The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

This is my first time writing to any paper to express an opinion or comment on matters, however there has been so much in your pages in the last few days, months and years, of concern to me that it seemed to be the right time to start. I have lots of concerns and will start to voice them.

I want to start first with immigration. While I see the members of the House of Assembly on both sides arguing about spousal permits and other matters I am

concerned with the baseline activities surrounding immigration. I do think what they are

arguing about is a grave concern and should be addressed; however I think that we should

address the bigger issues in immigration first.

Our immigration issues are the fault of the Bahamian masses. ALL OF US. There is only

one reason that we have illegal immigrants in the Bahamas. Bahamian consumers

continue to pay them salaries. If we all stop paying they will leave as they have no reason to be here. Illegal immigration occurs because the immigrant can make a better living in another country besides his own. If we as a people make a decision to stop

paying salaries to illegal immigrants, the problem will not exist.

With that said, the next step is who will do the work that is currently being done by immigrants. Bahamians have long been spoilt by working in the tourism and financial sectors. To some manual labour and making an honest living turned into a bad thing.

Having a trade and becoming an expert tradesman has turned into something that is beneath us.

This was a nation that was built on the backs of parents who earned an honest day’s wage,

not by those who sit on the blocks and cry about not being able to make what they are worth. This country grew because people were willing to start out small and grow into the future, not because we have an “entitled youth” who feel that they cannot work for

less than $400 per week.

The government should focus on the task at hand with immigration, sorting out who should be here and who really should not be here, not quibbling about nuances like spousal permits being granted for life. If married and living here in the Bahamas on a

spousal permit, foreign spouses should apply for permanent residency after a period of time, just like the majority of nations in the world. This resolves that matter and does not require discussion in the House of Assembly, where we should be making policy to solve significant matters.

Come on Bahamians let’s get to work and start making our own economy grow. And

come on government and those that want to lead, “PLP or FNM or DNA” let’s get started

with the big issues and resolve them and stop fighting over the past.

Someone who is paying attention

Nassau,

August 13, 2011.

(Welcome to the ranks of those who do care enough to take time out to write to The Tribune and share their thoughts with others. The only way that this country will move ahead is to let the government know that there are many Bahamians who do care and want to share their ideas in helping to create a better Bahamas. — Ed).