by Dr. Donald M. McCartney, DM

President Barack Obama in a recent speech given in Warsaw, Poland said that Sunshine is the best and most effective disinfectant. He said this to illustrate how the social media is being used to expose the behaviour of law enforcement officers who do not carry out their duties in a manner that is consistent with fairness, equality, and justice.

In The Bahamas, more "sunshine” needs to be used to expose the inequitable practices of the present and past administrations. Chief among those practices that need to be exposed to the rays of the sun is political victimisation and discrimination. While both of the fore-mentioned practices are wicked and abhorrent, this post will expose the practice of age discrimination that has been brazenly practiced in The Bahamas with impunity.

Evidence of this is seen clearly after every General Election. Successive Administrations appeared to have gone to the graveyard and recruited the dead to serve in many capacities in positions of national importance. This is done to the exclusion of qualified and experienced members of the Bahamian society.

Now do not get me wrong, because I believe that if a Bahamian is in good mental and physical health and he or she is qualified, then they should be allowed to serve. The problem is that only a select few are able to become members of this elite club. Efficient and proficient Public Officers who have reached the age of 65 are forced to retire, and only those whose politics is "right" are allowed to return as contracted officers.

I am sure that my dear readers could name at least half a dozen persons who resurrected every time the present Administration comes to power. Of course, it is and has been the practice of previous Administrations…

The excuse that is often put forward for the retirement of Public Officers is that vacancies must be made for younger Public Officers. There are some areas in both the Public and Private Sectors where this may be applicable. However, you cannot discriminate against one group of citizens to please and facilitate another group. This practice does this line up with the tenets of The Bahamian Constitution!

Cases in point are two failed referenda that were billed as efforts to bring equality to both males and females in The Bahamas. If there is going to be equality across the board and if the playing field is to be level or appear to be level, then no citizen or resident of The Bahamas should be discriminated against because of his or her age or for any other reason.

A case in point, how can you tell me that I cannot serve in any capacity in the College of The Bahamas because I have reached the magical age of 65? However, on the other hand, Governors-General, Prime Ministers, Members of the Senate and Parliament generally are almost in those positions for life. Of course, I could go on to list some persons who have been brought out of the crypts and mausoleums each time successive Administrations have come to hold the reins of power.

I noted with interest the appointment of a President of The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI). I wonder if this appointee has reached the magical age of 65…

Yes, all of you know who they are, but as a people, we sit and allow the inequality to continue without a public murmur…Yet we are all up in the business of what is occurring and has occurred in the US with what we consider unfair, unjust, and unequal treatment of minorities in that country….It is good and right to recognize what is wrong, unfair, unjust, and smacks of unequal treatment wherever it occurs.

However, as Bahamians, we must keep our own door mouth clean before we proceed to clean the door mouth of others…. There must be freedom, justice, and equal treatment for all in ALL respects, and as Bahamians wherever these fundamental rights are found lacking, we must let the best disinfectant (the sun) clean it up…!!!

The present Administration and future Administrations MIST make it their mandate and effort to bring equality within reach of ALL Bahamians and residents alike…

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