The Tribune

IN YESTERDAY’S Tribune, a photo, taken in December, was published of Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell being received by Abu Dhabi foreign affairs minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. According to the release accompanying the photograph, the two discussed “topics of mutual interest”. We hope that one of those topics was immigration. If it was, Mr Mitchell should have become aware of how the Emirates do not allow narrow immigration rules to stunt the growth of a kingdom. They demand the best, delivered on time and managed by the best talents the world can offer.

This does not mean that the Emirates in their period of growth have not stumbled. Having over-extended, they were hard hit during the world’s economic recession. However, despite their mistakes, one matter on which they do not seem to have flinched is their demand for the best talent to help them build their federation, regardless of nationalities.

Growth in all seven of the Emirates — Abu Dhabi being the capital — is based on guest labour. About four million of their five million inhabitants are migrant workers, mainly from Pakistan, India and Southeast Asia.

Let’s take a look at their airline — a trophy winner in its ten short years of operation. Etihad, which translated from Arabic means “union”, carried 10.3 million passengers last year, with revenues of US$4.8 billion and net profits of US$42 million. It is recognised as the fastest growing airline in the history of commercial aviation, operating passenger and cargo services to 86 destinations around the world from its home base in Abu Dhabi.

Now let’s compare that success with the long life of our own Bahamasair, which is estimated, since it started operations on June 7, 1973, to have cost government at least $500 million to keep it airborne. Bahamasair’s yearly costs increase with the passage of time.

Over the years, Bahamasair has been crippled by interfering politicians, poor management, over staffing in many cases with Bahamians who hold their jobs, not for their skills, but for how they voted on election day. From the beginning it was a recipe for failure as advantage was taken of the Bahamian taxpayer.

In building its national airline, the Emirates looked at the world and selected the best. “Our employee diversity of over 160 nationalities is our unique strength as a global organisation,” they boasted.

“Talent is not nationality exclusive, and our diversity of nationalities, cultures, religious and ethnic backgrounds enriches our workforce by bringing new ideas, innovations and thinking styles that led to business success. Our employee diversity also complements Dubai’s cosmopolitan multicultural population where over 85 per cent of residents are expatriates.”

“The country is run in a systematic way,” said a local Finnish businessman, “based on business principles. Stability is the be-all and end-all, because that’s what brings in business and tourists. Thanks to the absence of VAT and income tax, the Arab Emirates are an attractive area for expats.”

We too believe that there should be job protection for Bahamians. Qualified Bahamians, should expect to have job opportunities in their own country. However, when it is taken to the extreme that the unqualified Bahamian is led to believe that he should fill a vacancy, not because of qualifications, but because of nationality, then the country is doomed.

And with Fred Mitchell’s intemperate statement to Grand Bahama’s industrial sector that work permit applications would be refused “cold turkey” unless programmes were put in place to hire and train Bahamians, was enough to alarm business persons — particularly those who had to endure the 25-year administration of the late Sir Lynden Pindling.

No wonder Khaalis Rolle, Minister of State for Investment, was quick to pick up the pieces left behind from Mr Mitchell’s remarks in the House, as he tried to explain that government’s new hard-line permit position was “not a firm policy”.

Over the years, Immigration policy has stifled growth in this country. No sensible businessperson is going to hire a foreigner over a Bahamian if he can get the expertise that is needed for his business right here at home. It just does not make business sense. Also, because of the way the Immigration policy has been administered, particularly in the first 25 years of PLP-ism, this country’s commercial growth has been stunted. No country can grow if its people do not grow with it. Nor can any country forge ahead if it has to wait for too many of its people to catch up.

If this country is to go ahead, Immigration has to be handled with understanding and business sense – something greatly lacking in government circles.

We agree with DNA Leader Branville McCartney that government should focus on illegal immigration instead of legal immigrants who are “legally contributing” to society.