For those who have been wondering...
This week’s column, Mr Editor, is for those who have been wondering — questions readers have asked, and sorry to have kept you all waiting.
Wonder No 1: No, I am not advocating that we let bygones be bygones when it comes to past overspends and questionable practices.
One reader, quite agitated, stopped me in the street about this. So let me be clear(er): the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) should be pursuing them vigorously, too.
Like the Port Royal Golf Course project and any other past projects that have been the subject of special reports from the Auditor General, along with any other reports that are still to come.
The taxpayers of this country deserve to know how their money was spent, or misspent as the case may be, and those responsible held to account.
But for the cheques and balances (and the pun works) to really have an effect, this cross-partisan committee needs to become current.
I have therefore also been advocating and pushing for the PAC to become far more active than it has been in the past and for their members to do all they can to bring the committee up to date.
The good news is that it looks like this has started to happen – and committee members on both sides of the divide merit our encouragement and support to keep cracking on.
Their job is to also be on top of current expenditures and to do so by questioning in public those who are in charge. I can think of any number of projects that cry out for any number of answers to any number of questions, such as:
• The Botanical Gardens maintenance yard project, the how and the why as well as how much;
• The Point Finger Road PPP aka the acute care wing and the impact this is having on healthcare costs and now our health insurance rates; and,
• The proposed PPP for a new airport and the gaps identified by the 200-page Deloitte report, a substitute for competitive tendering but still just a substitute.
This is the type of parliamentary oversight the backbench is meant to provide — Government and Opposition.
Call it collaboration, the type we need more of: cross-party scrutiny that is close and current and constant. A brain surgeon is not required to figure out the importance of this work — common sense will suffice — to appreciate how much more effective it is to catch disasters before they happen rather than after.
Wonder No 2: How to square my views on the necessity of anonymity under PATI with my rant against the use of pseudonyms by bloggers and letter writers?
Fair question. There is a world of difference between the two, in my view. First, my criticism of pseudonyms: I don’t have a problem with them when and where they are used to engage in debate on the issues and to advance a position. Mind you, I still would prefer writers put their name to their pieces, but I can accept anonymity in those cases.
My beef is when they are used to take personal shots (cheap, pot or otherwise) at others, and some of those shots can be downright nasty, vicious, so completely unnecessary and also so unproductive.
Too often, they sound and look like party partisans gone mad, pretending to have some special insight into the people they are attacking; some of whom, we are told, are reportedly paid for their handiwork.
The most recent example being the childish tit for tat that arose over the Bras for a Cause photos published and republished on Facebook.
What we get are tortured explanations and self-serving justifications to save face rather than what should be issued: a simple apology.
PATI is entirely different. Confidentiality is assured so that taxpayers will be comfortable asking questions, the answers to which may be uncomfortable for authorities in general, and the Government in particular. People need to know from the outset and throughout the PATI process that they can exercise their right to know without fear of recrimination. Of any sort. End of story.
Wonder No 3: That invitation. First, thank you Opposition Mr Bean: it is always nice to be recognised, appreciated and valued for the work you do and the causes you advance.
Secondly, it came as no surprise to me: it matches overtures I have been receiving privately. Thirdly, I understood it to be an open invitation with no RSVP date.
One final comment: it is nice to have the option should I be persuaded to re-enter the political arena.
In politics, as in life, Mr Editor, timing is everything.
It’s our National Heroes holiday weekend and, in reflection, I encourage you to spare a thought, too, for those who are our unsung heroes, those people who rarely get public recognition (not that they seek it) but who are truly the ones who led the way for many of us.
I think first of those who raised us children, who brought us up, as we like to say here in Bermuda. In my case, my parents, the late F John and Hilary Barritt. I will remember them this weekend for all that they did for me and our family and, in turn, the community.
There are others who have been influential at various turning points in my life and today a small tribute to them, too:
• In journalism: the late TE (Ted) Sayer. He made quite an impression on me when, as a young teenager, he challenged me to join the staff of The Royal Gazette if I thought I could do a better job.
He also taught me the value and need for a strong, independent and free press. The bug bit 50 years ago and has been with me ever since.
• Sport: Calvin “Bummy” Symonds, a great footballer and cricketer par excellence, whose performances on the field, as well as his conduct, persuaded me that this was a sportsman after whom I should model my behaviour.
• Law: Geoffrey Bell QC, who now sits on Bermuda’s Court of Appeal. I covered many trials as a reporter and used to enjoy watching Geoff.
He struck me then as logical, sound and direct in a straightforward, matter-of-fact, easy to understand way. Still is, in fact.
It was during our many conversations in between adjournments that he convinced me that I should also try a legal career. Geoff not only challenged and encouraged me to have a go but mentored and supported me all the way to the Bar.
• Politics: first you have to get past the influence of my father and uncle, Bobby Barritt. After that, Dame Lois Browne-Evans and Sir John Plowman: an unlikely and unusual combination, I know.
But even as a reporter I made friends on both sides of the fence and these were two politicians who took the time to engage me on the issues of the day and, even where we disagreed, continued to counsel me freely throughout my political career.
I found them to be equally astute about people and politics in Bermuda. I also happened to admire their dedication and commitment to public service.
• Retirement? That’s up next: my good friend, the late Louise Jackson. Need I say more?
Have a great and safe holiday weekend everyone — and don’t forget to remember your heroes.
