LET’S make three wishes for The Bahamas.
The first wish is for an end to the seemingly never-ending – the power problems at BPL.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works Desmond Bannister is confident we will have no load shedding this summer, and says there have been no such incidents so far this year.
If only the same could be said for other causes for power outages. When explaining other recent power outages, Mr Bannister brought out a whole laundry list of excuses. Outages over the past two days he blamed on the scrapyard fire. Some, he said, have been caused by “careless drivers knocking power poles down” which makes us wonder how many drivers are doing such a thing and why there aren’t more photographs of such accidents. “And quite frankly,” he said, “others have been caused by human error.”
He moved swiftly on from that note without explaining how many incidents have been caused by human error and what has been done about it, although we would love to know more.
People sitting in the dark don’t care whether the explanation for the power outage is load shedding, or an error, or one of this apparent multitude of drivers knocking poles down – they just want the power on.
So that’s our first wish, for a supply of power as steady as the supply of excuses we’re currently getting.
Our second wish comes in healthcare – where Health Minister Renward Wells has announced $100m for infrastructure repairs and critical hospital upgrades.
If ever it needed reinforcing, the past year of the pandemic has emphasised the importance of our healthcare system.
An extra $100m will be gratefully received to bolster that system. Mr Wells says renovations will include “the eye ward, female medical two, the former physiotherapy unit, the former female surgical two, children’s ward, male medical two, and the decommissioned intensive care unit”.
Emergency care’s first phase will be completed early next year, he says, while other work includes a new six-storey tower at Princess Margaret Hospital to house several new units, including a children’s ward, a surgical ward and a gynaecology ward.
There will also be new clinics for a number of Family Islands, and renovations at others.
Our hope, then, is for such work to go smoothly, on time, on budget and deliver a better healthcare system for the needs of the nation.
Which brings us to our final wish, one we hope will arrive on Monday, when Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis takes to his feet in the House of Assembly.
It’s been a long, hard year and a half, and we dearly wish that Dr Minnis has something to say that gives us a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. The country needs more vaccines, it needs a stronger economy, and it needs to see a path that takes us beyond the pandemic – if wishing can make it so.
Comments
The_Oracle 3 years, 4 months ago
Your three wishes are but the inevitable outcomes of three more succinct wishes that could be wished: 1) flush the entire lot of visionless petty and corrupt political cadre down the pipes. Endlessly electing apologists for ineptitude will reap endless suffering and misery. We need enablers. Particularly those who would enable Bahamians. 2) Wish that Bahamians would nurture their children, talk to them, help them develop abstract thought. Stop slapping them to stop them from crying! Teachers will (should) understand this concept. Abstract thought develops between the ages of 8-12. It is the stuff dreams are made of. it is sorely lacking. And in those who develop it we beat it out of them. 3) grow some shame to balance this fictitious Bahamian "pride" we roll out at every turn. You cannot have one without the other. Ying and Yang. Correct these deficiencies first and foremost. We are not special. We live in special and beautiful circumstances, We still screw it up at every turn. 4) yeah yeah, I know, 3 wishes only. But for Lords sake, ditch the blind un-questioning tribal party allegiances to Red/Yellow /Green (yeah, I know, green what?) It is so self destructive, Learn to think for yourselves as individuals, the BS will become so obvious! Buying into the Party lies and fallacies (either) has us exactly where we are by default. AKA there is no plan. Never has been one. We are in deep purely by accident. But hey, we followed the collective idiots.
SP 3 years, 4 months ago
1) Sir Randol Fawkes should have negociated to become prime minister instead of Pindling
2) Hubert Ingraham never became prime minister
3) Perry Christie never joined politics at all
ohdrap4 3 years, 4 months ago
I will put the lamp to good use and burn oil in it.
That way I get relief from power outage.
birdiestrachan 3 years, 4 months ago
Mr: Banister said there was bad oil.
KapunkleUp 3 years, 4 months ago
Three wishes rolled into one: (1) Honest, (2) smart, (3) caring politicians!
SP 3 years, 4 months ago
Your wishes are far beyond the most experienced, senior, of genies capabilities!
KapunkleUp 3 years, 4 months ago
True dat.
John 3 years, 4 months ago
EXPECT THINGS TO GET WORSE BEFORE THEY GET BETTER: "An outbreak of Covid-19 in southern China has combined with the rapid reopening of the world economy and a shortage of shipping containers to cause a surge in transport costs that could fuel inflation and cause shortages of goods across the globe.
China reported 21 new coronavirus cases in the mainland on Wednesday with 15 of them in the vital industrial province of Guangdong where restrictions have been in place for several weeks to contain an outbreak linked to the Delta variant first detected in India.
There are now 150 cases of the variant, mostly in Guangzhou city, and the lockdown has caused the city’s massive port to be severely disrupted. A separate outbreak in neighbouring Shenzhen – not believed to be the Delta variant – has also added to the problem. The ports are the third and fifth largest in the world and shipping costs have spiked as a result.
Transporting a 12.2-metre (40ft) steel container by sea from Shanghai to Rotterdam now costs a record $10,522, which is nearly 300% higher than it was last year, according to Drewry Shipping.
Factory costs in China, the workshop of the world, had already risen 9% in May – the most for more than a decade – because of a rapid increase in demand as the global economy reopens and as glitches in supply chains continue to be ironed out."
JokeyJack 3 years, 4 months ago
VAT money be spent only on certain categories of expenses, and a full detailed accounting of VAT expenses be available online.
Constitution be amended so that we have 100 MPs.
Constitution be amended to have 2 Senators each for Nassau, GB, Abaco, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Long Island, Andros Berry and Bimini, Exuma, Inagua Ragged and the rest in the south, for a total of 18. Then 1 more for Nassau so the total is odd. These are elected in the 31st month following a general election. A Senator can only be removed by agreement of the PM and Op leader and 3/4 vote of Senate, or 3/4 recall vote by his/her constituency. If a 4th Senator is to be removed, it triggers a new public vote for Senate within 60 days. No laws may pass during that time. This country would rocket skyward if these 3 wishes came true.
quietone 3 years, 4 months ago
ONE THING THAT I BELIEVE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IS FOR THIS COUNTRY TO BE ABLE TO STOP UNLAWFUL / UNLICENSED GUNS FROM ENTERING OUR SHORES!!! Shortly before independence, a well-known young man was all over this little island begging everyone to try and own a gun for protection... DURING THESE SERIOUSLY PERILOUS TIMES IN WHICH WE LIVE, IT IS VERY POSSIBLE FOR A GUN OWNER TO COMMIT MURDER...
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 4 months ago
FNM to chose a new mature honest hardworking analytical visionary ethical leader
sheeprunner12 3 years, 4 months ago
Genie lamp?????? ............. Our black politicians have been rubbing it since 1967 ....... it comes up with more debt at every rub
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