These are very valid arguments but yet the PLP “gone running”with the Chinese Belt and Road initiative trap. One would have thought that with a comprehensive due diligence assessment of the pros and cons of this new “yellow elephant” being shoved down our throats, and despite selling out the nation just for a few million dollars to line the pockets of the big guys, the PLP politicians would have put the Bahamas first. However, in light of this recent loan that we have been tricked and trapped into we have fallen for something that will hurt our nation forever. Just imagine Eleuthera becoming a Chinese owned island for 100 years because we can’t repay the loan for the hospital?

Despite Dr Minnis’s shortcomings, politically and otherwise, his criticism of this yellow elephant is sound and erases any negatives that may currently blemish his political record. Thank you very much Dr. Minnis . You are a true patriot.

I cannot wait for the Chinese Embassy’s propagandist to reply to Dr. Minnis’s points. It will be virtually impossible for them to come up with any logical thoughts to counter Dr. Minnis.

It is very unfortunate that this matter has come to this with name calling and innuendos. Let’s look at the empirical facts, evidence and outcomes of these two countries when it comes to major development projects.
First let us take a look at the outcomes of construction projects undertaken by the Chinese companies in the Bahamas. What is their record of completing these projects on time and within cost? What is their record of completing these projects within the framework of quality and reliability? What is their track record on similar construction projects in caricom countries? What is their performance record on similar construction projects around the world? Was there due diligence undertaken with respect to these empirical facts by the relevant authorities before they made their decision to fall for this Chinese trick called the “Belt and Road Initiative”? Clearly not, because if they did they would have seen that low bid, nice financing terms of the Chinese is combination of the old Bait and Switch strategy and the new pig in the poke preferential financing terms all leading to the Government of the Bahamas, PLP or FNM, being trapped and indebted to the Chinese.
Mark my words, this project and the so called competitive terms offered by the Chinese will backfire and trap the Bahamian Government and obligate them to give up a piece of our territorial sovereignty. Look at how the Chinese has used this strategic trap around the world. Madagascar, Zambia, and Malaysia are just a few countries that have been trapped into giving up their territorial sovereignty to the Chinese when they could not repay loans for development projects financed and built by the Chinese.
So which one of our islands will the Chinese demand in repayment of the loan, the cost of which will sky rocket and cannot be repaid for a hospital which will not be completed on time and on budget and with due respect to construction quality? And what is the ultimate goal of the Chinese in demanding sovereignty over one of our islands? They will build a military base to get ready for the likelihood of a military contest and conflict with big, bad disrespectful America.

This person is the Bahamian equivalent of Donald Trump. It makes sense that he is making his entrance into the political arena at this time. My prediction is that he will become the Prime Minister of this country. Morality, ethics and integrity are no longer criteria, as if they ever were important, that our leaders need to have.

He has had time to see the blueprint of how to get the top post in politics . I hope the Almighty helps us.

We need to connect all the dots that make up the total landscape of life in the Bahamas. We just can’t choose a few and say everything is going to be okay for our youth if we focus on them. Let’s get serious and look at the big picture.

And what do you think the data from the next survey will show when marijuana is legalized? Total confusion and collapse of the inter generational pillars of morality in our society. We in the Bahamas tend to look at issues such as the behavior of our youth in a vacuum and isolated from the other social structures. Time for us to wake up.

Minnis is an immature person. He somehow thinks he is in the same class as our historical political stalwarts. Let him run and get beaten into accepting that he is worthless and leave the scene. The FNM under his non spectacular leadership did not win that election. It was the PLP which lost it. I never met a politician like him who cannot take no for an answer.

I know there is an upcoming election but the Government should be bold enough to let the people know that the legalization of marijuana is a non starter. Just wait until after the elections they will find the testicular fortitude to let the nation know that they will go with the scientific evidence that cannabis aka marijuana is not acceptable for the people. The emerging scientific evidence shows that its consumption leads to a range of negative consequences. This is scientific evidence from the leading universities around the globe. Instead, The Government should increase its funding to the Ministry of Health so it can establish an Addiction Authority with a special section for Cannabis . Too many of our youth are headed towards addiction to this drug that causes a range of health and mental problems. Just look at the addicts who will reply to this comment and you will see that these adults are already addicted. They are already gone. It is very sad.

The Government should not stall it should have the testicular fortitude to come out and say they are not going to legalize this poison. Here is the current scientific evidence available.

Growing evidence points to potentially severe side effects of cannabis

As the drug becomes more and more potent, there has been a parallel increase in both medical and recreational marijuana’s accessibility and acceptance in the United States. Most users are aware of the common side effects, including impairments in memory and attention, greater inclination for risk-taking, and diminished capacity to drive. And while for most people, cannabis produces a feeling of relaxation, in others, for poorly understood reasons, it can trigger anxiety and panic.
Now, growing research is pointing to other concerning, potentially severe consequences of cannabis use. This not only affects adults over the age of 21, who can legally buy marijuana in many jurisdictions, but also adolescents. “Data suggests that as cannabis becomes more available in the environment for adults, its access also increases to children and young adults who may be particularly vulnerable to its long-term effects,” says Mohini Ranganathan, MBBS, associate professor of psychiatry.
There is compelling data showing that cannabis may be associated with changes in brain structure in young people, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with decision-making and executive function. Other epidemiological evidence suggests that heavy and early use of cannabis is associated with increased risk of developing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety.

Wow , what a ball of confusion with this health care system imbroglio. Seems that the Nurses union forgetting the Cuban export health care slavery system with the Cuban nurses in the Bahamas. The Union needs to take a thorough review of the Health Care Human Resource Management system in the country. Don’t just look at nurses from Ghana and leave the Cuban nurses out of the discussion. Just wait until the nurses from the Philippines and India come. Then the Bahamas will be a stepping stone for them to move to the USA.

That’s only a third of the problem. The other two thirds is the chains the Government of the Bahamas and the Government of Cuba hold over the heads, hands and feet of the enslaved professionals working in the Bahamas and around the world. Please tell us why these professionals are unable to seek political asylum in the Bahamas and the other countries where they are exploited? In a free and democratic society they should be free to say that’s enough of this exploitation and seek asylum. However, the chains that Cuban government have around them and which the Bahamian government are knowing partners makes it difficult for these professionals to free themselves from the shackles of slavery. Just by permitting these exploited professionals to seek and gain political and economic asylum, the Bahamian government will be demonstrating that they do not just give lip service to a range of International Labor Conventions and start to whittle away a major source of foreign exchange the Communist Government of Cuba is dependent on. If we start it here it will spread to the democracies around the world where the other Cuban professionals are entrapped.

And Government of the USA can help in a major way by granting asylum to and facilitating the employment of these workers in America.