PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis in the House of Assembly last week. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said when it comes to improving the lives of Bahamians through concessions, he isn’t “doing enough”.
He was responding to former Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest’s criticism of his programme to help young professionals build homes in western New Providence.
The former minister of finance said the Access to Affordable Homes Bill would create concessions for one group of people while excluding other people from those benefits. Urging the government to reconsider the initiative, he said he finds the bill “extremely worrisome” and open to a court challenge.
The proposed development in western New Providence would let people between 18 and 45 buy lots for about $45,000 even though the lots will be worth $150,000 when key infrastructure is installed.
Dr Minnis has said the definition of young professionals used in the bill is broad enough to include barbers, plumbers, farmers and many others, not just doctors or lawyers.
“We consider a professional as someone who is accomplished in his or her field, sufficiently independent to sustain a mortgage or financial responsibility for a residential dwelling in a community,” he said when debating the bill in April.
In defending what has become one of his main policy initiatives, Dr Minnis pointed to the concessions offered to inner-city communities throughout New Providence.
“Everyone has their views,” he told reporters on Friday, “but I am focused on ensuring that the young people have all the advantages possible for advancing. There are too many people who want to move in upscale homes, western areas, eastern areas, and they can’t afford it, it’s cost prohibitive.
“So it’s the government’s responsibility to assist whenever possible. Inner city is a perfect example. Inner city was declared tax free. They had utilised in terms of tax concessions about $2.5m. Forty-nine individuals in the inner city were given $122,000 in total in terms of grants by the (Small Business Development Centre). Those 49 individuals were able to employ 142 individuals. In addition to that, they were able to increase revenue to $4.8m and you tell me I shouldn’t do more? I’m not doing enough.”
Comments
John 2 years, 11 months ago
Minnis is correct. It is very difficult for young professionals to get a start in this country and even much more difficult for the average and less than average young person. Not only do they have to deal with the economic part of it but they must deal with crime and the social part of the situation. Recently young people have started to move to Canada, after Trump closed the doors to that country to certain people. Well several persons who use to work in the hotel industry here are working in the restaurant business in Canada. They lived in the inner city here because even though their job paid well here, other family members were not so fortunate. So in Canada several of them get together and rent houses, no, not apartments, upscale houses, with all the amenities. But they could not do it here because of the scarcity of housing and limited jobs. Even middle income families have a difficult time making ends meet.. surprising to know the number of homes that have disconnected their cable and internet and even have to go from time to time without electricity. and expect the cost of living to climb even more as what is described as 'the worst drought since 1976" hits the western US. Farmers are losing millions of acres of crops and having to scale down herds because of high temperatures and water shortages.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 11 months ago
Youve struck the nail on the head. They successfully identified a problem in the country, " land ownership" but they failed abysmally in identifying the criteria for selection. "young" is too narrow and exclusionary. There are more factors that should have been considered. But they dont care about land ownership . Do you know what problem needs the sole narrow criteria of "young"? Voting. Thats all that Minnis cares about. getting young wide eyed people to vote for him everything else could go to crap like it has
John 2 years, 11 months ago
Well there are some ‘old’ and ‘not so young’ people who are also in housing crisis. A crisis that began in 2008 and saw middle income families being kicked out of their homes after paying years and year of mortgages. And despite efforts, government could not save those homes. And if the truth be told, many families, many Bahamian families are only still in their homes because banks and mortgage companies are not to anxious to put them out and have the house sit vacant and get vandalized or deteriorate. This works in favor of the homeowner either by giving them time to catch up on the mortgage or to find somewhere to go. And imagine some landlords who have a mortgage and have two, three four or more tenants who are months behind on their rent. The government said give them nine months. But most of them will bail out and try find another apartment rather than trying to catch up on$7, $8, $9 Thousand in rent arrears. So the landlords are screwed.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 11 months ago
"Well there are some ‘old’ and ‘not so young’ people who are also in housing crisis"
My point exactly. dont define it as a "young" problem. a 46 year old single mother with an 18yr old child might also want a chance etc.
TalRussell 2 years, 11 months ago
But? Thee, Mr.Minnis, has mostly ignored the livelihoods of those engaged in the Practice of Esthetics.
His harshest of ordering businesses to be kept shut down is still endangering the financial survival of those Salons whose Estheticians and Cosmetologists with Diplomas to be engaged in the Practice of Brazilain/Bikini Waging...so much so that prospective client, are left deal with their Shrubs that have overgrowth - like a bushy Garden variety wild, yes?
FrustratedBusinessman 2 years, 11 months ago
This FNM administration has probably been the biggest disappointment recorded in recent memory. No one ever expected them to work miracles, God knows that the grave was half dug before they even came into office, but they have run around like chickens with their heads cut off for 4 years with nothing to show for it.
I remember former PM Ingraham warning them at the start of their term not to get cocky because they had such a large caucus....they really should have listened as they are now staring down the barrel of an electoral wipeout. I would not be surprised if the PLP pulls 35 seats of their own when the bell is rung. At the very least, they will demolish the FNM into single digits.
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
I must disagree with you when you say, "they have run around like chickens with their heads cut off for 4 years with nothing to show for it."
There's an insurmountable mountain of additional national debt to show for their corruption and gross incomptence.
Less than half of the additional three billion dollars in national debt would have been needed to adequately deal with both the Hurricane Dorian and Wuhan Virus crises had the borrowed funds been well spent instead of wasted, squandered and stolen through corrupt schemes.
TalRussell 2 years, 11 months ago
It's taken the rest of a vastly growing in the high arithmetic numbers of the 91,409 who voted along with Abacoians and FREEporters to send the *35 to be landside seated as the majority party's House-elected MPs' is fast learning what their two sister Out Islands had come to not expect to be delivered by this majority governing red bunch, painful and frustrating lessons learned, way in advance of the arrival of COVID-19, yes?.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 11 months ago
Do you know what truly confuses me? Why the FNM has left him there. They cant believe he'll lead them to victory. He's alienated FNM'S independents and moderate PLP'S who voted for a change
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
Amen.
ohdrap4 2 years, 11 months ago
If he suspect a night of long knives, he will close ranks and strengthen the circle of incompetents around him.
Close to the election, the FNM dissidents will emerge as a new party.
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
Most FNM politicians now know only too well that Minnis's efforts to continue as leader of the FNM party is kryptonite to their future political careers. Even Culmer must appreciate this fact. Meanwhile Davis is looking forward to winning the next national general election without even having to campaign in a big way.
Davis is in fact praying that Minnis remains leader of the FNM party as it would prove to be a much easier slaughtering of most of the FNM candidates. That's how bad it has become within the FNM party, thanks to Minnis. There will be no chance whatsoever for the FNM party if they wait too long to cut Minnis loose. His very significant deadweight alone all but assures a sunk FNM ship come election time.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 11 months ago
The PLP or FNM governments are all ballsless in dealing with the biggest issue confronting the Bahamian people ............. LAND OWNERSHIP & ACCESS TO AVAILABLE FAMILY LAND
Minnis has done what every post-Pindling PM has done ........ given out token parcels in strategic islands for political brownie points with disingenuous fanfare
Even though the vast majority of Bahamian land is "Crown Land" ........ several important islands are mired in 300 years of "generational land" curse (especially Exuma, Long Island, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Crooked Island & Acklins) ........ These Loyalist plantation islands have been burdened with archaic land tenure systems that even the best/wily lawyers in this country have challenges resolving (honestly).
The time has come for a Bahamian PM/Cabinet to stand up or MAN up and resolve the land tenure challenges that plague our country .......... Land is wealth. Bahamians need land access
JokeyJack 2 years, 11 months ago
"Forty-nine individuals in the inner city were given $122,000 in total in terms of grants by the (Small Business Development..."
And by coincidence, 49 is exactly how many votes he will get on election day.
If FNM MPs dont have enough sense to remove him now eith a vote of no confidence then they will go down with the ship. In this case a dictator ship.
Also that vote cant happen one month before election, it must happen before end of June or the people will see it as a stunt.
BONEFISH 2 years, 11 months ago
Dr. Minnis performance is poor. He simply does not understand governance and management. He benefited from perceived PLP corruption, a poorly educated electorate and a very good social media campaign.
He will survive in the Bahamas, there is sadly no alternative to him at the present. Andrew Holness, the prime minister of Jamaica is light years ahead of him So also are Mia Mottley of Barbados and Dr. Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago. Alan Chastanet of St. Lucia is also ahead of him.
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