While the country seems to be burn, the Prime Minister stands idly with his hands in his pockets, as he has done for the past four and half plus years dumbfounded as to what to do, in the main time there is storm brewing internationally.

“Govt. efforts to intimidate activists slammed in report” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “The United States has highlighted the Bahamas’ government ‘intimidation of non-governmental organizations’ and efforts by the government and authorities to inhibit ‘free speech through criminal libel laws’ as problems in its latest human rights report.

The report also referenced alleged cases of immigration officials soliciting bribes from migrants and alleged beatings of migrants and prisoners in custody.

Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said the report has ‘inaccurate’ and in some cases ‘incomplete’ information.

Referring to an incident in which Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald discussed the emails and financial information of Save the Bays in Parliament last year, the report said: “Cabinet members sought to intimidate a local environmental group by reading its hacked e-mails and financial information from the floor of Parliament, accusing the group of attempting to overthrow the ruling political party.”

I often sit in amazement at the manner in which the Prime Minister and Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), the Hon. Perry Christie would just sit back and allow just atrocities to happen under his watch and now I understand; he just seems powerless to stop any of it from happening in the first place, this is indeed a sad state of affairs.

The international report goes on to cover a few other issue which should have been addressed immediately by this government; some of which have been ‘under investigation’ for years now with no resolution.  Many of these topics have been subject to questioning from the public that requested a degree of accountability and action from this government, but have only seen them stand by helplessly watching it all happens with their hands in their pockets…defeated.

The report addresses the suppression of free speech, juveniles being charged as adults and treated as such, bribery and the beating  of migrants; with the Prime Minister still standing and watching helplessly with his hands in his pockets…..defeated.

Then the Minister of Foreign Affairs decides to speak to the issue; “On Sunday night the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration released a statement which said representatives of the government spoke with representatives of the United States prior to the report.’

During the conversation, it was made clear to the US that the proposed report contained significant inaccurate information with no basis in fact and in some cases incomplete information’, the minister said.”

“…..significant inaccurate information with no basis in fact and in some cases incomplete information”, sounds like a lot of information disseminated to the public by this government when they are trying to ‘explain’ something to the people or trying to deflect away from some wrong doing.

Well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration prepares an official response from the Bahamas government, I just advise that he makes us look good because what is in this international report is exactly that “international’ now and for the most part sadly a lot of it is old new; issues that this present administration hoped would have gone away.  Now they stand looking hopelessly with their hands in their pockets – defeated

 The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason, it is their nature.

END