Independence??? What independence?
Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19 have made clear that this nation is fully dependent on others.
Until The Bahamas changes its entire outlook on its existence and value, eliminate failed policies and move to the back of the line people whose interests in The Bahamas are self-oriented, the country will remain as is or rapidly worsen.
Nothing to look forward to unless innovative Bahamians innovate for ALL Bahamians
The end.

What do we have to celebrate? We have a bankrupt country led by a self-annointed arrogant, incompetent and nasty supreme ruler who has taken away all of our constitutionally guaranteed rights and civil liberties.

A bit harsh Anon, but sadly quite true.

Firstly, we are not independent. We only use that word but it's a joke. We are independently dependent on other nations. How much do we import? Why do we need to open the borders from a country experiencing COVID19 spikes? Because we are not independent. We are dependent on others.

"*What are your hopes for the nation as it grapples with these issues and beyond?*"

None. My hope that the government would do anything to turn this nation is gone. 3 months to plan for reopening and they couldn't renew the orders, couldn't put in a protocol for a reopening date, couldn't identify a plan for school reopening. The opening day will come and they will plan as they go. It's inevitable.

The only hope we have now is for the people to grab this country and run with it up the hill to the future. And if the people can't do it without government, we're doomed.

"And if the people can't do it without government, we're doomed." - So true

My hope for the Nation of the Bahamas this Independence 2020 is that the Government will CHANGE!! Change with a quickness - and do the right thing so that all persons can get economically self-sufficient. (1.) Hurry UP and Change the Laws to Legalize Marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use. This single product will evenhandedly put money in the pockets of both residents and businesses, erase the country debt crisis, bring increase in revenues in everything tourist related as people want more reasons to travel here, minimize the numbers of persons getting caught up with the police, the courts and prison for minuscule amounts of this medical substance. Get it DONE ALREADY!! (2.) Change with a quickness to implement the National Immigration Citizenship and Asylum Bill so that persons can become independent and economically self-sufficient, as the sooner they become legal and get work permits they can start becoming tax-paying residents and not a tax burden on the resources of the government. (3.) Change with a quickness the Digitalization of Records so that the nation can move to the forefront of countries doing business expeditiously, utilize digital technologies and digitized data to impact how work gets done, transform how customers and companies engage and interact, and create new (digital) revenue streams. These three (3) issues are imperative especially in this post-Covid era which will increase the nation economic value while decreasing processing times, eliminating unnecessary procedures and root out corruption in its ranks.

http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2020…

... make a trip up to Sandilands to see some of the positive effects of marijuana on young men and women sometime!!

You think marijuana, one of the world’s most widely used recreational drugs, makes you insane? Please, tell us more...

I think the point is it's not a drug without risks medically, socially and economically. We ignored the risks...I should say the govt ignored and the illegal gaming people cloaked the risks associated with gambling, not like we hadn't already walked that road before with the race track and Christmas carnival. The evidence was there for potential negative side effects. Well the evidence is clearly there for the dangers of mind altering drugs, outlier chemical reactions and drug abuse. We been there before in the 70s and 80s. It would make sense not to ignore this one. But theyll talk up all the money that could be made and then say *noone could have known this is new to all of us* afterward.

Government will CHANGE ?

is there a new party with a new philosophy and better mindset, forward thinking, ?

Nope that's not on the horizon is it, and please do not insult me by saying the PLP are the answer, so far since 1973 things have gone downhill

The alphabet soup organizations and the foreign interests/constituents they represent know only too well that dumb voters combined with dumb corrupt politicians eventually results in a country's failure with an ensuing feast by the hovering foreign vultures. And unfortunately this is especially true of small black nations. We are our own worst enemy and the very greedy ones about to pick our dead carcass clean know it only too well. Bahamians will be enslaved for generations to come, living in great hardship under miserable conditions. Very sad.

We were independent just long enough to become dependent again. Our new masters are not colonial but economic. Ask the EU how independent we are or China for that matter and they will all laugh. Sadly, once most Bahamians have money in their pockets to buy the pleasure of their choice and a full stomach, they couldn't care less!!

The greatest hope we can possibly have is for the passing of a Freedom Of Information Act which would allow the FBI and Scotland Yard to come in, find and prosecute **ALL** the surviving crooks and criminals that have kept our country and people in bondage since piracy and return all that rightfully belongs to the people!

Short of this happening we are doomed to continue down the road to failure.

What hope? a gallon of sanitizer cost anywhere from $60 to $99, a roll of hand towel at Super Value used to cost $99 on sale. After the government dropped duty on hand towels, the cheapest roll of hand towel cost 2.12 including the VAT. Cable bahamas is down every other day even though we spend top dollar. BEC was off for 4 hours last week in sections with lies upon lies. The bus system is in shambles , and they want an increase in fees. They speed all around town and none of them gets a ticket. the traffic lights are constantly off and all of our main roads look like we got a discount on TAR. Roads have pot holes constantly. The service at government businesses is pathetic and very long. If the person you want to talk to isn't on vacation for two weeks and no one else can help you, you are doing well. the police are very harsh when speaking to you. Customs officers are millionaires at the border , immigration officers are taking money from illegals by shaking them down. people are buying their license at the traffic office. People are buying taxi plates. What else? we can go on , but whom cares? Happy Independance.

My hope for the Bahamas is that we would 1. Overcome the economic challenges brought on by Dorian and Covid-19. 2. Implement some form of national service, to empower our young men and women to become more productive citizens. 3. Reduce the amount of crime and antisocial behavior. 4. Improve our level of service and advances in technology. 5. Re-ignite our hope in ourselves as Bahamians and our ability to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. 6. Have a renewed commitment and faith in God. 7. Have a changed mindset, one similar to our grandparents before us who were committed to hard work and a spirit of pride and excellence.

Happy Independence Bahamas. I love this land, the greatest little land on earth. May God bless you!!!