Bahama Pundit

Is Failure the Responsibility of Schools or Parents?

by Craig Butler

I was on the Platform with Wendal Jones and Godfrey Eneas recently. I must admit that I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I must not be as adept in explaining myself as I thought because the hosts and I locked heads all night.

The major point of contention was our education system. Before I go any further let me state that the role of parents in raising their children can never be abrogated or underestimated.

The foremost and best example for any child will always be those that are in the position to affect their lives, specifically the parents, guardians or custodians along with the extended family.

Accordingly these people must take an active role in ensuring that their children are taught morals and values and that they receive the education they need to enable them to play a meaningful and active role in society.

New Proposals Could Solve Bahamas' Waste Disposal and Energy Woes

by Larry Smith

The biggest problem with garbage is that it never really goes away.

And dump sites are a huge threat both to the environment and to human health - as we have seen with the recent toxic fires at the Harrold Road landfill.

This is not the first time the dump has been on fire since it opened in 1972. It happens quite regularly, and each time there are more people living in the area who are affected. The fumes contain dangerous chemicals like mercury and dioxin.

The Price of Poverty in the Bahamas

by Craig Butler

Last time I discussed some of the reasons contributing to rising poverty in the nation rather than spending the time shedding light on the actual problem.

The problem as I see it is that far too many of our brothers and sisters are going to bed hungry every night. In the past, although things were hard there was in most instances some sort of food on the stove. That is not the case any longer as many people can’t afford the basic necessities of life, especially if they are on minimum wage or not working at all.

World food prices have spiked this year due to shrinking harvests, burgeoning demand and skyrocketing fuel prices. When you consider that we are a service-based economy, rely almost exclusively on imports, and get our revenue from the duties on those imports, the future does not bode well.

Service Innovations Needed

by Simon

•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at frontporchguardian@gmail.com

A friend recently opened a letter sent to her father by the National Insurance Board. It seems that the Board is quite upset with her old man for not sending in his contributions for quite some time. So upset that they’re threatening legal action.

To help get her dad out of this jam, she intends to forward NIB her father’s new address: Woodlawn Cemetery. He’s been domiciled there now for over a decade.

Unfortunately, it seems that it’s not only the dead who are not allowed to rest in peace. Most pensioners receiving retirement benefits are required to travel to an NIB office every six months to confirm that they are still alive.

We Must Help People to Make Ends Meet

by Craig Butler

Many of us are familiar with the TV commercials promoting feed-the-children efforts in poor countries. The pictures turn my stomach and make me feel guilty. Well I have news for you, there are many people in our own country who can’t make ends meet.

When I discussed this on a recent radio talk show, many people contacted me to recite their own tales of horror. I have been moved to the point of tears a few times as a result, and I believe the time has come for us as a nation to address this issue.

There are many factors at play here, so we must be careful in apportioning blame to any individual or institution. None of us in the Bahamas could have foreseen the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States, but it is a fact that we have to deal with.

Crime, Hope and Fear in the Bahamas

by Simon

•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at frontporchguardian@gmail.com

Even as violent crime declined in Britain, then Prime Minister Tony Blair captured the usually visceral public reaction to crime: “It is not about statistics; it is about how people feel … the fear of crime is as important in some respects as crime itself.”

While Bahamian officials battle the complex phenomenon of crime, they also face a complex response of both reasonable and not so reasonable public and private fear as they respond to the national insecurity violent crime engenders.

A frustrated public has lost considerable confidence in the criminal justice system. Vigorous action to repair it will help reduce both the crime rate and society’s fears by restoring trust in the country’s ability to cope with violent crime.

Comparing the Bahamas and Zimbabwe

by Larry Smith

As a teenager back in 1965 I recall a solemn school assembly at which one of our teachers (who was from Rhodesia) tried to explain that African colony's unilateral declaration of independence from Britain.

Rhodesia was a prosperous colony run by a stubborn white settler named Ian Smith, who died last November. The country is now called Zimbabwe, and is run by the octogenarian Robert Mugabe, who was Smith's nemesis during the war against white rule in the 1970s.

In those days it was still big news for a colony to actually break from the British Empire unilaterally - the American War of Independence notwithstanding.That's one of the reasons we were sitting in the sunshine listening to Mr Dock on that cool November day 43 years ago.

Of course, the other big reason was race, which defined the context of the time.

Bahamasair: Round Two

by Craig Butler

Most people have a horror story or two to tell about our national flag carrier - Bahamasair - but they can also cite an incident to explain why they continue to maintain their loyalty.

A close friend and colleague told me that when she was studying in the US northeast and it was time to come home at Christmas the travel agents would invariably tell her there were no flights. Her standard response was always 'just get me to Miami and Bahamasair will get me home'. I can attest to that being true.

Others like the fact that the flag carrier doesn't hassle passengers about overweight bags. But these things also explain why Bahamasair continuously dithers on the brink of going under.

Baha Mar: Anatomy of a Big Blunder

by Simon

•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at frontporchguardian@gmail.com

Following generations of struggle and sacrifice, you and your husband inherit a treasury of prime real estate. You retain most of the estate, cherishing its highly appraised value and, as importantly, its price-tag resistant worth as a symbol of pride and hope.

Its value includes its current worth, potential for extraordinarily lucrative development as well as a wellspring of opportunity for your children, their offspring and unborn generations.

Suddenly you hear that your husband has sold to foreign developers most of the land at fire sale prices complete with promissory notes, artists’ drawings and a sophisticated public relations machine.

The injury of the first blow -- the property being sold out from underneath you -- is followed by an insulting below the belt punch: troubling details of the sell-off are hidden from you in secret agreements.

Bahamas Pursuing Renewable Energy Projects

by Larry Smith

The Bahamas Electricity Corporation is inviting proposals for renewable energy power purchase agreements in several technologies, officials have told Tough Call.

Although there has been lots of talk before, this marks a dramatic policy shift. It is driven by fear that escalating oil prices and supply problems could disrupt the Bahamian economy. International concerns about pollution and climate change are also a big factor.

The pending Request for Proposals follows the appointment of a special committee at BEC to research the most viable renewable energy technologies for the Bahamas at utility scale. This group is headed by Jerome Elliot, a senior engineer, and includes Brian Taylor, Robert Hall and Errol Davis.

They have identified the most promising alternative methods to produce electricity for the Bahamas. These candidate technologies include solar panels (especially concentrating trough collectors), hydrokinetics (including ocean wave and tidal systems), thermal conversion (such as OTEC and biomass systems), gasification (including the capture of biogas from landfills) and wind turbines.