This time around, as on previous occasions, the harsh spotlight of public scrutiny is being trained on its Executive Chairman Mr. Sidney Stubbs. In the latest flap, it has been suggested that the Executive Chairman of the Corporation and his Minister are now locked in an intense fight over power and responsibility.
Public attention has already been focused on allegations of cronyism and fiscal irresponsibility at BAIC. It is also being suggested in the House of Assembly that the Corporation is being poorly led and that the public interest is not being well served by the Executive Chairman. While this matter will, no doubt, reach the desk of the Prime Minister for his comment and decision, we are somewhat concerned that no one has seen fit to allay any of the public’s worst fears and suspicions concerning this important government corporation.
What is paradoxical and ironic about BAIC is that while its leadership is constantly flowing with rhetoric about efficiency and the need for The Bahamas to become more competitive, it finds itself submerged in a morass of allegation, complaint and red ink. Dispassionate observers should be forgiven were they to reach the conclusion that BAIC and its leaders are not really serious. This explains, in part, why so many Bahamians are troubled by news concerning the embattled agency.
We know that it would be an understatement of the first order to describe Mr. Stubbs as being embattled. He is clearly this and more. While we have no way of authenticating many of the reports coming our way concerning Mr. Stubbs and his many travails at the Corporation, it would be safe to say that he has become a lightning rod for any number of criticisms aimed at him, and the man who appointed both of them, none other than Prime Minister Perry G. Christie. So while Mr. Stubbs should be called upon to respond to the extreme allegations now being laid at his doorstep, the Minister of Trade and Industry and the Prime Minister should – equally – feel obliged to explain the parts they have played in either creating or sustaining the troubles at BAIC.
Operating as he does in an economic and political environment which is fraught with obstacles and pitfalls, Prime Minister Christie is probably all too aware that the BAIC issue must be resolved by him. The buck stops at his desk. It has been said over and repeatedly that the buck must and will stop somewhere. This ‘somewhere’ is invariably with the manager or boss whose pay scale and responsibility mark the end of the line. In the worlds of politics and business where authoritative decision is prized above all else, the buck stops with the person who is praised or blamed when – ultimately – things go wonderfully right or disastrously wrong. In the world of high politics, the buck stops with the Prime Minister. He appoints and he ‘dis-appoints’. On occasion, he can also – to coin a phrase ‘mis-appoint’.
Many thoughtful Bahamians are gravitating toward the conclusion that something large is amiss at the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation. Some critics would lay the blame for the troubles at the feet of BAIC Executive Chairman, Mr. Sidney Stubbs. Others would, undoubtedly, place the bulk of the blame for BAIC’s woes squarely and completely on the plate designated for the big man on the national totem pole, the Prime Minister the Hon. Perry G. Christie. Yet again, other pundits and observers of the alleged shenanigans at BAIC would lay the blame on shadowy opposition elements who are intent on mischief making and character assassination.
For our part, we are absolutely convinced that all is not well at BAIC. We are also persuaded that there is blame enough for any number of the key players who are individually and collectively responsible for running the corporation.
Our conclusion and conviction is that the Prime Minister and his strategic advisers would – in the absence of decisive action – do themselves serious harm. The BAIC matter has already dragged on for far too long. As a sideshow, it is doing nothing good for the Progressive Liberal Party, the government or the people of The Bahamas.
Editorial, The Bahama Journal
