AFTER a relative of a traffic fatality victim from Long Island complained about the level of care he received, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said he thinks "we must find a better way for emergency medical services" on the Family Islands.

Dear Editor,
After more than 30 years in the hospitality industry with the last six years as a taxi driver, I am convinced that there must be a change in the building of our tourism model in our country. There needs to be more discussion not only with developers but with Bahamian stakeholders in open forums that could result in a Win-Win for all, especially when it comes to large-scale developments.

In my view, when it comes to larger developments there seems to be less ownership opportunities for Bahamians. These agreements focus largely on us becoming employees with a greater dependence on foreign investors. And even worse, we continue to place our tourism product in the hands of a select few which, in my view, weakens our bargaining power. This means that if the foreign entity decides to leave, we suffer because the jobs are directly attached to the development. The latest example of this is the imminent closure of the British Colonial Hilton Hotel where some 100 persons will more than likely lose their jobs as a result of these types of agreements.

Foreign direct investments should create a win-win situation for everyone. However, we have seen in the past that these deals negatively affect small, local businesses because we depend so much on them, they seem to indirectly control our destiny.

I think the time has come for deals struck with foreign investors to go beyond just jobs and extend into long-term ownership opportunities such as shares/profit sharing and true win-win business partnerships. We need to ensure that Bahamians are prepared through genuine training that does not simply focus on executives at the top but also impacts the average Bahamian in the community.

With billions of dollars coming into this country and with many favorable assets, I believe our government should not make deals from a point of desperation but from a position of strength. Foreign investors should be encouraged to form strong partnerships where we all benefit and once again get a win-win result. And that means, beyond jobs with a focus on more Bahamian ownership.

Case in point, the Royal Caribbean Beach Club project which is being proposed on Paradise Island. In my view, the drawbacks seem to outweigh the benefits.

For years, we’ve heard Save the Bays and other prominent environmentalists lobby to preserve the environment in Grand Bahama and the Family Islands in the face of major developments. Now I’ve learned that Protect Our Islands Fund and others have begun advocating for the same due diligence when it comes to the construction of the Royal Caribbean Beach Club on Paradise Island.

This project appears to be long on promises and short on particulars. For instance, developers have not answered how pollution and waste will be properly managed with the increased volume of cruise ship passengers set to visit Paradise Island. I think the new government’s responsibility should be to ensure that our natural environment is managed in such a way to sustain economic growth for the long-term.

This Beach Club project seemed to have been given the go-ahead with little consideration for us taxi drivers or for hair braiders, ferry boat operators and other everyday Bahamians who must operate in the hospitality environment. In my view, there is a very real possibility that this development could deliver a death blow to other tourism hot spots like downtown which is already hurting economically and needs investments not competition.

We must look at the real needs of Bahamians rather than the wants of developers and ask ourselves some relevant questions like, how does this project improve the quality of our lives as Bahamians? How will this move us closer to ownership as Bahamians rather than just jobs? How does it diversify our current offerings? More importantly, why are we still accommodating developments that are at odds with environmental sustainability?

My hope is that more developers of large-scale projects will have to go through a full public review where we, as stakeholders, will be involved in the process that influences the final decision.

I call on the current administration to reconsider the Royal Caribbean Beach Club project and reveal all of the details to the Bahamian people. I think this should not be a done deal when there are so many questions with answers still pending.

At the end of the day, we must always remember that The Bahamas belongs to Bahamians and not to persons who may come in, reap the benefits and then decide to move on.

Mr. Kenyatta Nairn

A leading OB/GYN specialist Dr Nina Graham, founder and CEO of Femina, will be hosting a ‘Virtual Pajama Party’ in celebration of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. She will be joined by co-host Hope Shelly-Ann (ZNS) for this live online event which will taking place on Saturday, 29 January from 8pm – 10pm.

The night is set to include a live Q&A, giving guests the opportunity to get ‘up close and personal with the Doc’. There will be prizes for the best PJs, the best background setup, and personal display of the cancer colors (teal & white), a live scavenger hunt, and much more!

‘My main focus is on educating women. I believe that all women (and girls) should have access to the right knowledge about their bodies and the conditions that may affect them at any stage of their lives. Not many people realise that Cervical Cancer is preventable and curable if detected early. No one should have to die from cervical cancer.” said Dr Nina Graham.

Cervical cancer rates have fallen in many countries with the discovery of the pap test which allows for early detection of precancerous cells and the HPV vaccine. “ Given that cervical cancer is preventable, we are seeing far too new cases annually. This tells me that our Bahamian women are not being screened (via pap smear) regularly. Early detection is the key,” explained Dr Nina Graham.

The ‘Virtual Pajama Party’ is FREE and spaces are filling up fast. Find out more about cervical cancer and its prevention by booking a spot today.

TO BOOK: WhatsApp or Text your Full name + email address to: (242) 804-0414 or info@feminabahamas.com, a private zoom link will be sent upon return.

“We’re really excited for this event and are are urging women of all ages to join us! Grab your family, friends, co-workers, and sign up today!” said Dr Nina Graham.

This event is supported by The Bahamas Cervical Cancer Coalition, and sponsored in part by Shell West Bay, Shell Oakes Field, Eye Candy Makeup Store, FlirtyGirl Bahamas, Mother Nature’s Assistance and Femina.

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Michael Darville must think members of the media are a special kind of stupid. For sure, there are times we do mess up. There are times when we are obligated to improve on our craft and correct ourselves, but we are astute enough to know when public officials are ...
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