Civil Servants, Politicians & Parliamentary Democracy in The Bahamas

by Sir Arthur Foulkes

The website Bahamas Uncensored, formerly Fred Mitchell Uncensored, frequently goes off the deep end in its commentaries and observations and some of it could be attributed to the inexperience and ignorance of its editors.

However, most people believe that Mr. Mitchell, now a Cabinet Minister, still contributes to the site or at least exerts considerable influence on its contents despite protestations that he is no longer associated with it.

There is nothing wrong with a politician who becomes a cabinet minister maintaining a site for his own political purposes except that he has to be careful that what is said by him or on his behalf does not conflict with the responsibilities and disciplines that go along with membership in the Cabinet.

So it is perhaps convenient for Mr. Mitchell to maintain the fiction of disassociation to avoid problems with his cabinet colleagues.

But that does not exonerate him from responsibility for some of the things appearing on the site. At least, no one doubts that he can tell his friends not to make stupid statements like the comment on Joshua Sears last week.

Mr. Sears, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Bahamas Ambassador to the United States, has left the Public Service to seek the FNM’s nomination to run in Exuma and this is what Bahamas Uncensored had to say about that:

“The retired diplomat who just finished serving the PLP for four years in Washington has bitten the hand that fed him. Mr. Sears has announced by a pamphlet being circulated in Exuma that he is the candidate for the next election for the FNM in the constituency. What a shame! Disgraceful! Cut behind on the way!”

It is difficult to believe that the editors of Bahamas Uncensored would have published this without Mr. Mitchell’s knowledge and consent, having regard to the fact that Mr. Mitchell is the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Even though some of Mr. Mitchell’s friends say he has changed considerably since he became a minister, it would still be disappointing.

During 25 years of continuous power, the PLP was susceptible to some extremely negative characteristics including an attitude of entitlement, arrogance, intolerance, spitefulness, insatiable greed and dangerous confusion over the difference between party and government.

Mr. Mitchell knows all this and spoke out against some of it when he fell out with the PLP some years ago. Many Bahamians were victimized under the old PLP Government because they exercised their democratic right to support the political party of their choice or dared to criticize the PLP masters.

But some members and supporters of the PLP also suffered from the intolerance and spitefulness of their party when they were suspected of not toeing the line closely enough or when they dared to criticize the leadership.

There was a civil servant in Freeport, for instance, who was known to be a strong and open supporter of the party. In the run-up to one election someone told the leadership that this gentleman had switched sides politically.

It was not true, but the leadership pounced on him nevertheless. He was given a week to get out of his office and out of Freeport.

Then he was given a desk in the Post Office building in Nassau where he did little or nothing for the next 18 months. There are still traces of bitterness in this gentleman’s voice when he recalls his ordeal years later.

One would have expected that during its 10 years in opposition, the PLP would have taken the time and made an effort to clean out its bilges and scrape off its barnacles. But no.

When they were elected again in 2002, they came roaring back with many of the same nasty old habits much in evidence. Some of them had learned nothing. In fact, they behave as if they have to make up for lost time.

They regarded the FNM Government, which the people had elected to serve them from 1992 to 2002, as an inconvenient aberration, an “interim government”, as their former Leader put it.

The government and the country belonged to them, given to them by God, and one of them had the nerve to say as much from the floor of the House of Assembly. Traces of that delusion exists today at Bahamas Uncensored but also high up in the party leadership.

So it is that Bahamas Uncensored can say today that Joshua Sears was “serving the PLP for four years in Washington” and that in choosing to offer his services to his country in another capacity “he has bitten the hand that fed him”.

The arrogance and sheer stupidity of it is stunning and it would be laughable if it were not so dangerous.

Joshua Sears served his country well as a civil servant and he was among the very best: intelligent, competent, decent and hardworking, and a Bahamian gentleman to boot.

Mr. Sears did not serve the FNM nor the PLP but the Government and people of The Bahamas. Neither was he fed by the hand of the PLP; he was paid by the taxpayers of The Bahamas – and the taxpayers got a very good deal.

There is neither shame nor disgrace in his moving on and offering to serve his country in another capacity; it is his inalienable right to do so.

The shame and disgrace is that Bahamas Uncensored and all those associated with that website -- and others in the PLP who think like them-- are so ignorant, arrogant and intolerant that they would try to demean this fine Bahamian for offering to participate in the nation’s democratic process.

No doubt the people of Exuma will remember this intended slight against a gentleman they can be justly proud to call their homeboy. Perhaps they will consider administering that cut behind to those more deserving of it.

* * *
Some of the difficulties facing the PLP Government today have their roots in the failure of those who ought to know better to practice and to educate their members and supporters in the ways of parliamentary democracy and cabinet government.

They started off abusing the high office of Speaker by appointing someone who was not qualified to fill that office and demand the respect that it is due. The same applies to their choice of a Deputy Speaker.

PLP abuses of the system of cabinet government are too fresh in the minds of Bahamians to need repeating in this context.

But the PLP Government and its ministers have also failed dismally to understand the relationship between those who are elected to form the political leadership for the time being and those who constitute the permanent civil service of the country.

The civil service constitutes the very the machinery of government. It is there to advise the political leadership and it is there to carry out the policies of the government of the day. It deserves respect, not contempt.

Those who constitute the civil service work for the Bahamian people and are expected to serve whichever government the people should elect. They are not beholden to any particular political party and are not fed at the hand of any politician.

All governments appoint consultants for special purposes but a government that appoints an army of crony consultants because it does not know how to relate to the civil service will end up on the rocks.