Archbishop Drexel Gomez has given the present administration a D- for performance, but he said that grade is largely due to a political culture that needs to change, and he indicated that the Ingraham Administration may have deserved the same grade.
“In terms of governance, I think we have a long way to go,” said the archbishop, who was a guest on the Love 97 programme, “Jones and Company” on Sunday.
Archbishop Gomez said there are far too many Bahamians who pressure politicians for tangible and selfish rewards, which negatively impacts the quality of governance. He said the problem also existed under past administrations.
“As long as that under girds our politics it’s going to be very difficult to govern properly because people are going to be expecting to get [tangible benefits],” he said.
“They’re not looking for any spiritual benefit. They’re looking for material benefit. Now some people would argue that there is support for that in the sense that ‘if I support the party, then I expect the party to introduce measures that would enable me and other persons to benefit’. But I think there are a lot of people in The Bahamas who don’t broaden that-they expect to personally benefit from the system.”
Archbishop Gomez said along with that comes the disapproval of allowing non- supporters to succeed. He said it has happened under every administration that has governed The Bahamas.
“There are persons in The Bahamas who expected after a PLP victory in 2002-that persons would be moved and PLPs would be put in certain positions to reflect the fact that a PLP administration was in power,” said Archbishop Gomez, who added that it appears that the administration “fortunately” did not do that.
He said until the perception changes that supporting a particular party means obtaining personal rewards, the quality of governance probably would remain at an unacceptable level.
“If the rewards are not given, then people are not only unhappy, but they agitate and there is a lot of agitation in our country today because people believe that they are not getting what they should,” the archbishop said.
“That impacts governance in that it impacts on our public service in terms of attitudes. It impacts in terms of how politicians attempt to go about their work because they have to be looking over their shoulders. They have to take into consideration so many other aspects that are not necessarily germane to the issues involved.
“So dealing with what has to be done, making the necessary enactments and really getting on with the job is slowed down because so many other things have to be looked at before you can move forward.”
The archbishop said these issues need to be dealt with openly and governments need to be about creating a new political culture and letting the electorate know that “this is what we stand for.”
Asked whether Bahamians are interested in a new political culture, Archbishop Gomez said, “I don’t think the majority are.”
“There must be people in the community who have the courage of their conviction to take a stand because if you allow this to perpetuate itself it would get worse and good governance would take even longer to come,” he said.
Archbishop Gomez believes that unemployment and illegal immigration are two critical issues that need more focus.
The Department of Statistics reported several months ago that the national unemployment figure remained unchanged (10.2 percent) in 2005 compared to the year before and government officials have continued to tout the success of various investment projects which they say are creating thousands of new jobs throughout the archipelago.
But the archbishop said unemployment has to be addressed “more vigorously.”
“It is a difficult issue because certain employers tell me that there are too many Bahamians who are unemployable, who lack the basis skills to really be suitably employed and that means that we must be engaged in a national training programme which equips more persons to find their way in society,” he said.
Archbishop Gomez said the country has to take “our immigration seriously” and only grant permits in certain areas for specific periods.
“In Bermuda and the Cayman Islands I think it’s after the sixth permit, you’re told ‘that’s it; don’t worry to apply anymore; that will be the limit.’ I think we need to have some areas in which that kind of regulation applies to make the space for Bahamians, but at the same time Bahamians must understand that they must so equip themselves that they are able to function,” he said.
“Just being a Bahamian is not the only qualification for the job.”
He said that failure to address such issues contributes to the national crime problem.
Archbishop Gomez also spoke about a culture of dishonesty, immorality and corruption in Bahamian society.
“I am convinced that there are too many Bahamians who are comfortable with wrongdoing and would encourage it if they can get some benefit from it,” he said.
“There are Bahamians who believe in beating the system.”
Source: Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
