THE Prime Minister yesterday admitted his embarrassment and disappointment to international delegates after almost no Bahamian participants showed up for the opening of a two-day international workshop to strengthen the handicraft sector.
Suggesting some mix-up with invitations was to blame, Mr Christie admitted to the UNESCO representatives from around the region that he expected many local artisans to take advantage of the opportunity.
Mr Christie also issued a warning to organisers of official events to get their act together – hinting that he himself had only been called at the last minute.
When his turn to speak came, Agriculture Minister V Alfred Gray assured the visitors that Bahamians are not “traditionally like this” and insisted that “we could do better in our opening conference.”
The UNESCO workshop entitled: “Strengthening the Cultural and Creative Potential of the Handicraft Sector within the English and Dutch Speaking Caribbean” will feature a site visit to the Straw Market and John Watlings Distillery for the Caribbean UNESCO representatives.
Countries represented include Jamaica, St Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua and Barbuda.
“From the discussions at the head table, we are somewhat slightly disappointed – and the reasons are not immediately to be said – but be that as it is, we are going to fix this and you can be assured it will not happen this way again,” Mr Gray told those attending.
He added, later: “For those of you who have come from outside the Bahamas, I want you to know, we are not traditionally like this. This is not the way we do it. So don’t go away with this, the way it seems.
“You will have a good experience of the Bahamas, but we could do better in our opening conference and I’m disappointed in that regard – so don’t take that away with you.”
During his opening remarks Mr Christie explained that he thought Bahamian artisans would be attending the opening in “greater numbers.”
“But I’m told all sorts of limitations on who’s invited and who’s not invited and so forth and so on has been the order of the day,” he said.
Starting out his speech, he said: “When the prime minister has to sit at home and wait for people to call him to a meeting of this kind, it becomes not only embarrassing, but challenging.
“In the region, when we’re talking about something of major consequence to our countries, and handicraft and souvenirs in the Bahamas amounts to over $300 million a year – and not made or Bahamian-produced goods, but goods that are imported, as well, into the Bahamas and sold.
“So this is a matter that reflects a commitment to bringing out the artistic genius of a country and the people of a country and being able to do it in a way where when you come across it, you give them access to training and access to being polished, and opportunities for markets.”
He added: “That’s not scripted but I wanted to impress upon people who hold these positions in our country and who, when we have to organise an affair of this kind, particularly when it’s in association with another country, the enormity of it is important in a region where we are all challenged to find things for young people to do.
“Jamaica is represented here, not just by the technical people, but also by representatives of the business sector. Because they also understand, if they walk upstairs in one of these hotels – say the Sheraton – walk into a store there and look at the shells in the store for sale and ask where are the shells from, you will find they are from the Philippines, they are from Vietnam. But we have shells in the Bahamas.”
Mr Christie said “it’s not good enough to brag and boast” about the number of visitors to the country if the “economic implication of not establishing strong linkages with the tourism industry” is not understood.
“One of the great challenges of the Bahamas, moreso than any other regional country, is the leakage of foreign exchange out of the Bahamas,” he said, noting the country’s dependence on imports, “and therefore it has a major, major economic consequence in what we’re talking about this morning.”
Comments
Tarzan 10 years, 9 months ago
Hey, at least no one got mugged.
banker 10 years, 9 months ago
And the Chinese were there to "gather" ideas for their souvenir exports.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 9 months ago
Wow, to God be the glory, great things he has done. Three ministers, 2 of them the most senior in the country, receive rude wake-up-and-get-to-work calls in less than 1 week.
Unfortunately Alfred Grey is wrong, this is exactly how business is conducted in the country. The Prime Minister has told us so himself, on numerous occasions. He never knows what's going on in the country. So either he isnt doing his job or the people briefing him (his cabinet) aren't doing theirs. For the past year with crime spiraling out of control, Brave Davis was of the opinion that crime was only a concern for the "lower strata". Again either he wasn't doing his job or Bernard Nottage, Keith Bell and the Commissioner weren't doing theirs.
Yes, yes, yes. Please wake up to the facts, our people are laid back, consistently late, expect to be given everything and see no problem with getting ahead at someone else's expense, literally. This is who we are, you guys better start setting an example and calling people out, at all levels of the service, for perpetuating it.
We have finally found the secret, embarrassment
concernedcitizen 10 years, 9 months ago
my goodness first carifta and now this ,,the next time foriegner bashers go on about hotels bringing in foriegn general managers and experts ,refer to this and carifta ,,how embarrassing .and yet we expect the PM to fight for oppurtunities for us ,,,geez
concernedcitizen 10 years, 9 months ago
when ever anyone post again how the goverment needs to do more to encourage people to get a" piece of the pie"" refer to this . what an utter embarrassment for our PM ..IF artisans didn,t show up or weren,t notified ,,its the same side of the coin . i don,t always agree w/ PGC ,but i think he is well intentioned ,,i feel badly for the PM ..
banker 10 years, 9 months ago
I don't feel badly for him, because he really doesn't know what he doesn't know. That is why his caucus runs roughshod over him. He is just a strawman for Roberts et al and the rest of the puppeteers and his cluelessness is what makes him dangerous for the country. I am embarassed that he is my Prime Minister when it comes to the international stage. He is just a bag of empty loquaciousness.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 9 months ago
he is a strawman for the Wilson, williams ,finnlynsons etc ,,,,as strange as it may seem Bradley Roberts is the conduit for the white knights interest ,,even though he plays a good game of "Hate whitey " for the undereducated
jackflash 10 years, 9 months ago
"he really doesn't know what he doesn't know"....
That is the best quote I have heard in a long time!!!
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 9 months ago
I don't feel badly for him either. This is a serious job, if you're not prepared for it and not prepared to work hard for it, don't apply. I don't want a Prime Minister that I constantly have to feel sorry for, because that's what its looking like now. I want a PM that I can be proud to say, that's my PM!!
concernedcitizen 10 years, 9 months ago
i,m no PGC fan ,but no one likes to look foolish ,and for all the noise we as a country looked like fools at carifta and at this functions ,,
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 9 months ago
I soooo agree with you. But if I fail to put in the preparation and the hard work, who do I have to blame? If I'm the leader of the band who do I have to blame?
Study to show thyself approved, a workman needeth not to be ashamed..
Unfortunately it will take more than one well prepared conference to dig us out of the embarrassment hole that was years in the making. It will take real leadership. After a year, I honestly dont know if he's capable of doing the job, and I'm not being mean. I would love it if he proved me wrong and showed this same level of frustration with his entire uncoordinated administration. I just don't see it..
If I were him I would call in a management team to assist, local foreign I don't care as long as its at the going rate and not some make-my-cousin-rich scheme; its a professional team with a proven track record that knows how to manage and turnaround large enterprises. Grade the ministers on their performance to date and if they're sub par, hire somebody else or prepare yourself for constant embarassment. The money would be well worth it if they can help us clean up this house of ours.
USAhelp 10 years, 9 months ago
If they would paid us we would have come !! LOL
TalRussell 10 years, 9 months ago
A day is awaiting PM Christie when the red shirts will not blame him for everything under the sun. Maybe not. Being fired as the government is never go'in be easy for them red shirts.It's got's their heads all messed-up. Believe me I've been on my knees in prayer. But old sinners would require an entire congregation to falls they knees.
jackflash 10 years, 9 months ago
Once again Tal - you don't speak to the issue at hand.
Just this red shirt stuff again.
Sad, so very sad Tal....
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 9 months ago
Running a govt is akin to running a huge project...(well portfolio)...when the project succeeds everyone takes the credit, when it fails who gets the blame? The project manager. Fair or not, that is the way it is everywhere. When companies fail they don't fire the cook, they fire the CEO.
This is a big job with big responsibilities. You have to put on your big boy (or girl) pants and be you have to be prepared to take the lumps.
jackflash 10 years, 9 months ago
Yes,
They should have bused us in and paid us and got us liquored up as well.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 9 months ago
nothing like a paid crowd of liquored up boot lickers ,,lol,,,only thing there nice until a certain point then they want to rub up your gal ,cuss you ,and demand more money ..
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 9 months ago
Ok I thought banker was the best, but I take it back, you are:))
Jonathan 10 years, 9 months ago
K. I really didn't want to do this right, but it is no surprise that the way they campaigned is the way they govern. Remember before the election when half a dem was down on Cable Beach and the rest was up town and really it wasn't even half a dem on Cable Beach on the Town Hall Meeting on Crime. Dey bungle den, and ga bungle nah. Not surprised, and the public shouldn't be either! BTW, man dem reporters get treat bad in Bimini aye? I am not surprised. Are you? How many "my bads" and excuses we ga hear while dey fumble and bumble?
watcher 10 years, 9 months ago
Surely it takes you longer to change your (obviously good) English way of spelling and writing into Bahamian "dialect" than it does to just type how you were taught to spell? I can never understand why my fellow commentators in the Tribune';s comment section insist on doing this.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 9 months ago
The switch happens naturally when yuh vexation get yuk up
Puzzled 10 years, 9 months ago
Bahamians are not “traditionally like this”
Surely Mr Gray knows his country people better than this. The reason that the artisans did not attend in droves is that they did not think that there was anything that the visitors could teach them.
This is especially so after Ryan Pinder has basically told them that their artistry is unique and that he is going to protect their IP!! Now no other people are going to do basket weaving as the IP will be owned by Bahamians!
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