NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe. Photo: Austin Fernander
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said a popular clothing store, Bahari Bahamas, does not have permits to feature Bahamian national symbols on their merchandise and has not responded to his ministry’s demands to comply with the law.
“We’ve been tolerant,” he said yesterday. “We sent emails. They didn’t respond.”
A representative of Bahari confirmed to The Tribune yesterday that the company lacked permission to feature the national symbols on products.
Mr Munroe has urged businesses seeking to feature national symbols on merchandise to obtain a licence. On Monday, he told reporters a “notorious producer and retailer” has failed to do so.
He noted the permits could be approved after applying to the ministry and paying $20. The licences are valid from January 1 to December 31 of each year, no matter when permission is obtained.
“They have advertised a line of clothing that uses the flag and national symbols,” Mr Munroe said yesterday about Bahari.
“Up to the point that I was briefed, the section head emailed them. They have not positively responded. I haven’t recalled seeing any applications from them since that point.
“We can send the police to seize your $50k worth of merchandise bearing national symbols.
“We’re not trying to hurt you. We’re not trying to damage your business. We’re just trying to cause you to comply with the law. We don’t want to seize the merchandise. We put out a press release because we recognize people may be acting without knowing.”
Mr Munroe said raising revenue is not the objective of the requirement.
“The cost is only $20,” he said. “The point is to enforce consistency and to ensure that symbols aren’t used in ways that are derogatory. It is not a function to make money. Twenty dollars hardly covers the cost of the application and approval process.”
Mr Munroe said people in the Ministry of National Security monitor the release of products with national symbols to ensure compliance.
“We are setting up to do some enforcement,” he said.
Comments
stillwaters 1 year, 2 months ago
Man, Minnis treated people badly in some misguided attempt to save us from Covid 19, but what is this government's excuse for the shabby way we're treated? And what is happening with Cornish and with the shanty towns?????
realfreethinker 1 year, 2 months ago
How come the tribune disable comment when the story is about an wanna be mp wanting to be pm? has that case been completed?
ExposedU2C 1 year, 2 months ago
Government creates all sorts of ridiculous and unnecessary licensing requirements for three main purposes:
1) To derive loads of fee income a/k/a tax revenue by picking the pockets of Bahamians and their private sector businesses;
2) To promote crony capitalism by cherry picking which private sector businesses are to be the 'licensed' winners and 'unlicensed' losers in our society; and
3) To reward the wealthy financial backers of election campaigns and, whenever possible, buy large numbers of votes.
TalRussell 1 year, 2 months ago
...'Tis' the fear ---- That the $20 national symbols licensing ---- Will lead to where every single transaction we do will be monitored 24/7 by the Colony's Central Authority (CCA). — And, everything else is made into like this and that, --- Including by the year of 2025, ---- The making of a --- '*Cashless Society.– 'Aye.' 'Nay?'
LastManStanding 1 year, 2 months ago
It's honestly a national disgrace that Bahamians have to pay money to make use of our own national symbols.
mandela 1 year, 2 months ago
Is the Bahamas the only country that has this requirement? I think not.
ExposedU2C 1 year, 2 months ago
Not sure what your point is given that most governments in the world today overtly and covertly oppress rather than serve 'their' people.
trueBahamian 1 year, 2 months ago
I didn't know this was a requirement, but what he's saying sounds extremely reasonable. I'm sure Bahari is making a lot more than $20.00. I'd the government says fill out this application, they price it and you pay $20, then do it. If you look at it from a proprietary standpoint, if this was a private company that owned these images, you either could not use them or you would have to get their permission and pay a huge amount for use of it. $20 paid by a handful of merchants won't lead to a lot of money in the treasury.
TalRussell 1 year, 2 months ago
@ComradeTrueBahamian, Be Justly Warned. ---- Just cause governments make lots A requirement, --- It still doesn't mean that it's extremely reasonable levy a Tax of Fifty cents nor Twenty dollars, cause they,The PLPs' ---- Don't own Rawson Square nor the Carveouts' Rights to reproducing the Colony's Quasi 50th Independence T-shirts.
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