To the columnist, before PM Mia Mottley ,there was PM Michael Manley of Jamaica. The Jamaica Gleaner said that in an editorial.He had the same charisma,intellectual capability and vison as Mia.Mia is not as polarizing as Michael Manley was in his day. Michael Manley spoke about these issues in the seventies and eighties. The Gleaner recommends that she move on after her political career to contest the position for the post of UN secretary general. She is not the spokesperson for most of the spanish and french speaking caribbean.They have been separate from the english speaking caribbean from the days of colonialism.

The Bahamas is indeed adrift. I sense that living in this country at this time. A lot of persons who go aboard for their tertiary education don't return to live and work in this country. A lady told me this recently. Her daughter said to her leaving for university. she is never coming back to this country to live ,only to visit.

Hubert Ingraham to his credit had a vision for this country.Some of his plans and ideas were thwarted by both PLPs and as well FNMs. He said recently, certain persons in the FNM council meetings were concerned about what they did not get. Mainly their interest was getting contracts He did his best to modernize the Bahamas. Limited local government in the family islands,introduction of private broadcasting,attempting to improve the legal status of women and children born out of wedlock are some of his policy ideas.

The Bahamas has a housing crisis for years. It has gotten worse . I know persons who make so call relatively good salaries, who are unable to come up with closing costs for a house purchase. The housing situation is just one of the factors which is driving the brain drain from this country. I would not even bother to talk about the rental situation on this island..

When I walk down town Nassau, I experience three different set of feelings. Depression,sadness and anger. Why are things like this down town for years.

The local government officials in the american city where my sister lives, do things routinely which the government officials here have never mastered Some of them are:

1. A safe and reliable public transportation system
2. Home delivery of mail.
3. Consistent and efficient collection of garbage.
4. The down town area is clean and well-maintained.

There are many other things they do. I would not mention. The city has a city manager also.

The reason you won't see a real local government system in this country is because of the vested interests. Too many persons benefit from the current status quo.

The island of New Providence should have had a proper public transportation system from the nineteen fifties. Bermuda has theirs from 1947.

The Bahamas is quite far behind in many aspects of it's development. This is true despite the propaganda that is put out to the public by various sectors of the media, politicians and religious leaders.

The Spanish Wells Commonage Committee actions in this situation is the prototype of what local government should be doing.Certain town planning and zoning requirements should fall under their jurisdiction.

The same thing that Commisioner Murphy is complaining about was done to the Financial Secretary Wilson. Send home on leave. A vicious smear campaign mainly lead by the mouth piece of a senior FNM politician ,the Punch tabloid against him. Both the Mnnis lead FNM And this current PLP administration are the same when dealing with senior civil servants.

The. Ingraham government had good policy ideas,some of which were not properly implemented or done. Many of these ideas are done in other countries including the caribbean. Tax reform, education and a proper public transportation. system.

In terms of public policy formulation, the Bahamas is far behind Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. Despite it's proximity to the United States, In many aspects of it's development,the Bahamas is quite backward/ A young man said that to me. Also a person who held several high level positions under the Minnis administration said the same thing to a relative of mine in one of his classes. The Bahamas continued saving grace is its' location to the United States and the continuing long -term political problems of its' neighbors, Cuba and Haiti. If those countries were free and democratic countries, tourism in the Bahamas would be completely different.

The PLP party in the Bahamas is simply unfit to govern. They can't learn from previous mistakes. They don't know proper procedures in governances. They can't do what is right and proper for this country. They can't remove corrupt persons and practices from their party.

The man has no shame nad has no remorse for his behaviour. He should be contrite and do not even fathom the idea of returning to politics.

The Bahamas has a number of deeply rooted socio-economic problems. These problems are also some of the factors driving the violent crime crisis in this country. There is some research in these problems. I heard a group of intellectuals discuss some of them on a radio show recently.

Bahamians by in large too self-righteous to honestly discuss these problems. They would do what they always do. Blame others for their failures.