The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

It’s a new year, and sad to say, we are starting it off with a ball of confusion in this country – the horrific crime situation unfortunately topping the list.

This letter, however, is being written in response to the plight of Bahamian business owners who entered the New Year fraught with the extremely frustrating situation of a totally new business license portal which has added yet another burden to our existence!

It clearly demonstrates that ‘da gubment dem’ hold us in complete disdain and really do not care if we live or die, regardless of the fact that we are an essential economic lifeline of the country!

How long is it going to take to make the phrase ‘the ease of doing business’ in The Bahamas a reality? Da gubment dem is the largest employer in the country with thousands of employees who work for us because we, the general public who are being taxed to the hilt, pay their salaries, yet we are treated with such disrespect.

It seems like we cannot win for losing! The hoops we are constantly required to jump through in order to exist are like a movie drama – or rather more like a Shakespearean tragedy replete with outbursts of rage and the tearing out of hair in frustration!

It is already three weeks into the New Year and if you go onto social media you will see constant posts from completely frustrated business owners trying to figure out what to do since phones are not answered, email queries languish in cyber space, and the application deadline looms.

Do better gubment, and speak up and demand better, people!

Pam Burnside

Nassau

January 21, 2024