The UK gave T&C a guaranteed rescue loan a few years ago. They imposed government spending guidelines to the point where the government delivered a small fiscal surplus instead of a deficit, so they are on the right side of economic reform. They are now easing austerity measures.
They recently had a boost in airlift, and several new hotel projects are coming online, on time and on budget, unlike Baha Mar. They had one of the fastest tourism growths in the Caribbean.
The government undertook a Tax Compliance crackdown, giving a small boost to their Financial Services.
They have proactively instituted Zika Virus measures, and they are looking to immigration to address their skills shortage.
That in a nutshell, is everything that the Bahamas is not. And when did it happen -- when Great Britain took their independence back after the Michael Missick criminal fiasco.
If we ask the UK to take us back, it will hurry up the judicial procedure to round up and jail the sub-human, lying, tiefin' b*sturds PLP -- all of them.
John, you wouldn't want shares in Bahamian tourism. You would lose your money. Take a look at the stats -- it's been a downward spiral. The only thing that would save it, is a massive investment in experiential tourism.
The guy that sits next to me now, has both a son and a daughter who are millennials. His two kids, and their boyfriend and girlfriend just came back from a trip to Costa Rica. They were zip-lining in the tropical forest canopy birdwatching and doing the ecology thing. It was eco-tourism mixed with Aztec/Inca culture. During the day, they zip-lined and during the night they made primitive pottery around a campfire all the while a shaman told them stories about aboriginal beliefs. There is no way these kids with (parent's) money would visit Baha Mar or the Grand Lucayan.
We need to develop experiential tourism if we want to keep the industry alive.
Yep. It is a symptom of either marginalised people, or poorly socialised people or both.
Folks are marginalised by the poor, monolithic economy, by poor education, by joblessness, by broken homes etc.
The wage that the average Bahamian makes is not a living wage. One cannot live in dignity on the average wage. One cannot raise a child on that wage. Coupled to the education system, and joblessness, it is no wonder that crime is out of control. More guns and more cops een gern stop it. More jobs, higher wages and better education will.
Oh for fook's sake - the Grand Lucayan is a jinxed property, just like the Atlantik Beach Hotel before it, and just like Silver Sands up the road from it, that is now a gang and drug hangout. Freeport een a tourist location.
A good corollary is some gas stations that you see around town. They never seem to prosper. It is almost like the location is jinxed or something. They open up to great fanfare, and then months later they shut down. Someone opens them up again with hand painted signs and they shut again. It is almost as if the location is cursed. Freeport is like that. Look at the casino and International Bazaar -- it is a ghetto. Some of the luxury shops like Versace still have the pillars and signs and are rotting.
Freeport needs to be taken away from its owners and a special economic zone needs to be created where anyone can come and create a knowledge-based business, for free with work permits. Freeport is a total bust as a tourism attraction, and the government taking a stake in the hotel is throwing good money after bad.
This is what I meant when I said that the Minnisites do not have a clue on how to future-proof the country. They are trying to sell the same old tired chestnuts, and they will fail and we will be further behind. I know that the government has been pitched visions of transformations, but either they are too proud or too ignorant to act on them.
Taking a stake in this hotel is wrong. As someone stated on another page, the government should not be in business. They should be complete servants to business, not be in it.
I thought so too, unlike I looked closely and thought about it. It is actually one of the times that they are quite clever. It is almost a spoonerism on Minnis' name. This alone gives me hope for the Tribune. It is funny as hell and clever. Minnis is the Minnis-ter of Pain.
I left the country to contribute to my own life. You only live once. We all owe it to ourselves to make the best possible lives for ourselves. The garden is barren in The Bahamas.
Interesting that you give a full blown ad hominem attack rather than read what is said, and test its validity against reason.
My missive wasn't an attack - it was a piece of reasoning. One has to identify the problem before it can be solved. My analysis was simply that I didn't see a cognitive toolset to fix The Bahamas for the future. For example, if the government wanted to future-proof the country, they would begin a total digital transformation of the civil service which would cut the expenditures by over 60%, deliver better services to its citizens, demonstrate fiscal probity. The FNM is orders of magnitude better than the PLP, but they are still lacking the strategic mindset, the enlightened civics and the propensity for disruptive, positive action. That is true.
People are resistant to change, and fear the unknowns. There will be a lot of ambiguity in transforming The Bahamas, and the current crop of politicians do not seem to have the ability to navigate this. There has been nothing new in terms of strategic development. Yes cutting costs is of prime importance, but if you don't change the way that those costs are incurred, then all that you are doing is worsening the situation. Simple economics.
Interesting, moving in the right direction, but still not enough.
I have been making a career transition in banking & the institution that employs me has been supplementing my post-tertiary education and it has been an enlightening eyeful.
I am totally convinced that because of the insular, parochial conditions in the Bahamas, even the most progressive Bahamians are behind the eight ball -we do not know what we do not know. I am talking about such folks as Edison, Gowon, Peter, Robert, Dionisio, Brent & the entire government charged with fixing our economy. These are the enlightened ones. The PLP are all enlightenment retards who's chief skill is teifin' from da people.
All of us have had the inbred island tunnel vision to the point that we are almost beyond saving. Ordering a 10% cut of government departments is like putting a bandaid on a wound that requires a tourniquet. Where is the cancellation of BAMSI & Urban Renewal? Where is the surgical necessity of removing 95% of BoB? The real spending is not in the 10% but in all of the gravy-sucking BS like BahamasAir.
Where is the pragmatism and quick action? The Ministry of Tourism is still living in the Dark Ages with the sun, sand & sea tired crap. Baha Mar is destined for failure -more of the same expensive crap that tourists don't want. Our Financial Services leaders are dunces & retrograde. They aren't even aware of the latest advances in Fintech, payments & modern banking. For crying out loud, some of the Canadian banks are moving towards the elimination of cheques & if there is a cheque, one can deposit it by taking a picture with a cell phone & use the funds immediately after doing that. The banking & financial services that we offer clients is laughable. It is the Dark Ages again. We are left behind when our own useless fiat currency, the B$ dollar can't be used to buy crypto-currency like Bitcoin for international transactions. The hottest new investment tool is the ICO & once again Bahamians are precluded from participating in the global economy & the chance to get rich in usable money. BISX is a complete joke & should be scrapped.
As I write this from afar, and I look around me and see functioning and thriving economies, I don't think that the Bahamas will ever be anything else than what it is now -- perhaps worse. In our current office now, we have 35 unfilled jobs that pay over $150,000 a year, and I can't think of a single Bahamian friend or colleague who would qualify for any of them.
The most disturbing thing about the new government, is that they really don't know what they should be doing to future-proof the Bahamas. They think that all they have to do is staunch the flow, and things will take care of themselves. It won't. We need a strategic plan like the Cayman Islands, and Dubai and Singapore. The trouble is that most Bahamians do not have a single clue about strategic re-positioning. We are doomed as a country.
Sad. A reflection of Bahamian societal ills. It will take generations to fix.
When they see the upper echelons like Cabinet Ministers ripping off the public, they figure that they are immune as well. The rot goes right to the core. And it is the bloody PLP's fault. It all started with Swindling, a drug-running criminal prime minister at independence.
banker says...
The UK gave T&C a guaranteed rescue loan a few years ago. They imposed government spending guidelines to the point where the government delivered a small fiscal surplus instead of a deficit, so they are on the right side of economic reform. They are now easing austerity measures.
They recently had a boost in airlift, and several new hotel projects are coming online, on time and on budget, unlike Baha Mar. They had one of the fastest tourism growths in the Caribbean.
The government undertook a Tax Compliance crackdown, giving a small boost to their Financial Services.
They have proactively instituted Zika Virus measures, and they are looking to immigration to address their skills shortage.
That in a nutshell, is everything that the Bahamas is not. And when did it happen -- when Great Britain took their independence back after the Michael Missick criminal fiasco.
If we ask the UK to take us back, it will hurry up the judicial procedure to round up and jail the sub-human, lying, tiefin' b*sturds PLP -- all of them.
On Lucaya tenant: Too late for me, I’m off to T&C
Posted 29 July 2017, 1:11 p.m. Suggest removal
banker says...
John, you wouldn't want shares in Bahamian tourism. You would lose your money. Take a look at the stats -- it's been a downward spiral. The only thing that would save it, is a massive investment in experiential tourism.
The guy that sits next to me now, has both a son and a daughter who are millennials. His two kids, and their boyfriend and girlfriend just came back from a trip to Costa Rica. They were zip-lining in the tropical forest canopy birdwatching and doing the ecology thing. It was eco-tourism mixed with Aztec/Inca culture. During the day, they zip-lined and during the night they made primitive pottery around a campfire all the while a shaman told them stories about aboriginal beliefs. There is no way these kids with (parent's) money would visit Baha Mar or the Grand Lucayan.
We need to develop experiential tourism if we want to keep the industry alive.
On Govt to take stake in Grand Lucayan
Posted 28 July 2017, 11:16 a.m. Suggest removal
banker says...
Yep. It is a symptom of either marginalised people, or poorly socialised people or both.
Folks are marginalised by the poor, monolithic economy, by poor education, by joblessness, by broken homes etc.
The wage that the average Bahamian makes is not a living wage. One cannot live in dignity on the average wage. One cannot raise a child on that wage. Coupled to the education system, and joblessness, it is no wonder that crime is out of control. More guns and more cops een gern stop it. More jobs, higher wages and better education will.
On Strategic approach as police starts anti-crime operation
Posted 27 July 2017, 9:47 p.m. Suggest removal
banker says...
Oh for fook's sake - the Grand Lucayan is a jinxed property, just like the Atlantik Beach Hotel before it, and just like Silver Sands up the road from it, that is now a gang and drug hangout. Freeport een a tourist location.
A good corollary is some gas stations that you see around town. They never seem to prosper. It is almost like the location is jinxed or something. They open up to great fanfare, and then months later they shut down. Someone opens them up again with hand painted signs and they shut again. It is almost as if the location is cursed. Freeport is like that. Look at the casino and International Bazaar -- it is a ghetto. Some of the luxury shops like Versace still have the pillars and signs and are rotting.
Freeport needs to be taken away from its owners and a special economic zone needs to be created where anyone can come and create a knowledge-based business, for free with work permits. Freeport is a total bust as a tourism attraction, and the government taking a stake in the hotel is throwing good money after bad.
This is what I meant when I said that the Minnisites do not have a clue on how to future-proof the country. They are trying to sell the same old tired chestnuts, and they will fail and we will be further behind. I know that the government has been pitched visions of transformations, but either they are too proud or too ignorant to act on them.
Taking a stake in this hotel is wrong. As someone stated on another page, the government should not be in business. They should be complete servants to business, not be in it.
On Govt to take stake in Grand Lucayan
Posted 27 July 2017, 9:36 p.m. Suggest removal
banker says...
Oh sorry, I get it now.
On Minnister of Pain: PM swings axe to turn round economy
Posted 27 July 2017, 11:16 a.m. Suggest removal
banker says...
I thought so too, unlike I looked closely and thought about it. It is actually one of the times that they are quite clever. It is almost a spoonerism on Minnis' name. This alone gives me hope for the Tribune. It is funny as hell and clever. Minnis is the Minnis-ter of Pain.
On Minnister of Pain: PM swings axe to turn round economy
Posted 27 July 2017, 10:37 a.m. Suggest removal
banker says...
I left the country to contribute to my own life. You only live once. We all owe it to ourselves to make the best possible lives for ourselves. The garden is barren in The Bahamas.
Interesting that you give a full blown ad hominem attack rather than read what is said, and test its validity against reason.
My missive wasn't an attack - it was a piece of reasoning. One has to identify the problem before it can be solved. My analysis was simply that I didn't see a cognitive toolset to fix The Bahamas for the future. For example, if the government wanted to future-proof the country, they would begin a total digital transformation of the civil service which would cut the expenditures by over 60%, deliver better services to its citizens, demonstrate fiscal probity. The FNM is orders of magnitude better than the PLP, but they are still lacking the strategic mindset, the enlightened civics and the propensity for disruptive, positive action. That is true.
People are resistant to change, and fear the unknowns. There will be a lot of ambiguity in transforming The Bahamas, and the current crop of politicians do not seem to have the ability to navigate this. There has been nothing new in terms of strategic development. Yes cutting costs is of prime importance, but if you don't change the way that those costs are incurred, then all that you are doing is worsening the situation. Simple economics.
On Minnister of Pain: PM swings axe to turn round economy
Posted 27 July 2017, 9:56 a.m. Suggest removal
banker says...
Interesting, moving in the right direction, but still not enough.
I have been making a career transition in banking & the institution that employs me has been supplementing my post-tertiary education and it has been an enlightening eyeful.
I am totally convinced that because of the insular, parochial conditions in the Bahamas, even the most progressive Bahamians are behind the eight ball -we do not know what we do not know. I am talking about such folks as Edison, Gowon, Peter, Robert, Dionisio, Brent & the entire government charged with fixing our economy. These are the enlightened ones. The PLP are all enlightenment retards who's chief skill is teifin' from da people.
All of us have had the inbred island tunnel vision to the point that we are almost beyond saving. Ordering a 10% cut of government departments is like putting a bandaid on a wound that requires a tourniquet. Where is the cancellation of BAMSI & Urban Renewal? Where is the surgical necessity of removing 95% of BoB? The real spending is not in the 10% but in all of the gravy-sucking BS like BahamasAir.
Where is the pragmatism and quick action? The Ministry of Tourism is still living in the Dark Ages with the sun, sand & sea tired crap. Baha Mar is destined for failure -more of the same expensive crap that tourists don't want. Our Financial Services leaders are dunces & retrograde. They aren't even aware of the latest advances in Fintech, payments & modern banking. For crying out loud, some of the Canadian banks are moving towards the elimination of cheques & if there is a cheque, one can deposit it by taking a picture with a cell phone & use the funds immediately after doing that. The banking & financial services that we offer clients is laughable. It is the Dark Ages again. We are left behind when our own useless fiat currency, the B$ dollar can't be used to buy crypto-currency like Bitcoin for international transactions. The hottest new investment tool is the ICO & once again Bahamians are precluded from participating in the global economy & the chance to get rich in usable money. BISX is a complete joke & should be scrapped.
As I write this from afar, and I look around me and see functioning and thriving economies, I don't think that the Bahamas will ever be anything else than what it is now -- perhaps worse. In our current office now, we have 35 unfilled jobs that pay over $150,000 a year, and I can't think of a single Bahamian friend or colleague who would qualify for any of them.
The most disturbing thing about the new government, is that they really don't know what they should be doing to future-proof the Bahamas. They think that all they have to do is staunch the flow, and things will take care of themselves. It won't. We need a strategic plan like the Cayman Islands, and Dubai and Singapore. The trouble is that most Bahamians do not have a single clue about strategic re-positioning. We are doomed as a country.
On Minnister of Pain: PM swings axe to turn round economy
Posted 27 July 2017, 9:13 a.m. Suggest removal
banker says...
> I believe our real estate market stuck in an imaginary bubble here in Nassau.
True dat. One day its gonna burst if there is another downgrade and the crime doesn't stop.
On Realtor urges revival of ‘Economic Citizenship’
Posted 25 July 2017, 7:12 p.m. Suggest removal
banker says...
Sad. A reflection of Bahamian societal ills. It will take generations to fix.
When they see the upper echelons like Cabinet Ministers ripping off the public, they figure that they are immune as well. The rot goes right to the core. And it is the bloody PLP's fault. It all started with Swindling, a drug-running criminal prime minister at independence.
On Officers suspended over booze video
Posted 25 July 2017, 11:24 a.m. Suggest removal