Why not 10 years?

Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
Is Customs really charging storage fees right now, knowing that there are problems on ALL sides?
Was there an educational and outreach plan for Customs, the Brokers, the Customers such that everyone knew the dates of rollout, new procedures, etc. in South Andros?
Was there an effort by the districts MP to smoothly facilitate the transition, talking with all involved?
Do we wonder why there is such confusion when there is no communication from the top to the bottom?
And then penalize people for not being with the "program"?
Sounds like there was little done to assist everyone, as in, "the people" by their government and Customs.
Are we surprised?

Tribune,
Thanks for speaking out on our dysfunctional justice system.
The Bahamian people deserve better than what we currently get.
It does speak volumes to the present state of social problems, created hand in hand with the judiciary.

Calypso,
You are absolutely right.
Even more compelling are the relationships potential of those visitors who recognize what good service means and are willing to, not only support by repeat business, but mentor those in positions where they can continue to rise through the ranks on the way to ownership. The one thing certainly lacking in our takeaway from the tourism industry. We need more Bahamians to own this national industry. Presently, we are not there yet. We need a new collective attitude towards service. We need more exposure to how others compete in this industry. And, yes, the complete educational package which are the keys to the global door. Great observations and points, Calypso.

Can there be any doubt that our Central Bank has had these figures and has known what is going on? Yet, they didn't inform the Bahamian citizens? Seriously? These numbers on gaming are huge. It is official government policy to structure our taxation regime in favor of millionaires and billionaires, while leaving the majority of Bahamians to shoulder the burden of financing the running of government and paying these MPs salaries. No Bahamian should feel good about this report. Our short termed thinking "leaders" continue to place our countries financial system at risk and to place the welfare of the entire country in the hands of selfish self dealers. Truly a despicable situation which is entirely understated. This is a "bombshell" report.

I know this is what you have been saying. This proves your point entirely.
Frankly though, these numbers are absolutely shocking. And to consider that less than 1% of our taxes come from the gaming sector is so sad. That this government can go along with making a handful of people rich while leaving the vast majority of Bahamians to shoulder the majority of running this country should be enough to vote every one of our MPs out on their butts. With all the money in real estate and gambling and tourism, and this is the Best we can do for our people, like raising VAT? This is immoral, disgusting and should be criminal

It seems that Peter Turnquest and Marlon Johnson are not familiar with the sanctioned activities of Customs. Nor does it appear that Mr. Picewell Forbes understands what is actually causing the holdups in clearing goods in South Andros. The foreign shippers, the customers, the Customs Department and the Customs Brokers all need to be on the same page. Customs cannot claim to have ironed the wrinkles out of their own office and officials before launching this program. I understand the blame game, but, Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Have we not seen similar problems from central government before?

The entire system is fraught with moral pitfalls.
From unfair and un-Christian regressive taxation, to the temptation on both sides to engage in fraud. Any employer recognizes that it is important to keep temptation away from your employees. I do not blame the individuals as much as the entire system. It is one of the worse ways to raise revenue for the country. Too much slackness. We need to shift to progressive taxation. The billionaires who call The Bahamas home could certainly bear a bit more of the taxation burden, instead of placing the lion's share of taxation on the poor and working class. We are already stretched beyond being able to make ends meet, even if we are responsible and hard working.

We do in fact have Customs Brokers in south Andros.
Seems the biggest problem is the new Click2Clear system and user familiarity on both sides.
Remember now, the old system has been in place decades. That's what everyone is used to.
The Customs officers on South Andros have acted as Brokers here since day one. So, don't talk about having a problem with "moonlighting" when this has been official practice for years now. The reason there hasn't been Customs Brokers in South Andros is because Customs never offered the classes to become licensed Brokers. Wonder why? The Customs officers on South Andros have collected $60.00 per invoice on everything coming in, on top of their salary. Probably making hundreds of dollars a day with their "moonlighting" as the Customs Department calls it. They didn't want that to end. Any surprise that it may not be going smoother?

Thanks to the commenters here.
We need more push back to the governments hair brained schemes.
The knowledge base and critical thinking skills needed, are not existent in the leadership we have in place. Your comments here illustrate this clearly.
The discussion on this bond issue alone could have been completely avoided had we run BEC/BPL in a business-like manner in the past. Devoid of the petty political interference, corruption run amuck, and abject ignorance of business protocols.
Is this the story of our lives?
We are now left with an albatross, hung around the necks of our descendants, of which we can be assured will never be resolved.
What is being asked for here is a short term political / financial solution to a long term management problem. There is nothing in the works, either in theory or in practical terms that suggests we will not have similar, perhaps unrelated problems in a few short years due to the lack of honesty, integrity and intelligence needed to benefit the Bahamian people as a whole.