Dear Editor,
You know, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of hearing people blame others for the state of this country, whether it is crime, the economy, or whatever. We need to stop deflecting blame and take responsibility for that area which we are accountable for. Before pointing out the faults and problems in other areas, account to the Bahamian people about your stewardship.
What annoys me is that we have so many talented Bahamians in this country who have been trained locally and internationally. And these persons have proven their worth with their peers and counterparts from countries all around the world. Persons who have excelled and proven to be shoulders above others who claim to have better educational systems and facilities, resources, exposure, etc.
Yet, these same Bahamians when they come home are ostracized or not utilized because of petty mentalities. Someone labels you as showing allegiance to a particular political party and you are thrown to the trash heap. Or someone, because of their own personal insecurities and inadequacies, scandalizes your name to deflect attention from themselves, and you are deemed an enemy of the state. And no one cares that you were educated by the tax payers money. You are deemed "useless" by one group and everyone seems afraid to even mention your name or give you credit for what value you brought or can still bring to the table.
In the current state that we are in, it is not right for one individual or group of individuals to take this country on a nose dive to destruction because of their egos and their pettiness. It is not right to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that all is well while Rome is burning because we are afraid to call a spade a spade and identify the real source of the problem or problems.
No Bahamians - we need no more consultants! We just need the testicular fortitude to identify and appreciate the talent and skills of our fellow countrymen and women and use them, no matter what label we have placed on them. There are hundreds of qualified and capable Bahamians right here who can, if given the opportunity, offer significant contributions in all spheres of our Bahamian society, to deal with all of the issues we face.
If those who have been reposed with the authority to make a difference are not doing the job, then as in any corporate organization, give them the golden handshake and send them packing. If they have been given the opportunity and have squandered it, for whatever reason, bid them farewell.
It is not fair to the other 349,999 persons who call The Bahamas home to suffer because of one person or a group of persons who are clearly out of touch with reality and are more concerned about image rather than substance!
When I look at my passport it says "Bahamian"! Plain and simple! There is no prefix or suffix. I have not heard of any incident where a criminal asked the political, religious or other affiliation of a person before they killed them or robbed them. We need to get away from this mean-spiritedness and petty-mindedness otherwise all of us will sink together playing games.
Hundreds of talented Bahamians are sidelined, marginalized or have even sought refuge overseas because of this petty tribalism. ALL Bahamians, no matter their race, color, creed or political affiliation should be allowed to make this country better. No one has the right to try to silence anyone, particularly when their own performance leaves much to be desired.
I call on ALL Bahamians to state emphatically "I am a Bahamian and yes I am available! Use me!"
- Quinn W. McCartney
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