|
(YOU MUST CHECK AGAINST THE DELIVERY)
INTERVENTION ON THE BUDGET
13TH June 2006
House of Assembly
Nassau, The Bahamas
The Hon. Fred
Mitchell MP
RESPECTS TO L.N.
COAKLEY AND GORDON LOWE
Mr. Speaker, I
wish to start by first offering my condolences to the families of the
late Livingstone Coakley and Gordon Lowe. Mr. Coakley was a friend and
mentor. His wife was my primary school teacher at what was then the
Eastern Junior
School and is now the Palmdale
Primary School. Mr. Coakley
passed away at the age of 81 on Sunday. He was a great Bahamian, having
served as a school teacher himself and then as a Member of Parliament
for Exuma and a Minister of the Government in several ministries.
Gordon Lowe was a
colleague of mine when I worked for a short time at the Broadcasting
Corporation of The Bahamas. He was married to a member of the staff of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and he is being buried later today.
ROAD TRAFFIC
DEATHS AND ACCIDENTS AN ISSUE
Mr. Speaker I want
to start from a rather unusual place today and that is an appeal to the
young people of this country and in particular the young men of the
country. On Sunday morning while in church in my constituency I learned
that the nephew of a dear friend of mine, whose son was only 17, died
tragically in a car crash in the early hours of Sunday morning. If the
newspaper count is to be believed then that makes it 16 people who have
died on our roads as a result of traffic fatalities.
We all know the
most recent accidents before that, which led to the deaths of two
members of the Adderley family from Burnt Ground, Long Island and most
recently another man from Deadman’s Cay,
Long Island.
In the scheme of things, the numbers of those who die are relatively
small, but each death is a diminishing of this society. It is also
clear that traffic deaths hit disproportionately the young men, they are
often avoidable and often self- inflicted, and the road traffic deaths
hit most often the economically active part of the population, those in
their young adulthood, striking at the productive capacity of the
society.
I had the
experience yesterday to visit the home of a constituent. He is now laid
up in hospital with two bad breaks in his thigh as a result of a
motorcycle accident. I had just been to his home a few weeks ago and
during the course of the visit I had explained that I had seen him
riding his motorcycle around the neighbourhood without a helmet. My
parting words were, we want you to live to at least as long as I have,
that is the age of 52, and you will not if you do not ride safely and
responsibly and take precautions.
He agreed but
notwithstanding that he has had the unfortunate accident, and fractures
are not easy as it often appears to be to solve. I really wish himself
and his parents well.
I am told that
most recently a father was on television in Nassau pleading with young
people in the face of the death of his own child who did not listen and
lost his life in a motorcycle accident. Mr. Speaker, the message is
timely because Lord George Robertson the former NATO Secretary General
has issued a report from the Commission for Global Road Safety in which
he and his colleagues argue the persuasive case that to make poverty
history, we must make our roads safe.
The report
outlines much of what I have said here this morning and goes further in
that it describes deaths on the roads amounting to some 1.2 million and
50 million injuries as an epidemic. The report says that 85 per cent of
the casualties are in low and middle income countries. That means us.
The report is commissioned by the G8 group and it recommends that 10 per
cent of all the monies set aside for road improvements in development
funding should be dedicated to road safety.
The report says
that only AIDS and Tuberculosis kill more young men than road traffic
deaths.
That is a sobering
report.
What I know is as
a representative I have seen too often the pain and suffering of parents
trying to deal with death or trying to deal with the expenses of a road
traffic accident. And I am more dedicated than ever to supporting my
colleague the Member
of Parliament for
Englerston on road safety including cracking down on speeding, on
drinking and driving, and enforcing the seat belt laws, and further
strengthening the police powers to deal with motorcyclists who do not
wear helmets and otherwise alter their bikes to make a nuisance in our
communities. We have to do so for our own and their own good.
All the monies
dedicated to this budget will be for nothing if our people do not
survive through a healthy adulthood; if the money is eaten up in
preventable health costs, if the monies that could go toward education
are eaten up in the long term care of individuals from entirely
preventable causes.
And I wish to
make a special appeal, to join that father who asked the young men to
listen, to use the helmet, not to drink and drive and protect their
lives so that they live to the ripe age that they are supposed to live.
THE NEED FOR
BETTER DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION
Mr. Speaker, I was
talking to one of the senior members of our party who is now a retired
politician and he made the point that during their time they made the
decision to put in place their own information machinery because the
message of the party was simply not getting out, getting out at all or
on a timely basis and often in a garbled and deliberately twisted
fashion.
The Chairman of
our Party Raynard Rigby recently spoke to this issue and I agree
entirely with him. I speak most often to Charles Carter who is the
Publisher of the Nassau Guardian about what I consider a major problem
in the dissemination of information in this country, the ability to
simply report what was said and done without editorializing. This is
only an issue for the press that considers itself papers of record, not
the trashy papers that simply sit down and manufacture information for
the entertainment of its readers.
The interesting
thing is that I believe that these papers have moved down market, trying
to compete with the trashy papers for lurid headlines, and salacious
material in an effort to attract readers siphoned off by the trashy
papers. Such is the role of market forces in the field of journalism.
It has become so
bad in my view that one sees the most perverse and twisted
interpretations of the facts that this party and this Government has to
find a better way to get its message to its supporters. Each day I read
some opinion or some news report on issues relating to foreign affairs
and I marvel at the inaccuracies, the deliberate twisting of information
all to promote an agenda to perpetuate a great falsehood that there is
some problem between the United States and ourselves. The Prime
Minister spoke in this House extensively last week on this subject. Did
not make a bit of difference. They were back again this time
misinterpreting a report that appeared in the press about the movement
of helicopters out of Exuma as part of the OPBAT programme. I have come
to the point where I told my colleagues I simply don’t answer
foolishness.
The U.S.
Ambassador himself went to the press and explained and yet the editorial
positions remained the same, there was some secret message by the U.S.
to The Bahamas. So I think our former colleague is right; we simply
have to get our message out to our supporters, get the truth out, the
arguments out. What is happening is a hindrance to the orderly
development of public policy and it ought to be corrected. That is why
you will probably hear very little from me in these matters as the
campaign intensifies.
When I think about
how perverse some of the interpretations of policy are, I think of lines
from the Lion in Winter: “You’re so deceitful you can’t ask for water
when you’re thirsty... We could tangle spiders in the webs you weave.”
The Prime Minister
has given us all our marching orders: get on the ground and work those
doors and the crowds. At the end of the day, it is not what these folks
who make stories say, but what the count is in the ballot box. Amen!
PUBLIC SERVICE
The Department of
the Public Service is head 6 in the budget. There are no major changes
in the budget of the Public Service; no major changes save on the rent
for buildings. The variance is about 7 million dollars. You will note
that the Ministry is responsible for the accommodation of public
buildings.
The rents and
leases are maintained by the Ministry. Many public buildings are built
by the National Insurance Board and rented to the Government.
PUBLIC SERVICE
INSTITUTE
We now have on
staff a consultant to the Ministry who will be responsible for the
development of a public service institute. It is not clear at what
level this will engage. Mr. Abraham Butler comes with significant
experience in personnel matters and his proposals are being studied with
a view to their implementation to assist the service in the development
of the talents and skills of public servants. It is my hope that the
institute when fully developed will be able to assist the public service
training centre in the upgrading of qualifications for public servants
and for the teaching of courses to allow persons to get basic BJC and
BGCSE qualifications.
THE MORATORIUM ON
PUBLIC SECTOR HIRING
It is the hope
that the government will be able in a limited sense during the next year
to ease the restrictions on hiring, particularly in the entry level
jobs. These are the jobs that can be affected for hiring by Permanent
Secretaries by delegated authority. Some of these job categories will
be as general service workers that require no academic qualifications
but the hope is that in hiring these persons there will be an agreement
to upgrade the qualifications of the individuals by a certain time.
I think it is
clear that there is the need to design specific policies for young
people and work. The moratorium has caused there to be a run down in
certain categories of work in the service so that many departments are
wanting badly for personnel. This is not designed to increase the
established strength of the service. It is not anticipated that any
extra funding will be needed. We are working with the Ministry of
Finance to identify the needs of the service that are established and
budgeted as far as personnel are concerned and try to fill those needs.
How we are
approaching hiring in the service at entry level
The number of jobs
that we have identified can be filled though now unfunded is 1238. But
what we are having ministries do is to identify those jobs that are
funded and have not been filled left vacant by deaths, resignations,
dismissals or retirements.
You will know as a
representative Mr. Speaker that government jobs are most popular.
Everyone wants a government job. It is clear that the Government cannot
hire everyone. But what I do think is that there is a social
responsibility for the Government in the absence of programmes to the
contrary to provide the training opportunities, the support structures
for young people to learn a trade. My father left the Boys Central, now
the C.R. Walker
School, and went to trade in what was then the Board of Works at the age
of 14. That was located where the Nassau Street Magistrate courts are
now located. He learned to be a mechanic. And what we find today that
many young people who want work but do not have the skills. We have to
pay a lot of attention to our education system to provide the skills and
the education for them to succeed.
The Public Service
is a good training ground for skills both social and technical or
professional. It grounds the young employee in a future.
The Government has
found a good and reliable partner in the Bahamas Public Service Union
and I have a good working relationship with the Union
and its President John Pinder. I meet each quarter with the public
sector unions and this includes the Police Staff Association and the
Prison Staff Association, the Nurses and the staff representative of the
Royal Bahamas Defence Force.
Negotiations are
presently being conducted with the Bahamas Union of Teachers with the
Minister of Education having the general superintendence of the
negotiations.
NO GREAT DRAMA IN
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
I turn now to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The story on the budget in Foreign Affairs
contains no great drama. The variances are due almost entirely to
increased expenses for various items but mainly the variances or
increases are due to the rise in the subventions that we have to pay
international organizations. Head 13 is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and on page 101 it shows a variance of just about 4.3 million dollars.
Illustrative of
the perverse interpretations of which I spoke, there was a story on
Thursday 1st June which led with the headline in The Tribune:
BUDGET SUGGESTS WITHDRAWAL OF BAHAMAS FROM GLOBAL STAGE. Now I want to
make a quick distinction between the writer of the article and the
editors who make the headlines. The writer did not write that The
Bahamas was withdrawing from the global stage. The headline writer
did. The headline is perverse and simply untrue. In fact, the story
itself and the budget itself would show that if anything at all The
Bahamas is increasing its participation in the wider global village. In
fact the article itself says the opposite of what the headline says.
But you know, never let the truth interfere with a good story. Don’t
bother me with the truth, I have made up my mind.
What the story did
was to go through the contributions that The Bahamas will pay to
international organizations this next fiscal year and point out the
various increases.
The payment of all
contributions to regional and multilateral organizations is channeled
through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Contributions are
a direct reflection of new or changed, often increased mandates from
these organizations of which The Bahamas is a member and from which
regional and international obligations therefore accrue.
The fact of the
matter is that we have little or no control over these payments as they
are assessed contributions which derive from our membership in the
relative organizations.
The figure for the
United Nations only appears to be lower because this year, we
disaggregated a number of payments pertaining to Peacekeeping Operations
which were clustered together with our contribution to the UN’s Regular
fund. These now appear under the line Item 912233 which should properly
read United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and not
Commonwealth Peacekeeping
Operations.
Last year’s
Caricom Heads of Government meeting agreed to the establishment of the
Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network. This item $25,246 at 912138 is
a new item as we were not a part of this before this year.
During the present
budget year, The Bahamas signed the Agreement Establishing CROSQ, the
Caribbean Regional Organization for Standards and Quality. See the
item at 912143, $68,800. This too is a new item as we were not members
of this body that will assist us in the setting up of a proper standards
bureau.
During the present
budget year, The Bahamas signed the Agreement Establishing membership in
CROSQ. We had always been included in the activities of the
organization that was established in December 2001. Participation in
the organization is critical to the Government’s ongoing efforts to
establish a Bureau of Standards in The Bahamas.
With regard to the
expenses for Caricom Regional Secretariat at item 912117, there is an
increase of $1,017,700 over last year. In the wake of the difficulties
experienced in Grenada as a result of Hurricane Ivan and the political
problems in Haiti,
the Heads of Government of Caricom agreed for an interim period to carry
the expenses of Grenada and
Haiti to the Secretariat. This figure reflects that subvention.
With both Grenada
and Haiti getting somewhat on track, these expenses are not expected to
be repeated.
Caricom is our
major regional alliance, and in February it was formally agreed that we
would remain members of Caricom without being part of the single market
and economy.
The Tribune also
ran a companion story on 1st June 2006 under the headline:
DIPLOMATS SUFFER HEAVY PAY CUTS IN BUDGET.
This too is an
interpretation that is incorrect and untrue.
Diplomats are
hired by contract, usually for three years determinable with three
months notice. For example Ambassador Joshua Sears in Washington gave
notice that he will leave office at the end of July. The terms and
conditions of the contract are fixed and they cannot be altered
unilaterally without penalty by any party. So no diplomat can suffer a
pay cut without their agreement and we have asked no Ambassador, High
Commissioner or other diplomat to take a pay cut.
Where The
Tribune’s analysis is faulty is that they simply take the number of
posts authorized by the budget and divide them by the amount of money
funding the filled posts and conclude that there has been a pay cut to
diplomatic staff. In fact, a more complex analysis is required.
The Bahamas
maintain 3 embassies, 2 High Commissions, 2 Consulates General and a
Permanent Mission to the United Nations overseas. It also has a corps
of Non Resident Ambassadors and High Commissioners. The number of
positions for a given post reflected in the budget represents the total
number of establishment posts. It is not indicative of the number of
positions filled. The number of vacancies filled for a given post
varies over time.
In this budget the
line 42 has 10 Ambassadors, Line 43 4 High Commissioners, line 47 4
Consuls General.
ESTABLISHMENT
NUMBER OF AMBASSADORS AND NON RESIDENT AMBASSADOR POSITIONS.
The reduction in
emoluments for this item in the 2006/07 estimates is not a reduction in
pay to Ambassadors. Instead , it is due to provisions earmarked for
2005/06 for Non-Resident Ambassadors no longer being required at this
time.
In the case of
High Commissioners, only three of the four positions are filled, and one
of which is a non-resident High Commissioner. As regards the post of
Consul General, two of the four positions are filled. Again, the
reduction in pay for these items is due to previous provisions no longer
being required at this time.
The article also
made some erroneous conclusions with regard to salary increases for
employees. The increases to employees for 2006, specifically First
Secretary (line 46), Senior Protocol Officer (line 37) and Assistant
Protocol Officer (line39) are a combination of salary increases
negotiated in the recent Industrial Agreement between the Government and
the Public Service Union, internal promotions, and new appointments.
The piece also
reports that a new Chief of Protocol has been taken on. That is not
true. Andrew McKinney, the Chief of Protocol was confirmed in his
position during the year (Line 36). It also indicates a new consultant
has been taken on (line 50). The consultant referred to has been engaged
for the past two years.
Please understand
that the philosophy of this Government, the Prime Minister and this
Minister is not a retreat from world affairs but to further project The
Bahamas into the affairs of the world, so as to enhance the
opportunities for this country and its citizens around the world. We
think that we are pursuing the right policy for this country of being
friends to all who wish to be friend with us, projecting our values but
staying out of the internal affairs of other countries.
Our relationship
with our primary trading and geo strategic partner the United States of
America are excellent, despite the fodder of nonsense that is often spun
on this subject by the fellow travelers from the other side.
Each day at the
professional and political level there is functional cooperation. We
are working diligently to address the issue of the resources available
for OPBAT.
We are also
working to address the issue of the pre clearance in Freeport. We have
known since last year that because of the dramatic drop in the volumes
of tourists through the Freeport airport that there is a possibility of
the scaling back of the pre clearance in Freeport. I am sure that
there are some who would put their usual perverse interpretation in the
matter but the Grand Bahama Port Authority, Hutchison their partners and
the Government are working with the Embassy here to see how this problem
can be addressed. In fact , I have written the Secretary of State on
the matter and spoken with a senior official just yesterday about this
and another matter.
I would suggest
that if the press wanted to do something really useful, they might
organize to have ordinary citizens write to the U.S. Embassy here and
express their concerns about the matters like pre clearance and OPBAT so
that the Embassy here might be further armed with information instead
seeking to exacerbate or exaggerate the position for purely political
reasons.
But there is one
further thing I wish to say to Bahamians about the United States of
America and about life in general. It never stays the same. The fact
is that The Bahamas and Bahamians or at least our political critics seem
to be the only people who think that life stands still. In a society as
dynamic and diverse as the U.S. there is a constant review of priorities
and part of that review includes costs.
You have only to
remember that at one time there was a balloon in Exuma to watch over the
drug lanes. That was taken down and the prophets of doom and gloom said
that this indicated a loss of confidence in the Bahamian government. Of
course, it was not. New technology and costs drove the decisions.
So we should
refrain from trying to always stay in this comfort zone that life will
always remain the same. Life changes and that will apply to OPBAT as
well as to The Bahamas/US relationship.
What is imperative
is that successive Governments of this country must so work the
relationship so that our independence and way of life are not
compromised while maintaining good relations with the United States. It
is always interesting to me that amongst the most fervent critics of our
present foreign policy are those who opposed the independence of this
country in the first place. It is very sad that they still do.
It is also ironic
the delight and glee with which they try to play up what they see as
faux pas and faults in the foreign policy particularly directed at this
Minister. It is as if they wish that the country fails just to get at
me personally and the PLP. So every twisted, perverted interpretation
becomes a major issue, when it is not issue at all. Let’s be clear
here: the architect of foreign policy under the constitution is the
Prime Minister. Article 111 of the Constitution makes that abundantly
clear. He is fully at one with his Cabinet and the Cabinet directs the
government. And that is the way it has been and the way it is. No
amount of propaganda can change that fact. Our foreign policy is a
careful balancing act described by the newspaper columnist Andrew Allen
as the PLP’s quiet neutral stance. I liked his expression when he
described the Leader of the side opposite’s views most recently on
Cuba
as crossing the boundaries from tomfoolery to Uncle Tomery.
RELATIONS WITH
OTHER COUNTRIES
Our secondary
relationships are first the regional relationship with Caricom where we
engage with the region on matters of mutual interest both politically
and in economics. This is a strong relationship and one that is of
vital importance to our survival as country. Further, save for the
issue of Schengen visas which remains the single most important obstacle
to good relations with European countries, our relationship with the EU
is excellent. We expect that within this fiscal year there will be a
number of EU development funded projects completed or begun.
Our membership in
the United Nations, Commonwealth and the Organization of American States
are also important to our country’s survival.
The Commonwealth
Fund for Technical Cooperation will be lending us assistance in the
coming year on the reorganization of the visa and consular services of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The level of consumer complaints in
this area has not abated and it is clear that the present situation
requires improvement.
THE EMBASSIES
ABROAD
I wish to report
that the Embassy in China is open for business. The Head of the Embassy
is Philip Miller as Chargè and Head of Mission who I must thank for his
outstanding work at very short notice organizing all of the many details
to fulfill our international commitment. The Prime Minister recently
approved the appointment of a Consul to the office and I would expect
that before the fall that officer will be in place to begin dealing with
consular matters.
The Embassy in
Cuba should have its official opening barring any unforeseen
difficulties on 17th July of this year. I want to thank
Ambassador Carlton Wright, his wife Audrey and the team of Bahamians
there for the extraordinary efforts they have made on behalf of their
country.
I wish to announce
that the United States Government has now agreed to the appointment of
Michael Young, a former employee of Delta Airlines who is Bahamian and
well known in the city of Atlanta, recommended by Mayor Andrew Young as
Honorary Consul for the state of Georgia. Given the large number of
Bahamians in the state of Georgia we believe that this will go some way
to assist with consular issues there.
I want to announce
also the appointment of Dr. Monica Davis as Honorary Consul for The
Bahamas in Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. Davis is a former classmate of mine
at St. Augustine’s College and is the daughter of Dr. Gilbert Davis and
Mrs. Davis who is also a doctor. Dr. Gilbert Davis is a former
consultant to the National Insurance Board.
I want to announce
also the appointment of Jacqueline Osadebay Marsallek as Honorary Consul
for The Bahamas in Belize. Mrs. Osadebay Marsallek is the daughter of
Justice of Appeal Emmanuel Osadebay and Mrs. Osadebay.
It is my proud
honour to thank all of our diplomats overseas for their service to the
country on behalf of the government and particularly those who will be
leaving us in the months ahead. The country is the better for all of
their services.
The heavy lifting
for this term in Foreign Affairs is really over. The remaining issue is
that of the machine readable passports and secure visa and work permit
documents. I am advised that the tender’s board has met again on the
matter and a final recommendation should be ready for the Government
shortly. You will see in the capital estimates an increase of
$1,225,000 in the allocation at 713700. This does not reflect the true
cost and there will probably be some financing arrangement but the
allocation is there to provide the basis for the start up of the
process. The Department of Immigration will share the cost from their
budget.
It is likely that
there will be substantial increases in the costs over the existing costs
of passports, and visa documents once the new passports and visa
documents are available..
MATTERS REGARDING
TRADE
I wish to make a
brief reference to trade matters that came into the portfolio with the
changes in February of this year. Let me say that this covers
international trade agreements and the idea is for a new Department of
Foreign Trade to be created. Ambassador Leonard Archer now heads the
nascent unit.
I was asked on
Sunday on the radio what is the most important challenge facing our
country as we look to the future, I answered that it is how will The
Bahamas integrate into the world community? The Communication by the
Prime Minister indicates that no international trade agreements will be
entered into without the fullest consultation with the Bahamian people.
I think that the
Chamber of Commerce has a constructive attitude toward these
international agreements knowing that The Bahamas cannot hide itself
from the world.
Unfortunately
there continues to be an element in the country that specializes in
misinformation, xenophobia, even racism in connection with these
matters. It pollutes the debate and it is unfortunate but such is
life. Their arguments are best ignored and the course of public
education by non governmental organizations should be supported so that
there can truly be an informed choice.
What I can tell
you is that both the United States and the European Union have indicated
that in terms of trade matters there is little likelihood of a bilateral
trade agreement with a market of 300,000 people. So if there is to be
integration into the world economy, a decision has to be made on how and
in what circumstances if at all. That happily is not a question for me
alone but which we will have to face as a country. My views are clear
but will for the moment remain to myself since the Government has
developed no policy on the matter.
Before turning
from Foreign Affairs, I wish only to add that my view is that The
Bahamas can play a more important and significant role in the region
given the size of its economy. It should be a greater contributor to the
region.
I also add that in
this year’s provisions we have sought to put aside the funding that we
have been giving on an ad hoc basis to the Bahamian Student Associations
in the Caribbean. We think that
it is important to support them.
Mr. Speaker, on
the public service before I sit, I hope that before the summer break,
we are able to move amendments to the pensions act to provide for the
bridging of service, for judges, for beach wardens, to correct an
anomaly for Mrs. Lois Symonette, the late former member of the Public
Service Commission and for judges.
It has been my
honour to work in the two ministerial posts and I look forward to the
further work for an on behalf of the constituents of Fox Hill for
another five years.
end
|
