The Tribune

IT IS said that a revolution can be built in a day, but it takes a generation to build a government.

The time for demonstrating is over. It is now time for Bahamians to unite to rebuild a broken country.

No one wants taxes, but there were times when Bahamians should have been more vocal — remember when the 7 per cent VAT was introduced the promise was that it would eventually replace Customs duties – when Customs duties remained Bahamians did nothing but grumble. Over the years there have been many warning signs that The Bahamas was sinking under growing debt. The PLP politicians just scoffed and kept on spending the people’s money without explanation. And the explanations that they did give in certain areas, such as free medical care for the indigent, made no sense. However, unthinking Bahamians took the political bait, said little, but waited for the day that cook-outs to raise funds for medical care, would end. They never did. And when one examines the finances of the Princess Margaret Hospital there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

Two years ago, the Bahamas government was warned that unless investment was increased or spending drastically reduced - or even a combination of both - The Bahamas was facing trouble.

In January 2016, the Royal Bank of Canada reported that by the end of September 2015 The Bahamas’ debt-to-GDP at 76.5 per cent, had grown by 98.5 percentage points or more than $500m year-over year. The Central Bank confirmed the figures adding that by the end of 2014 The Bahamas was already several points over the danger threshold. Yet, the Bahamians who are being urged to demonstrate today seemed unconcerned by their freewheeling PLP government then. It was reported that at the time VAT had slowed the slide, but not enough to reduce grave concern for the country’s financial future.

The gambling referendum was another financial scandal, which after spending $5m of the people’s money to hold it only to be told that a referendum was not necessary and government had the power to vote on it in parliament, which in the end they did. They made the illegal web shops – once known as the “numbers racket” – legal, thus ignoring the people’s “No” vote. Bahamians are now wondering what might have gone on behind closed doors at that time for the web shop owners to display such an arrogant attitude of entitlement today with the threat that if they are heavily taxed – the “sin tax”– they will go underground. The Bahamas is now being over run by web shops — 210 in New Providence; 41 in Grand Bahama, 31 in Abaco, 25 in Eleuthera, 14 in Exuma, 13 in Andros, eight in Long Island, six in Bimini, three in San Salvador, two in Inagua, two in Cat Island, two in the Berry Islands and one in Acklins. It is now being suggested that a government lottery should be established so that these funds can go to help pay off the country’s debt.

As a result of the suggested rate of the tax, web shop operators organised a loud protest on Bay Street. After the protest, several persons told Tribune reporters that they were forced to demonstrate with the threat of losing their jobs it they refused. The web shop owners, denied this, but The Tribune was shown a letter in which they were instructed where the bus would pick them up to join the march, and the loss of their job if they were not there and on time.

Of course PLP chairman Fred Mitchell called the “rent-a-crowd” report “rubbish”. He invited Bahamians to stay tuned, promising that another march was coming. Many PLPs were a part of last week’s demonstration. “Stand by. Brace for what’s to come! We coming for them!” he promised.

We hope that when Mr Mitchell comes he will bring with him the long awaited report of the cost of his flying around the world in search of new sources of revenue for the financially strapped Bahamas. He announced at the time that he would take a year off as Foreign Affairs Minister on this search for new sources of investment. Off he went. The only report of which we are aware was when he put on show the arrival of $500,000 worth of “high grade phosphate” fertilisers donated to The Bahamas by the government of Morocco. It was available for purchase by Bahamians at a “very reasonable price,” he said. The fertiliser was meant to reflect the “strong relationship” between Morocco and the Bahamas. That’s the last we have heard of that “friendship” and, of course, the cost of Mr Mitchell’s travelling and what revenue he was able to bring back for the Treasury – if any.

As someone recently pointed out demonstrations were always being organised by the PLP when they were out of power. Several years ago one of our staff tipped us off to a Bay Street demonstration being organised for outside the House of Assembly. How did he know? He said that on the previous evening no other than Sir Lynden Pindling himself had come to his group to tell them to be on the ready for the next day. It is amazing the number of protestors that Tribune reporters have interviewed over the years who have had no idea why they were demonstrating. Not too long ago there was a disturbance on Bay Street as persons crowded around the office of a PLP politician. They were there they said to collect their demonstration pay.

It’s now time for Bahamians to take off their sun glasses and see life as it is. We have a country to build. Many Bahamians have themselves to blame for the financial state that we are now in because they have accepted the lies for too long. It is now time for all of us to get on board the Ship of State and together row her to safe harbour. Taxes are tough, but we would not be in our present desperate state if we had been more aware of the situation and demanded more of our politicians.

It is now time to unite for our country’s sake.