The PLP’s approach to governance is to lead from behind and when that position is not available, they complain from the sidelines!
Within the last few months the PLP Government has used the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to demonstrate several jaw-dropping examples of how not to govern a quazi-government corporation.
The PLP’s approach to governance is to lead from behind and when that position is not available, they complain from the sidelines. This regrettable strategy is personified by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Perry Christie and the Minister of Public Works, Philip Davis.
For example, despite the Government’s unique position with BTC, Minister of National Security, Bernard Nottage was recently left with no other choice but to publicly criticize BTC for its failure with respect to closed circuit television (CCTV). BTC failed to do what was required of them and the Minister of National Security said openly that the corporation let down the government.
The PLP government has finally said something about BTC with which we can agree; the corporation has left many of us feeling let down. In terms of both the overall quality of its service and in relation to installing the infrastructure needed to make CCTV work effectively, BTC has been a source of enormous disappointment.
Sadly, the Government’s approach to oversight and governing BTC–by virtue of its 49 percent ownership stake–leaves much to be desired. No one is more at fault than Prime Minister Perry Christie who has consistently demonstrated impotence instead of the ability to use the considerable power and influence of his office. In a news story in last Wednesday’s Nassau Guardian, Minister Bernard Nottage blamed BTC for the delay in installing the CCTV infrastructure and lamented the fact that he had been let down. The news story reported that BTC was expected to release a statement concerning the matter. BTC did subsequently release a statement.
This entire situation with BTC is no laughing matter. It is serious and painful in many respects. But most people reading the news accounts could not help but erupt with laughter. BTC and the government cannot be serious.
Right-thinking Bahamians must ask themselves why is it that BTC, a quasi government corporation, must resort to issuing press releases in order to communicate with its co-owner, the Bahamas Government. The need for that type of communication between joint shareholders indicates a failure of leadership. To add insult to injury, in addition to owning 49 percent of the shares in BTC, the government has three members on the BTC board of directors.
Do they not communicate with each other?
It borders on the ridiculous that BTC must issue a press release to answer a minister of the government. Minister Nottage should be giving the public information about BTC, not fighting with the Company in public.
There needs to be a change in leadership at some level because the country is not being well served. However when the Prime Minister himself has been relegated to whining and complaining on the steps of the Cabinet Office (the sidelines strategy), all hope seems to be lost.
The recent comments from the BTC Union President, Bernard Evans, are also puzzling. It is not clear that the Union is on the same page with its members.
Last month the Union was accusing BTC’s management of creating a poisonous work environment in which employees were afraid to go to work. Within days of those utterances, the Union said—in effect—that BTC’s management were doing just fine and the Union would have no problem with the government extending the BTC cellular monopoly and with it, BTC’s market dominance and lack of pressure to change its employee relations and competitive practices.
Today, BTC is forced to try to quiet rumours that BTC’s union has reportedly heard about pending staff reductions. It is not clear whether those rumours have been sparked by talks between BTC and the government about staff cuts or whether those discussions have been largely internal to BTC. In any event, the infighting between BTC, Government, Ministers and the Union are doing nothing to inspire confidence and address the relentless incidences of poor cell service.
Moreover, these incidences of infighting were foreshadowed by the FNM due to conflicts of interest. Two Government-appointed Board Members: Bradley Roberts and Leon Williams have taken strong public stances against BTC and its 51% equity partner. As the FNM M.P. for East Grand Bahama recently asked, how can the Bahamian people and Cable & Wireless have any confidence that this duo will be able to objectively participate in providing effective and confidential corporate governance in the best interest of the Corporation? Indeed Mr. Williams recently participated in a Union conference where he was allegedly uttered statements that directly contradict the rebuttal given by BTC’s Management on alleged terminations. This further confirms what many people have long suspected; the Board of Directors of BTC is fractured and unable to communicate freely. East Grand Bahama M.P. K. Peter Turnquest warned that this would happen.
Meanwhile the usually voluble Prime Minister remains unusually quiet about when he will reveal the details of the Tony Rice deal he has cooked up to recapture the controlling two percent stake. And while they continue to dither, every BTC customer will continue to start every cell phone conversation with the words “when we get cut off…”
By: Darren Cash
