Bahamian Political Leaders Bring Troubles on Themselves

by Sir Arthur Foulkes

It is not unusual in politics to see a government in a state of meltdown. When it happens, all the usual clichés and adages come to mind: when it rains it pours; those whom the gods would destroy they first make mad; troubles come not in singles but in battalions.

In the United States the administration of a previously cocky George Bush is facing a sea of troubles and in Britain the shine has worn off the leadership of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In some people, as Oliver Wendell Holmes put it, “Trouble creates a capacity to handle it.” Others just go to pieces and blame everybody in sight for their misery.

It is true that in the political arena as it is in life that good people often suffer from the schemes, snares and slanders of opponents. It is also true that many political troubles are self-inflicted, but that does not stop the victims of self-mutilation from blaming others.

In Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, Cassius addresses Brutus soliciting his support to stop Caesar and his dictatorial designs on Rome. Says Cassius: “ … Men are at some time masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

It is true that Cassius was soliciting the conflicted Brutus to cause the ultimate trouble for Caesar -- putting an end to his life. But the point still holds: most of our troubles in life come as a result of our own fault.

That is certainly the case with Prime Minister Christie as his beleaguered Government falls apart. It is all of their own making and that is clear to the whole country including PLP supporters.

But that does not stop Mr. Christie from flailing about hysterically, conjuring up conspiracies, threatening his opponents and blaming everyone but his colleagues and himself for their troubles.

From the very beginning of his administration, Mr. Christie seemed to have adopted the attitude that if he left everything alone then everything would sort itself out, that if he allowed his Ministers and other colleagues to do as they liked, they would graciously respond by doing the right things.

The case of the Korean fishing boats was an early indication of how things would fall apart. A fleet of fishing boats invaded The Bahamas to catch fish for export, presumably to Korea. Included in the fleet was a mother ship with processing equipment, and they were all crewed by Koreans.

There were so many things wrong with this scheme that it is difficult to understand who could have conceived it and how it got so far. The Bahamians responsible -- even those who were not a part of the administration -- should have known that such a thing could not, would not, be allowed.

More so, members of the Government – ministers and backbenchers – and all the civil servants involved should have known better. But work permits were obtained for the Koreans and the boats were allowed into the country. Obviously someone high up knew about it.

It was only when the plot was discovered and the Opposition and others started to protest that the boats left the country, or were otherwise disposed of, and the Korean crew also left.

But up to this day Mr. Christie has not given the Bahamian people satisfactory answers to the many questions which remain outstanding with regard to this scandal. And that has been the hallmark of his administration.

Other scandals and crises followed in much the same pattern and with much the same result, including the Junkanoo bleachers, the fight in the Cabinet room and the Anna Nicole Smith affair, to name a few.

Among Mr. Christie’s colleagues when the PLP came to office were some people with the same corrupt and vindictive inclinations of the old PLP and some who never really understood how our system of government is supposed to operate.

But there had never been any hint of corruption about Mr. Christie and certainly he was well-educated in the ways of our parliamentary democracy and cabinet government.

He was familiar with all the principles and conventions of the system and he enjoyed the goodwill of the people, including many in the opposition. So the country looked to him to regulate the deviant and educate the ignorant.

Mr. Christie was able to articulate, sometimes eloquently, all these things. Yet he failed; and that failure was neither due to his political opponents nor to a hostile media nor even so much to his wayward colleagues.

When he should have spoken out, he was silent; when he should have acted, he was paralyzed; and when he should have revealed, he covered up.

It was due to something lacking in him: either the will or the strength or the courage to do what he should have done. That is why we are witnessing this meltdown -- like an ice sculpture in the noonday sun.

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ADVICE FOR RADIO

Readers of this column may recall that a few months back I was the victim of a chronic radio talk show caller and serial slanderer. Last week he was at it again with other people as his intended victims.

As the election season heats up, this individual and others like him will no doubt be quite busy.

So this is a bit of advice for the proprietors and hosts of radio talk shows who have a responsibility to protect the public from slander and indecent comment on the airwaves.

They cannot expect members of the public who are attacked by slanderers to be satisfied with just an apology, and they leave themselves open to costly legal remedy.

Talk show hosts and the proprietors have the same responsibility to guard against slander as the editors and publishers of the print media have to guard against libel. They know exactly who the serial slanderers are and the public knows as well.

The hosts should cut them off to avoid this high risk and the proprietors should make sure that mechanisms are in place to protect the public.

That is not too difficult to do, and is better that the proprietors should do it before people start making demands on their legislators. It would be a pity if this wonderful venue for democratic debate should have to be restricted because of the nastiness of a few.

As for the serial slanderers themselves, they may feel that because of their circumstances they are immune from legal action for redress by their victims. They are wrong.

Comments

[f]

or maybe they had something on him that's why he failed to act time and time again?

[bush]

The Bahamian Public at Large Knows Perry Christie and His So called Stright Minister (s).

"the truth is they aint so stright"
if ya know what I mean*
But wait till the commission investigate the PLP (s) the Public will know all the dirt him and his cronnies have done over the past 4 yrs nothing, but spent and have strip partys on the bahamian people backs just you wait and see.
what you do in the dark will hunt you in the day!