It would be interesting to have an itemization of the ‘skills’ that Bahamians do not have which could then be used to improve what technical training needs to be done at BTVI, etc. Additionally in keeping with the requirements of a work permit being granted, the names of each Bahamian who is ‘understudying’ the technical skills of each Mexican granted a work permit. For each work permit being granted, a Bahamian is supposed to be in training, right?

Excellent point!!!!!!

Good points. Somehow though, I won't be convinced that all 130 are more skilled than Bahamians. I would wager that less than half of those who arrived had special skills and the rest are just assisting them. <br/><br/>
The real issue is that the foreign investors want to hire the **cheapest labor** possible. If you want to come here and make millions in The Bahamas, the concession must be paying a bit more for Bahamian labor. <br/>
The government just gives into the demands of these investors too easily. It's a shame and a disgrace. SMH

Seems like the govt can easily put this to bed if they say: Here are the skills and the reason they were brought in for. Or even release the request letter.

Saying they asked for 400 and got 130 isn't a good answer.

Baker’s Bay is one of the few foreign investors left in the Bahamas, apart from the Chinese. But it seems that many want them to pull out, like so many others have done in the past.

The thing is which country other than the Bahamas allows vast amounts of foreign workers to come into their countries to work with 40% unemployment. It is of no surprise Mr. Johnson speaks with split tongues like any snake.

Are you kidding? The Bahamas is the most closed economy in the world, go to any other country and you’ll find a workforce in which foreigners comprise a large part. Go to London and you’ll struggle to even find an English person these days

The real reason the Mexicans were brought in is because of time. I could get a Mexican to work seven days a week while most Bahamians would work five day. Thirty percent savings in time is huge when it comes to construction. The construction cost in Bakers Bay works out to $850 per square feet so money is not a major concern.

No surprise here given that Minnis has time and time again demonstrated his great love for foreigners and great disdain for Bahamians. Elsworth Johnson couldn't sound more foolish in making his lame excuses for the PM's great love of all things foreign, including the many thousands of Haitians who are illegally residing in our resource constrained country. If Minnis had his way, he and his family would be the only Bahamians in a Bahamas full of foreigners.

Bahamians are on the whole unproductive and poorly skilled which is why all the hardest work in this country gets done by immigrants and any employer would hire a foreigner over a Bahamian in a split second given half a chance. Our education system is a disaster and our economy is so closed it shelters our people from competition - which was fine when the hotels were full of tourists but leaves us completely exposed to one industry as no other country would ever risk

**Abaco already has its own designated Flag to fly, proudly!**
As the 47th anniversary of Independence approaches, the Tribune should've directly asked the newspaper's Abaco readers with the backdrop of the Mexican National Flag flying over the Abaco's, a flag that **proudly features Mr Minnis's regimes' two House elected red coats MP's, signing-off on the granting 135 work permits for the Mexcian hourly-paid labourers'** if Comrade Abacoians, think anything by **the one-man-band** Mr. Minnis,** would ever be permitted to come about **by sheer happenstance?** Nod Once for Yeah, Twice for No?

Funny thing is that probably most of the "outraged" Bahamians have an Haitian working in their yard....

The unvarnished raw truth is that the pool of available Bahamian construction worker willing to work on Guana Cay and live in dormitory accommodation is just too small to get the job done. People might make noise and say that they want a job but the reality is that they would soon quit as the working conditions would not meet their exacting requirements. Any one who disagrees with my statement almost certainly has never undertaken a huge construction job in a very small family island.

All of these pundits are all completely missing the boat. You can all pontificate as much as you like. The Raw Truth from being on the ground in Abaco is that THERE IS NO WHERE TO LIVE IN ABACO. The Bahamian workforce refused to live in a man-camp with 3 square meals, room and board plus wages on top. The necessity of the situation required the labour force to live in the dormitory barge and trailers for 6 months and the Bahamains said hell no, we ain't roughin it. By allowing the mexican work force to come in it will allow the cushy front of house jobs to return come December. If we waited on the Bahamians to get it done teh front of house folks wouldn't have a job for the next 10 years. Just look at how swiftly the BPL crew is working to restore electricity. 10+ months and counting - i'm not making this up, there are homes ready to be turned on and still waiting for BPL to get down to them. I am talking at least a dozen i know personally and then many many more as well.
Silly political pundits who think you know everything need to go sit small. In case you haven't heard 90% of the residential structures were damaged or destroyed. Now give me answers to that quandary. That is useful commentary not this xenophobic BS being spouted here.

I think this is a bit unfair.

People can only pontificate on what they have been told. About 300k of us don't live on Abaco so its good to share your knowledge.

Now If that's the reason then they should say. People are only reacting on what they've been told. The claimed reason form the govt was simply 'special skills' and Bahamians will be trained. If its that Bahamians just don't want to handle the work conditions, pay, then all of what they said is incorrect and they shouldn't make a false claim.

If Bahamians won't tolerate the conditions then the training story and the technical skill gap is false too because they won't be there to be trained.

I think all we need is proper clarity so your info is good to know.

A chorus red coats posting proudly to see Mexico's National Flag being flown over the Abaco's - they remain blind that some **seven thousand Abaco's residents who have been humbled to stand in the lineups for handouts foodstuffs?** Nod Once for Yeah there's a special elevator to hell for such mean-spirited red coats people, Twice for No?