Dear Editor,
 
In the King James version of the Bible, Matthew 15 vs. 14 states, "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into a ditch".  This biblical verse even though simple is very profound and can be applied to our everyday lives.  It can also be applied to the governance of The Bahamas.
Ervin Knowles, former minister of agriculture, spoke about farming sustaining The Bahamas almost 30 years ago.  Thirty years later we are even worse off than before.  It is as many Bahamians say, business as usual.
In a country still living on the model laid out by the late Sir Stafford Sands, we are still struggling economically and we are still relying too heavily on tourism.  The sweet talk of diversification provided and continues to provide deceptive sound bites.  But are we as a people serious about diversification?  When is someone with the gumption going to take the bull by the horn and make radical changes to our economy so that we can seek ways to get out of the ditch that we presently find ourselves?
Last year's budget that was read in Parliament speaks to the continued will of the government not to diversify our economy and the Bahamian people continue to suffer from a lack of proper vision from their leaders.  How is it that by the stroke of a pen, the government can again wipe out the Bahamian poultry industry and cripple the fruit and vegetable industries?  How is it that our youth continue to suffer from the lack of a proper education?  How is it that the average Bahamian is still not getting a viable piece of the economic pie?  You see Bahamians, the budget is a blueprint for where we intend on going as a nation.
I submit that as a country we have been in the ditch for decades now.  If you dug your self in a hole what would be the smart thing to do?  The answer would be to stop digging.  Our fiscal policy is disastrous at best.  With the national debt soon to reach $5 billion, that puts the debt for each Bahamian at $14,285.  This assumes a population of 350,000 Bahamians.  The department of statistics is now even using a different scale when calculating the national debt.  James Smith, former minister of state for finance, was surprised at the department of statistics for this action and he is worried about our current fiscal course.
I applaud the government though for the introduction of the job readiness program and the jump starter program that is helping willing and qualified Bahamians.  I also applaud the government for its reintroduction of government subsidies to private schools.  The cuts introduced in 2010 had a domino effect because private schools had to increase their fees.  This has led to a decrease in private school students and an increase in the enrolment in an already overpopulated government school system.
Farming, biodiesel manufacturing, solar energy, LNG, the proper promotion of Bahamian culture and e-commerce are all industries waiting to boom in The Bahamas.  The only obstacle is government policy or the lack there of.  The January 11, 2012 edition of The Tribune reported that the U.S. Senate has approved the Florida casinos bill.  Once these casinos are built in Florida, these will be in direct competition with Atlantis and Baha Mar.  Must we wait until we are literally forced to diversify our economy?  We must invest now in other sustainable industries.
The Bahamian people have to share part of the blame in this poor and outdated governance as well because we have repeatedly put our confidence in leaders whose visions are outdated and built for the 20th century.  Our interest is to only get a government job or a government contract.  We must become more informed and demand more from our leaders.  We need to generate more Bahamian employers rather than Bahamian employees.
Now we are reaping the harvest from years of improper governance.  We are reaping the harvest from years of mis-education, poor administration of the court system, poor collection of government revenue and the poor confidence placed in Bahamian professional talent when it comes to consultancy services and professional management services.
Can a change occur tomorrow?  Of course not.  But we must elect leaders who have the will to make the changes required.  No slick talking and no short-term promises will help The Bahamas.  We need to set policies on a number of issues and drive them home irrespective of who is in government or which elite family will be affected.
We need governance that will place our best resources in key positions, irrespective of their political persuasion.  We need governance that will desist from this culture of promoting friends, family and lovers.  We need governance that will devise a concise immigration policy and put it into action.  We need governance that will set fiscal policy that will not cause us to borrow more than we are collecting in revenue.  If our current borrowing trends continue, at some point we will become insolvent.
We need governance that will initiate effective educational programs that will focus on Bahamian culture, new industries and will challenge our children to be more creative.  We need governance that will give justice to all Bahamians irrespective of their societal status.  We need governance that will put Bahamians first in their own country.
 
- Dehavilland Moss

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