by Edward Hutcheson
When governments change, the business of government must be seen as priority. A change in government can be used as an opportunity to help persons, but it should not be used as an opportunity to create mischief; the mischief of appointing persons beyond their competence in the name of the Party. Politicians must be held accountable for the lies they promote. The Party must not be put ahead of the country. The Public Purse must not be changed into a slush fund, because “it is our time now”. We speak of leadership and the need to help others, but this cannot happen at the expense of another Bahamian who is doing their job. Political leaders lie to themselves as they go about this business of “helping”. It is like they only want to help those who have a blind allegiance to them and God help the rest; forgetting that they were elected to lead all who are in the nation, even if they did not vote for them.
Can we be about the business of leading and not political pandering? Can we fulfil our God-ordained obligation to all of the Bahamians that we say we believe in? Or is it going to be easier to continue the lies that do nothing to repair the fractures inflicted to the social fabric, because of our political expediencies?
A nation so small cannot afford to have these hiccups caused through re-assigning and re-appointments. If they are needed no problem. If the person coming in is known to be the better choice, no problem. But anything else cannot be afforded and is not needed, in a time when the machinery of government must be seen as a priority, even to those who lead.
June 28, 2012
I’m sure Mr. Hutcheson this same or a very similar letter in June, 2007.
Ken, perhaps you may be correct.. Edward Hutcheson’s words and thoughts could have been written 39 years ago for only time changes but the truth of his thoughts do not.. Our hopes have turned to despair as government after government in the Bahamas have consolidated political power to create an elite and oppressive ruling class at the expense of the Bahamian people.. Today the people have to struggle just to make ends meet, while the political ruling class become even more wealthier at the public’s expense.. Sadly for the people we have become nothing more than a Banana Republic where the politicians eat the bananas and the people are left only the skins..
There was a time when the so called ‘Civill Service’ was an apolitical group of experts, who were dedicated to their duties no matter which party was in power.
In the event of a change of government, their tenure was secure, thus they could continue to devote their knowledge and skills to the furtherance of the tasks at hand.
Logically, the various departments developed a superior seamless and dare I say, harmonious relationship with their ever changing bosses.
Alas, no longer this ideal exists…… I am told that on very good authority that a devoted party member, in an important government department declared, after her party lost, she would do no work ’til they were returned to power…… Indeed, she did do just that for the next five years……. Basically, shuffled papers about her desk in the pretense of working.
An interesting justification for bad practices and/or policies is based on the fact that other political parties have done it before.
I would prefer to analyse them on their merit(s).