SENATOR MELANIE S. GRIFFIN

      BUDGET PRESENTATION 2001/2002

       JUNE 27, 2001

 

Mr. President, it gets worse.  It has come to my attention, Mr President, that human parts - arms and legs from surgical amputation and other body parts have found their way to the public dump.  Even a cadaver, babies and syringes.  From what the Minister reported yesterday about medical waste being dumped in the landfill, it seems that he is also aware of this state of affairs.  Why haven’t steps been taken to address this abominable situation sooner, especially since I am informed that possibly it is an illegal situation.

 

OPENING REMARKS

Mr President, the people of The Bahamas have lost all faith in this FNM Government, that is those that had any faith in them in the first place.  In increasing numbers, Bahamians have determined that this Government cannot be trusted and its leader, perhaps with all his sincerity, certainly does not “say what he means and mean what he says”. 

Truly, Mr President, if the people of this Country required any further evidence that this Government is not to be trusted, it was given to them on May 30^th, 2001 when the Prime Minister and his Cabinet strutted across Bay Street like a band of Cheshire cats and attempted for the second time in as many years to perpetrate, once again, the lie of a balanced budget on the Bahamian people.  Mr President, my words may seem harsh to some people, but I have agonized hard and long over this Budget and I can tell you that I have taken great pains to soften my presentation, but in the face of the social and economic suffering I encounter amongst our people every day, some of the horror stories are enough to make your hair rise, I am more than amazed that the Government would expect any one in this Country today to believe that they could balance a budget.  Last year they stretched the imagination, but this year, for God’s sake, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the only way the budget could be balanced is if the numbers are manipulated.  Mr President, it is frightening and saddening to note the lengths some people will go to try to win an election to hold on to power.  I can only hope and pray that whether its from my short sojourn here in the Senate or by God’s grace some service in that other place, I will have the wisdom to bow out gracefully and not try to hold on “by hook or by crook”.

Mr President, the Minister of Finance waxed eloquently about the balanced budget that he has put forth to the Bahamian people, but when you review what has been put forth, you immediately come to the inescapable conclusion that this claim is merely words written on paper with no financial information to substantiate it. 

First of all, Mr President, the Minister of Finance has admitted that the Government’s accounts are in such a bad state that the Auditor General has refused to certify them as accurate.  Therefore, his claims of prudent fiscal account management of the Government’s accounts over the years should be condemned.

Secondly, Mr President, the Minister has not been able to tell us definitively what the Government spent and what it took in by way of customs duties and other revenues for the past three years at least.  Thirdly, the Government has spent in excess of $100M in the privatization of Batelco - a sum not previously budgeted and Batelco is still not privatized.  In the fourth instance, although we may be off the blacklist now, the recent blacklisting of The Bahamas has led to a substantial reduction in companies and banks fees of approximately $15M to $20M dollars. 

In addition to all of this, the Government in this budget is reducing customs duties on many revenue generating items - clearly an election ploy, but nonetheless representing a further reduction in revenue.  On behalf of my brothers and sisters throughout this Nation, Mr President, I ask the question, “How is the Government able to present a balanced budget for the fiscal year 2001/2002 against this backdrop?”  The Government also has certain fixed expenses which must be met and the forecast for increased income is very bleak, seemingly just a lot of “guestimation”.  Where are the numbers coming from to produce this so called “balanced budget”?  It certainly seems that these numbers are being snatched out of thin air to configure a balanced budget in an attempt to cover up the Government’s poor management of the tax payers money.

Mr President, the Minister of Finance should come clean and give us the facts.  The people of The Bahamas, in particular the average man on the street, simply want to know that if you take in $10 in income, that you do not spend more than $10.  They are not interested in all the political spin and play on words, because the numbers just do not add up.  In fact, Mr President, this budget should be termed the “Phantom Budget” - the figures just do not add up.

Mr President, I don’t think its too much for our people to expect the budget to give them some ray of hope for a better way of life and solutions to the many social problems that exist in our Country.  Its not too much for our people to expect the budget to provide them with a vision for a better quality of education for their children, better health care, better roads and a better environment in which to live.  It is not too much for our people to expect the budget to place them on a path to economic empowerment.  It is not too much for the people to expect the Government to give them a budget that gives them the true picture of the economy so they can govern themselves accordingly.

EDUCATION

Mr President, The Government continues to talk of the global village we now live in, but in this budget nothing is said about giving our children a global education so that they can live and compete with other children in the village.  Improving the physical buildings alone, will not suffice if the quality of education does not measure up and we are simply churning out hundreds of students every year who can barely read and write.

 

Mr President, I am advised by educators that the Government needs to address the following issues in order to improve the quality of education in our schools and provide an environment conducive to teaching and learning:

1.               Stop Social Promotion. Make students repeat.  Place students repeating in a special program so that their specific needs can be addressed.  If students repeat for two years at Junior High level and still do not meet the requirements, place students in a technical/vocational school or program.

2.               Take all high risk students (boys and girls) out of the regular school program.  It is felt that such students disrupt the schools, make the environment unsafe and hinder learning.  They should be placed in a special institution where they could be exposed to rigid discipline, counseling and academic and vocational programs.  The Sure program assists in this area, but that program, itself,  is under-staffed and under-funded and very much in need of a reading specialist and further training for current staff.  Additionally, absenteeism is a very real problem at the school due to a breakdown of the attendance monitoring system.  Because of this breakdown sometimes the absentee students return to the old schools and create problems there.  The Sure Program needs to be expanded and a separate program initiated tailored for female high risk students.

3.               School Libraries must be upgraded and well-equipped with current books, magazines, computers, other media aids and qualified teacher-librarians.  A state of the art public library is long overdue.

4.               Computers should be available for all students.  (At least one should be in each classroom at every grade level.)  We hear a lot about computers in the schools, but what format is the program taking? 

5.               Discipline must be restored in schools.  The number of administrators, especially Senior Masters and Mistresses, must be increased to address disciplinary matters more effectively.  The size of the student body should determine the number of administrators.

6.               More guidance counselors must be employed for improved results.  At many schools there is a shortage of counselors, for example, a school with at least 1,200 students has only two counselors.

7.               Drinking faucets are a must.  Some schools have none.  D W Davis with some 800 students and A F Adderley with 1,200 students have no drinking faucets.  Mr President, this is shameful and disgraceful.  Is depriving the “little darlings” of water a new initiative of the Government?

8.               Nursing services must be provided every day - 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.  This is still not happening in many schools in spite of recent events which showed the importance of having nursing services on school premises.

9.               School cafeterias must be provided.  Many students eat standing in dusty school yards.

10.            Proper playing fields or sports facilities must be provided for all schools.  Many schools do not have gyms or track and field facilities: C C Sweeting Junior and Senior, C R Walker, C H Reeves, H O Nash - no gyms.  A F Adderley, C C Sweeting Senior & Junior, H O Nash - no track and field.

11.            A clean environment is a must.  The present janitorial system is a disgrace.  In many cases there are not enough persons on the janitorial staff and those who are there are not monitored properly.  Additionally, some of them are expected to work in quite adverse conditions, for example, no janitorial room where they can seek protection from the elements.  In many cases the campuses are not weeded or cut on a regular basis.

12.            Effective Security Services are a must.   Security staff must be enhanced and proper monitoring put in place to ensure maximum protection.

13.            School Boards must be allowed to operate as legislated.  In fact, these boards should be supervising janitorial and security services.

14.            Mass exodus from the teaching profession must be stopped.  Seasoned, qualified teachers are leaving the profession, reportedly over 400 Bahamian teachers left the school system last school year.  The 102 teachers slated to be hired in the coming year is only a drop in the bucket as to the numbers of teachers required to carry a properly staffed quality education system.  Some incentive program is needed to attract persons to the teaching profession, especially male teachers.

Mr President, if Government is really serious about its commitment to the provision of quality education to our people, it would not being talking fool about a balanced budget, when some of the above are simple, basic requirements that would really improve our educational system and there is no provision for many of these recommendations in the budget.  The Government’s mind set seems to be, let’s do without so we can balance the budget.  This attitude must be condemned, if we are to address the many social ills facing our country and level the playing field so that all our young people could have a chance at survival in the global community.

One other concern of teachers I would wish to address at this point.  Perhaps, Mr President, the Government Leader, could advise when the inconsistencies in salaries brought on by the implementation of the Career Path system for teachers will be addressed.  I am advised that Senior Masters/Mistresses who are charged with the responsibility of supervising Master Teachers, a category created by the Career Path Program, find themselves being paid less than the persons they supervise.  Certainly, this cannot be fair and should be corrected immediately and such teachers should be paid the difference in salary retroactive to the date the inconsistency began.

TOURISM

Mr President, I listened to the Minister of Tourism the other day as he made his budget presentation.  I watched and listened in disbelief as he manipulated the tourism figures to achieve his goal of painting a picture of what he called a “success story” that “just keeps rolling on and on.”  The Minister then went on to say that the first four months of 2001 had broken all records.  He said, and I quote, “At the end of April 2001, preliminary arrival figures to The Bahamas stood at 1,609,174 representing a 6.9% increase over the same period for last year; a record year in The Bahamas.”  What the Minister did not say was that of that 1,609,174, some 1,042,298 were cruise ship arrivals and only 566,876 were stopover arrivals.  Mr President, I think you will appreciate that the real barometer for tourism economic impact is the number of stopover visitors, because they spend about 12 times as much as cruise passengers.  Even though stop over visitors today may be up, Mr President, it is worth noting that in 30 years from 1970 we have still not doubled the number of stop over visitors.  In fact, the number of stopover visitors today are still at the level of 1990.  The Minister of Tourism noted that of  4,204,180 visitors in 2000, only 1,596,159 were stopovers, while 2,512, 626 were cruise visitors.  Stopover visitors in 1990 totaled 1,561,665.  Clearly, Mr President, the Government has not found a way to accelerate the growth in stopover visitors, which as I noted previously is the real barometer for measuring the economic impact of tourism.

Mr President, I am certain when the Minister of Tourism stated that the first four months of 2001 had broken all records, hoteliers everywhere were flabbergasted because they know that many of their properties are experiencing the worst first quarter they have seen for some time.  Mr President, the real measures of performance by hotels are occupancy and revenue per available room.  The preliminary figures for major Nassau/Paradise Island hotels for the first four months in 2001 show a reduction in revenue per available room of 46.1% and an occupancy fall off of 3.3%.  I can also tell you that May doesn’t get much better and June isn’t looking so hot.  In fact the trend now seems that whenever Atlantis fulls up, the other properties compete for the overflow.  With its high, middle and low end properties, Atlantis is also able to out manoeuver the other properties with regard to rates.  This is having quite an impact on the overall performance by the other hotels.  Mr President, all is not as well in Tourism, as the Minister would have us believe.  Just ask the hoteliers, the straw vendors, the taxi drivers, the housekeepers, the bellmen, etc

CONSTRUCTION

Mr President, another area that is a barometer of how the economy is doing, is the area of construction.  While the Government boasts of a balanced budget and a booming economy, Ministry of Works statistics show that construction is beginning to ebb and housing starts are down - for the first quarter 2000 housing starts stood at 231 units, for the first quarter of 2001, housing starts total 146 units.  A decrease of 85 units - the dollar value for the same periods were $54.6M in 2000 and $16.9M in 2001 - a substantial decrease of 69%.  The performance of the construction industry is another barometer of the economy.  Mr President, these numbers tell me that our economy is indeed slowing down, just like our sister to the north.  In the midst of all of this, the Minister of Finance wants the Bahamian people to believe that he can produce a balanced budget.  Mr Minister, please come clean with the Bahamian people!!!  We may not be fiscal geniuses, but we know when things are going bad, from when they are going good because we feel it and live it every day.

Additionally, Mr President, bank loans are down substantially, another indication that our economy is slowing down.  I think the Minister would serve the Country better, if he would be frank and give us the real numbers so that we can know what to expect and prepare ourselves accordingly.

CORRUPTION

You know Mr President, I heard one of my colleagues on the other side talk about a corrupt PLP Government and I really wondered why she wanted to go there in light of the startling revelations that continue to come out about this corrupt FNM Government.  Yes, Mr President, our man in Grants Town, on the case for the Bahamian people, continues to weed out corruption in this Government.  Just last week serious charges of impropriety, conflict of interest and raw corruption were made against the Deputy Prime Minister, the then Chairman of the Airport Authority, Mr Brent Symonette and a former officer of the FNM, Dr Elizabeth Darville.  Mr President, the charges against the Deputy Prime Minister go as far back as 1992 and I can’t help but reflect that even while rhetoric of “sunshine”, “transparency” and “accountability” were being thrown around left, right and center in 1992, corruption was already showing its ugly head in that new “delivery” government.  Since that time there has been much that this Government has done that cannot stand the scrutiny of the sunshine.  There is much that they have done that they have not seen fit to account for, and certainly much of what they have done is not transparent.  You will certainly see what I mean in a few minutes, Mr President.

Mr President, as I listened to Brent Symonette try to justify what he did in awarding his own company a contract at the airport, I couldn’t help but think, if that were the PLP everyone would be shouting, not just conflict of interest, but nepotism, as well.  We certainly would not have been given the opportunity to try to justify our indefensible position and make a feeble attempt, as Mr Symonette did to castigate the messenger.  I also thought Mr President, of a statement made by Floyd Watkins, the MP for Delaporte who said something to the effect that he voted against a third term for the Prime Minister because he wanted to get rid of the perception that there were two Bahamas. And I really wonder, if Brent Symonette was not so wealthy, influential and well-connected, if he would have been treated differently.  That is the question Bahamians every where are asking and by and large it is believed that if it were someone of less wealth, influence and connection, the whole matter would have been handled differently.  Indeed, Mr President, the FNM has done a great job in dividing The Bahamas into two distinct categories - one called “the haves” and the other called “the have nots” and I can tell you, they are not treated the same.  That will be one of the major reasons the people of The Bahamas will vote this Government out come the next elections.

THE ECONOMIC DIVIDE

Speaking about divides, Mr President, I came across an article in the Financial Section of the Nassau Guardian of Saturday, June 23, which I thought could well have been speaking to an identical situation here in The Bahamas.  The FNM Government and its chief propagandists are always spouting off about the booming economy and the question I always ask is, “Booming for who?”  In the midst of all the propaganda about how good the economy is doing, many people in our Country are still hurting and their pockets are still empty.   They are finding it hard to pay utilities, buy groceries and supply other basic needs.  Mr President, the article speaks of a poll taken in the U S which determined that Americans saw an economic divide in their Nation. 

    (Read from article)

I daresay, Mr President that under this Government the economic condition of the average Bahamian has not been enhanced and mirrors what seems to be happening in the United States.

DEPARTMENTAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Mr President, I now wish to turn my attention to the Department of Environmental Health, more specifically, the Government’s Sanitary Landfill Site on Harold.  I listened last year as the Minister of Health gave a glowing report of the Ministry of Health and all its relevant departments.  In particular, I recall his mention of the Harold Road Dumpsite and his talk about the new shredding machine, which I have now been informed was not in fact new and is currently not even operational.  Again this year we have been given more of the same.  But this year, Mr President, having done my homework, I can confirm that all is not well at the Department of Environmental Health or the Harold Road Sanitary Landfill Site.  I heard the Minister yesterday speak of some “teething issues” being experienced at the site, but Mr President, according to my sources “teething issues” is a grave understatement of the devastating problems facing that project.

Now Mr President, when I speak about the mismanaging ways of this Government some of my colleagues on the other side get upset, but Mr President, this Government has shown that it is a mismanager of the people’s affairs.  In fact, Mr President, most Bahamians have come to the realization that this is not a Government that says what it means and means what it says.  They have come to the conclusion that this FNM Government is indeed not to be trusted.

I would like at this point, Mr President, to address alleged departmental corruption in the Department of Environmental Health Services, the critical working conditions of the employees at the Harold Road dump site and what appears to be a disaster at the $10M dump site.

EMPLOYEE PROBLEMS

Overtime Pay

It has come to my attention, Mr President, that because of the method used at the new site, where the garbage had to be compacted and covered daily and the long hours the Department wanted the site opened, the employees had to work over time to keep up with the work, which included keeping the old site completely covered.  Mr President, I am told that after being authorized to work the overtime, the staff has not received any overtime pay since December 2000.  Staff was owed some 19 weeks in overtime payment to the end of April 2001.   In his presentation yesterday the Minister confirmed the amount of overtime owed to the employees, can he please now advise when they will be paid their hard earned monies.  I am advised that the overtime was also driven because of the complaints from the Minister’s parents, an assertion which the Minister himself endorsed yesterday.  If this is the case, surely the least you could do is ensure that these employees get paid.

Salary Discrepancies

Can the Minister please indicate how it can be justified that someone who has been certified after training at Caterpillar’s training school in Peoria, Illinois, be classified and paid a General Worker’s salary of $225 per week?  Perhaps the Minister would wish to inform this August chamber why the Ministry is paying persons who have received training and have been certified as Landfill Solid Waste Managers of North America and who are capable of running any land fill site any where in the world, truck drivers salary.  It is my understanding that as a part of the IDB loan to the Government, persons were supposed to be trained to assist with the proper operations of the new cell.  In preparation for this the site manager at the time, a Mrs Thomasina Wilson, began the process of sending some of the staff to be trained in anticipation of the opening of the new site.  I am told she was only able to have six persons trained before the head office stopped the training on the grounds that there would be no more training until monies were received from the IDB.  Today this has still not happened.  Included in the first training, I am told, were two certified landfill managers - trained in New Mexico and four certified tractor operators, trained in Peoria, Illinois at the Caterpillar training school.  I am further advised that additional training scheduled for other tractor operators, spotters or traffic directors, as well as the mechanics and service, was squashed by the head office.  The two persons trained as certified landfill managers are substantively truck drivers, who have a lot of experience working at the site.  They have not been recognized for their training or their efforts in running the site.  Of the four certified tractor operators, two are substantively classified as casual relief workers, which means their salaries are no more than an unskilled laborer ‘s salary of $225 per week for operating a D8 tractor.  This in view of the fact that the foreign tractor operators  were paid $30 per hour or $1,200 per week.   Mr President, just thinking of this, triggers memories of Burma Road  when our people took to the streets to fight against inconsistencies and unfair rates such as this.  It only begs the question, are we going back to those days - many believe this Government has already taken us back there - back to Egypt.  Mr President, word has it that the workmen for the contractors claim that this is the easiest job they have ever had.

The Minister should move immediately to recognize the certification of these six employees reward them accordingly.  Hazard allowance should also be paid to them.

General Working Conditions and Employee Benefits

Mr President, it has come to my attention that the general working conditions and benefits to employees at the Harold Road dump site are deplorable.  Will the Minister please inform the good people of The Bahamas, why the Department of Environmental Health Services is not supplying masks with filters for workmen at the dump site and why are they not being provided with protective glasses to shield their eyes from dust, etc?

Reports have it, Mr President, that the site has been without light and water for over a year.  Is the Minister aware, Mr President, that there is no city water supply at the dump site?  Can he explain why the workers are not provided with drinking water on the site?  It is my understanding that the site manager was forced to put an ice cooler in her car and go for ice and water for the staff many times.

Is the Minister also aware that there are no proper bathrooms on the site?  I am told that the few women who work there have to leave the compound when they need to use the bathroom and the men have to take to the bushes or leave as well.

During the Summer months, I have been informed, that there is a lot of dust which workers are exposed to on a daily basis, with no water to clean up.  The dust is contaminated and no one should have to go home to their families with contaminated dust on their clothes and body.  I am advised that some workers are already sick from this dust and other unknown contaminants.  Although, the workers are aware that they may get some relief after the buildings currently under construction on the site are completed, what is to happen with them until then?  I am advised and the Minister confirmed yesterday,  that the buildings are scheduled for completion by December - this means the workers will have to endure yet another long, hot summer without relief.

No electricity at the dump site, Mr President.  The Minister spoke about an electrification program yesterday, but I did not understand him to say that there was no electricity at all at the site, nor that the situation existed for a whole year.  It would be interesting to know, since the Minister seems to be aware of this, how long has he been aware of it and why has he failed to address this matter sooner?  Mr President, no one should be made to work under such conditions and certainly God is not pleased with these state of affairs, but Mr President, that is not all.

Further allegations have it that workers at the dump site are not provided with tecko (techo) shots which are required to protect them from the various diseases that emanate from such an environment.  Additionally, does the Minister not feel that persons employed at the dump site, because of the potential exposure to diseases, should be provided with medical insurance coverage?

Mr. President, it gets worse.  It has come to my attention, Mr President, that human parts - arms and legs from surgical amputation and other body parts have found their way to the public dump.  Even a cadaver, babies and syringes.  From what the Minister reported yesterday about medical waste being dumped in the landfill, it seems that he is also aware of this state of affairs.  Why haven’t steps been taken to address this abominable situation sooner, especially since I am informed that possibly it is an illegal situation.

I have also been told, Mr President, that as a result of clogged pipes at the Water & Sewerage Plant located in the immediate vicinity of the public dump, that someone took the decision to remove raw sewage from that site and dump the same into the landfill cell at the public dump.  Mr President, I am advised that this is a big no - no under any circumstances and should never have happened. Yet the Ministry of Health has not made provisions for medical coverage for the men and women who work at the dump site.  I must also draw to my colleagues attention that, contrary to Minister’s assertion yesterday that there are no more scavengers at the site, the problems at the site are further compounded by the return of scavengers to the dump site in increasing numbers  - I saw them with my own eyes.  Minister you are also in error when you say that “dogs are not allowed” on the site.  Last Saturday, I saw at least a dozen stray dogs at the site.  Again, a very hazardous problem.  Mr President, the Minister is obviously not on top of what is going on down at the Harold Road site and he is being given erroneous information. 

Mr President, my information is that as a result of what I have just disclosed and more I will reveal as I unfold this very disturbing saga of the dump site at Harold Road, staff morale is very low.  Mainly because of the way the site is currently being managed or should I say “mismanaged”, as well as the general hazardous working conditions I have just outlined.

I am advised, that the Department of Environmental Health was most unwise in the way in which they switched the management of the dump site to someone who not only did not wish to be there, but is alleged to have said that he does not have any knowledge of that phase of the operation. 

The Ministry, I am advised, Mr President, wishes the site to be opened for longer hours, which will require workers to put in extra time to keep the high level of garbage under control.  I am also told that some experienced staff members are refusing to work any further overtime because of the situation.  They apparently have said that it is unfair and this has caused the site to be left unattended and poorly managed.  On the week-ends residents, as well as the Environmental Health Department’s trucks and private contractors, can be seen dumping any where there is room on the site, and oftentimes there are no personnel and tractors operating to attend to the situation.

Mr President, I visited the site myself, along with one of my colleagues, this past Saturday evening around 6:45 pm.  There was no one at the gate and there were no employees in or around the site.  I did observe some individuals who I was advised are scavengers.  I even observed a lady with a child in arms who appears to be living in a shack on the dump on the south-eastern section of the site.

Mr President, to be balanced, I should point out that we gave a young man a lift from the site to the main road who acknowledged that he was a scavenger.  On inquiry, I was able to determine that there is profit in the business of scavenging.  The young man disclosed that some valuable items are found at the dump, in fact at one time he had found $17,000 cash in an envelop at the site.  He has also found gold jewelry.  I disclose this, Mr President, because there appears to be some advantage to be gained, but on the other hand, there is much disadvantage in the exposure to disease and the likelihood that they could be run over by tractors at work on the site.  Mr President, I come down on the side of having healthy citizens.  I am advised that a when Mrs Wilson was at the site no scavengers or bottle collectors were allowed on to the new site, but again, contrary to the Minister’s report, every day people are on the site picking up all sorts of things from the garbage - bottles, scrap metal, you name it.  In fact the new $10M Sanitary Landfill site has degenerated into no more than a regular dumpsite, not much different from the old one.  My sources advise, Mr President, that the present managers cannot control the site or the operation.

Change of Management

This leaves me to disclose, Mr President, that I was informed that the immediate previous manager at the site, Mrs Thomasina Wilson, is fully trained in the area of waste management, having a Master of Science degree in Environmental Waste Management.  She also has numerous other related training and certificates in solid waste management and is extremely knowledgeable and competent in this field.  My sources tell me that this good lady got the scavengers to stop coming to the site, because there was nothing to come for as the workers were discharging their duties on a timely and effective basis.  That is to say, Mr President, the garbage was covered up in a timely fashion.

I am also told that during this lady’s tenure, fires were minimal and smelly open garbage on the site was eliminated.  The staff, I am told, was happy working with her because she could get the job done and she tried her level best to help most of them get training.  Mr President, I am advised that conditions have deteriorated since her departure and that the residents of Fire Trail Road and the surrounding areas can now look forward to obnoxious odors, flies and fires soon, if not experiencing them already.  Minister you may wish to advise your parents accordingly.

Mr President, the Hon Minister indicated yesterday and I quote, “I am proud of that site”.  I am certain he cannot be proud of the despicable situations I have just outlined.  Mr President, I implore the Minister, without further delay, please rescue the workers at the Harold Road dump site - no one should have to work under such conditions.  In the name of decency, care, compassion and for the love of God, I demand that relief be brought to these employees without delay.  How can we say we have a balanced budget when our people are reportedly working under such conditions.  Mr President, I find it difficult to understand why the Minister, who is a health care professional, could or would allow these conditions to exist when they could have been addressed a long time ago.  Surely, Mr President, an ounce of prevention is always better than a million pounds of cure.

Ten Million Dollar Dump Site Contract

Mr President, I now move on to the Government’s much heralded $10M dump site at Harold contract.  The contract was awarded to a Canadian company, Spring Point Management Limited.  I have not seen a copy of the contract with that company and to the best of my knowledge it was not laid on the table of this Senate.  I request the Minister to provide the Opposition with a copy of the contract document as a matter of urgency.  I would also like the Minister to inform the Senate as to whether his Government is pleased with the performance of the contractors and will the Minister also advise colleagues as to whether there are any additional costs arising out of that contract.

Mr President, my information is that the additional costs of the contract was in the vicinity of $2M.  I am aware that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) provided funding for the loan and as such required international bidding.  Notwithstanding that, Mr President, my information is that the work performed under the contract awarded to Spring Point Management could have been done by Bahamians.  My information is that foreign tractor operators were brought in and paid up to $30 per hour.  This brings up the situation of the equipment which was turned over to the Department, Mr President.  I am advised that equipment, tractors, etc, used to prepare the site, although brought in by the contractor, was paid for by the IDB.  The equipment was to be used in the construction of the garbage cell and then turned over to the Government.  However, I am told the contractors employees misused the equipment, operating the tractors in high gear at fast speeds, ripping the ground, also turning while ripping, putting considerable strain on the under carriage, transmission and steering components.  By the time the equipment was turned over to the Government, I am told they were in poor working condition, a situation of which the Director was well aware. 

Mr President, when I heard the Minister say yesterday that the local government board in South Eleuthera and Bimini were not monitoring the landfill cells contracts in those islands properly and that the contractors were not using the proper equipment to get the job done, I only smiled.  I am told that the D8R tractors which were turned over by the contractors at the Harold Road site are not the most efficient or appropriate machines for landfill use either.  In fact, word has it that the consultant had recommended a landfill compactor to be used along with these machines for maximum compaction density, but instructions were given to purchase three D8R track type tractors.

I am further informed, Mr President, that the Government engaged the services of a Canadian consultant by the name of Mr Don Corrigan, who is well known to the contractor, as they worked together previously on other jobs.  In this situation, Mr President, another question comes to mind, “Could this be the case of putting the rat to watch the cheese?”  Mr President, the Government then proceeded, without going to tender, I am told, to engage the services of the contractor, Spring Point Management Company Limited, to provide equipment maintenance and repair services.  I have in my possession an unsigned copy of that agreement.  The agreement was made on the first day of January 2001 between the Director of the Department of Environmental Health, acting for and on behalf of the Government of The Bahamas and Spring Point Management Limited.

             (Read Agreement)

Mr President, the monthly fee as stated is $35, 976 per month.  This maintenance and repair services agreement, as stated, Mr President, is for maintenance supervision with the Government providing qualified personnel to work under the direction of the contractor.  Mr President, I am a layman in these matters, however, I have been advised that the amount of $35,976 per month is extremely excessive.  You may what is the basis of my charge of excessiveness?  It also begs the question as to whether some deal of a rip off of public funds has occurred.  I have in my possession two quotations, Mr President, two quotations for maintenance - one from Atlantic Equipment and Power Limited for a monthly fee of $4,200, the other from Bahamas Mack Truck Sales Limited at a monthly cost of $1,750.  Two quotations, Mr President, to perform relatively the same duties as Spring Point.  If we combined the quotation by the two local companies the total is $71,400 per annum, the Canadian company total a whopping $431,712 per annum.  If the Government had taken the time to patronize these local companies, Mr President, a savings of some $360,312 per annum would have been experienced.  Monies that could go towards increasing wages, providing proper hazard allowance, providing drinking water, protective gloves, glasses and masks for the workers at the dump site who must each day endure the most squalid, unhealthy and deplorable conditions imaginable in a modern day Bahamas.  How can we boast of a balanced budget when we are wasting public funds in this manner.  Mr President, this Government is a master mismanager.

Mr President, I have sought to demonstrate that the Government is not properly managing the affairs of the people.  I sincerely and with all my heart wonder why they allow this kind of unacceptable, immoral management to be perpetrated on our people - while foreign consultants and contractors sit back and not doubt laugh at us.  Mr President, this Government promised, “better, better, better”, but for the workers at the Harold Road dump, it has been and continues to be, “bitter, bitter, bitter”.

Mr President, the Opposition demands that the Government moves forthwith to terminate this maintenance supervisory agreement with Spring Point Management Limited and move to address all the legitimate concerns of the workers at the dump site and the Blue Hill Road station.

Mr President, while on the subject of waste and bad decisions, it is my understanding that the Department of Environmental Health is top heavy and small at the bottom.  Steps should be taken to remedy this situation immediately.  At the same time, the Minister must move post-haste to remove the entrenched system in the Department of Environmental Health by dismantling the club-like operation which seems to be in place in that Department.  With immediate effect, he should re-instate the former manager, Mrs Wilson, as officer in charge of the Harold Road dump site in the best interest of the Bahamian people.

Mr President, as a part of this club syndrome in the Department of Environmental Health, would the Minister confirm or deny that one of his senior officials in that Department was allegedly recalled from Switzerland to explain the circumstances and events surrounding the purchase of a Ford Explorer from Friendly Motors by Spring Point Management Limited with a 15% mark up added?  Will the Minister be frank in his answers?  Why did the contractor purchase the vehicle?

Would the Minister also explain the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of a used 1992 tub grinder at around $300,000 when a brand new tub grinder could be bought for the same price?  Will the Minister also tell the Senate whether this tub grinder is operational and the extent of the down time experienced by the dump site with that unit? 

Will the Minister confirm or deny that funds were provided by Sun International for portable lighting systems to provide lighting at the dump site around the time the Holiday Inn on Paradise Island was demolished?  Will the Minister also confirm whether or not the portable lighting systems were purchased, and whether Sun International has just recently given some used portable lighting systems to the Departmental of Environmental Health?

Privatization of the Dump Site

Mr President, strong rumour has it that the Government is currently giving serious consideration to privatizing the Harold Road dump site.  My information is that the promoters of this privatization program have informed the Government that the bulk of the staff at the dump site on Harold Road and the Blue Hill Road station are incompetent and untrainable.  Mr President, I do not believe and refuse to accept that the hardworking men and women referred to are incompetent and untrainable.  The training programs undertaken by staff in that area, according to my source, confirms to the contrary.  I fail to understand how any Bahamian could commit to writing that our people are incompetent and untrainable.  It is an insult to all Bahamians

My final word on the Departmental of Environmental Health, Mr President, is that I am advised that private garbage collection companies access the Harold Road dump site on a daily basis, but they are not required to pay one single penny.  I recently observed that one of the private garbage companies went public.  From what I read in their prospectus, there is much profit in that kind of business.  I heard the Minister yesterday allude to implementing some type of “tipping fee” for private garbage collection companies at the dump site, but would it not make sense, Mr President, for those private companies to be requested to pay an annual fee of some kind to the Government, the proceeds of which could be used to enhance and properly maintain the Harold Road dump site?

Mr President, the atrocities being perpetrated at the Sanitary Landfill Site on Harold Road are many and I have really only touched the surface, there is more, but I think I have presented enough to make everyone aware of what is really going on at the that much touted site.

Mr President, a new PLP Government will bring order to the garbage disposal system, not just here in New Providence, but throughout The Bahamas.  We will listen to advice from all and make intelligent and reasoned decisions which will be supported by the overwhelming majority of our people.

CONCLUSION

Mr President, it does not escape the Bahamian people that this is an election year and that this is an election budget, but we want this Government to know that their days are numbered.   Their political trickery will not help them this time around.

We have already seen the election signs in the different constituencies.  In Yamacraw alone Sun International’s development of a park bordering Colony Village and Elizabeth Estates is being utilized to its fullest potential as a campaign tool, but we don’t mind that you know.  The residents will welcome this park, our only concern will be that it is maintained properly, because the track record for developing and maintaining parks in the area is very poor.  The area surrounding the basketball and volleyball courts and the field behind the Thelma Gibson Primary school are constantly overgrown with weeds.  The hoops on the basketball court, which I have repaired before are in much need of repairs again.  Once they are operational, it would ease the burden on the court by the Police Station on Commonwealth Boulevard.

The residents of Australia Avenue are still wondering if the few pieces of equipment which were installed at the park on their street is the best the Government could have done with the money received from Mr Nihon in 1997.  They still remember the fanfare of students being taken out of school and made to attend a tree planting ceremony and presentation of the check by Mr Nihon, flanked by government officials, heralding the development of what they thought would be a park they could really be proud of.  Mr President, up to this day, no sand fill has ever been placed around any of the equipment, as I have seen at the parks on Goodman’s Bay and Montagu, so that the children will be safe when they use the equipment.  At one time some parents had to place used mattresses under the equipment for to protect the children from the rocky terrain.  Surely Elizabeth Estates deserves better than this.  Parks on Holly Road and Nassau East also remain undeveloped, but residents are really wondering about the sudden activity at the park in Colony Village.  In fact, Mr President, some thoughts have been shared with me as to why that spot was chosen for the Sun park development, but I won’t share them here, perhaps another place and another time.