George Smith for Christsake, tainted with the Pind ing drug era days.

What uttet drivel.These power cuts are the result of all political parties since independance wasting money and not using commonsense to update and replace old equipment. And the majority of that time it was a PLP government who also left the country deep in debt with nothing to show. The money spent on excavating thousands of tons of curry for a hospital that could never be built in Palmetto Point is just one example of money down the drain.

With reparations where do you start-With Arabs who still enslave their people, Saudi Arabia who still employ cheap slave labour, to the African tribe leaders who sold their people into slavery or how about closer to home for all the years that black Bahamians had to leave Spanish Wells before sunset. Yes many of the countries colonised by the UK, Portugal and others did many things wrong but maybe the UK should ask for reparations from the Romans or Vikings who invaded, raped and pillaged the UK. Time for long independent countries to stop blaming their failures on past masters and get on manage and take responsibility for their own progress. As Bogart correctly said their is modern day slavery in every country.

Surely granting of crown land is a Bahamian matter now all these years after independence.

Several points to make.
1. Hatien students legally here often excel in the government high schools..
2. When will some Bahamians stop blaming the British. God knows you have had 46 years to change things and do it your way.
3. The BGCSE exams are still moderated by Cambridge in the UK. How many years have to pass before the Bahamian examination department can get it right.
4. If the general public had been to one of the expensive, lengthy BUT annual general meetings they would be surprised at the stupid comments made. Example many teachers still ask why the can't get a refund on their medical insurance that they havn't used despite explanation after eplanation.
5. Finally Belinda's supporters seem to forget all the allegations against Belinda in the past and if Mrs Wilson fought for members facing unjust salary cuts or unjust terminations as hard as she founght for her own survival then she would be doing the job she has been elected for.

Teachers cannot move by choice from island to island. Granted some expats do their contract and remit spare funds however "shit loads of money " is nonsense. That being said a few make their lives in the Bahamas because they love the country and contribute to the economy by purchasing property, cars, groceries and so on. Of course there are bad teachers as in every profession but I can assure you this applies equally to some Bahamians. As for your "the bahamas is for Bahamians" you will find that in the right areas foreign skilled workers are of great benefit to a country. By your simplistic statement I suppose every Bahamian working in the USA, Dubai,the UK and other countries should be sent back. Such nonsense that you spout damages your great country and welcoming people. It remains that a Bahamian nurse working in the UK or the USA is entitled to the same benefits as a national of that country As for rent Bahamians and expats recieve no rent allowance in New Providence, and both Bahamians and expats only receive rent allowance is the MOE moves them.

Try this for blatant discrimination. Two teachers one a Bahamian and the other a non Bahamian permanent resident teach for 35/40 years in the same school. They both do the same job with the same hours and subject to the same general orders. Upon retirement the Bahamian teacher gets a teachers pension and slightly reduced national insurance pension. The non Bahamian is only eligible for a slightly enhanced national insurance pension even though he/she may have given their life to teaching in the Bahamas, settled down, bought a house and so on. Before any misinformed teacher replies, the gratuity the foreign teachers get is for a maximum of three contracts and in in lieu of pension. In simple terms if a foreign teacher teaches for 40 years and has three contracts of 2 years each (total 6 years) then the money he receives in lieu of pension is for 6 years and the remaining 34 years he unlike his Bahamian counterpart doing the same job means he/she are working without a pension. Total discrimination that would not be tolerated in any other civilised country.

Here we go again, just like the UK politicians saying anything that they will swing public opinion their way regardless of how furthet deep in debt the country will be the result.

If this is the case then why has there been no enquiry to the colossal waste of money spent on land, and months of ripping a hill for a hospital in Palmetto Point which would never be built. Who gave out these contracts, why was land purchased ftom an ex MP when crown land was available.

Not only education, Mr Sands needs to investigate the misuse of funds collected by one or two senior nurses but never being paid to the ministry, like the sale of medication, charging for sevices and more. Investigations are made but never come to anything and like one senior nursing officer said " they can't touch me its my government". And yet this $1.5 million dollars which must have been signed off by somebody will fade into obscurity with no loss of job or prosecution of the individual or individuals concerned.