While saying that he is disappointed in the performance of five Cabinet Ministers, former PLP Minister George Smith said the Christie Administration deserves a 7 out of 10 for performance in its first three and a half years in office.<\/P>
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\nMr. Smith was the special guest on the Love 97 Sunday programme “Jones and Company” with Wendall Jones.<\/P><\/p>\n
While not naming the Ministers he\uffb4s disappointed in, Mr. Smith said they had a “lack of sensitivity to Bahamian people\uffb4s expressed concerns.”<\/P><\/p>\n
But he said, “I believe certain Ministers have performed above my level of expectation. I believe that [Minister of State for Finance] James Smith has performed so well that he raises the average of the fellow who has performed badly, but that is the way that grading occurs.<\/P><\/p>\n
“If I were to [grade] them individually, you might totally agree with me.”<\/P><\/p>\n
Mr. Smith also used Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell\uffb4s handling of the debate on the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) as an example of a Minister handling a situation the right way.<\/P><\/p>\n
“I was squarely opposed to our joining the CSME. I believe it would have been the wrong decision for us to take at this time,” he said.<\/P><\/p>\n
“I commend the [Minister] for his maturity and the manner in which he withdrew once he was satisfied that the public was uncomfortable with that. I believe that a couple of them have not reacted with that same level of maturity when it came to public criticisms, not of them personally, but of their performance.”<\/P><\/p>\n
He said that at least five Ministers in the present government deserve failing grades.<\/P><\/p>\n
Mr. Smith said he believes Prime Minister Perry Christie has been hesitant to reshuffle his Cabinet or fire any Ministers because he finds it difficult to give up on anyone.<\/P><\/p>\n
“That is a commendable character for a man to have,” he said.<\/P><\/p>\n
Mr. Jones added, “But that is also a major character flaw.”<\/P><\/p>\n
Mr. Smith said inevitably the Prime Minister will have to make the tough decisions that need to be made. <\/P><\/p>\n
“I know that he has to. He knows that he has to. He has been advised that he has to and I honestly believe that [he] is capable of making those tough decisions. Unfortunately, he isn\uffb4t making them as quickly and in the timeframe that others determine, but it is his call,” he said.<\/P><\/p>\n
Mr. Smith conceded that “in some areas the government is moving very slowly.”<\/P><\/p>\n
“I believe we have committed to do certain reforms in local government. We should have been well on the way with that,” he said. “That\uffb4s not happening. I believe that we are not making the improvements in agriculture. I believe that we are lagging in terms of some infrastructural improvements, roads and all of that.<\/P><\/p>\n
“I am embarrassed from time to time when I drive out West Bay Street and I see that the damage that came as a result of the hurricanes [has not been addressed]. It is to the driver dangerous.”<\/P><\/p>\n
Mr. Jones suggested that good governance is about addressing those concerns.<\/P><\/p>\n
Mr. Smith said, “I believe that in the most vital areas, the economy or health services, we\uffb4re doing excellently\uff85I\uffb4m amazed at how well we\uffb4re doing [in tourism] having regard to the cautious nature of world travelers.”<\/P><\/p>\n
But he conceded also that the government is not firing on all cylinders.<\/P><\/p>\n
“I believe there are areas where great mistakes are being made and I believe there are things that we ought to be devoting greater attention to. [As an example] we\uffb4re not taking the kind of aggressive and imaginative approach [that we ought to] in dealing with illegal immigrants,” he said.<\/P><\/p>\n
The Bahama Journal<\/SMALL><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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