...wishes and desires for The Bahamas moving forward - 2011 and beyond

My wish list for the Bahamas in 2011
By ADRIAN GIBSON
ajbahama@hotmail.com



WHILE 2010 was a roller coaster year, featuring a myriad of sleaze, an upsurge in violent crimes, mediocre national exam results and, in other instances, nationally recognized accomplishments and highlights, 2011 provides the nation with yet another blank slate in determining its future and proposes to also be an eventful year of high drama in the political arena as a general election draweth nigh.

Last year, the country was beleaguered by crime and an influx of illegal immigrants and saw an upsurge in the unemployment rate. This new year, I've decided to state a few of my wishes and desires for the Bahamas moving forward.

Firstly, the Bahamas' educational system desperately needs to be revamped. The government, parents and educators must all begin to think outside of the box, particularly since our current educational set-up is producing hordes of arithmetically-challenged, illiterate graduates who are soon expected to manage our country's affairs.

This New Year, we must make a conscious, courteous, curt effort to assist and encourage our student population in a united thrust to strive to increase the national GPA from a D to a C. Frankly, I am not an advocate of standardized tests. I firmly believe that while some students may perform well academically, standardized tests cannot measure the full range of the multiple intelligences.

Standardized tests are also criticized for tending to be outdated as a curriculum changes, failing to assess an adequate sample of skills and for failing to meet the standards of their own field, among several other criticisms. The ministry must align the curriculum with the development needs of the country in order to imbue a strong sense of self, speak to nation-building, address the question of self-reliance and entrepreneurship, teach the Constitution, etcetera.

Only the most scholarly of students, in my opinion, should be permitted to sit the BGCSE/BJC exams. To truly diversify and establish a more comprehensive educational system, the government and private entities should also construct technical and vocational schools to teach the less bookish, academically-disinclined students a trade/skill.

It is a misconception to assume that every Bahamian is studious enough to become a doctor, lawyer, educator, or to attend university. There will always be a need for repairmen, handymen, plumbers, masons and so on. At grade nine, teachers and administrators should be able to gauge a student's abilities, and thereby separate the more scholarly students from those with technical and vocational leanings.

Furthermore, consideration should be given to establishing a pilot programme, where male and female students are educated at separate schools/classes. This possibly will revolutionize education and lead to greater productivity, as students of both sexes would have fewer distractions and spend less time seeking to impress one another.

Moreover, classrooms must be outfitted with cable tv/internet to foster interactive learning!

One wish is that this new year, a greater number of parents positively become involved in their children's lives, whilst also constructively reinforcing the lessons learnt at school.

This year, with a newly instated president, the evolution of the College of the Bahamas (COB) to a university must be at the vanguard in advancing the national education system. The transition of the college to university will not only foster academic and intellectual leadership but also assist the country with small island sustainability issues and foster economic diversification. Indeed, a university is a "living" system and grows in response to, or alongside, national development.

Will crime escalate to the point that the US blacklists the country as Jamaica has been done?

Going forward, Bahamians must strive for greater social cohesion and partake in community drives to reduce violent crimes. The past year was the third consecutive record-breaking year for murders and rapes, resulting in the Bahamas being listed high atop the listing of countries--per capita-- where rapes and heinous murders are frequent. We must return to being our brother's keepers.

The government must formally articulate its position on capital punishment. There appears to be a lack of political will relative to the reading of death warrants, which would usher in the finalization of legal appeals so that convicted murderers can receive their court-ordered, just desserts. After a suspect is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, the Police Commissioner should immediately be summoned to read his death warrant, particularly if he has exhausted all appeals. As it relates to capital punishment, the law --as entrenched in the Constitution--must be carried out.

Moreover, a witness protection programme must be established to protect state witnesses who are being bumped off which, as a result, has left many Bahamians afraid to testify about crimes seen.

Much more must also be done to combat human trafficking.

Regardless of the noble fight of drug enforcement officers, is it ever possible for the Bahamas, considering our geographic location, to be removed from the majors list (top 20 countries) of illicit drug-producing or drug-transit countries?

In the fight against crime and other social ills, the Bahamas Christian Council must lead by example, focusing more upon community outreach programmes in helping to curb crime, assisting the poor, socializing our people and playing an active role in the lives of citizens, instead of the usual utterances, self-aggrandizing gambits and apparent politically driven mandates. (This does not apply to Rev CB Moss, who is in the trenches and doing a commendable job).

I continue to await any serious, long-term proposals for sustainable tourism. Our tourism product must be reinvigorated to highlight the distinction and indigenous nature of this country's tourism product when compared to any other country in the wider Caribbean, targeting new markets and nurturing wider market share and by incorporating a focus on regional and Latin American tourism.

Considering the spate of violent crime and other social issues, in 2011 more emphasis must be placed on implementing mental health programmes and a plan to confront rampant alcoholism and drug abuse. Furthermore, I look forward to the broadening of the healthcare coverage--particularly for the elderly and indigent--of the national prescription drug plan!

This year, when electioneering is sure to spring into in high gear, I trust that both major political parties would move forward with the people's agenda, scrupulously working towards bettering the Bahamas instead of squabbling over semantics and other trivial, rather foolish barbs.

Will there be an early election called this year or will the election go on as scheduled for 2012? In the 2008, both parties should begin looking towards the future and start preparing the next generation's leaders to succeed the current head honchos, as no party presently seems to have any plans in place to ensure a smooth transition from one leader to another without there seeming to be a leadership void.

Greater efforts must be made to diversify the economy. We must gradually begin shifting from tourism to other industries or we will become a nation of overly dependent, virtual slaves.

The government must encourage the local entrepreneurial spirit and foster economic diversification through a variation of different industries such as farming, fishing, gaming, research and development, manufacturing and so on. I was pleased to see that the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources recognition of the urgent need to resurrect agriculture and fisheries has, in conjunction with FAO consultants, led to the creation of the first five-year development plan for agriculture and fisheries. In 2011, it is expected that the initial phases of this plan will materialize!

Indeed, this year it is hoped that the rate of unemployment--which skyrocketed during the economic recession--and the country's national debt be reduced.

With a general election on the horizon, it is my fervent hope that the government maintains its position relative to the new straw market, ensuring that the products sold at the market should also be 100 per cent Bahamian-made and the market's occupants are either Bahamian or legally allowed to work in this country. Moreover, regardless of the political pressure, the government must maintain its position to no longer subsidize vendors, but instead require each purveyor to pay a fair rent and a maintenance fee.

The influx of illegal immigrants, particularly Haitians, must be more vigorously tackled.

Since yesterday was the commemoration of the one year anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, I'm anxious to hear the government's account of what happened to those illegal Haitian immigrants who were released from the Detention Centre for a six month amnesty following the catastrophic event.

This year, the implementation of more stringent laws/regulations to manage the construction of future projects along beachfronts is imperative. Furthermore, more work must be done to protect coral reefs, mangroves and wetlands; greater monitoring must be undertaken relative to developments on private islands/cays, of cruise ships and the disposal of waste products in our territorial waters; attention must be paid to national parks and those foreign sports fishermen who enter under the guise of gaming, but purportedly leave the country with coolers filled with an illegal catch; and there must be more of a concerted effort to address the environmental impact of climate change, particularly as the Bahamas is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world.

Let's face it, one way or the other, BTC must be sold! Even more, corporations such as BEC, Water and Sewerage and Bahamasair should be privatized and demonopolised as well as they are (particularly the latter three) pecuniary albatrosses and a burden to taxpayers. It is time to end all monopolies afforded to local service providers to encourage competition and better services!

Will Cable Bahamas ever fulfil its contract for cable television/internet to the Family Islands since many islands do not yet have cable or only has its services in certain areas? When will Cable Bahamas bring its services to the residents of north Long Island?

Lastly, when will the Family Islands, which are in desperate need of economic upliftment, be a greater priority on the government's agenda?

January 14, 2011

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