The Tribune

THE year is almost done. 2023 is almost out of the door, and 2024 is getting ready to come knocking.

It was a landmark year for The Bahamas, with much made of the 50th anniversary celebrations of independence.

People celebrated in their finery. Fireworks soared. Drones swarmed in formation display over Clifford Park. There were balls, parties, and more.

And yet the end of the year still saw long lines of people reaching for a helping hand as companies offered giveaways and charities served up plates of food for the hungry.

The disparity between the different levels in our society continues to be in plain view.

The year will also pass without resolution to a number of issues, some of which should have been dealt with long ago.

We complete another year without the implementation of Freedom of Information laws. That was supposed to be up and running by now. Back in May, it was said the public would be able to request information by September or October, but those dates came and went.

Also in May, the Privy Council ruled that children born out of wedlock to Bahamian men are citizens at birth regardless of their mother’s nationality – and yet The Tribune has this week reported on people who are still stuck in limbo despite that ruling. One Bahamas-born Harvard scholar even was warned that she overstayed in the country of her birth. The court has ruled, but the regulations have not caught up with those Bahamians’ birthright.

That does not even take into account the other areas in which citizenship needs to be addressed. It does not go unnoticed that the ruling amended an inequality for men’s rights, while women’s inequalities over citizenship continue. When will those laws be passed?

How about the legal matter of making disclosures of assets? The deadline for that was March 1 and still we do not know which of our lawmakers complied with the actual law. Last year, some who did not comply claimed ignorance of the law. There should be no such justification this year. And even if there was, there should be no reason why the public does not know who did or did not disclose as required.

There are other matters too – was any action taken after Immigration officers were caught on camera in an altercation with two Haitian barbers, who were said to have been slapped and beaten in the incident?

And speaking of Haiti, we still do not know the extent of the mission that lies ahead for Bahamian troops who are due to be deployed there soon.

This despite an alert from UNICEF after a Christmas Day attack on a family in Port-au-Prince by an armed group that killed four, including two girls under ten.

Between July and September, the Haitian police recorded 1,239 homicides, compared to 577 the previous year. In addition, abductions have risen by 244 percent, with 701 seized during the gang warfare that plagues the nation.

There are, of course, other matters too – from the ongoing arguments over the future of governance in Grand Bahama to questions over BPL that have lasted longer than the power supply usually manages to stay on.

Questions on issues such as these – and many others – do not go away with the passing of the year. They shall remain and continue to be asked in 2024.

There is a purpose to such questions – it is to make sure our nation does better. Every year should be a step forward, and we hope 2024 will be just that, another step towards improving and furthering our nation. One step, and one question, at a time.

We wish all our readers and advertisers the very best for the year ahead.