The Tribune

DESPERATE TO win the 2012 general election, the PLP campaigned across this country with promises that in return for their votes they would give Bahamians “all the world and more besides”.

Trying to climb out of the aftermath of a world recession, the PLP’s promises were pie-in-the sky nonsense, but desperate Bahamians were prepared to put their heads on their pillows at night and make nonsense their dreams.

According to “Brave” Davis, speaking from a platform in Eleuthera, his party, if elected, would provide 10,000 jobs for the unemployed. Mr Davis is now deputy prime minister, but no one hears anymore – at least from Mr Davis’ corner – about these precious jobs that were meant to be delivered within the new government’s first 100 days.

However, it would seem that Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell had the solution. Like the magician who pulled the rabbit from the hat, he vowed to rid the Bahamas of all foreign maids, housekeepers and labourers within a year. Obviously, these vacancies were to be filled from this pool of 10,000 unemployed Bahamians.

But Mr Mitchell, inexperienced in the world of business, has no idea of a businessman’s daily problems when it comes to local staffing, nor does he understand the farmer’s headache when he cannot get Bahamians willing to pick the fruit from his trees to ready them for market.

The Immigration Department wants to be certain, said Mr Mitchell, that the plea for a need of excellence in service is not a “mask” for preventing Bahamians from getting jobs in the private sector — “which are rightly theirs”.

It’s ill conceived, throw-away ideas like this that has nurtured foolish thoughts in the heads of too many Bahamians, resulting in a growing band of unemployables walking our streets today.

We have the late Sir Lynden Pindling to blame for the attitude of many of today’s Bahamians to the idea of work. Sir Lynden himself recognised his folly in his later years — when it was too late. He recognised that he had made the average Bahamian believe that certain work was beneath him. This he regretted. But again it was too late.

And now we have Mr Mitchell encouraging Bahamians to believe that there are jobs in the private sector “which are rightly theirs”. In fact, no job rightly belongs to anybody — regardless of the colour of their skin or their nationality. They only have the right to apply for the job if they are fully qualified to fill it. It is this attitude of entitlement, nurtured over the years by PLP politicians, with which an employer has to do daily battle. Mr Mitchell could have never survived under such pressure.

And so no matter how many work permits Mr Mitchell, as Immigration Minister and his board cancel, there is no guarantee that any of those vacancies can be filled by any of those unemployed now looking for a job. Why? Because most are unemployable.

This does not mean that Bahamians are a stupid race of people. They certainly are not. And in their own country we agree that if they have the qualifications they should not have to leave our shores to find employment. However, we are not discussing this group — our only regret is that there are not more of them. If there were, the employment of a foreigner would not be necessary. Unless, of course, the object is to retard the growth of this country, work permits for necessary skills – and even the not so skilled – will continue.

And in announcing the cancelling of permits for housekeepers, labourers and maids without first asking Bahamians if these are the type jobs they are willing to do, is foolhardy. After all, wasn’t it Sir Lynden and his chosen few, who encouraged Bahamians to aspire to being entrepreneurs, not employees? Now Mr Mitchell wants some of them to return to cutting the bush, and making the beds in other people’s homes.

Wholesale cancelling of work permits among certain categories of labour is no way to go to reduce the ranks of the unemployed. However, it does have the potential of increasing their numbers. Make it too hard for businesses to operate, or housewives, particularly those who work, to manage their own homes, and they will go elsewhere. And, in this modern age of technology there is no limit to where they can go.

Labour Minister Shane Gibson, whose Board has to produce a certificate stating that there are no Bahamians to fill the post, before a work permit application can be sent to Immigration, has this say about a recent report on the Bahamian labour force:

According to the report, he said, it was indicated that 60 per cent of Bahamian workers, were terminated from their jobs because of their attitudes. Mr Gibson hoped to establish a national training agency that would work on turning this round.

And Ryan Pinder, minister of financial services, admits that there is a “sub-set of Bahamians” who are unemployable, due to the absence of job skills or are “scarred for life” by a criminal record. It is from this pool of unemployed that our criminals are drawn. It is in this area that a great deal of work has to be done.

Young people have to be taught the folly of allowing themselves to be anchored down by wrong choices and turning wrong corners. It’s a monkey on their back that will destroy their future.

And so, this country has major problems which we all have to try to solve. However, Mr Mitchell and his Immigration policy is not the answer.

He is playing to his supporters, but at the same time any arbitrary and unfair decision from this department could not only destroy the hopes of his supporters, but could wreck this country’s economy.