Political asylum, perhaps not but a residency system based on skill levels and other points. A point should be for period of work location to family islands with housing for the approved resident medical personnel.

On the amounts of people involved from what seems to be the present levels currently employed in the Bahamas, seems to be a few hundred Cubans compared to the some 30,000 ? workers who annually seek to renew work permits and only some 12,000 have permits renewed.

Authorities need to publish these work permit data. No corrupt govt official(s) should not be a part of a system where humans, individually or in groups are rented out to other countries for a money price decided between one controlling govt official and another country's govt official especially when a democracy based constitution of freedoms and human rights as humans and government is a party.

Possible solution.

In light of the crises and the root of the issues going to the continuing attachment to communist regimes versus the democratic based regimes seems to be at least offer Political Asylum to these Cuban medical personnel and the teachers.

There are some 24,000 Cuban medical personnel in some 56 foreign countries filling critical gaps in those countries, should at least offered Political Asylum to remain and bring their immediate families to live democratic countries and of course their wages remain in those countries.

Cuba communist government from inception has been spreading its evil communist ideology to other countries.

The spreading of its communist views was through its various forms of assistances and in support of its communist repression of the population.

Some of the past incursions into other countries assistance was like the support and construction of a long runway capable for heavy military use aircraft on the tiny Grenada island and leader Mr. Bishop who did not fare too well, another incursion was into Angola with its communist troops which did not fare too well, other was in Guyana with its main communist backer Russia and influences leading to chaos in taking over enterprises as state businesses. Support and communist influences in numbers of central american countries with communist groups forever fighting governments creating havoc with peoples lives. No country should be furthering the evil communist countries with a record of repressing peoples rights, seizing peoples properties for the state and the denial fundamental rights of freedoms like those in the free world enjoy.

Current example of communist ideology in action is like Ukraine, one of the largest grain producing nation supplying grains to the world's struggling nations being deciminated by neighbouring communist nation.

Given the visual increasing signs of more and more and more Bahamians are on the streets begging, pleading for help, many on the streets with cardboard signs written pleas for help, many on the streets in dirty clothing with dark dirt all over, some on those lying on the street corners by Boat Alley wrapped up in blanket sleeping, one sleeping in a store lobby area right by Market st. and Wulff rd., number by the Boyd rd, numbers by Shirley st and other places.

Bahamians are in need of help and in growing numbers and obvious for those who can be seen on the streets there should be obvious that there are many who are not on the streets also needing help and other various forms of help.

Extremely sad to read this story. May he rest in peace.

The long continuous Communist Cuba government is on the evil communist ideology which is the opposite and authoritarian govt of their people with repressive policies of their people which is the opposite to the Bahamian constitution freedoms and rights.

Every often there are these sad stories of its population trying to escape their country to seek freedom in nearby countries when many lose their lives trying to float away in inner inflated vehicle tires, make shrift rafts with bottles of water in the hot sun, some piloting the govt agriculture spray planes to the US, some putting a propeller on the rear wheel drive shaft and surrounding the truck with a bow and floats to the US, some going abroad on programs and the defecting to the countries for freedom. Many, many stories an horrible endeavors for freedom and many stories of many who lose their lives.

Somehow after all those years of attempts to escape the communist country it seems that there is a absolute refusal to make the dash for freedom in democratic run countries. If it isn't the issue of the money, then why?

THE issue has to deal with the government 'lacks...political will" to crack down on the financial crimes. There are so many stories from Bahamians on so many fraudulent incidents which have been going around but are never resolved. Seems many of these alleged frauds are so egregious and blatently wrong, unethical and common sense obvious but seems authorities never to correct the obvious wrongs not wanting the bank to incur debt. Victims to have to find money for a lawyer to go up against the bank with deepest pockets and dragged on. Stacked up against the victim seems to be the continuous inability to have basic basic wrongs righted especially if there are connecting aiding and abetting forces with the dominating status quo aligned with the govt. versus the victims. Thank you for the article Mr. Hartnell and the Tribune.

The Agri President is primarily dealing with the materials in the production stage of manufacturing, a smaller range of end food products which should have been negotiated with the Govt Agricultural store to have the best costs to produce the products locally.

The larger range of imported finished food products range from all sorts of prices from olive oils to vegetable oils, expensive corn beef to cheaper brands and the majority of the food products are not produced locally.

The beloved Bahamaland has risen to be about the sixth most country to live in with the monthly costs have increased large numbers of the population to be lining up at increasing charities who have to obtain and cook hot meals daily for very hungry people.

The govt also assists with the feeding of thousands of meals to school children who do not have the basic breakfast meal.

Kudos to the increasing numbers of churches and other charities and the Govt. to be assisting to be giving the mouthfuls of food to the increasing numbers of the Bahamian needy.

From the 1970's it appears that the cocaine drug production has exploded despite eradication efforts and Columbia producing some 1,700 tons per year. Production of cocaine should have also increased in nearby countries.

Recent plane crash about short of 1 ton cocaine was mentioned of being valued some 15 million dollars. 1,700 tons should be some 25 billion dollars annually involved (excluding the other producing countries) Even if the illegal activity is hugely smaller there should be a lot of suitcases with cash outside of Columbia.

Given these huge increasing production of cocaine drugs production annually, there must be somewhere of where is the corresponding associated money?

Most professionals whose qualifications are tied to local and/or international agencies like Doctors and other professionals and even many local employer firms, are on being found breeching standards, are debarred, licenses revoked from doing activity.

However, in the Financial sector, it appears that apparent breeches and wrong doings are not exposed and seems the negative bearing situations obviously would be negative publicity for that institution and seems to have been going on for decades in the second largest industry in the Bahamas.

What is important and there should be for those financial employees being part of wrongs financial doings, to have a public notice of prohibiting those persons with their photographs that they are not authorized to engage in financial activities and not allowed to be re-employed at another financial institution.

Someone should have examined the costs involved in hiring some 38 Cuban nurses and some 18 Ghana nurses from way across the ocean for basic expenses like Bahamas rental accomodations security and rent upfront, cost incurred in groceries supplies incurred monthly, light bills monthly , water bills, laundries usually supply of daily new cleaned clothes, transportation, phones , airline travel to and from Cuba, etcetc and hole of other expenses which seems a lot more money costy involved ----- than to hire existing Bahamian medical personnel already incurring those expenses and done owning their own homes and not paying ren t!!! ......AND to still want to pay from those in the qualified Bahamian pool of qualified Bahamian retireed ----- lower pay than the Cubans overall costs and expenses ???? Something don't seems right..