By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamian Auto Repair Association (BARA) yesterday called for the release of a promised report on Japanese auto import inspections, questioning if some industries have a "hidden agenda".
Dwaine Scavella, the BARA president, said: "What happened to the report the Bahamian motorists have been waiting on, or is it they found nothing so they could not give a report. If the trip was really about safety, which of the delegates can explain what a structural repair process is for a vehicle to be roadworthy again, or which one can explain the importance of changing a bad wheel bearing?"
He added: "Many motorists believe that the trip to Japan was a smokescreen to satisfy the motor dealers' appetite to control and force high interest loans for vehicles they can't afford. As I receive feed back from used car dealers, the one thing that sticks out is the word 'reject'.
"The thing is the price of new cars is out of reach for the poor, so when they import a used vehicle or even a damaged vehicle it's labelled a 'reject' or it's unworthy. More and more members of the public are having less trust in the motor dealers because they believe they have a hidden agenda."
Edison Sumner, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) chief executive, earlier this month warned that The Bahamas is serving as a "dumping ground" for vehicles that have been rejected as unsafe by other nations.
He added that more than 17,000 vehicles are being exported to The Bahamas from Japan on an annual basis, despite concern over their "roadworthiness" and possible "radioactive contamination".
Mr Sumner, who also serves as deputy chair of the Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ), said during a Rotary Club of South East Nassau that the agency's trip to Japan - which he went on in January - had assessed pre-export inspection processes for used vehicles shipped to The Bahamas. It focused on one vehicle testing company, EAA Company, to determine whether its facilities were compliant with International Standards Organisation (ISO) 1725 certification.
That trip sparked claims of a "conspiracy" to "squeeze the small man"' and force Bahamians to purchase more expensive vehicles, claims Mr Sumner again sought to dispel. The delegation's findings have never been published.
Labour Minister Dion Foulkes, who has responsibility for the BBSQ, confirmed he had received a report and that its contents would be made public, although he indicated that the person responsible for handling the report is on leave.
Comments
BahamasForBahamians 6 years, 2 months ago
Isnt this the trip Patricia Minnis went on?
She should present the report?
Can we assume No report = Fake trip
Franklyn 6 years, 2 months ago
(Radio Active Contaminated Vehicles)
My brother Dwaine, you must understand the Fraternity of Wealth In The Bahamas.
The current financial order in the Bahamas is protected by a culture of bias towards a financially comfortable few. Families who feel it is their inherent privilege to be in control of the wealth in the Bahamas and will lobby for and disrupt any attempt that is perceived as a challenge to this historical order; yes some would even travel to Japan seeking to uncover a Scandalous International Accusation against the Japanese People and their Government.
Again, I feel that Mr. Sumner is a cold faced lobbyist for a special interest group and you maybe correct when you say "hidden agenda". Using his professional position to effect changes in the industry that may be of personal benefit to a related group who have come upon hard times of late. The disinformation about Japanese Used Cars and Japan (and its International Safety Obligations) should be seen by the Japanese Government as interference in International bilateral trading agreement that the Bahamas is a signatory to.
Edison Sumner, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) chief executive, should be more concern about the protectionist gift that the Bahamas New Cars Dealers Association got a few years ago, that has backfired on them and drove Bahamians to Japan. (65%) for cars valued at $10,000 or less, 75% for cars up to $40,000 and 85% for a car valued above $40,000. ...a $80,000 Honda Accord "think about it" - this was the stupidest idea ever - set the duty at 25% on ALL imported vehicles and the industry will balance itself out over night.
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