MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell in the House of Assembly.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
DURING parliamentary debate on the University of Bahamas Bill yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said “brain drain” is not a major problem for The Bahamas.
He argued that structural issues arising from the country’s small population means that people leaving The Bahamas and making a living overseas is inevitable.
“There are structural problems relating to this criticism about people travelling overseas and moving overseas,” he said.
“Notwithstanding that fact, I wish to point out these other factors. I always say the fact is plenty people want to live here…a good living is had by many people in this country. And many people stay and choose to stay here because they make a good living. Some people want to move. Some people want to come back here. Some people go away for a short time and then come back. I don’t want us to have any doom and gloom and wringing our hands over this. This is not a major problem for our country.”
Mr Mitchell’s comments came after Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn spoke of brain drain as he criticised the state of education in this country, emphasising that many Bahamians study abroad and never return.
In its State of the Nation report published earlier this year, the National Development Plan (NDP) Secretariat highlighted brain drain as a problem that needs to be reversed.
“In recent years,” the secretariat concluded, “Bahamians have opted not to return home after earning degrees abroad. When queried, they speak of limited opportunities for employment, very limited opportunities for advancement, comparatively lower wages and a lot of red tape. Looking ahead to 2040, the hope is that the situation will be much different.”
Nonetheless, Mr Lightbourn’s contribution drew scorn from members of the governing party, who accused him of selling Bahamians and the College of the Bahamas short.
Mr Lightbourn said it is misleading to suggest that a degree from the College of the Bahamas is on par with a degree from some of the top universities around the world.
At one point he said the college shouldn’t transition to a university until significant improvements have been made in various areas, including quality of education.
Governing party members lamented his statement, with some likening it to the kind of rhetoric members of the former United Bahamian Party (UBP) made in the past.
Mr Mitchell pointed out that numerous attempts at advancing the country were, at one point, rejected as too soon, even though they later became accepted as a fundamental component of the Bahamian society.
Independence, the National Insurance Board (NIB) and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) are examples of this, he said, noting that they are all now seen as vital to the development of the country.
The House of Assembly passed the University of the Bahamas Bill last night.
Comments
lkalikl 8 years, 4 months ago
F$%^ Mitchell and f$%^ the PLP! To pretend there isn't a brain drain and the damn statement that there is one is in the National Development Plan report that they, the PLP government of f$%^tards, commissioned is simply brazenly outrageous and disgusting. Lightbourne is litereally quoting from their own report and they are calling him, in coded language, a racist for doing so. F$%^ the PLP! Concerns about the quality of education in the Bahamas are legitimate and should not be dismissed as UBP propaganda. The PLP is a bunch of racist f$%^ing a$$holes determined to keep the country full of stupid f$%^ing people that they can easily manipulate and get rich off of. F$%^ the PLP! F$%^ Fred Mitchell and f$%^ all PLPs who keep voting these motherf$%^ing parasites into office! F$%^ the motherf$%^ing PLP! They are the STD of the Bahamas!
And then, to top it all off, there is this.
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2014/dec…
F$%^ all these two faced lying motherf$%^ing PLPs! F$%^ them all! They are destroying the Bahamas! F$%^ the PLP!
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 4 months ago
That link is funny. "FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell expressed concern about “brain drain” in an address to the permanent council of the Organisation of American States yesterday". Lol
proudloudandfnm 8 years, 4 months ago
Is Mitchell insane?!?!?
Brain drain is a huge problem for the Bahamas.
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 4 months ago
Of course the brain drain isn't a problem, the dumber the nation the better for them. Let us pray. Ole pirates yes dey rob I...
Publius 8 years, 4 months ago
That's because he thinks he is the only person in The Bahamas with a brain, and since he doesn't plan to leave, all is well in Fred's Bahamaland.
Honestman 8 years, 4 months ago
Mitchell thinks he is a superior being and that we are all stupid. Our brightest and best are leaving in droves.
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 4 months ago
I remember dining one evening with Levi Gibson (deceased) who told me about the unfortunate hardships experienced by Fred and his brother Matthew in their upbringing. Levi remarked that Fred suffered from a grossly inflated and perverse sense of self (a common symptom for pseudo-intellects, i.e. people who think they are much smarter than they actually are) whereas Matthew undoubtedly was the smarter of the two but bent in such a way that would result in him ending up in serious trouble sooner rather than later. Levi was prescient. Matthew shortly thereafter ended up doing a stint in Fox Hill Prison for stealing $1 million plus from his employer Chemical Bank and Fred has since gone on to wreak havoc and great embarrassment to the diplomatic standing of our country in the global community. These two brothers have a lot in common with the two McWeeny brothers, Sean and Paul. No gooders to the core no matter how much they may do to appear saintly in our society!
Reality_Check 8 years, 4 months ago
Correction: Matthew Mitchell actually stole $1 million plus from one or more of Chemical Bank's clients and it was the feisty American, Gary Cox, the managing director of Chemical Bank at the time, who had the balls to spit in the face of Fweddy Boy when he suggested it would be unwise for Chemical Bank to prosecute his brother Matthew. Matthew would have served much more time in Fox Hill Prison had Christie through his puppet attorney general not wrongfully shortened his original sentence!
truetruebahamian 8 years, 4 months ago
The only ones that will be left in the Bahamas are those whose brains are already drained or had no brain to drain in the first place - only enough to inculcate with plp propaganda and other such stupidity.
sealice 8 years, 4 months ago
that's why they didn't give you the loan to transition to university dumbasses...... the college of the Bahamas isn't ready now..... the only brain drain in the bahamas is in the house!
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 4 months ago
The history of mankind has shown us time and time again that insecure and/or corrupt governments have a vested interested in dumbing down their electorate in any way that they can, whether it be by doomed to fail public education policies, under funding or uncontrolled illegal immigration of the substantially illiterate; after all, no dishonest politician likes a well educated discerning voter! PLP and FNM governments alike have destroyed the lives of generations of Bahamians by neglected tour country's public education needs. Meanwhile, our corrupt elitist senior politicians (like Alfred Sears who now works for the gaming web shop bosses for all intents and purposes) send their own children to private schools in the Bahamas and then abroad because they know full well what they have done to the quality of public education in our country!
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