The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

What a dreadful image for The Bahamas internationally to see our Prime Minister and other MP’s arguing about who is most responsible for completely eliminating our Head of State Queen Elizabeth II from our currency notes. There was no public consultation when this process began and none when The Queen was removed from our coinage.

Over the years our Investment Authority and other Government agencies regularly have publications in which they say that The Bahamas has Her Majesty serving as Head of State with a local Governor-General and so investment is safe here. They further say that we have British background courts and procedures so an added safety valve is there for our investors. Let us face the fact that The Queen as Head of State brings prestige to our country and places it in a high category for international business and investment.

All those pronouncements from the Government ring rather hollow when we see The Queen’s visible presence in this country being eliminated. After serving as Head of our multi-ethnic Commonwealth of Nations for nearly 70 years in dedicated and selfless service The Queen does not deserve to be treated in this manner by her Bahamian parliamentarians. In other Commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand The Queen appears on one banknote and figures of historical national importance are on the other notes. This had become our pattern until the announcement this week that the late Arthur Hanna would replace the Queen on the $100 note. Have we become so Americanized that we have completely forgotten about our heritage of freedom, civil rights and democracy under The Crown? There are many other countries in which to invest who respect and appreciate the value of a Constitutional Monarchy for their economic well being.

This sorry situation could be rectified by the introduction of a $200 note that bears The Queen’s image. With inflation a $200 note is now feasible in our currency system. I strongly believe that this situation should be corrected immediately. We need to restore confidence for our country internationally and in our own country where so many Bahamians are worried with the economic uncertainties facing us at the moment.

ALAN MALCOLM

Nassau,

August 13, 2021.