The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE past several months have been quite turbulent ones for the Bahamian people, specifically the last several weeks, which have been coloured by unexpected death and destruction.

We will begin with something else that was unexpected by many and conclude with the disappointments that have followed, as we stumble into our 53rd year as an Independent country.

One of the conclusions we reached after the May 12 General Elections is that Bahamians have an incredibly high tolerance for abuse. Like a battered wife, they seem to believe it is their fault that they are treated so badly, and find excuses for their abuser.

We also believe that, from the conduct of the government since its re-election, Bahamians need to buckle up because there is a lot more coming.

We have heard many ask how it would be any different if Michael Pintard and the Free National Movement were the government. Well, that is a question we will never know the answer to!

Listen, whatever the reasons, there are very few sectors of this society that give us hope for the next 53 years, as we mark that milestone in our country’s history. Despair and disappointment are more likely to result from a closer look at most of them.

For example, we are again fighting a battle we thought we had won when Hubert Ingraham led the Free National Movement to victory in 1992 and dispelled the notion that we were a “Nation for Sale.”

It appears we run the risk of again being undone by “the wide and treacherous shoal,” as some drug traffickers (including some lawmen allegedly) have again reared their thorny heads and are challenging that position, even casting a dark shadow on our precious House of Assembly, which has devolved into a circus all on its own.

Apart from the scolding, lowbrow behaviour and the haranguing of members of the opposition which now seems to be the order of the day, the behaviour of the Speaker, the big senior, leads us to conclude that even after five years, she is woefully unprepared for the responsibility resting on her shoulders. We believe that she is uniquely unqualified for the job, more so than any other speaker in recent history. Think Alvin Braynen; Arlington Butler; Clifford Darling and the first female to occupy that chair, Rome Italia Johnson!

To an equally vexing matter, we believe that the jury is now in on BPL or BEC, whichever iteration you prefer. Despite the efforts of its best workers, it does not operate efficiently, and there is no evidence that citizens will be receiving any relief from their misery with the electricity provider any time soon, despite promises from this government!

It should also be remembered that the PLP government took an otherwise profitable corporation in 2003 and set it on the road to ruin, with an ill-advised decision by two men who are unfortunately no longer with us and therefore unable to defend themselves.

In October of that year, BEC offered a rate reduction for its customers and began paying a 3% annual interest rate on all security deposits, a move that reportedly cost the company $700,000 annually. It has never recovered and has operated in deficit ever since. Let us hope that Pike and Bahamas Grid do not finish the job.

We are sorely disappointed that for half a century, none of the big brains produced in this country has been able to solve this riddle of BEC/BPL! Of course, we do not believe that it is totally the fault of the “big brains,” because any business with the corporation involves politicians and any business involving a politician, history has shown, is likely to be badly run and is likely to fail.

We are not going to call anyone corrupt; we will leave that to the president of the electrical union, who says he has the receipts. We shall see how that “investigation” ends. We have all seen the results of promised investigations in The Bahamas, either by the politicians or the police. We hope that these prolonged blackouts, 14 hours for this one at this writing, are not helped along by BPL employees with a bit of hubris hovering over their heads because they have a monopoly. It would be helpful for them to remember that there was a time when BaTelCo and its employees were the undisputed king of the hill!

The fallout from the electrical company’s failures is widespread. The healthcare services, already beleaguered for many reasons, including mismanagement, must now add the lack of reliable power supply to its challenges, with the lives of many Bahamians being placed further at risk.

To add insult to injury, many are now questioning whether we have lost control of our bread-and-butter tourism industry. People now take Disney or Carnival or Royal Caribbean vacations. Not Bahamian vacations. Their private islands are now the brand. Low-spending cruise visitors accounted for 86% of the 12.5 million visitors to The Bahamas in 2025, or 10.6 million visitors.  58 years after receiving our first million visitors in 1968, we have yet to reach the 2 million visitor mark, languishing behind our Caribbean neighbours. That is progress?

Leadership, which is essential for the progress many people say they voted for, is badly lacking across the board as we look to the next 53 years. We are badly in need of a moral footing as we seek to navigate our way through the next half century. Hopefully, Pastor Moxey’s sober and thought-provoking address on Clifford Park last Thursday will help to convince many unbelievers. We are hopeful that under his new leadership, The Bahamas Christian Council can help more Bahamians believe in that religious body, the moral arbiter of the nation.

Despite what some would say was stellar leadership from Bishop Delton Fernander, the public has been lukewarm in its support and respect for the Council. We will end with this. Those of you who complain and choose not to vote, know that you did. Pay attention to some advice offered on occasion by Sir Arthur Foulkes, but historically attributed to the Greek philosopher Plato: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

Make of that what you will, but we say again, buckle up, because all indications are that the next five years will be rough!

ED MURROW II

Nassau,

July 15, 2026.