibitions or abstract morality”
From that early start, Bahamians have toyed with privateering, piracy, ship-wrecking, smuggling, bootlegging, running blockades “because it offered most to those who stood to lose most from more respectable pursuits: the poorest of whites and the mass of the blacks. These occupations therefore provided a perennial or at least recurrent factor in the Bahamian life and character.”
More recently we turned to drug trafficking and corruption.
Dr. Timothy McCartney and Dr. David Allen have been two of the most outspoken individuals on the expected outcome of these choices. They both predicted violence and mayhem of biblical proportions based on our adoption of the drug culture.
At our peril, we ignored the predictions.
And now, the chickens have come home to roost.
Madame President… I expect that my words will be taken out of context and used for political mileage…
But this will not change the reality of our massive problem.
Our murder count will continue to climb until we acknowledge that all of us have contributed to this mess.
Our murder count will continue to rise unless we abandon the societal and cultural choices that have nurtured and sustained the environment that has led to the level of violence and mayhem that we all claim to deplore – but to which most of us contribute – by omission or commission.
Our response must now be deliberate, considered and effective. We must now mean it when we talk about “zero-tolerance.” And it has to be a personal decision and change in behavior of each and every Bahamian – not just the job of the Commissioner of Police, Attorney-General, Chief Justice or Minister of National Security.
It is my belief that without the cooperation and commitment of the Bahamian people at large, an infinitely large force of well -trained police officers with unlimited equipment and state-of-the-art high powered weapons cannot and will not solve this problem. Nor will a hundred courts with a hundred judges. We cannot build jails that are big enough to eliminate the problem.
But be assured – We can solve this problem!
We stand at a moment in our nation’s history when we must choose whether to wander along passively as our country descends deeper into violent anarchy or to stand firmly against the status quo and chart a bold new course to a better place for our children. I believe that only one of these options is tenable.
There are no quick fixes or easy solutions. There are no surrogates that can carry my load or yours! As Gandhi said “we must be the change we wish to see in the world!”
History will tell whether we are really serious!
Crime touches all of us.
A few years ago, in a dreadful six month period, I experienced a home invasion, two further separate attempts at home invasion, a burglary at my office and I was held up at gun point when checking my mail at the post office.
(One night at three in the morning when it was obvious that I and my family were home, some-one attempted to beat my door in with a sledge hammer. Despite my alarm going off and despite all the lights lit up inside and outside the perpetrator or perpetrators continue to hammer away at my door. They were going to try to get in come hell or high water.)
What then does a prudent government do to manage crime?
The assessment was completed. We decided to act.
The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister outlined the Government’s focused multi-pronged approach to crime by describing a wide range of strategies and programmes that have been… and are being implemented to address crime and criminality. These include crime fighting initiatives, initiatives in the criminal justice system and social and educational initiatives. This war on crime requires multiple fronts – all of which we take seriously. In the interest of time, it would be impossible to list all of the initiatives intended to combat crime. Instead, Madame President, I shall highlight just a few to demonstrate our commitment to wiping out this scourge.
The Ministry of National Security and its agencies have been allocated $208,400,000 in recurrent expenditure and $5,450,000 in capital funding.
The budget makes provisions for a large number of new recruits for the Prison, Defence Force and Royal Bahamas Police Force to assist the recently revamped high command of the security forces:
Madame President:
Bahamians have expressed concern about individuals accused of violent crimes or multiple violent crimes being allowed bail.
In response, in December 2010, Electronic Monitoring was implemented to assist with the prevention of crime and to help control and reduce the number of recurring offences by persons out on bail. The 2011/2012 budget provides for $500,000 to be spent on the Electronic Monitoring Program.
Over 93% of the offenders being monitored in this program are considered “high risk offenders” who are on bail for crimes of murder, attempted murder, rape, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, possession of illegal firearms and ammunition and housebreaking. They are monitored 24/7 to ensure compliance with zone and curfew restrictions as determined by the courts.
As a legislator, I personally have strong feelings about the ease with which accused persons are granted bail.
At this time, we must continue to uphold the rule of law.
Nonetheless I am pleased to report our government’s commitment to enact a further amendment to the Bail Act to reduce the number of violent offenders and accused persons out on bail.
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)
This budget provides for a CCTV project for New Providence. This CCTV network is to be more than a crime detection tool but it should also act as a deterrent to criminals and would-be criminals.
The CCTV pilot system that was placed in downtown Nassau resulted in the early apprehension of those who have been accused of the recent robbery at John Bull on Bay Street.
Increased Police visibility
In order to increase the public’s sense of security and safety, we have invested in Crime prevention strategies as a part of community policing. Police visibility, whether in patrol-cars or on foot, strengthens the public’s perception of security and trust, discourages criminal activity and strengthens police-community relations. The Government invested $4 million for additional police vehicles for patrol in our communities during the 2010/2011 fiscal period. This year, we will continue to provide our fine men and women in the security forces with the tools to function.
Madame President,
We have continued to fund, to the tune of $2.3 million in this Budget various Urban Renewal initiatives including support for Marching Bands, after school programs, computer classes; sewing and handicraft programs for the elderly, summer programs for young people, boys and girls clubs, and backyard farming.
All of these measures are designed to carefully target certain behaviors in order to prevent criminal conduct and disrupt those who have engaged or are beginning to engage in criminal activity.
On another front in this battle, we have appointed additional Magistrates, Supreme Court Justices and Court of Appeal Judges to help facilitate speedier trials and reduce the backload of cases. We have hired a new Director of Public Prosecutions who has also been specifically mandated to reduce the backload of cases.
In response to the surge in gun – related crimes, we introduced a new Magistrate’s Court to concentrate solely on gun crimes.
In order to strengthen the overburdened Attorney General’s office, this budget contains funding in the amount of $549,000 to engage 13 additional counsels, at various grades.
The Office of the AG launched a witness care unit in February 2011 to provide appropriate support service to victims and witnesses.
The Government purchased Ansbacher House last year to accommodate additional courts for the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court presently has a full complement of 12 justices and we have provided additional funding for the temporary appointment of an additional justice to deal primarily with criminal cases.
The Court of Appeal now has a full complement of 5 justices. In this Budget we have provided funding for an additional Justice of Appeal.
The new Magistrates Court Complex on Nassau Street is nearing completion. When finished, it will house twelve Magistrates courts. This complex will permit us to have twelve courts operating in New Providence every day.
The Budget provides additional funding for Magistrates to permanently reside in two of our major Family Islands, Eleuthera and Exuma.
The appointment of these two new additional resident Family Island Magistrates should significantly improve the administration of Justice.
Finally, the construction of a Remand Court at Fox Hill will eliminate the need for persons being held on remand to be transported downtown – except for trials. This should be completed by September of this year.
Overall, Madame President, there has been substantial progress in the strengthening of our national capacity to deter, detect and prosecute crime and criminals by acting on elimination of deficiencies and building capacity on every aspect of the fight against crime.
I do not accept that we have not taken crime seriously.
While we acknowledge that we must do more and not rest until our nation is a peaceful law-abiding place once again, it is clear that the efforts of this government in the fight against crime has been unmatched by any other administration in the entire history of the Bahamas. Perhaps one day, hopefully soon, “the pirates will be driven out and commerce restored.”
Healthcare
Madame President,
Access to affordable Healthcare is a right and not a privilege.
While we enjoy a high level of access to healthcare services in the Bahamas, it is not enough and we in the government are not yet satisfied.
There are a number of services that can only be accessed by patients with independent means – private insurance or private funding. The worsening national economic climate has reduced the ability of private institutions to offer pro-bono or subsidized care. Receivables for professional services have increased.
Recently, a shortage of therapeutic and diagnostic capacity in the public sector has resulted in serious hospital overcrowding. In the Emergency Department at PMH, admitted patients numbering from 15-30 remained in the department for days.
On the wards, inpatients awaited surgical intervention for weeks.
What was clear was that there had been a real shift in the pattern of healthcare delivery. More had presented to the public healthcare facilities which were hard-pressed to meet the demand. This clearly worsened over the last few years.
We have debated the approach to national health insurance for many years now. The major obstructions to meaningful and rapid change are the infrastructural and technological inadequacy, the model of delivery and most importantly – funding. Our hospitals are run-down and out dated. Ideally, we need a new hospital to replace the aging PMH. The Rand Memorial Hospital has long struggled to cope with demand.
We had made deliberate plans to replace the PMH. The economic downturn made this impossible… especially given the rise in our debt to GDP from 37% to 55% in 2010.
Simultaneously, there has been a spike in violent crime that has further aggravated the challenge as well as the increasing burden of chronic non-communicable diseases and their complications.
The demand for dialysis services and orthopaedic care has exploded.
It was very clear that as a country, we could not increase our debt/GDP any further – nor could we introduce any new comprehensive healthcare programs unless we were certain that they could be funded.
Against this very bleak backdrop, we decided to act in a manner which was bold and deliberate. We adjusted the model to acknowledge the realities of the times while responding to the short, medium and long term needs.
Last year, we introduced a National Insurance Board funded National prescription drug plan to provide medications to a defined group of persons suffering from specific chronic NCD’s. This allowed persons to afford costly medications which were provided through conveniently located private pharmacies. No longer would covered persons have to choose between buying food or medication. As we are able, we will expand this type of coverage to more individuals. This overwhelmingly positive initiative has now been extended to include civil servants and all the security forces.
Simultaneously, we have embarked on the single largest infrastructural improvement program since the hospitals were built.
Funding has been provided for a new 20 bed critical care unit and six theatre operating suite, laboratory and support services in Nassau (PMH). Extensive renovations to the Operating Theatre and Emergency department at the RMH have commenced and will soon be completed.
A new General practice clinic will allow the relocation of primary care outpatient services away from the PMH campus – thus permitting expansion of the Accident & Emergency Department.
More exciting is the introduction of a new Medical Care Improvement Act.
This bold new initiative will allow hospitals and multi-specialty facilities to enjoy duty-free concessions for new capital medical equipment and building materials. The reduction of duties from 45% to zero will allow for facilities to more easily provide updated technologies, particularly for expensive pieces of equipment like CT scanners, MRI scanners and the like.
Further, the act promotes public-private partnerships in the delivery of healthcare. Provided that public access is assured, financial impediments to state-of-the-art technology will become a thing of the past.
Most significantly, the new initiative grants a five-year customs duty exemption to the public Hospitals Authority and the National Insurance Board to make it easier to bring the public healthcare system more rapidly in sync with the current or prevailing industry standard.
Madame President, when fiscally prudent, we will complete the on-site redevelopment of PMH adjacent to the soon-to-be constructed critical care block.
Patient care in the hospitals will be improved by easing access to diagnostic and therapeutic equipment- thereby permitting shorter hospitalization times, shorter waiting lists and better clinical outcomes.
Conclusion:
Madame President.
These are certainly challenging times. There are only a few countries on this planet that have not been forced to make drastic changes in fiscal management, adopt some level of reduction in spending as government revenues have fallen.
Around the world, essential services have been slashed… jobs have been lost. In Great Britain, the United States, Spain, France … all over the world… the last few years have been especially difficult.
By the grace of God … we have fared well in this country.
By his grace and careful steady management, we have responded to the storm.
This budget for 2011 and 2012 carries on a uniquely FNM tradition of decisive action in the face of a perilous storm.
Madame President, I support this budget because it clearly demonstrates that we have fulfilled our responsibility to make the difficult policy decisions in the face of this storm.
Madame President, It ain’t long now. This storm will soon be over.
