DOES THIS COUNTRY WANT TO HEAR THE TRUTH?
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This story first appeared in the Nassau Guardian by Taneka Thompson 26 February 2025:
Amid backlash over a Cabinet minister’s revelation that the government rehired nearly 500 retirees, Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell said sometimes it “isn’t worth the trouble” to answer questions in this country.
He made the comment in a voice note on Monday as he again lamented the reaction from the Free National Movement (FNM) and some in the labor movement to the rehires.
“In many respects you can see why sometimes answering questions in this country, it isn’t worth the trouble really,” Mitchell said.
“I get the impression that people don’t want to know the truth. All they want to do is find something to row about,” he said, questioning why critics want to attack police officers or teachers being rehired to fill needed gaps.
Mitchell said data from the latest census shows birth rates in the country have fallen, leading to a declining population.
He said many people will have to work beyond the age of 65—the current retirement age—in order to keep the Bahamian economy going. Despite the data, he said many people seem to not want to face reality.
“That’s one of the reasons why I refuse to talk about immigration,” he said. “People don’t want to know the facts. The facts like the last census tells us the rate of birth in the country is below a replacement level, so the population is declining. The only reason we grew over the last 10 years is because of immigration.
“The country is getting older, young people are getting to be a smaller percentage of the population, so our country’s economy will require more and more people to work beyond the age of 65 if we are to survive. I didn’t make that up—the census is clear. It’s just unfortunate that the people who did the census refuse to come and speak to political parties on the false argument that there is going to be some kind of political contamination,” he said.
Last Wednesday, Minister of Labour and the Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle said the Davis administration had rehired 491 retirees, a figure she said was 1.9 percent of the total civil service.
Her revelation came in response to a question from FNM Leader Michael Pintard during question time in the House of Assembly.
Glover-Rolle later clarified in a statement released last Friday that only 450 people were officially brought back, while the other 41 have not had their employment renewed yet.
Of the 450 rehires, Glover-Rolle said 213 of them are police officers.
Glover-Rolle’s initial statement elicited considerable backlash. She also told the House last week that most of the rehires are receiving their salaries and full pensions.
She has defended the reemployment policy, saying each rehire takes place “after an assessment of the individual’s ability to provide operational support, fill gaps, mentor newer employees, or otherwise offer value”.
“Based on this assessment, individuals with technical and administrative experience are often rehired to preserve legacy knowledge and temporarily provide expertise in needed areas until the identified gaps can be filled,” Glover-Rolle said last week.
“This is not ideal, but it is necessary at times to facilitate efficient operations and prepare new leaders to fill roles. The rehiring of public servants often serves as a pragmatic short-term solution — for example, there may be gaps in recruitment for vital roles due to competition in the private sector and overseas employment opportunities. But this practice must complement, not detract from, investing in a new generation.”