The ball of responsibility is about to go down the hill for the PLP administration, with three months remaining before the July 1 VAT deadline. It will be the organization’s first official “baptism of fire” in its 60 year history. Some may question that statement, but history will record that when the organization came to power in 1967, they met the ball rolling, and in 1992 the FNM had to get the ball rolling again. In the words of a local entertainer they allowed that ball to fetch almost to a standstill.
In this new term they are seeking to accomplish most of the things they should have done decades ago, the most laudable being the agricultural program in Andros. However, when you look at the broader picture: VAT, the housing program, a possible referendum on the Constitution (which they should have replaced), the proposed casino/web shop gambling legislation, the ongoing BTC confusion, the possible sale of BEC, the attack on our local culture with the introduction of “carnival”, and with politicians having something new to say every week, you wonder if this administration knows when its plate is too full.
In the past, situations would have simply played themselves out, but in the next three months there will be a situation created by what is foreseen as “collective urgency” and I would advise the government to put a muzzle on any “new” announcements they may be inclined to make and sort out this mess they have gotten themselves into. If sensible decisions are not made they are going have to borrow more money than the FNM ever did, just to make ends meet.
I am particularly wary about whatever is done about gambling, now that it has leaked out that some of the casinos are in arrears on the payment of their taxes. The Prime Minister may have to make a statement on this, because if there is an ounce of truth in those rumours, the public will have a jaundiced view on anything that concerns gambling; especially when it comes to the exemptions surrounding VAT. There is a growing, nagging feeling that those who run the casinos are getting to the place where they are not too concerned about which side of the bridge the money is on and the local web shop owners feel somewhat stepped on given our political history, with the number house owners in years past giving the political movement strong financial support.
I have not made mention of the religious community for obvious reasons; it is Lent, but the obvious betrayal inflicted on that body does not bode well for the Prime Minister. In the past he has been able to play some of them along and retain a measure of dignity, but in the last two months he has faltered and his inability to keep a muzzle on his Minister of Foreign Affairs has not helped. Pastors have had to do public battle in the media because of Minister Mitchell’s penchant for going beyond the boundary line in speaking about what this country prefers.
Who is to say how this is going to play out? Maybe we should ask some of the older statesmen, but they are having too much fun waiting for this drama to unfold. What may have begun with Member of Parliament Gregory Moss’s contribution on the VAT legislation will more than likely come to its tipping point when the Government is forced to cause the Freedom of Information Act to come into play, especially if they want to borrow more money and hire private debt collection agencies. I believe that the PLP has the ability and the competence to move beyond July 1 intact, but they will have to show more political will and courage than they have shown in the past.
By: Edward Hutcheson
