The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

LET me state from the outset that I am a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist. I do not subscribe to the malevolent Marxist school of thought which is diametrically opposed to the Judeo-Christian worldview. My assessment of this economic system of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was reinforced after reading the late Richard Wumbrand's Tortured for Christ and Marx and Satan. As a Romanian Christian pastor, Wumbrand spent 14 years in communist prisons for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I just thought I should say this before I am misread in the following. Recently, Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis spoke at St John's University and St Benedict's College in Minnesota on the subject of climate change. Davis also addressed this matter at the United Nations climate change conference in Dubai some weeks ago. Davis noted in his Minnesota address that the big nations have pledged $700 million for the so-called Damage Fund.

Even though thousands of Grand Bahamians have suffered through Hurricanes Francis, Jeanne, Matthew and Dorian, I do not sense that they're as committed in campaigning against climate change as Davis and a host of American and British celebrities, such as Prince Harry, Pharrell Williams, Greta Thunberg, Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Fonda and Jaden Smith. I am of the view that Davis and Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Motley are being influenced by President Joe Biden on the subject of climate change. Biden seems to be more determined to fight climate change than in addressing inflation. Hundreds of thousands of African Americans marched on the streets of the major American cities after the murder of George Floyd when Donald Trump was in the Oval Office. The Marxist leaders of Black Lives Matter were successful in influencing the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential Election. Moreover, BLM was responsible for painting Trump as a racist. Three years after the BLM marches, many of these African Americans are now catching hell financially, like millions of other Americans. Yet no one is marching nowadays.

While climate change might be Davis' pet project, I think that the average Bahamian has more pressing matters on his mind. One of those pressing matters is the unbearable cost of living in The Bahamas, especially food. I have noticed that the cost of a loaf of Wonder Bread is now about $4.95; a gallon of MacArthur Milk is around $9.50 and above and a dozen eggs for about $5. Bloomberg has blamed the outbreak of Avian influenza on over 680,000 egg-laying hens at one of Cal-Maine Food Inc's facilities in Kansas for the soaring cost of eggs. Cal-Maine Inc. is one of the largest producers of eggs in the United States. The price of eggs is expected to further increase in 2024. Also contributing to the price increase is the holiday demands for eggs. The soaring cost of bread and other wheat products, especially in Europe, is linked to the protracted Russian/Ukrainian War.

A Bahamian family of six or more is now having to spend upwards of $250 weekly to buy adequate food. Making matters worst is VAT. The minimum wage is $260 -- $10 more than what many families are having to spend to adequately feed themselves on a weekly basis. In many cases, Bahamians' monthly grocery bills are exceeding their rent and mortgage payments. This is unsustainable. I understand that as a developing nation, much of the inflation crisis is linked to external factors that our domestic policymakers are unable to change. Yet the Progressive Liberal Party government could at least put a small dent in the high cost of groceries by simply eliminating the 10 percent VAT on breadbasket items. The energy I see being exerted towards fighting climate change should be channeled toward Bahamians being able to feed themselves adequately. If the PLP balks at implementing this recommendation in order to alleviate the suffering of tens of thousands of struggling Bahamian families, then it should then consider subsidising eggs, cooking oil, milk and wheat products, such as bread. These are the four staple items in the overwhelming majority of Bahamian homes.

The communist government in Cuba has a rationing system in place in which staple items are subsidised by the Marxist state. Such a massive undertaking can be done with the cooperation of the PLP government and merchants with impeccable character, such as Mr Rupert Roberts of Super Value. Either the government eliminate VAT on breadbasket items or it can subsidize the four items mentioned above. In a press release by the Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis in late November, the minister said that inflation is down and that the economy is growing. Halkitis pointed out that the debt to GDP ratio was at 100 percent in 2021; but it is now at 84 percent. I believe that there's a direct correlation between the growth in the government's revenue and the unbearable cost of living, owing to VAT on fuel and breadbasket items. The state, despite getting a substantial amount of revenue via duty on fuel, still opted to take a second bite at the apple by adding VAT.

I sincerely believe that the Bahamian GDP per capita of $27,478 is very misleading. Outsiders who read this would automatically assume that the majority of Bahamians are middle class, when in truth most Bahamians are struggling to keep their heads above water. Moreover, while it is true that the economy is growing by leaps and bounds, the continued increase in the cost of living has effectively offset what otherwise would've been a time of unprecedented prosperity for tens of thousands of Bahamians in New Providence, Bimini, Abaco and Exuma. This crisis is threatening to wipe out the middle class. Walter Hanchell of Great Commission Ministries recently informed The Nassau Guardian that middle class Bahamian families are now seeking food assistance from his organisation. These hardworking Bahamians are struggling to survive.

While President Joe Biden isn't entirely at fault for the lagging inflationary crisis, his Bidenomic policies have exacerbated the crisis. Under Bidenomics, the Bahamian middle class has become an endangered species. The PLP government can no longer keep its head buried in the sand and pretend not to notice the massive inflationary elephant in the room. One final suggestion to the honorable Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis would be to use his international platform to address the high cost of living on developing countries such as The Bahamas. We are extremely vulnerable to the collateral damages caused by the ongoing wars between Israel and Hamas and Russia and Ukraine. Davis should lobby President Joe Biden to do more to lower the costs of food in the United States. The PLP government should also seek to import poultry, wheat products and cooking oil from other foreign markets in the Western Hemisphere. I recall either Sir Lynden Pindling or A D Hanna saying that they want to wipe the tears or dry the eyes (or however it is said) of every Bahamian citizen. This noble gesture is a common socialist rhetoric. I am not saying that these National Heroes advocated wealth redistribution. Obviously, they didn't.

Both Pindling and Hanna saw the catastrophic results of Michael Manley's Marxist experimentation in Jamaica in the 1970s. Jamaica is still recovering from Manley's communist policies. I mentioned this because Pindling and Hanna, as shrewd politicians, understood the intricate balance of being politicians, who cater to the needs of their denizens; and policymakers, who are tasked with managing the finances of the Public Treasury. At times I am left to wonder if Ministry of Finance officials view The Bahamas as a Wall Street or Silicon Valley corporation, without any regards for human beings. I think the current situation could have been prevented had the first PLP governments worked tirelessly to develop agriculture in the Out Islands, rather than just depending on tourism and banking. This lackadaisical approach to farming has now come back to bite The Bahamas in its rear end.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama

December 17, 2023.