One often reads statements by the political class like, BahamasAir belongs to the Bahamian people.

I’m really not sure what comfort a statement like this provides, but whenever they’re made at a political rally or the like, the crowd is bound to applaud or look happy about it.

But of course that’s as far as it goes for me knowing what is going on in the public corporations that “belong to me”.

I am yet to receive a notice to attend the Annual General Meeting, or receive a proxy in the mail to vote for the new Board of Directors etc. Not to mention the fact that I have never once received the annual audited financial statements, or even the quarterly financial review.

In contrast, I have some shares in a publicly traded, private company, and I am inundated with information.

I’m told the private company gives me this information as a result of laws laid down by the political class to protect my interest.

Come to think of it, I don’t even have a share certificate for my portion of BahamasAir, BTC, BEC etc that I am told I own.

So let me get this straight. The companies that I voluntarily do business with are forced by law to be accountable, yet, the companies that I am forced to participate in through taxation or debt, like BahamasAir, BTC and BEC are not held to the same standard?

With a private company that is losing money I can cut my losses and get out. With BahamasAir for example, I am continually forced to invest good money after bad in a losing venture.

I just wish the political class would protect my interest, and that of generations unborn with the public corporations that the Bahamian taxpayers supposedly owns.

Is that asking too much?