Dear Editor,
Please allow me a small space in your paper for a short rant.
As I watch what is going on in my country I have grown more and more depressed, and now, even worse, I have grown very afraid. What finally tore it for me and the reason for this letter was reading Perry Christie's words: "It is insane. It is reminiscent of the Wild West..."
Oh really, Perry Christie? Didn't you promise us five years ago that you had the solution and we would experience significant improvement in your first 100 days at the helm of government? Why does it seem that you are trying to distance yourself from any responsibility now?
I have just made myself a cup of coffee, and as I sit here dragging on my courage to face another day, I can hear sirens in the distance. I cannot help but think they are an omen of even worse to come.
I am not your typical Bahamian. I try to live a careful and frugal life. I feel no need to drive a flashy car, or wear expensive jewellery, or wear fancy clothing, or take lavish vacations. I work very hard at living a life within my means. I don't eat tenderloin when my budget can only afford pork chop ends. I don't throw large expensive parties, or decorate my house with expensive furniture. I prefer to be in a position to pay my bills, purchase the necessities and deal with various other financial obligations.
A now crippled (once bed-ridden) mother and a wife waging a battle with cancer have made me terribly aware that unfortunate things happen and we should always make an effort to be ready for them.
So forgive me if I believe that the government of my country should be even more frugal than I am.
I have some earnest questions for the current government administration. When our country is in a financially precarious position and deeply in debt, why are you planning and throwing "lavish parties" such as Junkanoo Carnival? Why did you spend more than $300,000 decorating the streets when people's homes needed to be repaired following the hurricane? Why are you collecting 15 percent for VAT (yes, folks in some instances we are paying 15 percent and not 7.5 percent as end consumers)? Why are you not giving us an honest accounting of what you have been doing with our money? Why are you allowing BPL to continue reaming the pockets of suffering Bahamians, when we ourselves are still trying to recover from Hurricane Matthew?
When PowerSecure was brought in to deal with the electricity services, we were promised that the situation would improve, the power cuts would decrease, and our bills would decrease. So what happened?
Since Hurricane Matthew, as a part of BPL's "estimated bill scheme", I have been paying almost $350 on an electrical bill that was once under $10 monthly. I'm talking about a tiny unoccupied cottage with no internal electricity use and only a couple of LED outdoor lights that come on at night only. I have communicated with BPL multiple times regarding this issue and have yet to receive a response from it.
When compact florescent (CF) bulbs came out on the market, I changed all the bulbs in my home to CF and then when they came out with LED bulbs I changed all the bulbs in our house to those, all in an effort to reduce my electrical consumption and I succeeded. We have twice had letters from BEC acknowledging our conservation efforts with the offer of free CFLs. But, quite frankly, why did I even bother if BPL can, at will, charge and do what it wants and be sanctioned by the government? Is a decent company/government supposed to be able to do this with impunity?
Perry Christie, I am truly afraid of you and your government and what new financial burden you will force upon me. I am afraid of the government's current effort to spy on us, though I suspect it already is doing so. I am afraid that, to keep us distracted, you will continue to throw "lavish parties" like Junkanoo Carnival just like the Roman Empire of old did with its bread and circuses. I am afraid that you will continue to treat yourselves to tenderloin when our country's financial situation means we all should be eating boiled eggs.
Perry Christie, you are my "Wild West" and in all honesty I am afraid of you.
- Feeling Hopeless
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