The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

We have a brand new airport. It is beautiful and will open the door to more tourist dollars if properly directed. But we are told that the government barely has the money to keep its bathrooms stocked with toilet paper. Yet they found $3 million somewhere to build a brand new freight and office building?

But that’s none of my business.

We have a man running our electrical corporation who would have continued racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid debt to said corporation. All the while he is not paying his bills he blames the corporation’s failures on the Bahamian people for not paying their light bills. He only pays it, grudgingly, once he’s caught. In my opinion, Leslie Miller is a hypocrite.

But that’s none of my business.

As a country, we are trying to move into the 21st century and actually recognise that women are human beings. But the politicians can’t help themselves. They flip-flop back and forth on the bill because they don’t understand what “sex” and “gender” mean. Though they’re now all “on the same page” they have railroaded an important piece of legislation simply for political stunts. I’m looking specifically at you Dr Hubert Minnis, Leslie Miller, Branville McCartney, Greg Moss, Loretta Butler-Turner, Dr Andre Rollins, Renward Wells and crew.

But that’s none of my business.

Do we really know how our government spends our money? No. The tentative Freedom of Information Act won’t be in place until 2016 “at the earliest”, according to Jerome Fitzgerald. But in the meantime, they’ll rush in a brand new tax system that Bahamians will have to stomach and trust that our government will use the new revenue in our best interest. Why would I be worried about that? See the last few paragraphs.

But that’s none of my business.

We have under 60 police officers for all of Abaco. Not for Central Abaco. Not Mainland Abaco. All of Abaco. Under 60 for Moore’s Island to Grand Cay and all the Cays in between. And you know what? As of this writing, the police don’t have any working boats. Our Immigration Department doesn’t have any working boats (let that sink in). And our branch of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force does not have any working boats. I know crime is a complicated issue. But it seems to me a simple first step would be having more than 60 officers monitor 650 square miles.

But that’s none of my business.

Half a million dollars goes missing during a two-minute drive from the Port to the bank. Half a million of your tax dollars gone. Four months later? Case closed. No suspects. Not a word about any serious investigation. Oh well.

But that’s none of my business.

But here’s the thing. It is my business. And it is your business. There are no easy solutions for our nation’s problems, but sitting passively sure won’t get the job done. Ask questions. Get involved. Make it your business. Demand better from those who lead us. Demand better from ourselves.

Make this a Bahamaland we can be happy to leave our children.

BRADLEY M ALBURY

Managing Editor,

The Abaconian,

September 11, 2014.