The Tribune

By INIGO 'NAUGHTY' ZENICAZELAYA

Once again, this was a busy week of tackling issues in the country.

Snail Mail and Rat Traps

After years (perhaps decades?) of having to do their job in an environment that most of us only dash into and out of, the workers at the country’s General Post Office decided that enough was enough and began protesting on Bay Street.

Chief among their concerns was the dilapidated state of the post office, and what they called “union busting” tactics by the commissioner of police.

According to Bahamas Public Service Union President John Pinder: “The third largest revenue generated for the country comes through the post office but these people are not being treated fairly.

“They don’t know when they will get out that building. The rats are crawling, the building is falling and full of mould but they don’t want to spend the money on us. So we will be out here every day until we get some resolution.”

The rats are crawling? Mould?

Now the subject of “union busting” is more nuanced, and may require further debate to determine the scope and veracity of that claim but there can be no debate about whether “the rats are crawling”.

I mean, are there rats or aren’t there? And if there are rats how on earth can anyone expect employees to work in a place like that?

Let’s be honest, anyone who has ever had to use that post office can clearly see the building is in a horrible and broken down state. I’ve personally only been there a handful of times over the past year and every time I go quickly to my mailbox and exit as fast as I can to avoid a piece of the building falling on my head. That’s how bad the place looks.

To know that rats are running around makes me want to give up “snail mail” altogether.

I mean, haveyou seen the size of the rats on this island? Let’s just say they fight cats. And win.

So even though many of us are “inconvenienced” by the protests, I agree with Transport Minister Frankie Campbell when he urges the public not to “judge” the post office workers despite their “calculated mission”.

According to Campbell, “They are getting the attention they deserve and I am satisfied that we should not be so quick to judge them, notwithstanding the fact that some 17 islands this week will not get the mail bag.”

None of us would want to trade jobs with the postal workers at East Hill Street. None of us would willingly keep showing up to a place that allegedly has a “mold” problem.

At least, not if we’re smart.

In my mind, “health” is still more important than “wealth”.

On a practical front, with a third of the country’s revenue generated through the post office, the government needs to address this situation quickly.

Fix the rat problem. Fix the mould problem. Those two issues are just unsanitary and unnecessary. Repair the building. Bahamians can all see a refurbishment (or replacement) is long overdue.

It’s clear, with all this talk of “union busting” that all sides need to come to the table and work out a suitable agreement.

But there’s no negotiating with rats. Deal with that post-haste because soon we’ll not only worry about losing money because “the check’s in the mail”... we’ll also have to worry whether the “rattus norvegicus” ate it.

It’s clear, with all this talk of “union busting,” that all sides need to come to the table and work out a suitable labor agreement.

But there’s no negotiating with “Rattus Norvegicus”.

Deal with that rodent situation post-haste. Or soon we’ll not only have to worry about losing money because ‘the checks’s in the mail’...we’ll also have to worry whether the rats ate it.

Fresh Off the Boat

After a large mysterious sloop turned up on the shores of Adelaide Village, a stone’s throw away from the RBDF Base in Coral Harbor, it started tongues wagging and conspiracy theorists...well...theorising.

In true Bahamian fashion, the tales of the mystery sloop and how it got there were epic; Jules Verne would have been envious.

Local officials feel the immigrants landed between Saturday night and early Sunday morning, and had organised assistance from persons already on shore in New Providence. Citizens were also warned of the impending fines or jail time that accompany anyone found harboring these undocumented foreign nationals.

Kirklyn Neely, head of the Department of Immigration’s Enforcement Unit, said he estimated between 150 to 250 undocumented migrants were on board the sloop.

He said immigration officers apprehended 27 immigrants on Monday in an effort to gain information on the people who landed illegally the day before, adding none of the people caught were from that vessel.

In an interview with The Tribune, Immigration Director William Pratt said he “had no idea how such a large sloop could land so close to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Coral Harbour Base and go undetected”.

Pratt also added “the RBDF should improve their surveillance”.

We all know that illegal immigration is a vexing problem for the country. But Mr Pratt should stop the finger pointing, because people in glass houses should not throw stones.

Yes, a sloop allegedly belonging to foreign nationals landed in close proximity to the RBDF base.

Yes, their surveillance needs to be adressed and improved where needs be (as I’m sure the RBDF Commander and his team are doing as we speak).

However, the department of Immigration also has their share of issues to deal with-many of which have been well documented over the years.

I won’t rehash them (at least not this time) because I’m trying to show that when we face a problem of this nature (and this magnitude) it would probably be more productive if our uniformed branches focus on working together instead of playing the blame game.

That goes for the Police Force, Defense Force, Customs and Immigration. And everyone else who is expected to help uphold the laws of the country.

I’m talking to you, fellow non-uniformed, regular, everyday Bahamians.

So if you are “aiding and abetting” this new batch (or even the old batch) of “undocumented migrants”, then the illegal immigration problem, crime and all of the rest of it, well, that’s on you, too!