The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

Some writers have recently brought forth the importance of immediately acting on the idea of democracy, most especially the revision of our local government laws.

As someone who lives in one of the Family Islands, it seems apparent that those who live in Nassau somehow forget the major differences and costs associated with living in the out islands.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade living in the Family Islands for anything. But, it must be said, that those who so heavily influence the true “cost” of living here seem completely out of touch with the realities of living, and making a living outside of Nassau.

What are the true costs of living in the Family Islands?

On top of the already overpriced goods and services we get in Nassau, comes additional fees for us here in the Family Islands. For instance, what value do you place on our time, the hours each week, whereby we must wait on the dock for the mailboats to deliver our already expensive products from Nassau? And, then pay freight on top of that?

How about the hours spent in line at BoB just to cash a cheque? How about having to travel to Nassau to get a driver’s licence, or any other government service not available to us in the out islands?

Anyone who shops online must realise that the government of The Bahamas exists in the dark ages of technology, whereby so much of our bureaucratic red tape could be eliminated with a simple and cheap software upgrade. The Bank of The Bahamas can’t even get its online banking right after how many years now?

How about the cost of a gallon of gasoline, or a gallon of milk on our Family Islands? Ask around. The seven copies of customs paperwork to bring in anything from away is an embarrassment. The extra $60.00 for each invoice we must hand over to already well-paid customs officials which they put directly into their pockets, is, in my opinion, a crime. This on top of the duty, VAT, stamp tax, who knows what else.

I am not asking for price control, as I don’t believe in it. I believe that it would be best to be allowed to unshackle ourselves from the nearly non-existent representation of our tax money. We don’t see our MP except for photo ops. I suspect many of the other islands have similar complaints.

If we truly believe in democracy, which seems more talk than reality with this new administration, we should implement a number of liberating measures such that all of us in The Bahamas can maintain some input, some control over the basics of our lives.

I know this is a tall order. To ask our representatives to cede power to those who pay their salary. Yet, short of a full scale fight for independence, what else are we to do? Just sit and suffer at the hands of politicians who just don’t get it? Or, maybe they do get it, and they just don’t want to part with all the perks associated with their jobs. Jobs which they only half-heartedly do, if they do anything at all, while collecting a pretty pay cheque and who knows what else to “represent” us.

The answer to the problems associated with local government are mostly those of transparency and accountability. Given that our central government is so slow to act on these measures, or is threatened by them, is only more of a reason to embrace them with immediate resolve.

When I hear of the paltry amounts of money given by the central government to our local government here on Andros, I am appalled. Our Family Islands are suffering from many ills. Most complaints of these ills to our representatives seem to fall on deaf ears. I have heard that our own MP doesn’t like to come here, “because all we do is complain”. And then, when other central government representatives come here and are asked why our clinic is in a state of shambles, or our dock is a disgrace, they say, “because nobody here is complaining about it.”

I am under no illusions. The challenges to finding educated, internationally exposed, selfless, visionary leaders among our Family Islanders is no small feat. However, at least they have to face “the people” on a daily basis. Presently, the little nod to representation that we have as taxpaying citizens of The Bahamas borders on non-existent.

With that said, isn’t it preferable to take the risk of increasing our limited direct democracy with an enhanced local government, than to suffer the indignation of continually being ignored by those who ostensibly have our interests as their obligation in central government?

Give us the opportunity to raise funds, to decide how to spend more of our tax money locally, unshackle us from some of the documented inefficiencies, corruption and graft that currently exist in central government here in The Bahamas. Not that we will immediately do better, but, again, at least we can put personal pressure on our representatives, instead of writing letters to the editor, or to the prime minister’s office, that go mostly unheard by those in power over our lives.

I think the bottom line is this. The differences between living in Nassau and living in the Family Islands are many and great. Decades of political promises have remained unfulfilled, no matter which party is in power. Do we sit and wait while nothing gets done, as has been the case? Or, do we rise up and sensibly request that more is done to improve our opportunities for a better life?

NORMAN TRABULSY Jr

Andros,

Bahamas

November 23, 2018