The Budget, Sidney Collie, Crime & Punishment

by Craig Butler

Well, a lot has happened recently.

The government presented its budget for fiscal 2008; Minister Sidney Collie resigned due to botched local government elections; the Cabinet was reshuffled; former police prosecutor Keith Bell gave a dispassionate overview of the problems faced by our justice system; and violent crime continue to spiral.

Overall, the government presented a pretty good budget. It must be said, however, that it seemed to take a page out of the Progressive Liberal Party’s manual rather than the FNM’s.

I am disturbed by the fact that the government chose last year to remove certain incentives such as the first-time home buyers tax exemption only now to reinstate it. Yes, they may have tweaked the programme, but they have now acknowledged it was a good idea and they were wrong to tamper with it.

The lowering of duties in respect of certain basic products was long overdue. However, my fear is that many distributors will not pass on the savings but rather seek to reap even greater profits. I hope that such a scheme is not adopted across the board as the government's breaks will have been for naught.

What can we say about Sidney Collie, the former Minister of Lands & Local Government. that has not already been said? Was he a victim of civil service nonchalance? Probably. Should he and his department heads have paid greater attention to the details? Undoubtedly. Were his actions arrogant and intentional? Absolutely not.

I have known Sidney Collie personally for years and have always found him to be an honourable gentleman. My opinion has not changed. I am glad that the prime minister gave him the opportunity to resign and that he took it.

Although it was said that he resigned we all know that in matters such as this you are normally told by your boss that he wants your resignation, and failure on your part to do so then results in your being fired.

I don’t know for sure that this was the case, but I hope that it was. In any event, this has demonstrated that Cabinet ministers are ultimately responsible for their ministries. It matters not that the civil servants may have been the ones to screw up - what is important is that if you were the minister in charge then the buck stops with you. This concept is rarely exercised in the Bahamas. I hope that this signals the dawn of a new day.

The crime wave hit close to home last week when Dorneil Ferguson was murdered after being shot in his bed whilst he slept along with his wife and baby. I knew Neil for some 20 years, as he was employed as a mortician in my father’s establishment. So you can imagine that this came as a devastating blow to us all.

Neil will be sorely missed by all who knew him and counted him as friend. He was an ardent member of the Valley Boys and a devoted mason from Amos Temple #34. A loving husband, father, brother and friend has gone home and I’m not sure that I will ever be able to make sense of it.

What makes this matter even worse is that it is alleged that the act was carried out by a co-worker, a young man who I also know. I can’t comment any further as the young man is gong to have to face the charge and I don’t want to be accused of prejudicing the jury pool.

But something is wrong in our nation and the politicians keep turning a blind eye. Look at the senseless attempted robbery that resulted in a few persons getting shot. We need immediate answers and not just the same old rhetoric.

As for the justice system, it is in a state of flux. I don’t know exactly what to say about Keith Bell's revelations except that much of it was spot on. However, this government, which is supposed to be serious about crime, did not put their money where their mouth is as there was no allocation for construction of a new Supreme Court building in the 2008 budget.

This is a disgrace and the past week was all the evidence one needed that we don’t care about the system. I had reason to go to the courts on three occasions and the air conditioning was never working. As I sat in Justice Nottage’s Chambers she had to open the balcony door and have portable fans bought in. Unfortunately all they could do was blow the hot air.

And if that were not bad enough there was a horrendous odour that permeated the building. I presume it had to do with the often backed-up sewer system. Poor Justice Adderley as he sits downstairs and he would have had to bear an even greater stench.

Now the government has tabled new legislation to assist in the fight against crime. One such move is to create the crime of 'accessory after the fact', which would be new to our jurisdiction.

Personal liberty must be protected at all costs and although there are many instances where persons already accused and charged with crimes commit others while on bail, this is not a justification to remove bail. It is a signal that the system is moving far too slowly and these people are falling through the cracks.

The budget could have adequately addressed this by apportioning money for a new building, further justices and much needed trained support staff. The government dropped the ball here.

Comments

[C.Lowe]

Hi Craig, a couple corrections:

"I am disturbed by the fact that the government chose last year to remove certain incentives"

I believe this provision expired, and was not renewed, but now has been.

"The lowering of duties in respect of certain basic products was long overdue. However, my fear is that many distributors will not pass on the savings but rather seek to reap even greater profits".

The last 2% stamp tax was removed from already duty free food items, some 160 items which will not in all probability show any price reduction to consumers or great windfall profit increase to wholesalers/retailers.
This is because wholesalers and retailers have been by and large eating the increases in utilities, shipping, fuel surcharges and all other increasing costs.
On the other hand, and more study is needed which I urge everyone to do, most duty rates have gone up and not just by the 3% rounding up exercise. Also the new excise tax rates are also impressive.
Machetes: from 0% to 45%
Generators: from 10% to 45%
Motor oil: 27 to 45%
Automobiles: 65/75/85%
One should ask and arrive at the obvious, that is if they are projecting an increase in revenue, where but the public pocket will it come from?

For all the nessessary and essential infrastructure that needs replacing, and all the wonderfull programs of social provision that they will "give" us,
who but "we" will pay for it?

[drew Roberts]

"Generators: from 10% to 45%"

With as bad as BEC is, are they insane?

drew

[C.Lowe]

That goes without saying Drew, but we should be reminded from time to time.
The whole fiasco is centered around the fact that the WTO that they want to join so bad, would have problems with our tariff rates, considering them "barriers to trade" irrespective of the fact that we produce nothing, and levy these tariffs across the board because they are a main source of treasury income.
Most states, the U.S. included, place items that they do produce into a "excise"tax, collected upon export.
We have followed suit, but done so in order to "protect" the revenue generated by the most proftable catagories so to speak, and enable us to say "but look, no import duties"
A similar approach was used for "duty free liquors" while having an exorbitant "stamp tax"
The elimination of stamp tax was also due to a potential WTO issue, because remember stamp tax was a document resistering fee, that somehow became liable on the "value" of transactions.
SOmehow, someone clued into the potential to increase revenue, and upon first hearing the Budget Communication reference was made to "increased efficiencies" in collections
It appears that what was meant was increased rates of collection.
In short, they have a big, ever expanding government to run, and we will pay for it.

[nicob]

With regard to the civil service and the civil servants, I had the privilege of working for Minister Collie's Permanent Secretary Harrison Thompson, who is also sharing the responsibility and the blame for the affair, and know him as an honourable gentleman as well.

In this scenario, then, two honourable men are bearing the responsibility for something that has gone wrong.

I could say more about the civil service, but I won't right now. Suffice to say that not all of us screw up and that there are many, many hardworking and honourable individuals working in it.

NB

[C.Lowe]

I also had the chance to interact with Minister Collie, and will put it this way:
Upon leaving the meeting, I had the distinct feeling that I had been heard and better still, had been understood.
To be sure, I know many fine Civil Servants, helpful always,
who know the rules and follow them. They all seem to go so far in their careers, and then stop, far below their potential.