tribune242 editorial
WE HAVE been accused of wanting to open the floodgates to homeless Haitians. Nothing can be further from the truth.
We recognise that the Bahamas is a small group of islands that cannot accommodate all the Haitians whose lives have been disrupted by political upheavals in Haiti or made homeless by the devastation of their recent earthquake. Nor can our social services carry the increasing burden forced on them by illegal immigrants. But in dealing with this problem, we have to recognise that these are suffering human beings who have to be treated humanely. They have to be treated with dignity and cannot be made scapegoats for everything that goes wrong in this country.
All of us recognise that we have a major immigrant problem that is growing daily -- only yesterday a boat attempted to land a group of immigrants off the eastern end of the island. Some reports estimated that there were about 200 persons on board. As we write this article police, defence force and immigration officers are trying to round them up to take them to the Detention Centre from where they will eventually be repatriated to Haiti.
Yes, this country has a problem -- a major problem. But we agree with the Bahamian who said that this problem cannot be made a political football to win an election. "To do so," he said, "would be inhumane and immoral and destructive to both the immigrant and to this country." To fan the anger of a people already upset by shanty towns in their areas would be to unleash a destructive force that would build and eventually explode, taking this country down with it.
An immigration policy has to be formulated for all to understand. It has to be decided how many immigrants this country can accommodate and those that it cannot will have to be treated with consideration as attempts are made to relocate them to other lands.
No one is certain of our illegal immigrant population. The Immigration Department will know how many persons hold work permits, are permanent residents or citizens. Farmers and landscape businesses depend upon Haitian labour to function. There should be a period of amnesty to give all employers of Haitians without status time to submit applications and regularise their businesses.
In 2006 we wrote a series of articles about the cries of Bahamian farmers who claimed they could not maintained their farms without their Haitian workers.
"Most farmers' frustrations," complained one of them, "come from work permits." He went on to say how generous the Pindling administration was to him when he landed his Haitians at the Coral Harbour base. "You weren't frustrated with a renewal work permit or a new permit," he complained as the FNM struggled to get immigration problems under control and introduce a system of documentation. He said he had 200 acres of farmland. Although he declined to say how many Haitians he had during the Pindling regime, at the time of his complaint (2006) he admitted to having 55. What he failed to say was that he was among the favoured few. This was the way the PLP rewarded their loyal supporters. Non-PLP farmers were not treated with the same consideration.
Many Bahamian farmers complained of how their produce was rotting on the ground because they could not get their Haitians. Bahamians, they said, refused to do the work.
It is obvious that in deciding a policy, government will not cripple such enterprises as farming, construction and landscaping that rely on Haitian labour. In other words, Haitians who have employment and whose work is essential to their employers should be documented with a work permit. This, of course, will mean an increase in revenue for the country.
Under our constitution every person born in the Bahamas before July 9, 1973 is a citizen. Therefore, all children born of Haitian parents -- whether here legally or illegally -- is a Bahamian and should be regularised. Any person born in the Bahamas after that date, neither of whose parents is Bahamian, shall be entitled - upon making an application on attaining the age of 18 and up to the age of 19 - "to be registered as a citizen of the Bahamas."
This group, knowing no other country but the Bahamas, should also be registered.
But now there is talk that Haitian women come to the Bahamas to give birth here so that their children can become citizens. Because of the size of our nation and its limited social services, if this is so, it cannot continue.
Government should have a clear policy that is announced both here and in Haiti that no child born in the Bahamas to an illegal immigrant after a certain date will be entitled to apply for citizenship.
This is no time for political scapegoating, but it is time for clear cut immigration policies that are fair to all -- and are known to all.
August 02, 2011
tribune242 editorial
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Happy Emancipation Day Bahamas!
By Dennis Dames
August 01 is emancipation day; it’s in commemoration of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which ended slavery in the British Empire on August 01, 1834. We are free as God intended us to be.
We are free to determine our personal and collective destinies. We are free to be productive or unproductive people; to be caring or uncaring; to be respectful or disrespectful toward one another; we are free to love or hate.
In today’s Bahamas; our freedom has been taken advantage of for all the wrong reasons by we the people. It has lead us in to a state of disconnect, distrust and disunity; and criminals appear to be feasting on our exposed state of affairs.
Our collective freedom is not being well spent. We cannot decide on the way forward for our nation; we refuse to see the wisdom of a unified people. We prefer to fight and kill, rather than set good examples and build.
We have been emancipated since the beginning of time, and we choose to be reckless with our gift of choice rather than responsible citizens who are indeed brothers’ keepers.
We are free to make our ancestors proud of us by appreciating the sacred joy of freedom, and become nation builders of the first order; our children will treasure us for our resolve to create and maintain a prosperous and blessed country.
We are free, but it does not mean that we are secure. Security is a national endeavor in which every citizen has a stake. In The Bahamas today, our safety is being undermined by corrupt public officials and other rough elements amoung us.
Many of our countrymen are using their freedom to facilitate on a grand scale: human trafficking, gun smuggling, drug running,political corruption, murder and so on.
We are a nation under attack by criminal and satanic forces, and we who care about our future must come together and fight the scoundrels who are out to destroy our beloved land for their personal gain.
Yes, we must use our freedom to ensure that The Bahamas remains free, and the generations behind us are given the best opportunity to succeed and prosper.
We are free to be great, and to live as one in love and legitimate respect. Let’s do it brothers and sisters.
Happy emancipation day Bahamas.
August 01, 2011
August 01 is emancipation day; it’s in commemoration of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which ended slavery in the British Empire on August 01, 1834. We are free as God intended us to be.
We are free to determine our personal and collective destinies. We are free to be productive or unproductive people; to be caring or uncaring; to be respectful or disrespectful toward one another; we are free to love or hate.
In today’s Bahamas; our freedom has been taken advantage of for all the wrong reasons by we the people. It has lead us in to a state of disconnect, distrust and disunity; and criminals appear to be feasting on our exposed state of affairs.
Our collective freedom is not being well spent. We cannot decide on the way forward for our nation; we refuse to see the wisdom of a unified people. We prefer to fight and kill, rather than set good examples and build.
We have been emancipated since the beginning of time, and we choose to be reckless with our gift of choice rather than responsible citizens who are indeed brothers’ keepers.
We are free to make our ancestors proud of us by appreciating the sacred joy of freedom, and become nation builders of the first order; our children will treasure us for our resolve to create and maintain a prosperous and blessed country.
We are free, but it does not mean that we are secure. Security is a national endeavor in which every citizen has a stake. In The Bahamas today, our safety is being undermined by corrupt public officials and other rough elements amoung us.
Many of our countrymen are using their freedom to facilitate on a grand scale: human trafficking, gun smuggling, drug running,political corruption, murder and so on.
We are a nation under attack by criminal and satanic forces, and we who care about our future must come together and fight the scoundrels who are out to destroy our beloved land for their personal gain.
Yes, we must use our freedom to ensure that The Bahamas remains free, and the generations behind us are given the best opportunity to succeed and prosper.
We are free to be great, and to live as one in love and legitimate respect. Let’s do it brothers and sisters.
Happy emancipation day Bahamas.
August 01, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Too many Bahamians are too contented about being uneducated... Too many Bahamians are too comfortable in relation to raising uneducated children... This must change
Education, failed culture and inspiration
thenassauguardian editorial
It was important that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham took time to greet 12-year-old Anna Albury outside of the House of Assembly. The girl, who is blind, was crowned Primary School Student of the Year over 115 candidates from around the country.
“I am like just any other child. I do not look at myself as having a disability. I just happen to be blind,” said the sixth grader from Hope Town School on receiving the award.
Fully blind from birth, Anna could have been placed in the School for the Blind, but her parents, Theresa and Lambert Albury insisted that she be raised normally with other children. They wanted her to do well.
With their encouragement and the support of her teachers and classmates, Anna has maintained an outstanding 3.8 cumulative grade point average.
Here in New Providence in our public school system many children with two working eyes, two working ears, two working legs and two working arms are not doing nearly as well as Anna. And they benefit from a free education through grade 12.
The national D average in the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams masks the tremendous lack of achievement in our public school system. If the private schools are taken out of that calculation, our public school system would be in the F average range. No nation can be great with that level of underachievement.
Many blame the government of the day and the education bureaucracy for not doing more to reform the public education system. Certainly, there is more that can be done on the policy and funding sides of the equation to reform our system. However, a major part of the education problem in this country is our culture. Governments and civil servants cannot make Bahamian parents and guardians care about education.
Too many parents do not demand enough from their children. Too many Bahamians simply do not value the free education that is offered.
Concerned parents, relatives and guardians are crucial catalysts to success when it comes to educational achievement. When families care about education and hold children to standards, those children do better. When families only care about proms and making sure children are dressed in the trendiest clothes at the beginning of the school year, those children do not do as well.
Our culture has assumed too much of the foolish commercial nonsense from the two cultural centers we are between the United States and Jamaica. Knowledge of the latest rap or dancehall song is high, while the literacy and numeracy levels are low in The Bahamas.
We must do better.
Education is not merely about being prepared for the job market. It is about being a reasoned human being able to understand and function independently in the community you live in. It is also about being able to participate in the development and governance of that society in many different ways.
Too many Bahamians are too comfortable being uneducated. Too many Bahamians are too comfortable raising uneducated children. This must change.
What is especially problematic about this situation is that the free education system through grade 12 was something that was fought for.
The first black government of The Bahamas in 1967 had as its mandate ensuring that all Bahamians had access to education. In the ensuing decades schools were built across the country. Now, 44 years later, many of the parents and children who are the heirs to that movement show little interest in knowledge, learning and achievement.
Ignorant people are always ruled by smarter people. A people cannot be independent if they are dumb.
Bahamians must stop making excuses when it comes to learning and achievement. Yes, education reform is needed. But what is equally needed is concern about learning and knowledge by our people. A father who is not smart should, and can, have as a goal ensuring that his children do better than he did.
He can ensure that his children behave in school and do the work assigned; he can participate in the school’s Parent Teacher Association; he can seek tutoring for his children to ensure they have the technical assistance he cannot provide.
Anna Albury, a blind girl from a small school in the Family Islands, is doing well. She is inspirational. Born with a disadvantage, she still excels.
Mothers, fathers, relatives and guardians across The Bahamas must do more to ensure that their well-bodied children do better and take advantage of the opportunities given to them. We must care more about education and learning to ensure that we, Bahamians, have the capacity to govern ourselves and to command every sector of our economy.
Jul 30, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
thenassauguardian editorial
It was important that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham took time to greet 12-year-old Anna Albury outside of the House of Assembly. The girl, who is blind, was crowned Primary School Student of the Year over 115 candidates from around the country.
“I am like just any other child. I do not look at myself as having a disability. I just happen to be blind,” said the sixth grader from Hope Town School on receiving the award.
Fully blind from birth, Anna could have been placed in the School for the Blind, but her parents, Theresa and Lambert Albury insisted that she be raised normally with other children. They wanted her to do well.
With their encouragement and the support of her teachers and classmates, Anna has maintained an outstanding 3.8 cumulative grade point average.
Here in New Providence in our public school system many children with two working eyes, two working ears, two working legs and two working arms are not doing nearly as well as Anna. And they benefit from a free education through grade 12.
The national D average in the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams masks the tremendous lack of achievement in our public school system. If the private schools are taken out of that calculation, our public school system would be in the F average range. No nation can be great with that level of underachievement.
Many blame the government of the day and the education bureaucracy for not doing more to reform the public education system. Certainly, there is more that can be done on the policy and funding sides of the equation to reform our system. However, a major part of the education problem in this country is our culture. Governments and civil servants cannot make Bahamian parents and guardians care about education.
Too many parents do not demand enough from their children. Too many Bahamians simply do not value the free education that is offered.
Concerned parents, relatives and guardians are crucial catalysts to success when it comes to educational achievement. When families care about education and hold children to standards, those children do better. When families only care about proms and making sure children are dressed in the trendiest clothes at the beginning of the school year, those children do not do as well.
Our culture has assumed too much of the foolish commercial nonsense from the two cultural centers we are between the United States and Jamaica. Knowledge of the latest rap or dancehall song is high, while the literacy and numeracy levels are low in The Bahamas.
We must do better.
Education is not merely about being prepared for the job market. It is about being a reasoned human being able to understand and function independently in the community you live in. It is also about being able to participate in the development and governance of that society in many different ways.
Too many Bahamians are too comfortable being uneducated. Too many Bahamians are too comfortable raising uneducated children. This must change.
What is especially problematic about this situation is that the free education system through grade 12 was something that was fought for.
The first black government of The Bahamas in 1967 had as its mandate ensuring that all Bahamians had access to education. In the ensuing decades schools were built across the country. Now, 44 years later, many of the parents and children who are the heirs to that movement show little interest in knowledge, learning and achievement.
Ignorant people are always ruled by smarter people. A people cannot be independent if they are dumb.
Bahamians must stop making excuses when it comes to learning and achievement. Yes, education reform is needed. But what is equally needed is concern about learning and knowledge by our people. A father who is not smart should, and can, have as a goal ensuring that his children do better than he did.
He can ensure that his children behave in school and do the work assigned; he can participate in the school’s Parent Teacher Association; he can seek tutoring for his children to ensure they have the technical assistance he cannot provide.
Anna Albury, a blind girl from a small school in the Family Islands, is doing well. She is inspirational. Born with a disadvantage, she still excels.
Mothers, fathers, relatives and guardians across The Bahamas must do more to ensure that their well-bodied children do better and take advantage of the opportunities given to them. We must care more about education and learning to ensure that we, Bahamians, have the capacity to govern ourselves and to command every sector of our economy.
Jul 30, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
Friday, July 29, 2011
Branville McCartney - founder of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party is so anxious to become the next prime minister of The Bahamas that he is willing to use the sorry plight of illegal Haitians, and their Bahamian-born children to pander to the fears of voting Bahamians
tribune242 editorial
IT IS a tragedy when a politician, so anxious to win an election, panders to the base emotions of an electorate. And in doing so ignores the damaging consequences that his divisive message could have, not only on this generation, but on many generations to come.
Apparently Mr Branville McCartney is so anxious to become the next prime minister of this country that he is willing to use the sorry plight of illegal Haitians, and their Bahamian-born children to pander to the fears of voting Bahamians. Such a campaign of hatred will not only split this community, but will eventually build up such an emotional force that when it breaks in years to come this nation's way of life would be completely destroyed.
One would have thought that the mass killing that targeted young teenagers in Norway these past few days would have been a sufficient tragedy to send a warning signal of what can happen when suspicion and division is built up in a community. Such an atmosphere can inspire one madman to destroy a nation's whole way of life.
Seventy-six people -- most of them teenagers -- were killed in Oslo last week because of one man's fear that Islam threatened Europe's Christian culture. Anders Hering Breivik, himself a young man, was against his country's "multiculturalism," which he believed enabled "the ongoing Islamic colonisation of Europe." And so he wrote a 1,500 page treaties on his beliefs, pleaded not guilty to committing any crime, and almost gloated over the killings, because as a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist he believed it his duty to recreate a Knights Templar in Europe to fight a holy war against Islam.
This bizarre behaviour is usually the end game in an atmosphere of hate and suspicion that can send evil sparks flying in a madman's fevered brain. One only has to read history to understand the underlying racial hatred that has sparked centuries of unrest and most of this world's wars.
Mr McCartney, founder of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), which he promises will be the next government, says that he will fight to change the country's constitution so that children born here to illegal immigrants will not be eligible for citizenship. If elected he will push for a referendum to carry out his plans.
Under the constitution, persons who are born in the Bahamas to illegal immigrants have the right to apply for citizenship between their 18th and 19th birthdays.
We agree with former PLP cabinet minister George Smith who accused Mr McCartney of "trying to pander to the xenophobia of many Bahamians who want to blame some of our social ills on people who by virtue of their circumstances find themselves in the Bahamas illegally."
And warned Mr Smith: "Political leaders should never pander to ignorance and people who are motivated by fear and this is probably what Mr McCartney... is doing."
We agree with Mr Smith. We also agree with retired Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez who sees Mr McCartney's "final solution" for Haitian children as "inhumane."
"I cannot understand anyone who is going to seek leadership in this country who is not going to deal with the situation in a humanitarian way," said the Archbishop.
And it is true what the Archbishop says. This country does owe much to immigrants. Many immigrants -- teachers, policemen, doctors and nurses -- helped build the Bahamas. Many of them came as immigrants from other Caribbean islands -- and never forget: our first black member of parliament was a Haitian.
As the Archbishop pointed out these children up to the age of 18 have known no other home.
They speak our language, they belong to our culture, their friends are Bahamian. As far as they are concerned they are also Bahamian. At the age of 18 are they to be thrown into a world that they do not know, because of the myopic prejudice of Bahamians who just a few generations before were also foreigners in a foreign land? Many of the forebears of our present Bahamians were not even born here, yet they became one with us -- flesh of the same flesh -- and put much effort into the building of this nation. What none of us must forget is at some stage or another -- and this includes Mr McCartney -- our forebears were strangers in a foreign land. Today we are all Bahamians. Were our forebears more humane than we are today?
Yes, the Haitian question is a troubling one, but Mr McCartney's solution lacks humanity. It is not the right way to go, and if through this election he builds up an even greater foreign phobia, future generations will not bless his name for lighting a spark that allowed hatred to spiral out of control.
July 29, 2011
tribune242 editorial
IT IS a tragedy when a politician, so anxious to win an election, panders to the base emotions of an electorate. And in doing so ignores the damaging consequences that his divisive message could have, not only on this generation, but on many generations to come.
Apparently Mr Branville McCartney is so anxious to become the next prime minister of this country that he is willing to use the sorry plight of illegal Haitians, and their Bahamian-born children to pander to the fears of voting Bahamians. Such a campaign of hatred will not only split this community, but will eventually build up such an emotional force that when it breaks in years to come this nation's way of life would be completely destroyed.
One would have thought that the mass killing that targeted young teenagers in Norway these past few days would have been a sufficient tragedy to send a warning signal of what can happen when suspicion and division is built up in a community. Such an atmosphere can inspire one madman to destroy a nation's whole way of life.
Seventy-six people -- most of them teenagers -- were killed in Oslo last week because of one man's fear that Islam threatened Europe's Christian culture. Anders Hering Breivik, himself a young man, was against his country's "multiculturalism," which he believed enabled "the ongoing Islamic colonisation of Europe." And so he wrote a 1,500 page treaties on his beliefs, pleaded not guilty to committing any crime, and almost gloated over the killings, because as a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist he believed it his duty to recreate a Knights Templar in Europe to fight a holy war against Islam.
This bizarre behaviour is usually the end game in an atmosphere of hate and suspicion that can send evil sparks flying in a madman's fevered brain. One only has to read history to understand the underlying racial hatred that has sparked centuries of unrest and most of this world's wars.
Mr McCartney, founder of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), which he promises will be the next government, says that he will fight to change the country's constitution so that children born here to illegal immigrants will not be eligible for citizenship. If elected he will push for a referendum to carry out his plans.
Under the constitution, persons who are born in the Bahamas to illegal immigrants have the right to apply for citizenship between their 18th and 19th birthdays.
We agree with former PLP cabinet minister George Smith who accused Mr McCartney of "trying to pander to the xenophobia of many Bahamians who want to blame some of our social ills on people who by virtue of their circumstances find themselves in the Bahamas illegally."
And warned Mr Smith: "Political leaders should never pander to ignorance and people who are motivated by fear and this is probably what Mr McCartney... is doing."
We agree with Mr Smith. We also agree with retired Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez who sees Mr McCartney's "final solution" for Haitian children as "inhumane."
"I cannot understand anyone who is going to seek leadership in this country who is not going to deal with the situation in a humanitarian way," said the Archbishop.
And it is true what the Archbishop says. This country does owe much to immigrants. Many immigrants -- teachers, policemen, doctors and nurses -- helped build the Bahamas. Many of them came as immigrants from other Caribbean islands -- and never forget: our first black member of parliament was a Haitian.
As the Archbishop pointed out these children up to the age of 18 have known no other home.
They speak our language, they belong to our culture, their friends are Bahamian. As far as they are concerned they are also Bahamian. At the age of 18 are they to be thrown into a world that they do not know, because of the myopic prejudice of Bahamians who just a few generations before were also foreigners in a foreign land? Many of the forebears of our present Bahamians were not even born here, yet they became one with us -- flesh of the same flesh -- and put much effort into the building of this nation. What none of us must forget is at some stage or another -- and this includes Mr McCartney -- our forebears were strangers in a foreign land. Today we are all Bahamians. Were our forebears more humane than we are today?
Yes, the Haitian question is a troubling one, but Mr McCartney's solution lacks humanity. It is not the right way to go, and if through this election he builds up an even greater foreign phobia, future generations will not bless his name for lighting a spark that allowed hatred to spiral out of control.
July 29, 2011
tribune242 editorial
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Scrap metal exports banned for 90 days
Scrap metal and copper exports banned
Guardian Staff Reporter
thenassauguardian
chester@nasguard.com
Widespread copper thefts, and the theft of other metals, prompted the government yesterday to issue an order banning scrap metal exports for 90 days and the export of copper permanently.
This comes after government agencies, foreign investors and private citizens in The Bahamas all became victims over the past few years of thieves who took copper wire from job sites, homes and businesses to sell as scrap.
The thefts became so frequent and costly that the government found it necessary to make an executive order to temporarily amend the Export Control Act to stop the export of scrap metal and copper.
The new regulation on the export of scrap metal, which came into force yesterday, states: “No person shall for a period of 90 days from the coming into force of these regulations export any scrap metal from The Bahamas to any place outside The Bahamas.”
And, with regard to copper exports, it prohibits “any person from exporting any copper from The Bahamas to any place outside The Bahamas.”
In a statement released by the Cabinet Office yesterday, the government insisted that the measures were taken because of the crippling effect copper thefts and thefts of other metals have had on businesses, government utilities and private citizens.
On Monday thieves left the Department of Agriculture’s Gladstone Road Farm and the Department of Fisheries’ Gladstone Road lab complex without power to critical machines, and without air conditioning in some buildings. A large number of power cords and copper air condition tubing were stolen.
Over the past year a number of other government agencies have been robbed of copper tubing and wire, including the Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation and the Water and Sewerage Corporation.
The measures taken by the government yesterday will likely hurt legitimate scrap metal exporters during the duration of the embargo.
The government also announced in its release that better measure to police the industry will be discussed.
“The government is assessing the scrap metal industry and will engage with various stakeholders and legitimate businesses with a view to better regulating and monitoring the industry,” the government said.
Jamaica also announced yesterday that it would implement similar scrap metal prohibitions as have now been enacted in The Bahamas.
Jul 28, 2011
thenassauguardian
Guardian Staff Reporter
thenassauguardian
chester@nasguard.com
Widespread copper thefts, and the theft of other metals, prompted the government yesterday to issue an order banning scrap metal exports for 90 days and the export of copper permanently.
This comes after government agencies, foreign investors and private citizens in The Bahamas all became victims over the past few years of thieves who took copper wire from job sites, homes and businesses to sell as scrap.
The thefts became so frequent and costly that the government found it necessary to make an executive order to temporarily amend the Export Control Act to stop the export of scrap metal and copper.
The new regulation on the export of scrap metal, which came into force yesterday, states: “No person shall for a period of 90 days from the coming into force of these regulations export any scrap metal from The Bahamas to any place outside The Bahamas.”
And, with regard to copper exports, it prohibits “any person from exporting any copper from The Bahamas to any place outside The Bahamas.”
In a statement released by the Cabinet Office yesterday, the government insisted that the measures were taken because of the crippling effect copper thefts and thefts of other metals have had on businesses, government utilities and private citizens.
On Monday thieves left the Department of Agriculture’s Gladstone Road Farm and the Department of Fisheries’ Gladstone Road lab complex without power to critical machines, and without air conditioning in some buildings. A large number of power cords and copper air condition tubing were stolen.
Over the past year a number of other government agencies have been robbed of copper tubing and wire, including the Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation and the Water and Sewerage Corporation.
The measures taken by the government yesterday will likely hurt legitimate scrap metal exporters during the duration of the embargo.
The government also announced in its release that better measure to police the industry will be discussed.
“The government is assessing the scrap metal industry and will engage with various stakeholders and legitimate businesses with a view to better regulating and monitoring the industry,” the government said.
Jamaica also announced yesterday that it would implement similar scrap metal prohibitions as have now been enacted in The Bahamas.
Jul 28, 2011
thenassauguardian
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie are nearing the end of their respective political careers... It is unlikely that either will run again as leader of their party [FNM ... PLP] beyond the upcoming general election
Political retirement with dignity
thenassauguardian editorial
The Bahamas is a new independent democracy. Having just recently celebrated 38 years going it alone, our traditions, though rooted in the British system, are still evolving.
One tradition that has not really developed yet is what to do with our leaders when they retire from frontline politics.
We have only had one prime minister permanently retire thus far. Sir Lynden Pindling bowed out in 1997 after his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) suffered an overwhelming defeat to Hubert Ingraham and the Free National Movement (FNM). This was the second consecutive time Ingraham beat Sir Lynden in a general election.
Sir Lynden, however, was suffering from terminal cancer during that last campaign in 1997. He died a few years later on August 26, 2000. So in the case of the only prime minister of an independent Bahamas to retire, there was no real retirement, as he was in a battle for his life when he went away, a battle he sadly did not win.
Ingraham and current PLP leader Perry Christie are nearing the end of their respective political careers. It is unlikely that either will run again as leader beyond this general election.
Both entered the House of Assembly in 1977. The former law partners each have won a seat in each election since. Christie also served a term as a senator from 1972 before becoming a member of Parliament.
When one of these men loses the next general election, he should not be discarded. The United States has a beautiful bi-partisan tradition. When the new president is elected and an issue of national importance arises, former presidents are called into service.
Former Democratic president Jimmy Carter has embarked upon many missions, under Democratic and Republican presidents, to free Americans held by hostile regimes.
President George W. Bush called upon his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Bush Sr. and Clinton raised money for the recovery cause.
After the Haiti earthquake in 2010, President Barack Obama called on Clinton and Bush Jr., the president he succeeded, to lead fundraising efforts.
This tradition in the United States demonstrates great political maturity. It also is smart. Former leaders have great connections, capacity and lots of unused energy once retired.
Here in The Bahamas there are many initiatives a former prime minister could lead. Education reform, gambling reform, the Haitian migration issue, tax reform, reform of the criminal justice system and health care reform are just a few of the areas a former prime minister could focus on, developing a plan for the country to address the issue under study.
For this to happen, however, that former politician would have to learn to be apolitical and able to make a contribution divorced from partisanism. The prime minister who asks the former prime minister to lead a national initiative would also have to be mature enough to set aside whatever hostilities he might have had with that politician when he was still active.
We should not relegate our retired politicians to the rubbish heap. They still have much to contribute after they officially retire. We will soon get to the point when one of our great leaders says goodbye. We hope the winner reaches out to the loser and starts a tradition of mutual respect and continued service.
Jul 27, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
thenassauguardian editorial
The Bahamas is a new independent democracy. Having just recently celebrated 38 years going it alone, our traditions, though rooted in the British system, are still evolving.
One tradition that has not really developed yet is what to do with our leaders when they retire from frontline politics.
We have only had one prime minister permanently retire thus far. Sir Lynden Pindling bowed out in 1997 after his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) suffered an overwhelming defeat to Hubert Ingraham and the Free National Movement (FNM). This was the second consecutive time Ingraham beat Sir Lynden in a general election.
Sir Lynden, however, was suffering from terminal cancer during that last campaign in 1997. He died a few years later on August 26, 2000. So in the case of the only prime minister of an independent Bahamas to retire, there was no real retirement, as he was in a battle for his life when he went away, a battle he sadly did not win.
Ingraham and current PLP leader Perry Christie are nearing the end of their respective political careers. It is unlikely that either will run again as leader beyond this general election.
Both entered the House of Assembly in 1977. The former law partners each have won a seat in each election since. Christie also served a term as a senator from 1972 before becoming a member of Parliament.
When one of these men loses the next general election, he should not be discarded. The United States has a beautiful bi-partisan tradition. When the new president is elected and an issue of national importance arises, former presidents are called into service.
Former Democratic president Jimmy Carter has embarked upon many missions, under Democratic and Republican presidents, to free Americans held by hostile regimes.
President George W. Bush called upon his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Bush Sr. and Clinton raised money for the recovery cause.
After the Haiti earthquake in 2010, President Barack Obama called on Clinton and Bush Jr., the president he succeeded, to lead fundraising efforts.
This tradition in the United States demonstrates great political maturity. It also is smart. Former leaders have great connections, capacity and lots of unused energy once retired.
Here in The Bahamas there are many initiatives a former prime minister could lead. Education reform, gambling reform, the Haitian migration issue, tax reform, reform of the criminal justice system and health care reform are just a few of the areas a former prime minister could focus on, developing a plan for the country to address the issue under study.
For this to happen, however, that former politician would have to learn to be apolitical and able to make a contribution divorced from partisanism. The prime minister who asks the former prime minister to lead a national initiative would also have to be mature enough to set aside whatever hostilities he might have had with that politician when he was still active.
We should not relegate our retired politicians to the rubbish heap. They still have much to contribute after they officially retire. We will soon get to the point when one of our great leaders says goodbye. We hope the winner reaches out to the loser and starts a tradition of mutual respect and continued service.
Jul 27, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
George Smith says Branville McCartney is "pandering" to xenophobic fears over illegal immigration in an effort to gain the support of the Bahamian voters' base
Former minister claims Branville 'pandering' to fears over illegal immigration
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Deputy Chief Reporter
tribune242
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
BRANVILLE McCartney is "pandering" to xenophobic fears over illegal immigration in an effort to gain the support of the country's voter base, said former Cabinet Minister George Smith.
His comments came after Mr McCartney said that he will fight to change the country's constitution so that children born here to illegal immigrants will not be eligible for Bahamian citizenship.
Mr McCartney, leader of newly formed third party the Democratic National Alliance, said he will advance a referendum on the issue if he is elected as the country's next prime minister, according to a local daily.
Under the constitution, persons who are born in the Bahamas to illegal immigrants have the right to apply for citizenship between their 18th and 19th birthday.
Mr Smith, a former Cabinet minister in the Pindling administration and one of the framers of the country's constitution, dismissed this as political pandering to illegal immigration fears.
"He's trying to pander to the xenophobia of many Bahamians who want to blame some of our social ills on people who by virtue of their circumstances find themselves in the Bahamas illegally. I think that places like (squatter settlement) Mackey Yard probably also compound it but the Bahamas has to (be) mindful that many of our ancestors have left the Bahamas and settled in other places and in some instances they settle illegally.
". . .But for the grace of God we would be like the Haitians," he added.
Mr Smith, former representative for Exuma, cautioned politicians not to fear monger for political traction.
"Political leaders should never pander to ignorance and people who are motivated by fear and this is probably what Mr McCartney - someone who I am fond of - is doing," said Mr Smith, in response to questions from The Tribune.
Instead, he said politicians should convene a non-partisan task force on constitutional reform after the dust settles from the next general election.
Yesterday Immigration and Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette said his former Cabinet colleague's latest stance is surprising. He claimed that this policy was never put forth by Mr McCartney while he served as junior immigration minister.
"When I looked at the newspaper I was amused that Mr McCartney would suggest that having been minister of state (of immigration) for a number of years and never recommended that. I'm following his immigration issues with amusement because I know that his views were not put forward (while he was in office).
"He and I had many discussions and he (was able to) put any proposal up to me and I would consider it and put it forward. I don't recall (that policy) coming from him when he was in office," said Mr Symonette.
Mr McCartney resigned from the Free National Movement earlier this year and left the Ingraham Cabinet last year.
Last week he told The Tribune that he quit as a Cabinet minister because his repeated efforts to address the country's immigration problems were "blocked" by "the man himself," Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham.
July 26, 2011
tribune242
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Deputy Chief Reporter
tribune242
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
BRANVILLE McCartney is "pandering" to xenophobic fears over illegal immigration in an effort to gain the support of the country's voter base, said former Cabinet Minister George Smith.
His comments came after Mr McCartney said that he will fight to change the country's constitution so that children born here to illegal immigrants will not be eligible for Bahamian citizenship.
Mr McCartney, leader of newly formed third party the Democratic National Alliance, said he will advance a referendum on the issue if he is elected as the country's next prime minister, according to a local daily.
Under the constitution, persons who are born in the Bahamas to illegal immigrants have the right to apply for citizenship between their 18th and 19th birthday.
Mr Smith, a former Cabinet minister in the Pindling administration and one of the framers of the country's constitution, dismissed this as political pandering to illegal immigration fears.
"He's trying to pander to the xenophobia of many Bahamians who want to blame some of our social ills on people who by virtue of their circumstances find themselves in the Bahamas illegally. I think that places like (squatter settlement) Mackey Yard probably also compound it but the Bahamas has to (be) mindful that many of our ancestors have left the Bahamas and settled in other places and in some instances they settle illegally.
". . .But for the grace of God we would be like the Haitians," he added.
Mr Smith, former representative for Exuma, cautioned politicians not to fear monger for political traction.
"Political leaders should never pander to ignorance and people who are motivated by fear and this is probably what Mr McCartney - someone who I am fond of - is doing," said Mr Smith, in response to questions from The Tribune.
Instead, he said politicians should convene a non-partisan task force on constitutional reform after the dust settles from the next general election.
Yesterday Immigration and Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette said his former Cabinet colleague's latest stance is surprising. He claimed that this policy was never put forth by Mr McCartney while he served as junior immigration minister.
"When I looked at the newspaper I was amused that Mr McCartney would suggest that having been minister of state (of immigration) for a number of years and never recommended that. I'm following his immigration issues with amusement because I know that his views were not put forward (while he was in office).
"He and I had many discussions and he (was able to) put any proposal up to me and I would consider it and put it forward. I don't recall (that policy) coming from him when he was in office," said Mr Symonette.
Mr McCartney resigned from the Free National Movement earlier this year and left the Ingraham Cabinet last year.
Last week he told The Tribune that he quit as a Cabinet minister because his repeated efforts to address the country's immigration problems were "blocked" by "the man himself," Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham.
July 26, 2011
tribune242
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