The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE Prime Minister is to be commended for his attempt to lure Foreign Direct Investment to the Bahamas, but I have one little problem with the approach.

I would think that before one invites guests to their home it might be wise to clean it first, then have a talk with your children, if they are unruly to help them understand what could happen if they do not behave. If your children were properly raised that talk might be quite brief. When the appropriate things are in place, invite your guests and a mutually beneficial experience will be had by all.

It seems that our leaders do not want to acknowledge the state of this country or they are clueless as to how to go about trying to fix it. It is not in a condition that should motivate anyone to run and invite investors because of the many, many problems that currently exist on multiple levels. The ridiculous standard of living and cost of doing business, the lack of a motivated, teachable, skilled work force and other problems are a concern, but I am more burdened by the social issues.

We continue trying to create jobs for people who do not understand what is expected of them when they agree to accept a job. There are already complaints about customer experiences at Baha Mar, the “world class resort”. We invite millions of tourists here annually as our guests and yet many of them return to their homes with negative reports about their experiences and interactions with our people. Somehow, we do not seem to understand that we are shooting ourselves in the foot by bringing people into our home who do not want to return because of the negative experiences they had there. That is not wise and it is certainly not good for business!

For those who thought the US advisory on Arawak Cay might have been politically motivated, Canada recently issued an advisory to its citizens as well. This is very telling. The social and moral decline evidenced by groping tourists, robbery and other criminal acts are the fruit of single parent homes and large scale illegal immigration. Large numbers of illiterate, unskilled immigrants may help you get elected, but they do not have a positive affect on national development. The gaping holes left in our broken social structure necessitates a government mediated system to bring this country back to normalcy.

What the prime minister should have been trying to implement is a national re-socialisation programme of sorts. We are no longer at the point where we can trust society to naturally produce quality citizens. We must find a way to train and re-train our people in the importance of their roles as adults, understanding boundaries, the value of work, the importance of the family to national development, critical thinking, the importance of saving and investing, anger management and how to deal with others with respect and courtesy. These are all things previously taught in the home. If this country fails to do this one simple thing, then all is lost. This country will continue its rapid decline to become another one of the third world countries that no one wants to visit or live in. President Trump purportedly used a more colourful term!

JB

Nassau,

January 25, 2018.