Dear Editor,
Permit me a space in your daily to express my concerns on the state of affairs in our Bahamas. The truth is that I am too old and I am too invested as a business owner here to leave so I might as well speak. Plus, I have nowhere else to call home even though I am being forced to resign to the inevitable deterioration of my country to a point of no return.
The size of government continues to grow astronomically during the current administration while the economy has not grown and has been shrinking for two straight years. While government and the public sector have been growing, the private sector has been contracting and small businesses are becoming an endangered breed. While I can blame the government for its failed policies and questionable strategies, the Chamber of Commerce cannot be exonerated. As an observer of the chamber for the past four decades, I have come to the conclusion that only persons who wish to run for political office aspire to lead a body that should be the voice of the private sector. If you don't believe me, just take a look at past, current and aspiring members of Parliament.
Personal ambition of the chamber's leadership has silenced them and rendered their conscience non-existent, making them puppets for sitting governments. How sad! We are rapidly becoming a socialist country in an economy run by the government and almost need master government for bread. Meanwhile, the "voice" of the private sector is missing in action unless they are in the business section of the newspaper. They can also be seen on TV with their politically correct selves either commenting on everything or participating in picture taking.
We have a chamber that supported the forced imposition of VAT on a private sector on life support; backed the marginalization of retailers in hotels; ignored the anti-competitive measures of the government respecting BOB; encouraged spending and borrowing by master government like drunken sailors and the continuous unchecked hiring of party supporters in the public sector. Where is the Freedom of Information Act? Where is the Fiscal Responsibility Act that was promised with VAT? Where is the accountability and transparency? Where is the new SME framework? Where is the actual national development plan? Where is the Chamber of Commerce?
The chamber must also be a political party to comment on the Chinese fiasco and the U.S. elections while the government is about to drive pharmaceutical wholesalers out of business by buying directly from manufacturers. How many government agencies have been established during this term? Pray tell me, how much more will we grow an inefficient public service? To add insult to injury, they are now trying to work with the government to further kill the private sector just to satisfy the unions before elections.
We will soon have to depend on good ole master gubment for food, banking, healthcare, legal services, telecommunications, water, power, clothes and many more while the Chamber of Commerce serves as the Chamber of Government - working for the government rather than working with the government in the interest of the private sector because they are in bed with the gubment dem. Unless something changes soon, I am afraid that we are doomed. This is a crying shame.
- Disappointed business owner
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