We all understand the realities of the out islands may require different immediate responses, but even so, we cannot lose sight of principle: Police Officers are not EMS drivers. Their primary duty is public safety and criminal intervention, especially critical with the levels of crime we face today. Although I know that for you, every idiotic decision these fools make is somehow excusable, the truth is that patchwork solutions do nothing to address the systemic failures we continue to suffer.

While it’s refreshing to see or hear about something other than negligent and reprehensible spending, let’s be clear: police officers are not emergency medical drivers. With violent crime terrorizing our communities daily, the last thing we need is law enforcement pulled away from criminal intervention to patch holes in an already broken system, whether in the city or on the family island.

True leadership isn't about scrambling for quick, flashy fixes. It's about identifying glaring deficiencies and implementing permanent, sustainable solutions. Anything less is political showboating. Every administration owes it to the people to prioritize real, lasting reforms over asinine, knee-jerk policies that create more problems down the road. We are not fooled.

It is disrespectful enough to have Politicians running them over and not being held accountable; now, you want them to do something that they were not trained or engaged to undertake.

@bahamianson, it’s hard to believe that you’re being serious, so I can only assume you’re being facetious. Surely, you don’t mean to suggest that a convicted felon is the model leader we should emulate. The real issue in governmental administration, especially in the United States - isn’t just potholes or power outages. It’s the alarming trend of electing individuals who have been convicted of crimes to lead a nation built on the rule of law.

What’s even more troubling is that we (Bahamians) have recently followed suit and elected individuals who haven’t been arrested or convicted, but we all know their hands are far from clean. The true crisis isn’t just ineffective governance; it’s the normalization of corruption, the willingness to turn a blind eye to blatant misconduct, and the disturbing reality that some, like yourself, would vote for a convicted criminal or use one as an example to glorify or advocate for as an example.

We don’t need a leader who isn’t “afraid of backlash”; we need a leader who isn’t afraid to be honest, ethical, and accountable - while holding Bahamian citizens and residents as a priority. That’s the standard we should demand—not one that excuses criminality under the guise of strength.

Birdiestrachan, as usual, your political idiocy reigns supreme.

The high cost of living in the Bahamas isn’t just about personal “choices” like steak vs. burgers; it's driven by real economic pressures, and the PLP’s role shouldn’t be downplayed. While the FNM did raise VAT, the current government has not eased the tax burden on Bahamians—if anything, it's added to it with increased fees and expenses to fund projects that often seem more aligned with political agendas than with relief for struggling citizens. They may have lowered VAT from 12% to 10%, but increased taxation in every other area, placing an additional burden on Bahamians.

Additionally, the PLP has made minimal efforts to address the root issues impacting our daily expenses. Our heavy reliance on imports makes us vulnerable to global inflation, supply chain issues, rising energy (Utilities), and Services costs—all factors the PLP could mitigate with strategic policies and resourceful spending, but prefer to line their coffers. So, we see resources allocated in ways that don’t seem to consider the immediate needs of the Bahamian people, like the jet-setting of the Prime Minister. Rather than holding citizens accountable for the cost of living, we need governance that prioritizes efficient spending and real solutions for economic relief, not garbage PLP operative propaganda from you.

@birdiestrachan, you've always been an idiot! Trust and believe, the dirty deeds of the past PLP and present PLP will come home to roost. Many believe that nothing will happen, and they are correct in doubting the integrity of PLP politicians, as they will undoubtedly do their best to cover up and conceal their transgressions. But the day of reckoning will come—it always does.

This article should leave a deep sense of outrage and disappointment, on every right-thinking and upstanding Bahamian. The revelations from the New York State Supreme Court ruling about the deliberate slowing down of work at Baha Mar by CCA, compounded by the admission of such actions in front of senior officials including the then-Prime Minister, are disturbing. The two individuals, closely linked to the government (one being an advisor to the then-Prime Minister), who were exposed in this ruling for their illegal actions/roles, are significant, But, it’s clear (to any critical-thinking person) that they are not the only ones involved in this “sham and shakedown” against Sarkis Izmirlian. I can only imagine how the subcontractors—those who worked tirelessly were extorted while being forced to fight for payments that were rightfully theirs.

It is truly a disgrace that our political leaders and their affiliates have operated with such impunity for so long. They have taken advantage of every opportunity to pillage without repercussions, demonstrating a staggering level of arrogance. To defraud an investor like Izmirlian, who had the nation's best interests at heart, reflects how deep corruption runs. This was not merely a case of mismanagement by the main contractor; it was an outright betrayal of trust by our Bahamian officials and brazen manipulation of a project that had the potential to positively transform the Bahamas, under its rightful developer.

The Baha Mar debacle stands as a testament to the lengths that some will go for personal gain, regardless of the consequences for our country or the many people directly impacted by their actions. We cannot continue to let this go unchallenged—our future depends on holding these individuals accountable, ALL of them.

@moncurcool, recklessness is what they're guilty of, from the onset of their governance - from Top to Bottom.

@ Dawes, the cost won't be $500 million, but I assure you it will be costly to the taxpayers, and the true cost will never be divulged because that is what we allow these individuals to get away with.

I pray that retribution lands a few of our former and present PLP politicians in the pits of legal hell. These politicians have been and continue to be the thorn in the side of Bahamians, as the working class is held accountable for their corrupt and deplorable behavior.

And many of them (politicians) pocketed boatloads of money, for their roles in the fleece. They should all pay!!!!