When will Bahamians be qualified for any job? The minister and immigration department ought to list all jobs from each entity that applies for foreign worker/s; on line and in local newspapers. We must insist that our governments PLP and FNM get rid of this outdated colonial mentality that Bahamians are not qualified for any job in the Bahamas. Governments ought to have an attachment to every letter of agreement on the structure of jobs. Somewhere along the lines of 90% Bahamian in every case. After all…, foreign investment in the Bahamas must benefit Bahamians. We must get away from the house boy slave mentality that Bahamians are not qualified. In most cases Bahamians trains those so called foreign professionals…, that actually take their job! Another case in point: Fly fishing, deep sea fishing and still fishing etc. ought to be monopolized by Bahamians - seeing that foreigners already control the tourist trade. Commercial fishing (including sport fishing) is suppose to be for Bahamians only. The technicality is having lodges owned by foreigners; they make the real money - while Bahamians are only fishing guides. The structure of Bahamas sport fishing (commercial fishing) need to be restructured! Including foreigner owing fishing lodges. It is not sustainable for Bahamians to allow foreigners to own all of us, the land, sea, air and economy too.

Mr. McCartney - I advise you to get 40 of your committed candidates for the next election in 2017 and have one work humbly in each constituency for the next years. In that way the people will know them and perhaps the DNA can be a party to be reckoned with. That is the best way to do the ground game! Getting out there to the people a month before an election will not do it. Good luck with that man- if you want to take a bite out of the PLP and FNM! It's all about hard work, do you and your people remember how to do that?!

Even when tensions are high and folks are frustrated for whatever reasons - we must have order, otherwise society disintegrates into anarchy. Society’s main function is to maintain order - through the rule of law; even though it may be against self!

Unfortunately we have a history of believing Bahamians need to get qualified; that can go on for another 1,000 years - if we don’t began to change that niggardly concept about the qualification of Bahamians!
Our leaders and leaders that are not only politicians ought to get away from that concept and start believing in Bahamians - otherwise we are doomed to that historical dogma that Bahamians need to be qualified. Most qualified Bahamians attended the same schools or better as many of those that are bought in as foreign workers. Yet, we dwell in this modus operandi of not being fully qualified. When will it be? As far as Freeport is concerned that’s exactly why Sir. Lynden needed to make that speech. Truthfully, unfortunately, the port authority and successive governments took a negative attitude toward the speech - and Freeport took a dive. What ought to happen - really, is the government ought to legislatively make all of Grand Bahama a Freeport Island and bring in everything like Hong Kong! Be bold cut through the passive “yes sir boss syndrome people!” And the Tribune, well, if Mr. Dupuch was still alive today - I am of the view he could have found Bahamians to fill those jobs at the paper!

Both political parties are guilty of bushwhacking the Bahamian worker. Immigration policy in this country is an affront to the Bahamian worker, all over this country! The FNM are the worst and PLP are close behind in allowing foreign workers to take jobs, or bread out of the mouth of Bahamians. All over the county they allow maids, gardeners, handyman, carpenters, electricians, care takers, managers and all sort of workers. Most of our politicians still have the house boy, colonial, slave mentality. Our leaders do not protect jobs for Bahamian workers - when an investor comes in to invest; government ought to have a standard list for investors to protect Bahamian jobs. Including an agency to police illegal workers - not just for Haitians, Jamaicans etc. But for all others that come into the country and work illegally! Many illegal workers are working in Abaco, New Providence, Exuma and especially in Exuma Cays and elsewhere in the country. The immigration department is not policing those activities properly! Save Bahamian jobs stupid!

COB certainly has its evolving problems - much of it, is frustrating to the student body; in ways plausibly, that affects their performance. When you cut money away from operational costs; its ridicules to believe it would not affect the overall status. What ought to happen - is, a reconstruction of the college administrative apparatus that would generate more efficient and coherent structure of the faculty - resulting in a higher academic performance from students. It is understandable the government has to cut its budget in this economy. However, higher education as with COB ought to be increased; reason being the strategic nature of higher education that would yield a better performance in the overall economy. One of our most important strategic interest must be education - and so the minister ought to be lobbing the cabinet for an increase in his budget instead of cuts! Similarly as with COB the government too has a problem identifying the nation priorities. Don't be daft it is about education after all!

For starters the Minister for national security can take 5 million from the 200 million he intends to spend for defense vessels. The ministry can have RBDF officers trained on how to use the technology; buy a dozen or so surveillance drones to monitor from areas around Inagua, Ragged Island, Crooked Island, Acklins and Mayaguana in the south an other areas to the North and West as need be. Stop relying exclusively on the US and NATO surveillance for the Bahamas! Drones are affordable, can cover large areas of aerial surveillance - can be operated cheaply around the clock. The Bahamas ought to stop depending on foreign entities to monitor our borders! Do it man! - its ludicrous for us not to have our own drone programme.

The Bahamas ought to get its act together and stop relying on foreign entities to monitor the 100 thousand square miles of its territory. Those foreign entities has their own agendas and does not include the interest of the Bahamas first. We have Haitian vessels coming all the way through the Bahamas without the Defense Force realizing they are in Bahamian waters and poaching by Dominicans and others. The government must take direct responsibility to monitor and secure our territory! We are not an independent nation to have foreigners protecting our boarders. Those foreign entities uses drones to monitor their agendas in the Bahamas. The government of the Bahamas must invest in drones to protect this country from illegal actions on land, sea and air. Fortunately, the most economically feasible way is - to invest in drones. Our leaders must move away from their colonial mentality and start thinking out of the box! Drones are cheap and very affordable. Do it - make it so!

The Bahamas ought to get its act together and stop relying on foreign entities to monitor the 100 thousand square miles of its territory. Those foreign entities has their own agendas and does not include the interest of the Bahamas first. We have Haitian vessels coming all the way through the Bahamas without the Defense Force realizing they are in Bahamian waters and poaching by Dominicans and others. The government must take direct responsibility to monitor and secure our territory! We are not an independent nation to have foreigners protecting our boarders. Those foreign entities uses drones to monitor their agendas in the Bahamas. The government of the Bahamas must invest in drones to protect this country from illegal actions on land, sea and air. Fortunately, the most economically feasible way is - to invest in drones. Our leaders must move away from their colonial mentality and start thinking out of the box! Drones are cheap and very affordable. Do it - make it so!

The Bahamas ought to get its act together and stop relying on foreign entities to monitor the 100 thousand square miles of its territory. Those foreign entities has their own agendas and does not include the interest of the Bahamas first. We have Haitian vessels coming all the way through the Bahamas without the Defense Force realizing they are in Bahamian waters and poaching by Dominicans and others. The government must take direct responsibility to monitor and secure our territory! We are not an independent nation to have foreigners protecting our boarders. Those foreign entities uses drones to monitor their agendas in the Bahamas. The government of the Bahamas must invest in drones to protect this country from illegal actions on land, sea and air. Fortunately, the most economically feasible way is - to invest in drones. Our leaders must move away from their colonial mentality and start thinking out of the box! Drones are cheap and very affordable. Do it - make it so!