By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
The Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader is “pained” that parents’ investment in their children’s education often fails to benefit the Bahamas, as lack of opportunity and crime fears ensure they stay abroad after graduating.
Branville McCartney, disclosing that he was experiencing this personally with a daughter away at college, said Bahamian education investments too-often benefited other countries who would end up employing this nation’s brightest minds.
He told Tribune Business that the lack of job opportunities was further highlighted by the “thousands and thousands of resumes” his family’s businesses continued to receive from persons looking for work.
Disclosing that some had been submitted by persons who previously held “high quality” jobs in tourism and banking, Mr McCartney described the May decrease in the official unemployment rate to 12 per cent as “a bunch of foolishness”.
He argued that the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival’s timing had resulted in a temporary pick-up in employment, adding that the Department of Statistics’ report “doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground”.
The DNA leader also likened Prime Minister Perry Christie to Rip Van Winkle, the fictional character who slept for 20 years in the wilderness, suggesting that the nation’s leader remains “quiet as a lamb” on numerous challenges facing the Bahamas.
Suggesting that he, too, was effectively financing intellectual capital development that would benefit other nations, Mr McCartney said of many Bahamians studying abroad: “These young people don’t want to come back to the Bahamas.
“They say it’s not safe, and there are no opportunities for them. We are educating our Bahamian children to benefit another country. It’s painful for me. I’m not spending this money to benefit another country. We need to use that to build this country.”
He added: “The Prime Minister reminds me of Rip Van Winkle. He’s fallen asleep and not gotten up as the country is going to hell.
“Every day I have persons coming to my office without fail, looking for jobs. I have thousands of resumes, whether it’s my law office (Halsbury Chambers), the pharmacy and the school (Meridien). There are thousands and thousands of resumes that people are putting in, and we simply don’t have jobs for them.
“If you look at those resumes, there are people highly qualified, who had top jobs in the banking sector, persons who were in the tourism industry at management level,” Mr McCartney told Tribune Business.
“That, coupled with the fact we have at least 2,500 people leaving high school every year with just an attendance certificate or leavers certificate is cause for concern. Those persons are at even more of a disadvantage than persons with a college degree, and workplace experience, who are out there looking for jobs.”
The DNA leader said the May jobless survey was likely taken at a time when persons were being hired temporarily to assist with Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, while Baha Mar was also engaging in its ill-fated ramp-up.
One set of jobs no longer exists, while the latter is in some doubt. “It doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground,” Mr McCartney said of the May unemployment numbers, “and the Bahamian people know that.
“It’s because they feel it. They feel it every day when they have to find a way to keep food on the table, find a way to maintain shelter, put their children in school and put clothes on their back. It’s not a good thing, and every day people feel it. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel.”
With the cost of living steadily increasing and the level of red tape and bureaucracy “a disaster”, Mr McCartney added: “As an ordinary person, a citizen, it’s very concerning.
“As someone who owns a business and invests in this country, it’s very concerning. As a citizen whose responsible for a large number of Bahamians, it’s very worrisome.”
Mr McCartney also questioned why the Government had not taken the $12 million used to finance Junkanoo Carnival, a temporary event, and instead employed it as seed capital to finance a new, sustainable industry that would create permanent jobs.
Comments
TalRussell 8 years, 6 months ago
I am going take this Comrade Bran's latest press release to mean that his pain means, he will be canceling the work permits he holds for foreigner workers. I mean, it has be seen as a self admission of compassion for all the thousands desperately turning to his family, for paycheques - right? Or, did i miss sometin in da fine print?
banker 8 years, 6 months ago
While you are at it, make sure that you ask to cancel all of the housekeeping/maid ones for Allyson Mayonnaise Gibson. They told the housekeeper that I hired for my aunt, that Gibson is a slave driver, and they want to work for someone else or they want to go home. Neither is an option for them at the moment. Sad life really -- their families relying heavily and solely on their remittances.
The real ironic part is that none of my offshore colleagues, who make a heckuva lot more money than I, have maids or housekeepers. They call Molly Maids to come in once a week for a few hours. They couldn't afford full time maids and gardeners.
TalRussell 8 years, 6 months ago
Comrade Banker, is you livin - boves your domestic helper, affordsability means?
asiseeit 8 years, 6 months ago
Many Bahamians would be interested in how many of these politicians have foreign domestic helpers. Maybe someone can disclose that information?
TalRussell 8 years, 6 months ago
Comrade Asiseeit, unless I am mistaken, green party leader Bran has not little children requiring they be all nannied-up, so what exactly are they doing in, or arounds, that work permit holders household?
I'm thinking domestic workers as in cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, sewing or possible washing da cars, or maybe they's imported as weeding da yard work permit holders?
Do you thinks we can's rules out Chief Financial Off-icier of Household Expenses (CFOHE)?
Whatever them work permits lists as occupations, the green party leader, got's some public work permits explaining to do's.
asiseeit 8 years, 6 months ago
Tal. many Bahamians have domestic help and do not have any children in the house, whats your point? If Immigration was serious there would be no domestic helpers from half way around the world. Go out to Lyford, Albany, or Old Fort and they are working out there like flea's on a potcake. They bring their family's in and take Bahamian jobs. They live on premises, so who knows exactly what they do. They are handymen, gardners, boat cleaners, drivers, and anything else their boss needs, meanwhile Bahamians who can do these jobs are sitting on the bricks.Immigration really needs to look at what is going on in the west and get serious, Bahamians need jobs and these are jobs Bahamians can do!
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