Is Dr Darville aware that on several family islands there are self funded , efficient ambulance services manned by unpaid and unrecognised volunteers. These ministers fly around, shuttled around by the appropriate PLP or FNM lackys, hire car, free lunch but never care to meet these volunteers. The previous PLP government drew up plans, awarded contracts and paid a local contractor hundreds of thousands of dollars to level a hill for the proposed hospital in Palmetto Point. As per usual, pm visited with huge delegation, speeches,, etc etc and now P Point has a curry hill big enough to ski on, and of course no hospital.Money is wasted time and time again. On one family island the cost of a chartered medical flight to the capital varies enormously often with no official reciept being given. I very much doubt that anything will ever change.

Dear Ms Hanna,
Education has been in a mess for years under both PLP and FNM.. In 40 years of teaching I have seen incompetent Directors, fleeting visits to the family islands using rental cars, paid for lunches and absolutely no results except words and speeches. As for regular supplies especially on the family islands what a joke. Year after year chemistry departments have (maybe) 20 year old equipment and chemicals, woodwork departments sporadic wood supplies, cheap Indian woodwork tools that break within weeks, Cuban teachers who can barely speak English, are here for what they can buy and take back, even teaching subjects that they are not trained for. Hiring expat / Cuban teachers when you have retired skilled local teachers willing to work but ignored in favor of Cuban teachers. Skilled , qualified, experienced Bahamian teachers who will never become principals because they don't talk the talk or have no high up connections. Advertsing promotional positions when we all know existing employees are already in line for these positions. As for Principals, there are some very good ones but also Principals in those positions who are arrogant ,have no people or organisational skills. As for virtual learning, pray what planet are you on ? On family islands in particular so many students don't have internet, don't have desktop ot laptop computers ,don't have a regular electricity supply and finally are unwilling to work even when in a class with a teacher..

Seem to remember the PLP campaigning on several issues one of which was the severe methods used by the FNM to handle the covid crisis. . Oops reality strikes home.

Unbelievable, The PLP last time in power terminated so many FNM workers in the civil service and played the usual "hire our supporters" game. This is an obvious veiled warning that some FNM,s will be fired to make way for PLP supporters promised jobs during the election. What is really needed is the termination of so many people in made up jobs or jobs that they are not qualified for, to reduce a bloated expensive civil service.

Oh dear, reality has struck home. Funny how once elections are over that we recognise existing situations and previous administrations efforts to curb the pandemic.

Look at other countries. For example in the UK there is import duty, haulage charges, 20% VAT and a minimum 20% income tax on salaries over £12500, plus national insurance plus pension contributions Gasoline has fuel duty and then VAT on top. Inheritance tax, capital gains tax etc etc. To be fair how do you implement income tax in the Bahamas for anybody outside of a salaried job.
-

As a former teacher we always heard the same dreary crap coming out of inexperienced politically appointed officials how we love " our little darlings".
Most teachers do their best but how can you say we do the best for our kids when some Principals are barely out of nappies and have man management skills of a dead crab, How technical courses are abandoned simply because trained staff are not there but we sure as hell have lots of religious teachers or guidance councillors, how chemistry departments have chemicals and equipment dating back to the 70's. How woodwork and Auto departments never receive supplies how primary schools have a multitude of subjects including Spanish but students can barely function in English language when they reach high school. Add to that hairbrained schemes that fail or are not monitored like lap tops given to schools never to be seen again or online learning during covid when so many kids have neither internet nor lap top. I have seen so many talented young Bahamian teachers in the system but they will never get promoted and make a difference because they don't belong to the lodge or they vote the wrong way or fail to kiss official arses . Directors in the past have certainly talked a lot, but rarely does anything change for our "little darlings".

30,000 expat workers. |Are you smoking happy baccy or failed BGCSE maths. .I fully agree many expat jobs could be filled by Bahamians but not 30,000. Try the Ministry of Education for starters that hires Cuban teachers in many cases where there is a local established teacher on site, or a Cuban teacher that hardly speaks coherent English.

The Bahamas postal service is a total third world disgrace. For years valuable items such as periodicals, foreign newspapers etc just disappear. I myself had a subscription to a foreign newspaper. Never got one yet the company traced every copy to Nassau,. Mail especially to family islands including bills can be months late or never arrive. I know of a UK citizen in November 2020 sent many Christmas cards to Bahamian friends. NOT ONE arrived. In 2021 he decided to send all the cards in one large manila envelope clearly labelled with the name of one friend, the idea that not only could even Bahamian post office employees ignore it but if it did arrive on the family island that the recipient could then distribute the cards locally. Guess what it never arrived and one can only presume lazy employees just throw mail into some dark recess. Where are the supervisors, why is nothing done about it where does all this undelivered mail end up..Never waste money on monthly mailed periodicals and if its important UPS or Fed ex it.

Already got their noses in the "benefits trough". All that time in Barbados and taking a wife to Switzerland plus all the add on individuals. No doubt first or business class and nice hotels and certainly a large daily allowance. Oh add in a very very cursory customs check upon return. Great work if you can get it.