this is the most lieinis Government the Bahamas will ever see , they are liars of the highest order , but what saddens me is that we the general populace allow these men with clay feet to piss on us and expect us to call it gold, In their mandate to govern they promised to consult the people about oil exploration now they say they will drill and then and only then if they find oil they will then take it to a referundumb . Its a case of the Dr operating with out the womans consent , killing the baby in the process , then asking for permission to proceed further. We need to ask the people of hunters and pinders point what a little oil spill can do , ask the fokls in hepburn town what the oils spill has done to their small coastal village .
wake up bahamas. Koed Smith and Renegotiate ,bahamas sell out trust , you guys need to talk sense to this wutluss sell out crew and tell them straighten up and fly right .

Christie dont want take the chance of losing another referendum. So he skippin it. No worries 70% of plps wont even notice

Finally, the government decided to do what we voted them in to do - GOVERN. As far as 'clean up' costs are concerned, that is irrelevant, as oil companies (BPC and its larger partner) will have insurance policies to cover this.

At least we will have a chance of not putting our kids in debt for the rest of their lives.

"Clean up costs" are only a small part of the bigger issue. The real concern is the marine life. We live in a country with an ABUNDANCE of marine life that can't be found anywhere else because of overfishing, pollution, etc. Remember, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (BP oil spill)? Well...the gulf is STILL experiencing effects nearly three years later.

Bakman, is a typical get rich quick or die trying type of people that this government is catering too. No more such thing as hard work and ingenuity.

Some people really need to stay to the back man. How will insurance pay for beach that will never be pristine again? how will insurance bring the marine life back to our waters in our life time ? Its all about money to some who sit in these dark back rooms cutting these shady deals. some of us just need to stay to the back , making these asinine statements.
i hope you like your talapia fried dry.

Holding a referendum on oil drilling is of much more importance than a referendum on gaming. It is with great sadness that I place the blame for losing this right squarely on the FNM and the Media for politicizing the referendum process. During the referendum on gaming, the Media assisted and abetted the FNM in making the referendum a completely political process, rather than a matter that included real nonpartisan issues to be decided by the Bahamian people. The politicization of the referendum process is a treacherous act, which makes a mockery of nation building and progress for all Bahamians.

I am a supporter of the FNM on many things, but in this they acted like children and should be scolded. In order to score a cheap political victory, they degraded the entire referendum process. It is for this reason that I cannot blame the PLP for their actions today in allowing exploratory drilling in The Bahamas prior to a referendum. The reason being, the idea of holding a referendum no longer exists in The Bahamas. A referendum has now become a game or rallying cry, where one political party tries to make the other party look bad by obtaining a majority "No" vote.

In moving forward, the issue of holding a referendum on oil drilling is of less importance than The Bahamas Government negotiating the protection of the long term interests of the Bahamian people. The rate of royalties on oil extracted must be increased from 12.5% to 18%, which reflects the internationally accepted rate and is charged by the US for offshore drilling. I would hope the rate would be raised further to 25%, because The Bahamas has much more to lose than the US from an oil spill.

Hopefully, one day the term referendum will not be a politically charged and sullied noun. It will stand for the people of The Bahamas being granted the right to determine their destiny. Until that time, however, I do not expect any political party to suffer the absurd degradation and political maelstrom that occurs from holding a national referendum.

I do not agree with you, wachawant. It is not the FNM that sullied the word "referendum". It is the Government. The PM put his foot in his mouth from the word "go" when he said the Government has no horse in the race and then proceeded to advocate by his actions and words for a "yes" vote. When I hear the word "referendum" I now associate it with something stupid and senseless so if I were this present administration, I would stay away from holding any more referendums for a while. We are still reeling from the last one and the taste in our mouths is not very good at this time.

THE PEOPLE VOTED NO ,,,,,,,,,,,,,WE STILL GAT NUMBERS RIGHT ?? JUST LIKE IF WE VOTE NO FOR OIL ,,THEY WILL STILL DRILL

Not to worry about the environment. There simply is no oil. These BPC folks are in it to make money from the stock play. By concentrating on the oil and possible wealth, they have the Bahamians (who aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer) right where they want them.

After several years, dry holes and such, everyone will go home, except the company will go home with millions from the stock play, and anyone who buys their stock in the form of Bahamian Depository Receipts will lose there money. Have you checked the price of their stock. It's a penny stock on a basically unregulated exchange, and the marketmaker is also the company operator.

Of course, Bahamians have no experience of this type of operation, because there are no other natural resources in the Bahamas, so this is virgin territory for the fleecing of the population.

FINALLY SOMEONE GOT IT , BANKER YOU KNOW OF WHICH YOU SPEAK

Everyone seems to be missing the point. If Cuba is drilling and has struck oil, most likely that vein or pocket of oil runs under the Bahamas. With technology Cuba can pump all the oil out. SO the Bahamas cannot wait on a time-wasting, indecisive referendum, it must act now and tap into this oil resevoir, else it will all be gone in a few years. Oil spills are NOT normal occurances, they are accidents. Once the government ensures that all parties play safe the chances of spills are minimum. Royalties from oil can set this country off, financially and make every Bahamian wealthy. And if government plays its cards right it can put 25% of these royalties in a trust for furture generations and this country will never be broke again. So lets say 25% of thr royalties go into a trust, 25% goes directly to the Bahamian people, 25% goes to the government and the other 25% goes to youth, education and sports and cultural development...how can you go wrong..you are talking about billions of dollars

CUBA HAS DRILLED ALL DRY WELLS AND THE EQUIPMENT HAS MOVED ON ,,,,

Bet everyone saying how great oil drilling be is either going to benefit themselves personally or doesnt love our Bahamas. PLP is running scared coz they know the people dont want oil, so they say it's just exploratory drill they going to allow. It only takes one well to have a Macondo on our doorstep.. and then what, what about all the other areas where there might be oil, exploratory well number 2 a few miles away,then exploratory well number 3, 4, 5.? the whole thing is nuts. People should have their say before any well is drilled.

http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2013…

Before they begin to drill. They need to deal with this oil spill by BEC. If they cant even contain that what makes you think they have the sense to partner with another company and explore anything?lol