Rick Lowe
An article in Friday's Nassau Guardian by Jeffrey Todd speaks volumes to the trouble with the archipelagic nature of our country. Read the article here…
For the approximate 550 plus inhabitants of this small island in the Southern part of our chain life is not the greatest, particularly when government employees there are not paid for several months as the article explains.
Mr. Alfred Gray, the MP for the area goes to great pains to politicise the issue, which confirms the unfortunate reality that these islands are unsustainable without tremendous subsidies from New Providence taxpayers.
So what should be done?
I have three quick suggestions:
- Institute real local government where tax dollars earned there remain there.
- Encourage development by giving Bahamians with roots in Acklins Crown Land for development. That's right, give it to them.
- Make the residents there move to another island where they can sustain themselves.
In times of plenty subsidisation works, but to paraphrase Margaret Thatcher, the problem with socialist policy is you always run out of other peoples money. And the problem is exacerbated after three years of a world recession.
In the final, should we have public schools, a port and an airport there?
It's high time we started thinking about what we're leaving future generations and Mr. Gray, the MP for the area might consider offering some possible solutions. Isn't that what we pay him his Member of Parliament salary for?
