The Clifton Review

The Clifton Review is a bi-weekly column that examines the question of the Clifton project along with the evolution of the war between two billionaires, the links to unsavory characters, the use of the courts for personal agendas, the involvement of a political party, and the attacks on the Government of The Bahamas.

We covered the start of this war with articles describing the battle over easement rights, the mysterious burning of a home, the blocks to rebuilding, and countless questionable court filings. This series of articles asks the needed questions and presents the arguments in full.

By P.J. Malone

As human beings, we are supposed to be evolving; instead, we have devolved into societies driven by avarice, selfishness, and a lack of human compassion.

Considering everything that has been going on of late in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas—and around the world, for that matter—you can’t help but wonder what has happened to human decency.

How did we come to this place of such disdain for one another? When did we develop such disregard for our fellow humans? It’s as if we’ve somehow managed to lose our sense of conscience—and unfortunately in a way that allows some people to act quite barbarously towards others.

There was a time where just the thought of one’s mother would make an individual avoid behaving in a way that would put her to shame. Even as adults, men especially would not want to disappoint their mothers by behaving disgracefully.

And in years gone by, businessmen were often careful to act ethically. Nowadays, the mandate inherent in the business dictionary definition of ethics ‘the basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human conduct’ appears to be put out with the garbage.

In a world where anything goes in order to get ahead, executives appear to be more motivated by greed and the bottom line than the need to act with decency when dealing with others.

But it’s not just happening in businesses; neighbours don’t appear to care anymore about community members; many family members no longer care for their relations; and the public just seem plain disinterested even in the most wicked of acts taking place around them by organizations purporting to be ‘good’.

If you doubt it, look around you.

If we were still engaged in ‘decent human conduct’ do you think we would stand idly by, no matter one’s political persuasion, and allow our country’s statesmen to be treated with the level of disrespect that has been demonstrated?

If we were still committed to ‘decent human conduct’ would we allow a nonprofit organization to set up shop under seemingly false pretenses to work on behalf of their chief funder and then move to gain control over all of our governing systems?

If decent human conduct mattered to us in a big way, would we allow members of this nonprofit to blatantly single out one individual for unfair vicious attacks and make a mockery of our systems, and then fill their pockets while they engage in activities clearly designed to benefit their chief funder?

If we demanded ‘decent human conduct’ from each other, the world would be a different place; but alas, we do not.

As it stands, our politics have devolved to such a place of disgrace and disrespect for statesmen as to not even allow for proper and fair treatment by opposition politicians.

It’s as if people have forgotten how to be decent—like they no longer care what their mothers would think.

In a world where mothers still matter, no one would tolerate such loss of integrity in our political systems; in a different world, no one would have allowed unjust attacks on individuals motivated by personal greed and obsession with power.

Since the fear of ‘what would your mother think’ no longer motivates us, do we now have to put ethical guidelines in place as a law?

Do we really have to keep reminding people to “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”?

‘Mussy!’