Rick Lowe
According to news reports, here… and here…, 800 to 1,000 people blocked Bay Street earlier this week in protest of the sale of BTC to Cable and Wireless/LIME and it all seems odd.
Some people were saying that rights are being violated by selling BTC. But what rights are being violated?
I would agree that sometimes Mr. Ingraham can be brash, but does that mean he is uncaring , a dictator, or corrupt, or violating rights as alleged? I doubt it.
Using emotive language and trying to rile people up as some are doing could violate rights for sure.
What the protesters are missing, in my not so humble opinion, is BTC is not owned by Bahamians. That's an illusion. A political construct. It is owned by the Bahamas Government.
Over the years successive governments have led us down the garden path by wasting and borrowing beyond the country's ability to sustain it and the sale of BTC might help keep the Bahamian dollar stable and reduce some of the debt that we all have to pay one way or the other.
The Opposition seems shameless on this one, after trying to sell BTC themselves under similar circumstances to a company called Bluewater, now they seem to be trying to incite people.
It's sad.
Another turnabout by the Opposition was the Constitutional Referendum of 2002. Both parties agreed in principle in the House of Assembly, then one campaigned against it, confusing the electorate.
The latest reason not to sell is there are complaints about LIME posted on the Internet.
If you research every company in the world online it seems you will find bad comments.The company I work for survey some of our clients, and last quarter we had an 84% approval rating (our goal is 85%), but the one client that complained, really complained, bringing the results of all the good comments lower. Is that what is happening with CWC? We also find that often it's people with complaints that fill the survey out. Those that had no issues, do not take the time to respond etc.
I wonder what complaints there would be about BTC going around on the Internet?
Could the government have been more open? I think so. Both the FNM or PLP governments could have been more open over the years. Promises of a Freedom of Information Act have been made by each of them. Let's see who passes it into law. That might help with government transparency in the future.
By the way, if I own shares in BTC I'll take any reasonable cash offer from those that say Bahamians own it. In fact I'll accept cash for my shares in BEC and Water & Sewerage too.
There were apparently no dissenenters before it was sold, at least publicly. So why the dissent now? BTC should be sold if for nothing more than to get politics and politicians out of it.
As I said, all this protesting is odd. When you dig a little deeper than what appears to be trumped up emotionalism it seems that unseemly politics is at work?
Sellling B.T.C is a good start for the Bahamas but the 4.1 Billion debt,failing Corporation B.E.C,Bahamasair and Water&Sewage will be a more burden on the Bahamas Treasury which is broke and have to burrow to pay Government workers salary.The high cost of gas and food because of the problem in the Middle East will make the Bahamas economy more diffuclt to get out of the woods.Higher cost of plane tickets by all Airlines would lower Tourist traveling which colud cause more layoff in the Hotel Industry.The Hotel Industry had 50% revenue lost.BahamMar is a good thing for the Bahamian people and the Bahamas.However the question is if the BahamaMar do not be successful with tourist staying at it Resort and have low revenue earning would the Government be able to deal with to big failing hotels Atlantis and BahamaMar?Look at Las Vegas and Dubai both have had a lot of developement with Hotels and Casinos.Las Vegas have the highest unemployement in the United States and the Hotels&Casinos revenue are down because a big drop in Tourist visiting Las Vegas.Dubai is having the same problem also a big drop in tourist visiting and had to ask for more time to repay it Billions dollar loan.Right now Atlantis is trying to buy time to repay it 3 Billion dollar loan.The building of hotels is great but having tourist to visit is the next problem when people are losing homes,unemployed and finding it hard to pay bills.
Rick this show of labour might or so called might reminds me oo another Circus Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, lots of splendor but No Substance, I’m sure this kind of display is just wonderful for the tourist that witnessed this display of labour unrest, the part that annoys me the most it’s the reference to other protest in the middle east, this is very very dangerous behaviour.
“BTC is not owned by Bahamians. … It is owned by the Bahamas Government.”
Regardless of where one stands on the issue of BTC’s privatisation, these two sentences tragically illustrates how the political caste in this country has forgotten that the Bahamian people are their employers, and that governments can only act as trustees for the people of the country.
Thank you for visiting and commenting kFmschZ.
I used to buy into your point that we employ the political caste.
In my view, that’s another political construct.
They are not our employees. They “serve” in their “leadership roles” at our pleasure, but they do not work for us. Our legal recourse is to vote them out if we choose.
The irony is, we work for them.
However, the Constitution dictates that someone must be in charge and we decide who that will be every five years.
They may be trustees as you put it while they “serve”, but define their job if you will?
The reason for the protest, and opposition to the sale,are as follows
1. The largest section, are those opposed to it for political reasons alone, they are PLP supporters, and feel it is their duty to oppose vehemently anything the govt. does, especially if its something which is believed they can score brownie points on, to influence the 2012 election.
2.Second largest faction, are the union members of BTC staff, who are opposed to it because they fear they know after the three year period some of them will be laid off (after the 3 year period), and that they will probably have to pay more towards their pension and medical insurance etc. In addition to having an employer who probably will want to cut down on slackness, such as using company vehicles for personal actions, (eg. picking/dropping children to school), amongst other things.
3. Which is the smallest faction, those who are opposed to it, truly because they believe its a bad deal, or because they don’t believe in privatization, or they don’t believe in privatization to a foreign corporation.
The sale of B T C is long over due . I am fed up with the bad service and having to kiss a## to get service
way to go PM
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