The Chinese government attaches great importance to developing practical cooperative relations with The Bahamas

Improving economic and trade cooperation between China and The Bahamas

thenassauguardian

With a view to deepening mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation and achieving the common development of China and the Caribbean region, the government of the People's Republic of China and the government of Trinidad and Tobago will co-host the 3rd China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum (CCETCF) in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from September 12 to 13, 2011.  Vice Premier Wang Qishan of the State Council of China will participate in the forum on behalf of the Chinese government.  I hereby wish the forum a great success with rich fruits.

The Bahamas is one of the member states of the forum.  The Chinese government attaches great importance to developing practical cooperative relations with The Bahamas.  In order to express the friendship of the Chinese government and people to the Bahamian government and people and to assist the Bahamian government in its rescue and reconstruction work in the wake of Hurricane Irene, Vice Premier Wang Qishan will bring a US$300,000 grant in cash on behalf of the Chinese government to the Bahamian government and will witness the signing of an economic and technical cooperation agreement between the two countries during his visit to The Bahamas prior to his travel to Trinidad and Tobago.

Review of Bahamas-China relationship

As Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas, I'd like to take the opportunity on the convening of the forum to review what we have done in China-Bahamas economic and trade cooperation in recent years, and look ahead to the prospects of future cooperation.  By doing so, I wish to promote China-Bahamas economic and trade cooperation to a new high.

In accordance with the joint statement issued by the governments of China and The Bahamas and the Xianmen Declaration reached among enterprises from the two countries during the 2nd CCETCF in September 2007, both sides have put relevant measures into effect conscientiously, thus yielding positive results.

Firstly, the bilateral trade volume has been growing fast.  According to the statistics of the Chinese General Administration of Customs, the bilateral trade volumes between China and The Bahamas in the four successive years of 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 were US$180 million, US$385 million, US$423 million and US$628 million respectively, up by 9.8 percent, 113 percent, 9.5 percent and 48.5 percent year-on-year.  And, the 2010 figure was 3.47 times that in 2006.

Secondly, substantial progress has been made in investment.  The Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, built on a Chinese grant, was handed over to the Bahamian government on June 22, 2011.  The Chinese government also honored its commitment to providing a RMB 400 million (about US$58 million) concessional loan for the Nassau Airport Gateway Project.  The construction of the gateway started in June 2011 and is expected to be completed in 2013.  Moreover, the EximBank of China offered a commercial loan of US$2.45 billion to the Baha Mar project, a large-scale holiday resort; and the China State Construction Engineering Corporation also invested US$150 million in it.  The project started on February 21, 2011 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014.  The resort is expected to open for business in the first half of 2015.

Thirdly, the first step of agricultural cooperation has already been taken.  An MOU on agricultural cooperation was signed by the two governments in February 2009.  Experts, engineers and market researchers from the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences and some Chinese enterprises have paid an on-the-spot inspection in The Bahamas.  Some enterprises expect to develop agriculture here.  Some have even submitted investment cooperation plans to the Bahamian government.

Fourthly, human resources training programs were well received by the participants.  From 2007 to 2010, 90 Bahamians including government officials, business managers and technical personnel were sponsored by the Chinese government to participate in 40 training courses and seminars of various kinds.  From 2008 to 2011, 22 Bahamian young students were granted Chinese government full scholarship, majoring in a variety of specialities such as traditional medicine, international trade, telecommunications and computer technology.  In 2011, the Chinese government provided another three Bahamian officers with a one-year postgraduate training opportunity in China.

Apart from the above, the Confucius Classroom was approved by the governments of China and The Bahamas to be established at the College of The Bahamas, and it was formally unveiled in November 2009.  A teacher from China started to teach the Chinese language in the classroom in early 2011.

Fifthly, tourism cooperation has expanded gradually, with more and more Chinese tourists targeting The Bahamas.  In December 2008 and March 2009, the Chinese Tourist Agencies Association twice organized operators of its member agencies on invitation to make an on-the-spot investigation of the Bahamian tourist market.  The Ministry of Tourism and Aviation of The Bahamas and Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. have established their offices respectively in China in an effort to develop new tourism products.  During the Chinese New Year holidays in 2011, the first ever group of Chinese tourists choosing The Bahamas as their destination, made an eight-day tour in New Providence and some Family Islands.

Sixthly, personnel exchange has been expanding.  Since 2007, the number of Bahamians visiting China has been on the rise steadily.  More and more people from the Bahamian business circle participated in the Guangzhou (Canton) Trade Fair and other international investment and trade fairs held in China.  Meanwhile, the number of Chinese visiting The Bahamas has also increased very quickly.  There are two major reasons for that.  The substantial progress of Chinese-invested projects in The Bahamas attracted more business visitors from China.  The exchange of high-level visits between the two countries gave rise to deeper people-to-people understanding and more Chinese citizens visiting The Bahamas.

The road ahead

The economic and trade cooperation between our two countries foresees a bright future, featuring a high starting point, fast growth and great potential.  Thus, there's more to be done.  For a long period of time, from now on, the bilateral investment will focus on areas such as infrastructure, finance, tourism, renewable energy resources, agriculture and fisheries.  And such cooperation will surely result in mutual-benefit and a win-win scenario.

In terms of infrastructure, The Bahamas has great demands for the construction of roads, airports, docks and small bridges while Chinese enterprises have the advantage in this field.

In terms of finance, The Bahamas is a major financial center in the Caribbean region.  Over 270 international banks and financial institutions have registered and operated their businesses here.  The Bahamian side wishes to see Chinese commercial banks set up branches in The Bahamas.

In the tourism sector, The Bahamas is one of the countries that got approved destination status for Chinese tourists.  With the smooth construction and operation of the Baha Mar project, coupled with relevant facilitation measures in place from the Bahamian side, more and more Chinese tourists will target The Bahamas as their touring destination.

In the area of renewable energy, The Bahamas has promulgated some policies to boost the use of renewable energy resources.  Its market demand for renewable energy is gradually growing.  China takes the lead in utilizing solar and wind power in the world, and the Chinese skills in this area well suit the needs of The Bahamas.

As for agriculture and fisheries, The Bahamas is not yet able to realize self-sufficiency in grain currently.  However, there's some quite good arable land lying idle on some of its islands.  Chinese enterprises can come over to develop livestock and poultry as well as vegetable farms.  They can also explore the possibility of developing aquatic products on these islands.

With regard to medical cooperation, China is famous for its traditional medicine, in particular its treatments by acupuncture and medicinal herbs.  The traditional Chinese medicine is effective to many diseases, such as functional diseases, chronic diseases, mental diseases, gynecological diseases, initial recovery from serious illnesses, diseases with causes hard to diagnose and difficult and complicated diseases.  There are many such diseases in The Bahamas and a variety of wild herbs here that can be used as medicine.  Treatment with traditional Chinese medicine is less costly but very effective.  So we are taking the initiative in setting up a traditional Chinese medicine research and treatment center in The Bahamas where doctors from both sides can work together to serve the Bahamian people in need of treatment.

In conclusion, China and The Bahamas have achieved great progress in bilateral economic and trade cooperation, and there's still more for us to do.  Given that it is in line with the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples to strengthen our economic and trade cooperation, we will continue to make our efforts in this regard.

Sep 09, 2011

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

We trust that the Free National Movement government means what it says... Accordingly, we remind the FNM of its specific pledge made in 2007, as it relates to establishing a Freedom of Information Act

Freedom and access to information

thenassauguardian editorial

Within weeks of coming to office in 2007, a new FNM administration led by Hubert Ingraham and guided by a Trust Agenda committed itself to greater democratic governance.

The tabling of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company sales agreements between the government and Cable and Wireless Communications was an example of this commitment, and was in keeping with the prompt freeing of the broadcast media from state control during the FNM’s earlier term in office.

We trust that the Free National Movement government means what it says.  Accordingly, we remind the government of its specific pledge made in 2007, as it relates to establishing a Freedom of Information Act:

“Accountability and transparency in government are fundamental to our code of beliefs, a code that includes the right of the people to access information regarding the processes of governing.  In support of such openness, legislation will be placed before you for the enactment of a Freedom of Information Act.”

This top billing and decisive language suggested immediate action.

So, what is the state of this pledge?  Enacting such legislation near the end of the current government’s term would not seem to be consistent with the FNM’s trust agenda.

Many other countries in the region are either in the process of drafting or have already implemented Freedom of Information laws.  Around the world, more than 60 countries have enacted FOI acts.

Freedom of information has long been recognized as a foundational human right ever since the United Nations General Assembly declared in 1946 that, “Freedom of Information is a fundamental human right and a touchstone of all freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated.”  Since then, the Organization of American States and the Commonwealth — The Bahamas being a member of both — have also endorsed minimum standards on the right of information.

A FOI law has the potential to promote greater transparency and accountability and also facilitates greater public participation in the government’s decision-making process.  Empowering citizens with the legal right to access information of their government’s activities can strengthen democracy by making the government directly accountable to its citizens on a day-to-day basis rather than just at election time.

Legislation to provide more freedom or access to information is not an end in itself.

An outdated public service culture run by civil servants who would often prefer root canal surgery rather than press scrutiny will not quickly become more transparent because of the passage of a bill.

Moreover, a media culture that is often sloppy and lazy in its coverage of government and political affairs will also not suddenly become more enterprising.  Still, such legislation is a means to various ends.  It is a part of a framework of legislative tools that can help to promote a more accountable and transparent public service culture.

The debate on enactment of and training in the details of such legislation may help spur politicians, civil servants and journalists to provide citizens with the freedom of information needed to make freer and more informed decisions.

Outlawing discrimination does not end prejudice.  But it puts that prejudice on notice that discrimination is against the law.  Legislation to ensure greater public access to information will not in itself ensure a more open public service culture.  But it puts that culture on notice that such openness is an essential component in good and effective governance.

We trust that the FNM will live up to its word and will be supported by the opposition, who also committed itself to similar legislation.

As of now we are agnostic regarding the details of such legislation.  But we have faith that such landmark legislation is not only necessary, but long overdue.

Sep 08, 2011

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International

Despite all the money that is being spent on education, with a few exceptions, we are not producing top quality students

Enlarged budget can't buy good education

tribune242 editorial


IN a joint statement Tuesday the PLP announced that if elected as the next government its administration would double the $200 million education budget.

Education Minister Desmond Bannister, whose head, unlike some others, is not lost in the clouds, asked them a legitimate question: Please explain where the money is coming from.

Mr Bannister has had to face the reality of a tight budget for the past four years, and no matter who is in the next government, there will be no spare cash to double anything.

Not only would it be nice to know where the PLP has its secret money tree, but we would like to inform the party that money -- no matter how much is spent -- does not necessarily translate into good education. It is now time to stop the big talk about money and concentrate on quality. With the whole world terrified of a recession any political party that promises to double any budget is really out to fool the people. All we warn Bahamians is: Caveat emptor, in other words buyer beware!

And, just in case the PLP have forgotten, the Bahamas is very much a part of the world, almost completely dependent on the United States which is now being torn apart politically as Democrats and Republicans fight over how to reduce their country's debt and what budgets to slash.

During its five years as the government we have been given no reason to have confidence that the PLP knows how to spend the people's money wisely. Imagine planning to build a $3.1 million school for 26 students in Salina Point, Acklins.

The Ingraham government came just in time to save taxpayers' money. It's always easy to splash money around when it's not your own -- the PLP were past masters at the art.

Instead of a $3 million plus school, a contract was signed to build two additional classrooms, a library and an administration block. More than adequate for 26 students and their teachers.

The FNM also cancelled a number of road and school contracts that totalled more than $22 million. We must remember that there are 37 inhabited islands in our archipelago, each one requiring schools, health clinics, roads, communication, electricity, water and local government. A group of islands is far more expensive to finance than one large land mass, which needs only one central government and necessary infrastructure. In an archipelagic situation each island needs its own mini-government. Few of these islands earn enough to support themselves. This puts a terrible financial strain on central government and those more prosperous islands that have to contribute to the central coffer.

Despite all the money that is being spent on education, with a few exceptions, we are not producing top quality students. We are -- like so many other countries -- graduating a troublesome underclass, minus skills, ill equipped for a meaningful job, who eventually drift into a life of crime. Even those with better opportunities get drawn into the gang culture, where knives, guns and bullies rule the streets.

It all goes back to broken homes, illegitimate births and young people who have nothing to gain, and yet nothing to lose.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has just had a taste of the damage that youth "who do not know right from wrong" can do, has vowed to "fix broken Britain" by promoting family values and education.

Le Figaro, one of France's leading newspapers, reported this week that Education Minister Luc Chatel wants to reinstate morality lessons in primary schools. France too has had its share of rioting and burning in Paris by angry youth run amok.

Four areas are emphasized, reports Figaro: "Introduction to notions of morality, self-esteem, social life, respect for others and respect for property. Children will learn to distinguish good from evil. They will ponder loyalty, frankness, or 'individual merit.' Hygiene, self-protection, solidarity, tolerance and rights and duties are part of the programme as well. Finally, they will learn to respect 'others' belongings' and 'public goods.'"

No government needs to double the education budget to get to the bedrock of our troubles.

Social values are the essentials that money cannot buy. Society's broken fences -- our children -- are in urgent need of mending if this country is to produce an educated, courteous citizenry with a moral conscience.

September 08, 2011

tribune242 editorial

Caribbean Blog International

...how do we regain a positive outlook for the economic future of our country and avoid the actual downgrading of The Bahamas’ rating?

Improving our economic situation

By Alfred Poitier

The fact that the outlook for the Bahamian economy has been downgraded to negative by Moody’s should come as no surprise to the opposition or the governing party of The Bahamas.  As a matter of fact, the downgrading is water under the bridge.  It is now time to avoid the water from rising over the bridge.  The pertinent question is how do we regain a positive outlook for the economic future of our country and avoid the actual downgrading of The Bahamas’ rating?

Moody’s has listed specific reasons for the negative outlook for our economic future which are listed below:

• Debt increased by 150 percent over the past decade

• Debt increased by 40 percent in the last two years

• Debt to gross domestic product is 40 percent above the average

• Economic growth has been a modest six percent over the past 10 years.

Simply put, if your revenue is not increasing proportionately to your increasing debt then at some point your revenue will not be able to pay your debt.  This is the major concern of Moody’s and thus the negative outlook rating that it gave The Bahamas.

Our slow economic growth cannot sustain the continuous high level of borrowing.  The constant budgetary deficits must be addressed and actual payments on our national debts need to begin.  Government needs to work towards a balanced budget and stop spending more than we make.

The blame game needs to be thrown out of the window.  The fact is we have borrowed beyond safety levels and now we must find ways to correct this situation.  The easiest way to correct this challenge is to simply boost our revenue.  Governments usually boost revenue by increasing taxes, which unfortunately increase the cost of living for citizens of the country.

However, creative governments find other ways of increasing revenue such as providing incentives for citizens to do more within the existing tax structure, creating more revenue by increased volume. Creative governments also look at providing incentives for new industries that will not only provide needed services to residents, but also improve the quality of life for them and create new streams of revenue for the government.

Many opportunities have been placed before our governments to diversify our economy by encouraging Bahamian ownership in new industries.  But we have missed the boat, or for whatever reason, failed to embrace them.  There is no doubt that the government needs to find other means to grow our economy.

Foreign investment is good mainly for the short-term but as the foreign investor makes his profits over time he will more than likely send his profits out of the country.  In the long-term his investment may not be as beneficial as if a Bahamian did the same investment, as chances are his profits will remain in The Bahamas and probably even be invested in another venture.

It is time for us to seriously consider the natural resources that we have been blessed with and utilize these resources to the benefit of our citizens.  Serious consideration should be given to drilling and the processing of natural gas, first and foremost, for local consumption.  This could help reduce fuel costs for necessities such as electricity, transportation and so much more.  This would also reduce the level of importation of fuel products and could provide export revenue for the country as well.

The problem is our government relies heavily on gasoline taxes and may be reluctant to promote anything that would reduce the amount of gasoline imported to the country.  However, consideration should be given to the fact that the new industry could very easily provide equal or greater revenue to the government provided proper licensing fees and reasonable taxes are applied.

I used natural gas as an example of the natural resources we do have in The Bahamas.  However, there are many other areas of industry that The Bahamas is poised for based on either location or natural resources.  Simply putting a plan in place to explore, with the intent to execute one of these options, can change our present economic outlook from negative to a minimum of stable.  Yes, I did say just putting a plan in place.

Obviously prudence must play the major part in addressing the financial ills of our country but governments must show faith in the citizens through the provision of opportunities through legislation and/or financial aid to advance new, and to grow existing, industries in The Bahamas.

Sep 07, 2011

thenassauguardian

...had Hubert Ingraham walked on water to deliver emergency supplies in the wake of hurricane Irene, his critics, for political or other reasons, would have lambasted him for not coming by boat or helicopter; except, of course, the MP for MICAL, who would have insisted on an airplane even to communities with no airstrip

Post-Irene politics and mindsets

Front Porch

By Simon

Hurricane Irene laid bare homes, businesses, churches, public buildings, farms and vegetation across the archipelago.  It also laid bare certain mindsets.  Among them, rank political opportunism by the leader of the opposition and the knee jerk complaints of some whose stock-in-trade is the intellectually disingenuous.

One can almost give the former prime minister a pass as he grasps at just about any opportunistic straw to criticize the current prime minister, even when such criticism is transparently silly or even blatantly hypocritical.  In the aftermath of Irene, both were on display.  The knee jerk complainers are in a class of their own.

Most Bahamians see through Christie’s laughably insincere two-step charade of criticizing others for what he typically failed to do or accomplish when in office. These failures range from issues on crime and education, to disaster preparedness and response.  His administration’s failures following Hurricanes Jeanne, Frances and Wilma encapsulated its lethargic response to an array of policy matters.

 

DRAMATIC

As Christie took potshots at the Ingraham administration while simultaneously calling for national unity, and the complainers engaged in their anti-Ingraham tirade, more neutral observers rendered their independent observation of the country’s response to Irene.  In an editorial titled, “Taming one of nature’s most furious beasts”, The Jamaica Observer editorialized:  “If Mr. Ronald Jackson, the director of Jamaica's Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), wanted a dramatic demonstration of the benefits of being prepared for a hurricane, he can safely choose the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) or The Bahamas for that matter.

“Pounded by 27 hours of flood rains and gusting 100 miles-per-hour winds from Hurricane Irene last week Tuesday and Wednesday, the multiple island nations – in particular, TCI which was the worst hit – were a textbook example of staving off the horrors of one of nature's worst beasts.

“Instead, having to confront a trail of disaster, the [Turks and Caicos] islands can take much satisfaction from the fruits of preparedness and effective teamwork which helped to mitigate the effects of the hurricane, proving that any disaster can be made into a triumph when a nation works together in that indomitable spirit of the Caribbean.

“The same could be said of another archipelago, The Bahamas, which also took a severe battering from the category three hurricane.”

The editorial continued:  “Disaster preparedness personnel and businessmen who have heavy investments in the two countries said they reaped the benefits of designing buildings to code specification and to minimize the effects of flooding, while suffering minimal structural damage.

“In some cases, anything that could be moved was tied down or taken indoors.  Equipment that would be necessary for the recovery process after the storm, [was] readied and protected.  As a result, the clean-up exercise began the minute the storm allowed.

“A day after the winds and rains abated it was difficult, but for photographic evidence, to tell that a major hurricane had struck the islands.  It was testimony to the resolve of the government and people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and The Bahamas, and a model for our disaster-prone Caribbean region.”

 

COMMENDABLE

The editorial further noted:  “Both countries depend heavily on tourism and it was commendable to see staff from the hotels volunteering to ride out the storm with guests who could not or did not want to leave, knowing that their own homes could be flooded out or suffer structural damage.

“That is the spirit that should permeate the entire Caribbean, not only during the hurricane season which runs officially from June to November, but even when there is no disaster threatening.”

 

One of the editorial’s conclusions:  “Had the TCI and The Bahamas not heeded their disaster preparedness offices, they might now be on hands and knees begging for assistance.  Instead, they have set an example of how to tame one of nature's most furious beasts.

“Still, we are aware that many lives have been disrupted even if none was lost.  We are therefore pleased to hear that the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance is working with Jamaica's ODPEM and other Caribbean disaster-response agencies to conduct aerial reconnaissance of damage to The Bahama islands.

“The mission will focus on the worst-hit islands, enabling participating agencies to assess damage and plan relief operations.”

The preparedness and response of which the editorial spoke were not perfect.  By example, the Bahamas Information Services could have performed better in supplying a more consistent and comprehensive flow of information to the public and the media during and after Irene.

But in the main, officials met the challenge of responding to significant and diverse emergency needs and services across our far-flung archipelago as quickly as possible.  Understandably, some were frustrated by a lack of electricity and water, especially in various Family Island communities.

Likewise, officials in a number of states in the United States have been similarly challenged by a massive hurricane that affected millions from the Caribbean to New England.

These states had at their disposal the massive resources of the U.S. federal government; assistance from other states which could be transported by road; and help from as close as Quebec and as far away as British Columbia in Canada.  Yet many residents in these states are still without electricity and water.

Hurricane preparedness revolves around a complex set of issues and readiness mechanisms many of which Hubert Ingraham has addressed, though few of which his dogged detractors will admit.   He continues to advance environmental initiatives from wetland protection to land and town-planning that will mitigate the impact of hurricanes.

 

COMICAL

It was the Ingraham administration that created the National Emergency Management Agency in the first place.  And, it is building a permanent state-of-the-art facility for NEMA while continuing to improve the country’s capacity for national emergencies.  Christie would be thought less comical and more credible had he done as much for emergency management as has Ingraham.

The Ingraham administration’s hurricane preparedness efforts include another component of which the opposition and the inveterate complainers have criticized for diverse reasons.  That component is the ambitious and comprehensive New Providence roadwork -- much of which is nearing completion.

Perry Christie doesn’t hate Hubert Ingraham; he simply wants his job.  But the Ingraham-haters do dislike the man.  Yet, both connive, often unwittingly, to deny the prime minister of achievements plain for all to see.  Christie can’t give Ingraham credit because it doesn’t suit his political interests.  The Ingraham haters can’t because hate renders one blind and incapable of reasonableness.

The massive New Providence road corridor project that is helping to transform and modernize New Providence will place more utilities underground, better securing them from future hurricanes.  The project will also help significantly to mitigate flooding because of an extensive new drainage system.  The complainers are incapable of admitting as much.

Before Irene, Prime Minister Ingraham took to the airwaves warning of the potential impact of the hurricane.  Fortuitously, there was no loss of life due to the actions of citizens as well as public officials including the prime minister whose quick action may have helped to save lives and avoid injury.

Ingraham also quickly reported to the nation in the aftermath of Irene after initial assessments and his immediate visits to affected Family Island communities.  In his long-term efforts in disaster preparedness and the rapid response to Irene, the prime minister has demonstrated a comprehensive approach to disaster management.

In a twist on a well-known parable, had Ingraham walked on water to deliver emergency supplies in the wake of Irene, his critics, for political or other reasons, would have lambasted him for not coming by boat or helicopter; except, of course, the MP for MICAL, who would have insisted on an airplane even to communities with no airstrip.

 

frontporchguardian@gmail

www.bahamapundit.com

Craig Butler - independent candidate for Kennedy says: Capital punishment will not have any significant impact on crime... resume corporal punishment as a deterrent for violent crime

Capital punishment 'will not impact crime'

tribune242



CAPITAL punishment will not have any significant impact on crime, said independent candidate for Kennedy Craig Butler.

Instead, the former Progressive Liberal Party member has called for the resumption of corporal punishment as a deterrent for violent crime.

"There have been repeated calls for capital punishment to be resumed as it is felt by many that this would have the deterrent effect," said Mr Butler.

"Although the ability to effect such a sentence is on our books, in reality, given the constraints that have been imposed by the Privy Council through its interpretation of our constitution, the likelihood of hanging a convicted person is virtually nil.

"If it is the desire of the Bahamian people to resume this practice, a referendum must be held so that the necessary changes to our constitution can be made, that would allow a convicted person the right to pursue any and all appeals that they may desire and at the end of that process despite the passage of a long period of time for the State to mete out its punishment."

Still he called for a public referendum to get public consensus on the controversial issue.

"In the circumstances, I call upon the Prime Minister to hold the national referendum before the next general election and allow the voices of the people to be heard. To me it seems as though it would be impossible for any political institution to oppose such a move for fear of being branded not serious about dealing with the issue of crime."

Mr Butler said he feels corporal punishment is the way forward.

"Corporal punishment brings real results. The reinstitution of the use of 'the rod' and 'the cat' will be something that will in my estimation cause one to stop and think. Amnesty International and all the other international groups I am sure will be berating us as a barbaric society.

"If the more serious crimes came with these as a mandatory part of the sentence I am convinced that many of those who commit crimes will think long and hard before doing so."

September 05, 2011

tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

Each year the results of the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) reveal the problem with boys in The Bahamas' education system

Education system failing our boys

thenassauguardian editorial

During a speech in March, College of The Bahamas (COB) president Dr. Betsy Vogel-Boze told the Zonta Club that only 14 percent of COB graduates are male.

"It is not a problem that happens once they get to us.  They are not graduating at the same rates, they are not applying for college at the same rates and that gap continues to widen," she said.

The head of COB is right.  Each year the results of the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) reveal the problem with boys in the education system.

In 2010, girls received 16,233 grades; boys received 10,683 grades.  Boys are only receiving 39.7 percent of the grades issued at the senior exams.

The boys receive fewer grades because fewer of them are there at graduation.  Our boys are dropping out in large numbers.

What is even sadder is that the boys who stay in school long enough to do their final exams are doing poorly. 

For A through C grades at the 2010 BGCSE's, girls received about double the number of these grades than boys.  Our education system is failing.  It is particularly failing our boys.

There is without question a correlation between education systems that fail boys and high crime rates.  Young men unable to function in a modern economy will not simply sit down and starve to death.

The Bahamas has set three homicide records in four years and it is on pace to shatter the dubious record set last year.  Police have also been battling a surge in recent years in armed robberies and property crimes such as house-breakings.

Our crisis is not just a crime crisis.  It is a crisis of integrating young men into the legal economy and into civil society.  A national effort is required to help our boys.  One part of the strategy to help them may be to separate the genders in the public education system.

Environments need to be created to help young men, collectively, to equate masculinity with honest work, achievement and struggle.  As we fail our boys in the current education system they go off into the underworld economy of drugs and violence.

The reformatory schools also need to be expanded.  Those who cannot behave should not be allowed to remain in regular schools disrupting the peace.  Those parents who cannot, or do not wish to, control their disruptive children should lose custody of those children to the state.

Just as the reformatory schools would exist for the disruptive, a new juvenile prison is needed at Her Majesty's Prisons.  This would be different from the reformatory schools, which would be schools for troubled children.  Juvenile jail would be jail for young criminals.

These few suggestions should be a part of a wider national discussion on the failing of Bahamian males.  We spend hundreds of millions of dollars on education in The Bahamas and we still have the problems we have.  Simply throwing more money at the education system is not necessarily the solution.

There was a time a few decades ago when women were discriminated against in the workplace and by law.

We fortunately have evolved beyond those times.  Today, however, as women rise and take on leadership positions in the country, men are falling.

The 14 percent figure at COB is dangerous.  If we cannot reach our boys and encourage them to embrace education, more and more of them will be before our courts lost, confused and charged with all manner of violent offenses.

Sep 03, 2011

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International