Multiplying possibilities for CARICOM

By Dr Isaac Newton



2011 wasn’t just another year. Powerful politicians went to jail, joblessness hardened into recession, and many of our assumptions about the status quo froze to death. Some of us were inclined to laugh, but found dark sorrow everywhere our teardrops fell.

2011 was a powerful reproach for some of the world’s most ruthless dictators. From whispers to daylight, the worthy causes of global protesters prevailed. Where once emerging economies were looked upon with suspicion, European and American dominance of financial markets dwindled. Bad things happened to good companies, due to poor practices by executives, unwise decisions by board members, and self-serving ties between public officials and wealthy elites.

Circles

We didn’t place into perspective, the chaotic gyrations of the global village. Neither did we rely on regional values to reinforce our identity nor reposition ourselves. It was our reluctance to embrace local intelligence that moved CARICOM from bleak orchards to ruined gardens.

We like crony circles. We dislike public-serving ideals.

Reflect! The Caribbean Court of Justice could not expand its acceptance radius. In the politics in which our success rate is formed, economic unification eavesdropped on national elections and discovered that they were parodies of changing cooks or keeping old menus.

Our leaders appeared less able to provide hands-on social and financial answers. Non communicable diseases escalated. Natural disasters were not as brutal. Observe! Violent crimes shook the foundations of our streets and homes. With tearful eyes, we watched peace sink into the sea. At the regional and sub-regional levels, speech-eloquence flourished.

While traveling between islands inspired hostile hospitality, labour unions pushed governments and corporations to bargaining turbulence. Our colleges and universities granted degrees. They did not generate work-related research or expanded quality of life opportunities for Caribbeaners.

If you think you understand the Caribbean mindscape, you don’t understand island people. We congratulated ourselves for sitting on big committees in high places. Good! But we delivered nothing to better the region. Pay attention! Our desire for national growth did not get along with our capacity to overcome micro-thinking. Instead, we thundered mighty promises only to drift further apart.

At the end of 2011, we were still satisfied with square mileage fantasies -- a phenomenon caught in the vagueness of sovereign versus colonial politics.

To escape circles and climb ladders, an underlying question persistently arises: What is the quality assurance test to ensure that the Caribbean goes beyond Twitter talk about regional development?

Ladders

An action-packed vision of self-sufficiency that starts with an appetite for 75 percent food independence should be the Caribbean’s chief activity. Nothing should prevent us from creating cost-containing technologies to reduce our dependency on refined, imported foods.

To climb ladders is to hear vast discoveries screaming for our attention.

Missing is a deep deductive passion for experimental investigation of our immediate surroundings. There is too much sun, wind, water and sand in our midst, not to devise penny cheap transportation and build strong infrastructure. Taking advantage of our advantages will make us cut the edge.

Rather than hurricanes being a source of terror, perhaps our scientific adventures could turn them into a platform of renewable energy. Ever wonder if there is hidden energy to be harnessed from this yearly ritual of howling winds? If not, what else could we extract from stormy rains?

Suppose we constantly challenge our intuitions. We could find healing elements in banana roots and coconut bark. We could grind them with lime juice and sea shells. Upsetting concoction? But perhaps we might uncover combined intelligence that may cure prostrate and breast cancers, high blood pressure and diabetes. Are we curious enough to find out? If our genius is freed from photocopying anxieties, it will bring extraordinary success. But if it’s stifled, it will suffer from self-doubt and baptize everything foreign.

CARICOM could generate a blueprint for thinking globally with all sorts of local connections and sub-regional tradeoffs. We must take a pragmatic approach to economic growth, and a coordinated view of regional diplomacy. But we’ll have to set higher leadership criteria. Empathy and responsibility mixed with competence and justice are necessary traits. Passion, courage, and commitment to regionalism are needed too.

Our growth opportunities require new networks of interdependent alliances to increase gains in investments and stability. We could melt the right economic and social resources to collaborate with Brazil, Russia, India and China. We could further bolster important partnerships with Asia, and gel our interests with US policies for our betterment.

To do this, we-the-people must provide our leaders with advisory and implementation support in areas of urgent need. We must customize solutions with local cultures and global standards, while rewarding and punishing leadership behaviour based primarily on moral principle and operational performance.

I agree with Paul Romer‘s concept of “nonrival goods.” It highlights the power of information and ideas to expand our material world. He observed that:

“…every generation has underestimated the potential for finding new recipes and ideas. We consistently fail to grasp how many ideas remain to be discovered. The difficulty is the same one we have with compounding. Possibilities do not add up. They multiply.”

Pressed for application, our prosperity will multiply at the edge of innovation. I urge us to see lights. Let’s hide the wrinkled wisdom of those adorned with old age deep inside our children. It is then that the powerhouses of today -- our young people -- will be mentored into greatness. Release them to the wonders of possibilities.

2012 will operate in whole. If you sow magnificence, you’ll reap amazement. Upon a contagious Caribbean dream with focus is imprinted the seal of joyful accomplishments. Perhaps CARICOM could reproduce men and women of honour, resplendent with durable characters and spiritual values. This is the essence of regional development.

Drink deep of this truth, and live it!

December 29, 2011

caribbeannewsnow

Bahamas Blog International

Blowout in Jamaica General Election: the People's National Party (PNP) Won 41 Seats and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) 22 Seats

BLOWOUT: PNP 41 - JLP 22

by Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
jamaica-gleaner

Jamaica, W.I.


Defying opinion polls that suggested yesterday's general election was too close to call, the People's National Party (PNP) secured a stunning victory, winning 41 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives.

The party gained 53 per cent of the popular vote.

The result will propel the PNP's president, Portia Simpson Miller, back to the premiership, a job she held for 18 months and lost a mere four years ago when her party was prised from government after more than 18 years in office.

In fact, the defeat of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) meant the first time since the advent of universal adult suffrage, nearly seven decades ago, that an administration has been chucked out after a single term - an outcome that will likely lead to much soul-searching within the organisation.

Indeed, in yesterday's election, several leading JLP figures, including Cabinet ministers Robert Montague and Clive Mullings, spectacularly lost their parliamentary seats

"I want to thank the prime minister who called earlier to congratulate me, and he was very gracious," Simpson Miller said.

"I am humbled by the support of the Jamaican people and I ask you to ensure that you greet JLP supporters with love."

Shaping future together

Simpson Miller said her team would be working with all Jamaicans as one Jamaican family "as we shape the future together".

She had special commendation for Arnaldo Brown, Julian Robinson, Damion Crawford, André Hylton and Raymond Pryce - first-time candidates who secured victories.

She also commended candidates who came close to victory, saying "you are winners".

In conceding the election, outgoing prime minister and JLP leader, Andrew Holness, accepted the result as the will of the people and said the party would listen to the voice of the people.

"It is a time of reflection and introspection for the Jamaica Labour Party. We see it as an opportunity to rebuild and, starting tomorrow, we will be rebuilding," a sombre Holness said.

"It is apparent that the people of Jamaica still have concerns about the JLP and we will reflect on that. I wish the new Government well. They will face several challenges, but I hope for the benefit of the country they will do a good job."

He added: "I was privileged to have served in a short time. I really did not have much room. I had to make the decision that we made. I feel good that I have executed the duties of prime minister over the short time to the best of my ability, and I look forward to another opportunity."

Holness was prime minister for just over two months, having been catapulted to the job after the surprise resignation of his predecessor, Bruce Golding, who accepted that the JLP would have little chance of victory with him at the helm.

Confidence lost

Golding lost public confidence over his administration's resistance of the United States' request for the extradition of now-convicted gangster Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, and the hiring of lobbyists to encourage Washington to go soft on the matter.

In its election manifesto, the PNP promised to renegotiate the country's agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), implement a Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) to arrest the problem of unemployment; and renegotiate the contract of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) to allow for competition in the transmission and distribution of electricity, among others.

It was also the first time that persons were vying for 63 seats in the House of Representatives.

The JLP won the 2007 general election by a razor-thin majority, securing 32 of the 60 seats in the House. The PNP won the other 28.

The PNP had greeted Holness' announcement of election and nomination day, saying the symbolism of the dates meant a lot to leaders of the party. Simpson Miller celebrated her 66th birthday on nomination day, December 12.

"I want to thank Mr Andrew Holness for giving me the best birthday possible that anyone could ever have. And an excellent Christmas gift for the Jamaican people, and a wonderful and beautiful new year," Simpson Miller said after the election date was announced by Holness in Mandeville.

Nomination day was also special for the PNP's campaign director, Dr Peter Phillips, as it marked the 24th anniversary of his marriage to Sandra Minott Phillips while the eve of yesterday's election was his 62nd birthday.

The PNP has been on the election trail for more than a year. It had blasted the JLP government for the handling of the economy and said it had brought shame on Jamaica with its handling of the extradition request for Coke.

All-island tour

In its bid for leadership of the country, the PNP embarked on an all-island tour during which party officials, led by Simpson Miller and 'Star Boy' K.D. Knight, told the country that Bruce Golding was not suitable to continue as prime minister and that the country needed to go to the polls in a general election.

According to Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson polls, 21 per cent of Jamaicans lined up behind the JLP in June with that number increasing to 26 per cent by November with Holness at the helm.

The last Gleaner-Johnson poll before the election, done on December 17 and 18, found 38 per cent of Jamaicans were prepared to cast their ballot for the PNP, while 36 per cent would vote JLP.

Heading into the election, the PNP was confident that Jamaicans had accepted its message that it was capable of leading a return to sustained economic growth for the country.

The PNP also claimed the turnout at its mass meetings was "overwhelming, demonstrating the fact that the people are ready for a change of Government."

Yesterday's victory added to general election success secured by the PNP in 1955, 1959, 1972, 1976, 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2002.

The JLP won the elections in 1944, 1949, 1962, 1967, 1980, 1983 and 2007.

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com

December 30, 2011

jamaica-gleaner

Bahamas Blog International

Sir Clifford Darling... the fourth Bahamian Governor-General of an independent Bahamas is a hero of the labour movement and for the rights and dignity of workers in The Islands

'NATION BUILDER' SIR CLIFFORD DIES

By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net

Nassau, The Bahamas


SIR Clifford Darling, the fourth Bahamian-born Governor General of the Bahamas, died in hospital yesterday morning.

Sir Clifford, who was described as one of the major builders of the modern Bahamas, died in the Princess Margaret Hospital at 5am Monday after a long illness.

Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes said Sir Clifford's passing is particularly hard on him as he was a good friend.

"Along with all the Bahamian people, my wife and I mourn the death of an outstanding Bahamian leader and nation builder. Sir Clifford's passing is also a personal loss as he was for years a colleague, and for decades, a good friend," he said.

"Sir Clifford was among those extraordinary Bahamian leaders who commanded the Bahamian stage during the history-making years of the fifties and sixties and he played his considerable role with dedication and with his characteristic dignity. Even as we mourn his loss, we also thank God for a life that was well-lived and wonderfully fruitful.

"On behalf of a grateful nation I extend sincere condolences to Lady Darling, Sir Clifford's children and other family members during this their time of bereavement."

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham also sent condolences to the Darling family. He said Sir Clifford's passing brings to a close another remarkable career of an early nation builder and pioneer for equality.

"I was saddened to learn of the passing of Sir Clifford Darling this morning. Sir Clifford, the fourth Bahamian Governor-General of an independent Bahamas is a hero of the labour movement and for the rights and dignity of workers," he said.

"His entry into public life was driven by his strong desire to secure equity for fellow disadvantaged taxi-drivers. The success he helped win for taxi drivers set the stage for dramatic political change in our country; a change that began in 1967. Bahamians owe a debt of gratitude to Sir Clifford for his half a century of public service marked by honesty, industry, loyalty and integrity. His proud legacy will not be forgotten. Even as we mourn his passage, we celebrate his life of service and dedication to The Bahamas. May he rest in peace."

Sir Clifford was sworn in at Government House on January 2, 1992, by Chief Justice Joaquim Gonsalves-Sabola, succeeding Sir Henry Taylor, who retired on January 1.

Sir Clifford served as Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1977 until November 13, 1991, when he resigned.

A former Progressive Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Englerston, Sir Clifford was born on February 6, 1922, at Acklins Island to Charles and Aremilia Darling. He attended Acklins Public School and public schools in New Providence.

The former taxicab driver served as general secretary of The Bahamas Taxicab union for eight years and as president for 10.

In the early 1950s, Sir Clifford bargained with hotels for better treatment for taxi drivers. In 1957, Sir Clifford as president, blockaded and closed the airport. A general strike followed in January, 1958. With Sir Clifford's help, an agreement among hotels, tour services and taxicab operators was reached.

Sir Clifford served as a PLP senator from January 1964 to January 1967. He then served as a Englerston MP from January 1967 to October 1969, when he was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of State.

In November 1971, he was named Minister of Labour and National Insurance. He was responsible for the introduction of the National Insurance programme on October 7, 1974. Sir Clifford was elected Speaker of the House in 1977 and knighted by the Queen the same year. He was a Stalwart Councilor, the highest honour that can be bestowed on a member of the Progressive Liberal Party.

Sir Clifford is survived by his second wife, Lady Ingrid Darling, and seven children, Clifford Darling Jr., Andrea Darling-Thompson, Sharlene Hanna, Theresa McPhee, Rushena Darling, Lakreisha Darling and Charles Darling.

December 28, 2011

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

When we look out on the world... and back at The Bahamas, we agree with those who say that Bahamians -- despite hard times -- have much to be thankful for

The Bahamas has much to be thankful for

tribune242 editorial

Nassau, The Bahamas

IN his Christmas message, published in The Tribune on Thursday, Catholic Archbishop Patrick Pinder pointed out that compared with other nations, the little Bahamas has much for which to pause and give thanks this Christmas. And so, although the dark clouds of crime threaten our islands, yet there are still many signs to encourage Bahamians to believe that there is reason to hope for a brighter future.

The Archbishop shared with our readers the contents of an e-mail, which had been sent to him. It said: "If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

"If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million in the world.

"If you can attend church without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

"If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

"If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer the healing touch.

"If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all."

When seen in this light Bahamians have much to be thankful for. Our economy started to drag after the Lehman Brothers bank crash at the end of 2008. The seismic shock was felt worldwide. It was like a bowling alley gone wild, with one international house after another displaying warning flags until eventually Wall Street was hit and took a tumble. The world banking system is so interwoven that when one stumbled, the others came tumbling after. Not only was the world in financial trouble, but it was also in political turmoil with the Middle East on fire and headed for destruction.

Analysts blamed the financial crash on the "greed, ambition and reckless risk-taking that is now carrying the economy into the worst recession for a century."

The Bahamas was not immune. It too felt the shock waves. Greece was in meltdown, unemployment was out of control with the civil service being cut to bring spending into line. Around the world the first people to feel the belt tightening were the civil servants whose jobs disappeared almost overnight.

The civil service is the first place that governments look to cut costs when their treasuries are under pressure.

Here in the Bahamas, the Prime Minister would have been justified in trimming what for years has been recognised as a bloated and inefficient civil service. He did not.

As Prime Minister Ingraham said today in his Christmas message to the nation -- which will be broadcast by ZNS TV and radio at 8 o'clock tonight -- through prudent planning his government was able to "preserve jobs in the public service and to avoid salary cuts or lay-offs within the public sector as experienced in many developed and developing countries."

This is not to minimise the suffering of many Bahamians during this crisis. Many have lost their jobs, their homes, and really don't know where the next penny is coming from, but when one compares Bahamians' problems with the suffering of the world, the majority of our people have much for which to be thankful.

Government has been criticised for not investing in people during this lean period. However, not only is government investing in people by providing infrastructural jobs, but through these jobs it has enabled many workmen to maintain their dignity by enabling them to earn enough to support themselves and their families.

Government has been criticised for borrowing funds for roadworks. In the end, however, it will be money well spent -- not only will citizens see where their tax dollars have gone, but the infrastructure will have been so improved that it will raise the Bahamian's standard of living and enhance our tourist product -- better roads, better quality and delivery of water and electrical supplies.

Nor has the government neglected the youth. It staff has encouraged the business community to take on young people for training. And many have done so.

Next year, Bahamians face an election. When we look out at the rest of the world -- rioting and killing in the streets to overthrow governments -- we should be grateful for our democratic system. Every five years - although there is a lot of manoeuvring and name calling before hand - Bahamians go to the polls and in an orderly fashion vote their governments in or out. Just look at the turmoil and backwardness of the Middle East whose people have never experienced free elections. Earlier this year after months of street demonstrations and violence, Tunisia's president ended a 23-year rule by fleeing to Saudi Arabia. Tunisia was followed by the ousting of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, again followed by a full scale civil war in Libya, that took out Mummar Gaddafi. That 42-year rule ended in Gaddafi's murder. And now the populace is beating at the doors of Syria's regime. A forest fire is sweeping across the Middle East echoing a people's cry against unemployment, food inflation, corruption, lack of freedom of speech, and assembly and other democratic freedoms -- all the freedoms that we take for granted in our society.

When we look out on the world, and back at the Bahamas, we agree with those who say that Bahamians -- despite hard times -- have much to be thankful for.

And it is on this note that we wish all of our readers a peaceful, and happy Christmas with family and friends, and hope that the New Year will be filled with many blessings.

We also thank our advertisers for their valued business and assure them that The Tribune will give them even better service in the New Year.

December 23, 2011

tribune242 editorial

Jamaica is still a Christian country, so let us be Christian! ...United we stand, divided we fall

Christianity: Save us!


by Richard Ho Lung

WE KNOW it can be done: Christ can save our island. Christianity can save our island. We are losing faith, because we are not one, not united. I am not talking about tolerating one another. I am talking about loving one another and working together in fulfilment of a vision presented to us by Christ.

What is this vision? It is set out by Christ: "I have come to preach the good news to the poor; to set the captives free." Justice and mercy will be exercised when Christ is here. If we really want to know the presence of Christ today in our world, in Jamaica, it is where the Church is doing the works of justice. From the times of the Old Testament to the times of Christ, and now in our world and in Jamaica, justice must be done if we want to give witness to the one true living God.

We must agree on certain points, the fundamentals of our faith. We must not waste time talking and debating whether gay marriages, abortion, euthanasia, this denomination or that, is right or wrong. All these issues are obviously misguided and can be answered by questioning: Does God want same-sex marriages; a mother to eliminate the child of her womb; old and sick people be euthanised?

We need to work with the poor and rejected ones; we need a Church of the poor. Even if Churches are wealthy or middle class, churches and schools must form the consciences and carry out activities of justice and mercy that give glory to God. God will be pleased; God will dispense all the riches of the earth to accomplish His kingdom here on earth, the salient characteristics being justice and mercy.

Powerful Christian faith

I believe the civil state needs us, and I believe our Christian faith is so powerful that it can change the attitudes of everyone, including politicians, if only we as Church really become God's kingdom here on earth. Psalm 72 verses 2 through 4 says:

"O God, give your judgment to the king ... that he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment ... that he may defend the oppressed among the people, save the poor and crush the oppressor."

And Psalm 82 verses 3 and 4 asks God to:

"Defend the lowly and fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and needy; rescue the lowly and poor; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

But first and foremost that fundamental principle must be met: to serve justice and mercy to the poor, not only in word but in deed.

Too much talking, too many words; too many belaboured arguments and permissive foreign ways; too much mediocrity and middle-classness, have led us into a wilderness and confusion that are wrought by the devil himself.

Jamaica is still a Christian country, so let us be Christian! United we stand, divided we fall. First of all, we must love one another and work with one another for justice and mercy. Jamaica is a most unusual country. The spirits and souls of Jamaicans are strong and serious. Let us give an example to the world, as we have done in so many other endeavours.

Let us require once and for all a strong moral family life. Politicians are cowards in requiring marriage and fidelity with a punishment for those who are promiscuous and then themselves bear children out of wedlock. Men and women must stop living like animals on our streets. There must be a law that is seriously enacted on those who bear children outside of marriage. That should be so for all classes of people.

Strong moral Christian values must be taught once again by teachers in the schools regarding personal behaviour, sin and virtue, right and wrong, and an absolute sense of responsibility towards the poor.

There must be a right and wrong, punishment and reward, heaven and hell, justice and mercy, not only taught but exercised in family life and in the schools.

We must become a Church of the Beatitudes. I believe we are approaching the Age of the Beatitudes, wherein Christianity will be judged worthy and relevant to the life and benefit of modern man on the basis of how effectively she implements the works of mercy and justice among the most needy and marginalised - materially and spiritually - in our world. Time is running out: the Kingdom of God is at hand! Church, are you ready?

Feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com

December 22, 2011

jamaica-gleaner

Bahamas Blog International

Money and Bahamian politics: What role will money play in The Bahamas’ 2012 general election

Money and politics

By Ian G. Strachan
Nassau, The Bahamas

What role will money play in The Bahamas’ 2012 general election?  Does the party with the most money always win Bahamian elections?  That is the feeling of many observers.  Money will be spent, of course.  Lots of it.  But we will have absolutely no idea where this money comes from.  And that is the way Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie want it.

Is the U.S. government, through some company, funding one political party over the other in our election?  Is the Chinese government bankrolling a party’s election campaign?  Which Lyford Cay residents are backing political campaigns and which campaigns?  Which private businessmen, Bahamian or expatriate, are making campaign contributions, and how much?  Are numbers houses backing candidates?  Drug lords?  Which lawyers are ‘borrowing’ money from their local and international clients to finance political campaigns?  And what will all this mean in terms of the new government’s choices when in office?  How will we, the citizens ever know, truly know, how the decisions regarding our tax dollars, present and future, are being made and the extent to which campaign contributors are shaping those decisions?

 

The issue in other countries

Ronald Sanders, in a piece called “Caribbean electorates: Not for sale”, wrote recently that, “General elections in St. Lucia and Guyana on November 28 have raised serious questions about the financing of campaigns and the unfair use of state resources by governing political parties to gain an advantage over their opponents.  In St. Lucia, it is alleged that a significant portion of the United Workers Party (UWP) campaign funds came from Taiwan.  The UWP was the ruling party at the time of the elections and the then leader of the opposition and leader of the St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP), Kenny Anthony, had engaged in a public row with the Taiwanese Ambassador over his blatant interference in the electoral politics of the island.  In Guyana, it is claimed that the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) outspent its three rivals by a sizeable margin in the elections campaign.”

Interestingly, in a 2010 case called Citizens United v. The Federal Election Commission, the United States Supreme Court made a ruling that essentially repealed mechanisms that had been put in place by the U.S. Congress and Senate to control the power of big money to shape U.S. elections, via the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 among others.  Even with those laws in place, the 2008 election of Barack Obama had been the most expensive in U.S. history.  Obama’s campaign budget alone was three-quarters of a billion dollars.  The figure is likely to reach a billion in 2012.

The Citizens United ruling, which passed on a 5-4 vote in the Supreme Court, states that it is unconstitutional to deny corporations and unions the right to the First Amendment, or “free speech”, which includes the right to fund political campaign ads.  This essentially treats corporations as people.

Former President Jimmy Carter called the ruling “one of the stupidest rulings ever consummated or perpetrated on the American people”.  In an interview with Tavis Smiley in 2010, he went on to say, “It is a complete transformation or change of what our country has done ever since it was founded.  That is, to try to put some restraint on the massive infusion of money into the political campaign.  And also to have those who do make the contributions legally identified.  You can make it in secret now... When I ran against Gerald Ford in 1976, he and I used public money.  We used a $2 per person check off.  $26 million total.  And when I ran against Ronald Reagan four years later (1980), we did the same thing.”

President Barack Obama himself has been highly critical of the ruling, calling it “a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans”.

Obama said further, “They can buy millions of dollars worth of TV ads – and worst of all, they don’t even have to reveal who’s actually paying for the ads.  Instead, a group can hide behind a name like ‘Citizens for a Better Future’, even if a more accurate name would be ‘Companies for Weaker Oversight’.  These shadow groups are already forming and building war chests of tens of millions of dollars to influence the fall elections.

“Now, imagine the power this will give special interests over politicians.  Corporate lobbyists will be able to tell members of Congress if they don’t vote the right way, they will face an onslaught of negative ads in their next campaign.  And all too often, no one will actually know who’s really behind those ads.”

The reality, however, is that despite receiving over 60 percent of his campaign funding from people who gave less than $1,000 each, Obama could not have won the 2008 election if not for “the tens of millions that lobbyists, PACs, corporations, Wall Street, and labor unions shove into a presidential candidate’s campaign coffers”.  This is according to political analyst Earl Hutchinson, who concludes that “the bitter reality [is] that politics is a hard, dirty, cash-soaked game, and those with the most cash will always have the edge.”

 

A system open to abuse

No less than in the U.S., our politicians and our Parliament are bought and sold.  We are not allowed to know who is doing the buying, but we know who is doing the selling.

The perverting power of money doesn’t end with general elections.  Many, as our prime minister recently admitted (with tongue in cheek, I can only assume), are entering politics as a means of economic advancement.

“It is sad to see that we have moved to a place in our history when many who seek to offer themselves for election to the House are motivated by the desire to achieve personal success and not by a dedication of service to others – that is the general public," he said.

The fact is that the corrupt culture of our politics makes it very difficult for a politician to do otherwise.  The people ‘shake down’ the representative at every opportunity.   He/she is expected to be financial godfather for all his/her supporters and even for those who didn’t give support, not just in order to get elected, but throughout his/her term in office.  This burden cannot possibly be sustained by an MP’s salary; particularly an MP with his/her own children to house, feed and educate.  This opens the door to the temptation: MPs seek to repay themselves through unofficial means sometimes just to avoid bankruptcy.  Even MPs who were financially successful before being elected run the risk of suffering financially when in office because their pay is miniscule when compared to what they made in private life.  Accustomed to a certain standard of living and somewhat embittered by the constant begging of constituents, some politicians find ways to feather their nests by personally profiting from the awarding of contracts, etc.  That is to say nothing of the men and women who conclude that there is no way for them to attain the lifestyle they desire period – unless they enter politics as a career and make it their business to take advantage of the largesse of the state.

Michael Parenti, noted American author of the book “Democracy for the Few”, asserts that “to curb the power of the moneyed interests and lobbyists, minor-party as well as major-party candidates should be provided with public financing.  In addition, a strict cap should be placed on campaign spending by all candidates and supporters, with no loopholes allowed”.

Politicians can feel insulted; corporations and lobbyists may label it undemocratic, but transparency is the best safeguard of democracy that we can have.

Still other politicians have made so many enemies that they must ensure they are financially ‘set for life’ because their enemies, once in power, will make sure that neither they, nor their children, nor their children’s children will ever enjoy a single opportunity.

We know it’s happening but we can’t find the evidence very easily.  The Public Disclosure Act of 1976 isn’t worth the paper it was written on.

Obviously this situation cries out for reform.  The problem is the people who suffer most from this state of affairs (the general public) don’t understand that they suffer.  They pay for this corruption in ways they don’t understand.  In ways that far outweigh the measly bribes they are able to squeeze out of their elected representatives at election time and on the rare occasions they catch them on the street.  Without enlightened leadership, the system will go on perpetuating itself.

 

• IAN STRACHAN is Associate Professor of English at The College of The Bahamas. You can write him at: strachantalk@gmail.com

Dec 19, 2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

Our charming, peaceful Caribbean: Paradise temporarily lost

By Horace Williams

Like a string of beautiful emeralds, our charming Caribbean islands mesmerizingly hang around the neck of the American continent.

Chiseled by British, French, Spanish and Dutch artisans, each gem became a uniquely precious diamond, or ruby, or prized pearl -- a true acme of perfection.

Our beautiful beaches were peaceful places, where majestic mountains magically rose out of the seductive sea.

Secluded swimming and snorkeling in the warm waters beneath the rugged waterfalls made the majesty of the oceans merge into the beauty of the beach's stunning but solitary stretch of soft sand.

This emerald gulf coast is a tropical paradise, where impressive waves are wonderfully woven into charming crystal whirlpools of welcoming warm water.

The whispering wind whipped our scanty clothing like a fluttering flag on a weathered flagpole, and we could detect the aroma of tonight's dinner lazily drifting towards us in the cool crisp evening air.

...But something was changing.

Yes, something was being altered.    Our senses were adjusting to change... not necessarily for the better... and we were accommodating them.  The evolution was slow but certain -- and steady.

We could feel it.

Our friends say they could see it.

The nation was touched by it.

The neighbours -- they could taste it, and our pets... they could sense it.

Yes it -- something -- was not right any longer.   In my veins; in my blood; in my sub-conscious, I just knew that we, as a people, had lost our peaceful virginity.   It was gone.   Taken -- no, stolen -- from us.   We were no longer the peaceful, innocent, cavalier, fun-loving people we once were.   The devil had arrived by sea and by air.   He had arrived in the guise of "progress," and his name was Lucifer.

He, and his relatives, had arrived each day, and we welcomed them.   They multiplied.   They were beginning to take over our lives. ....And we did not realize that we were slowly going down the highway of destruction.   The guns came with them, and the knives did too.   They were stealthily concealed in their luggage and the Customs officers were none the wiser... or were they?   Slowly, we were drifting into a long, lost land, and did not even realize we were miraculously moving.   God was speaking to us, and we did not listen.   His words fell on deaf ears while we were hustling for the almighty dollar.

Today a man was mercilessly killed and a woman was fatally shot... at close range.   Last month my sister was kidnapped, then murdered, her naked body found as it degenerated and disintegrated into manure for the hungry vegetation in the lonely forest.   I cannot remember the last week we did not have a brutal murder in our peaceful Caribbean.   I called up north, and I called down south, but the answer was the same.   Violence had overtaken the land.   My land.   Our land.   The gods wept, and the floods came, but we did not get the message.

It did not start this way though.   It was subtle.   It was faint and illusive.   It was inconspicuous, indirect, indistinct and insulated, but profound.   Half-truths and white-lies were told... but those, we just took for granted.   Lies continued to be told like they were nobody's business -- but they were your business, and they definitely were my business.   Rumours of banana boats not arriving and shipments suspended circulated, and the farmers were disheartened.

The earth shook, and thousands died.   Someone was trying to get our attention, but the signal was not received.   We did not heed.   We did not hear -- the warning.   Curfews were imposed, prisons were exposed, and a state of emergency was enforced.   We looked at the telly and decided to copy.  Lawlessness was the order of the day -- and the night.

Authority was disrespected.   Election results... disregarded.   Demonstrations, whether warranted or not, occurred.  Fire-trucks were overturned and police officers were assaulted.  Thank God, the law exercised restraint, but disorder ruled the day.   Missiles were hurled at peace officers and the state's Parliamentary gates were battered beyond belief. ...And blood flowed.

But all of that was not enough!   Fires were ignited and damage was caused.   We were told that more fires were on the way, and that other acts of incivility would certainly follow.   Then we heard it!  I didn't want to believe it.   That could not be true.   But it was!   Dem boys say that guerrilla warfare was coming to the land.   Men were shot in their homes; others were attacked, while jewelry was stolen.   Young and old disappeared -- kidnapped -- then their bodies found whenever... wherever.   Criminal gangs roamed the land and turned our slice of paradise into a brittle and broken battle zone.

Wiki leaked, and leaked, and leaked and told us about prime ministers and opposition leaders, some of which made us proud... and some had us hanging our heads in absolute shame.   In the courts, men were found guilty of lying.  Our system of decency was drastically deteriorating.  Defamation of character lawsuits were successful as the lies persisted, and my peaceful Caribbean seemed to be going to the dogs. ....And that was insulting to the dogs!

This culture of violence must not be encouraged, and something has to give.

...And it will, because we stood up against it.

We decided to do something about this sad, sick and sorry state of affairs.  We will fight back.  We must fight back.   We must join forces to combat this violence and crime.  This is totally unacceptable. We will turn back the hands of time!

From The Bahamas to Guyana, and Trinidad to Bermuda, we must unite to defeat this malady.   Success starts with the decision that "we are not going to take this anymore."   We are sick and tired -- of being sick and tired.

Let us join forces, put our heads together, and solve this problem for all of us.   The criminals must not win... we will take our beautiful, peaceful Caribbean back.

December 17, 2011

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