The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

EVERY year it’s the same thing. At Junkanoo time, the government erects bleachers on Bay Street to the annoyance of the Bay Street merchants.

As I understand the stalemate, the merchants are not opposed to the erection of the bleachers for local and foreign spectators during the celebrations. However, the time frame allotted to assemble and disassemble these bleachers is unacceptable (to them), according to one prominent Bay Street merchant.

These bleachers sometimes go up several days before Christmas - the busiest shopping days of the year. Don’t you think these merchants have a right to be upset?

Furthermore, the bleachers remain up even when the Boxing Day celebrations have been completed. As a matter of fact, these bleachers remain up throughout the holiday week (including New Year’s Day), and days after the New Year’s celebrations have been completed. As a result of this arrangement, these merchants claim that business suffers. I believe them.

Since Bay Street is one of the most important economic centres in The Bahamas, my humble suggestion to the government is to appreciate the collective economic contribution of these merchants to Bahamian society, be willing to give ear to their complaints and make the necessary adjustments before Boxing Day, 2016, to address the obvious problem.

Why not, as has been suggested over many years, identify another suitable location on the island to hold these gargantuan parades so that spectators, participants and these merchants would be not only be accommodated, but also satisfied with the change?

MARVIN G

LIGHTBOURN

Nassau

August 4, 2016