by Simon
•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind
who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published
every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at
frontporchguardian@gmail.com.
In the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures, the test of justice is clear: Where you stand with God depends on how you stand with your neighbour. At the heart of that test is the command to care for widows, orphans and resident aliens – a mandate of the ages, enduring across millennia and cultures, as urgent in our times as of those of the Hebrew Prophets.
Today, those committed to social justice in the tradition of the Biblical prophets are engaged in the timeless work of defending the rights of and caring for widows (women), orphans (children) and resident aliens (illegal immigrants), often the more vulnerable among us. Hubert Ingraham follows in this progressive tradition.
In office, the Prime Minister has boosted National Insurance benefits and social assistance for widows and orphans, and expanded the pre-school programme for four-year-olds to assist working parents who are overwhelmingly single parent working mothers. In a major advance his government significantly reduced infant mortality.
Mr. Ingraham and his party restricted child employment particularly for those under the age of 14 while prohibiting night work for children. And, he has resisted the siren calls of public opinion and some in his own party who dehumanize illegal immigrants out of fear or ignorance or for talk show ratings or political gain.
During this term he seems determined to reform a chaotic and antiquated citizenship, naturalization and work permit process that is sometimes corrupt and demeaning, and often nightmarish and unresponsive.
URGENCY
Mr. Ingraham has some of the characteristics of the Hebrew Prophets, including a fist-pounding urgency and zeal to confront those regressive forces who hijack the language of tradition to limit the covenant and promise of human dignity chiselled into the defining birthright of all God’s children in Genesis 1:27:
“God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” All of God’s children: black and white, men and women, rich and poor, Bahamian and immigrant.
In his defence of this Biblical injunction, embodied in his commitment to expand and protect basic human rights and freedoms enshrined in the constitution, Mr. Ingraham has championed equality. He has not shied away from the tough cases, resisting the political alchemy of demonizing many of those that society often views as “the least among us”.
In addition to avoiding the scapegoating of immigrants, both legal and illegal, Mr. Ingraham has generally resisted the homophobia that pervades too many of our public utterances and private conversations.
In an effort to reduce the stigma often associated with homosexuality, in 1991, the PLP removed certain private sexual acts between consenting adults from the criminal code, effectively decriminalizing sexual activity by homosexuals. It was a bold progressive move for which the PLP deserves enormous credit.
COURAGE
In that spirit, Mr. Ingraham has also endorsed efforts to reduce homophobia. He did so in an extraordinarily progressive statement confronting the scapegoating of gays and lesbians. Issued in 1998 in response to the hysteria surrounding the visit of a cruise ship chartered by an American gay organization, the Prime Minister released a five-page document few of his Commonwealth Caribbean peers would have had the courage to issue.
And, while he will follow the laws regarding capital punishment, Mr. Ingraham has publicly stated his basic opposition to the death penalty. Again, how many leaders, with such a law on the books enthusiastically supported by most voters, including some in his own party, would dare utter a principled opposition to the ultimate punishment the state can impose?
Mr. Ingraham’s progressive stripes have also been earned by legislative and programmatic advances, including the establishment of a 40-hour work week, sick leave entitlement, mandated minimum vacation leave, and the provision of a right to family leave (without pay).
But the major advancement in labour laws was the establishment of a minimum wage which Mr. Ingraham and his progressive colleagues pushed through in the face of opposition from various business interests. This landmark legislation helped to lift the economic boats of thousands of Bahamians.
The Prime Minister has also promoted greater social development by dramatically expanding access to affordable housing for thousands of Bahamians throughout the country and by implementing the first ever unemployment benefits programme, a major advance in social security.
In the area of health care, the establishment of the Public Hospitals Authority and the building of numerous community clinics have helped in the delivery of health care. Still, the expansion of health care is a work in progress, with the Prime Minister seeking to pursue such expansion in stages, mindful of the issues of financing and capacity building.
He and his government are now concentrating on access to free prescription drugs for children and the elderly with a longer term view to broader coverage, and the nettlesome question of providing and paying for chronic care for Bahamians.
HOSPITAL
The Prime Minister’s desire to build a new hospital to replace the Princess Margaret may be a dream deferred, given the state of public finances amidst perilous economic times, but his commitment to fulfilling this dream is not in doubt.
In addition to social security benefits and assistance, housing and health care, the other major plank of social development is education. Here, successive Ingraham administrations have had notable successes, including the building and refurbishments of public schools throughout the country.
Still, transforming education continues to be a major challenge for both political parties. Incremental changes have been made by the PLP and the FNM, and the draft 10-year educational plan holds some promise.
But is it imaginative and bold enough? Has it taken account of progressive educational advances in other jurisdictions? The reforms in the Washington D.C. public school system headed by Chancellor Michelle Rhee may provide some insights as the country continues efforts to improve public education.
If Mr. Ingraham wishes to have the same progressive impact on education as he has had on other areas of public policy, he may have to think more deeply about what he considers to be progress, considering truly transformational ideas and taking bolder steps the country has heretofore avoided, because of a lack of imagination, bureaucratic inertia and resistance by some union forces.
The Prime Minister may also have to consider whom he believes can best lead such educational reform in the three key leadership posts in the public education establishment, namely those of Minister, Permanent Secretary and Director of Education.
Mr. Ingraham has also deepened Bahamian democracy with a number of bold strokes that did not require constitutional amendments. He resisted the temptation to keep tight control of the airwaves to ensure his government’s advantage -- as his predecessors had done for 25 years after Majority Rule – and fully democratized this sector.
Hubert Ingraham and his party have an enviable progressive record, with significant accomplishments, from the provision of increased social security to women’s rights to affordable housing. Yet, it is a record that will continue to unfold within the context of challenges still to be met to make The Bahamas a land of even greater equality, opportunity and social justice.
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