Jerome Pinder (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)
Each day my drive to work takes me down Bernard Road. Almost on a daily basis I sit in bumper to bumper traffic and watch school children throw trash on the side of the road. Take a drive down Bernard Road heading west, both in the front of L W Young and beyond the roadside is littered with cans, bottles and fast food containers. In addition, you often see reports in The Tribune with photos of garbage being dumped in various locations throughout the island, not to mention the mess you often see on beach fronts after Public Holiday cookouts.
I commend the Government on their efforts to keep the island clean. I often see work crews along major roadways raking and sweeping the sides of the road. However, their efforts are futile unless we change the mindset of people.
What does it say about us as a people, when you have teenage kids who think nothing of throwing trash on the side of the road as they walk to school. What sense of pride do they have about themselves and their country. Although all are not guilty, there are enough culprits to keep the roadside dirty.
I suppose that having pride in themselves and their country is not being taught at home or in school. Perhaps its time to make the students clean up around their campuses. After all, if they have no concern about littering our little island in broad daylight with onlookers in every direction, do you think they are concerned about the public education system having a "D" average.
It is time to clean-up this country from the ground up. If we cannot win on changing the small things, we will never tackle the larger problems.
I agree with you Jerome, I have posted comments before on the fact that law is law, whether large or small, and we seem to ignore the rule of law completely in all regards.
Perhaps a few hundred booked in a week will wake some people up, this would be the job of the Police.
Perhaps a few hundred before the courts penalized for their crime.
This would be the job of the courts.
As for students cleaning the school yard,, it used to happen, until the governments need to provide jobs got in the way.
We seem to like being surrounded by our own waste.
We wait for foreign church youth groups to come and clean up our neighbourhoods, and spend money to paint our schools, churches, parks.
For the most part, we are oblivious to our surroundings.
Very sad.
I agree with you Jerome, it is a disgrace, but I fear that we will not get any help from most parents. I have seen too many adults, with kids in the car, throwing trash out the window. We have seen adults at Rotary fairs, standing next next to a garbage bin yet will drop their container of trash on the ground.
Too many of our Bahamian people need to develop an sense of pride in their own country
And Bahamians cry for more beaches, why, so they can dump more garbage on them to ? What a joke.
Well said, Jerome. I too am dismayed at the amount of litter lining the streets when I drive home in the evenings, when those very same streets were cleaned up just that morning. It breaks my heart to see the lack of pride and poor, lazy attitude displayed by our people. God has given us a beautiful little country and we are destroying it. Parents must set better examples for their children and teach them to have pride in themselves and their surroundings.
Persons littering is not a precursor to the rights Bamaians have to their natural habitat …. lets put the emporer to sleep on that …… even if persons litter on beaches – as does in the US, mexico, and europe – lets set up a company with a proposal for the governemt to outsource the public works department tasks in keeping our streets clean , at the same time the Public works taks in code enforcement, if any – can also be outsourced to a private entity – this way the reaction to littering can become more efficient and accompanied with fines to the violating party.
Simply put!… you can advertise and complain all you want – people will litter.
My second suggestion Ms Jackson is to do what some cities in the USA are doing this minute – (((littering is not a bahamian thing – its a human thing – so please accept that – think globally with reference to curtailing the thinking , bahavior and then problem — in the main time a private company can be on the streets and beaches , keeping them clean.)))
Some cities in the US are asking that citizens call a tip line from their cell phone while cummuting or write the vehical tag numbr down a call when possible to report litter bugs … the offender is given a warning that someone observed them littering and it ought not to happen again – the second time a tip is mare on the same tag, a fine is issued and failure to pay can mean suspension of vehical registration …. this prorgam has been a success and can be used in Nassau as well – keep in mind though – the program can only be as good as its enforcement – and from the look of things in our country – enforcement of rules laws, ordinances and regulations is at an all time malfunction.
Now Lets go blogging!!
Sounds like a good idea, but we are back to the enforcement issue.In the Bahamas,they would all get off because of who they know.That is a huge problem here.Now if you get caught with a joint,that could be a problem.Get caught with a plane load & your off.We can’t even keep street lights on, how can we enforce the law ?
Good question …. the only way to cure the problem with corruption as you have described – is from within the governance from which the malfesance manifests itself…. it has to be from within ….
I have said it before on this blog – that more Think Tanks that conducts research and publishes , for example, white papers and periodicals, books from results of its research on the socio-economic, governance, and issues with mitagated, feasability -comprised with the development of the Bahamas toward heightened standards is essential if the furthering of our growth – COB is not doing enough in this regard and its obviou$$$ why they’re not!! This is necessaary not only for the citizenry at large – but also with regard to how we are percieved abroad !!
Persons with a view to improve the nation is needed – however, absent the prerogative of making politics a career (bar none).
Ethics in governance has to be an ongoing effort – Another idea I can propose is for the establishment of an OFFICE ON ETHICS IN OUBLIC SERVICE – with investigative and summons powers. Such an agency can also establish an iron clad whistle blower system – protecting all persons identity who report obvious violation of the standard code of ethics ….. ((of course if the latter is not in place already – such a code must be established))
Such an agency should not have direct fundng, oversight or management from the government,politicians or governacnce of the judicial branch – Instead, although alternatives are many, consideration should be made for such an agency to branch out of The OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR.
The problems we are discussing are universal – therefor it is essential to think globally with regard to the resolution of some of the sytematic and social ills we experience in the Bahamas.
In the Bahamas when you don’t blow the whistle, you are a hero.If you did, you would probably end up in jail. it hurts me to say that but unfortunately, I think that’s what we have become.I just think its time to get on with it & start cleaning up this mess.For years now, you listen to the talk shows & the same things have been said over & over again. The time for talking is over, the time for action is now.Ethics ? In the Bahamas ? Ethics ?
Remember!! when hope is lost – so too is the lantern needed to light our way, toward greener pastures…: HANNA