The revelations from the Police Staff Association are shocking, but sadly not surprising. They expose yet another example of the Davis administration’s ongoing contempt for the men and women who serve this country and keep it running.
There is no excuse for what has been revealed. Police officers who are legally entitled to dependent health insurance are now being denied coverage for their spouses and children. This is not a clerical issue. According to the Police Staff Association, it is the direct result of the government owing approximately $100 million in unpaid health insurance premiums.
While this government boasts about record revenues and so-called surpluses, it has failed to meet one of its most basic obligations. It has failed to take care of the police officers who put their lives on the line every single day to keep Bahamians safe.
What makes this situation even worse is that the Prime Minister has reportedly refused to meet with the Police Staff Association to address this crisis. At a time when officers’ health coverage is in serious jeopardy, silence from the country’s leadership is unacceptable.
This is a government that finds money for private jets and lavish travel, including spending more than a million dollars on a single overseas trip. This is a government that has handed out more than $400 million in no-bid contracts to political friends and insiders. Yet when it comes time to pay health insurance premiums for police officers, or to protect the wellbeing of their families, suddenly there is delay and blatant disregard.
Unfortunately, this is the kind of behavior we have come to expect from this government. We have seen it with teachers who were forced to wait months for promised salary increases and allowances. We have seen it
with public servants who were told to be patient while the Prime Minister insisted cash flow was not a problem. Over and over again, the people who educate our children, protect our communities, and keep public services
functioning are treated as an afterthought.
A government that cannot pay its obligations to police officers, teachers, and public workers, but can freely spend on travel and no-bid contracts, is a government that has lost its moral compass.
The Free National Movement stands firmly with our police officers, our teachers, and every public servant who deserves respect, dignity, and timely payment. Bahamians are watching, and they are drawing their own conclusions about who is working for them and who is not.
Soon, Bahamians will have the opportunity to choose a different path. They will be able to elect a government that understands that taking care of public servants is not optional. It is a duty.