If time and resources permitted I would love to be able to research the announcements made over the years by successive governments to determine the actual results.
Here's just a few examples:
In 2009 The Bahamas was "going green" by distributing low energy light bulbs. Has anything happened?
Around the same time it was announced we would be weaned off fossil fuels in 15 years. Have we seen any progress in this direction?
Then comes the "new" National Training Agency. Let's see, over the decades it's been known as; The National Technical School 49’-61’, Nassau Technical Institute 61’-65, Nassau Technical College 66’-68’, Nassau Technical College & Centre 68,-71’, C.R. Walker Technical College 74’-80’, Industrial Training Centre 80’-95’ and Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute 95-present.
How about grand announcements like this…
Who tracks the out-turn over the years? Yes we speeches that sound remarkably similar with each administration but there must be more than this. Surely?
Grand announcements without results are, well…
Maybe there is an IDB grant to study this too?
In principle the ideas sound fine. It's the lack of results and the taxpayer money that is sent down the proverbial tubes and increased taxes to pay for the debt and deficits that result that are the problems.
Makes me think of the medieval times, a high walled castle with the people outside, waiting for the offal and scraps to get thrown over the side.
The Bulbs were distributed, unfortunately by the time that happened, many people had their power cut off.
Even so, people lined up to “get theirs”
I was actually thinking about this a few days ago. What about the Job REadiness Programme Hopefully the Media outlets can assisted in highlighting the lack of results by the various programs/initiatives mentioned by government. Two other items I would highlight are:
– Job Readiness Program – its aim was to give individuals under 30 the skills needed for the workforce. The cost was over $50m, how many of the individuals in the program obtained a full time position following the program?
– Mortgage Relief Plan – Still waiting on version #2.
The old saying, Actions Speak Louder Than Words, at once comes to mind.. In attempting to revive our faltering economy, the government’s pronouncements and declarations are always optimistic in scope, but its policies are having or will have just the opposite effect by the desecration of the backbone of the Bahamian economy, the private sector..
Foolishly, the government hopes to increase its revenue base by imposing increased taxes, government fees and enacting more regulations and worthless bureaucratic oversight.. Such policies at best are impotent, and will only destroy or retard private sector growth.. This is a simple supply-side economic question that the government has failed to publicly address as Bahamian companies are being forced to cut back on employment and tighten up on their inventory supply-chain management systems.. Once again short-run economic cures are being forced on the Bahamian people to the detriment of the long-term “National Interest” of the country.. The era of discontent again may be upon us as the darkening storm of global stagflation and recession approaches our sun baked shores..
Unfortunately, we are having to come to grips with what is in effect Bad Management.
Nothing more, nothing less.
In the private sector, folly is rewarded with reduced income, reduced resources, collapse and closure.
Small mistakes take time to accumulate, big ones decimate quickly. Learning from mistakes, if survived, lead to correction of practice, leading to stability and success.
Oh to have the ability to “extort” the resources of others to add to the fire would be great,
but really it only delays the inevitable demise if nothing is learned.
This is the position of Government, justifying higher taxes for higher revenue, simply to preserve the status of their economic follies and promises of freebies.
They have learned nothing.
That the IMF, OECD, WTO, and all other multi national supra-Authorities re-enforce the avenues and programs that the Government uses to Self sustain and pillage the productivity of others does not pave the way for improvement of this irresponsible fiscally suicidal behavior.
Keep in mind that every pressure used by them, every coercion on our Government is used as self justification by people in these International entities that we have made ourselves beholden to via loans, grants, and treaties.
That what they aim to achieve is workable, possible or sustainable is irrelevant to them.
Someone else will pay the price of their Experimentation and bad theory.
Us.