Why are we spending so much time and resources, especially professional Custom Officers Human Resources on less than 10% of Customs revenue (items brought by Bahamian passengers through LPIA)???!🤷🏽‍♂️

Despite the fact that the Custom Officers have been helpful, supported by my family’s experience with them and this ‘App’, it was ill conceived. The design is much too granular, it asks for details that could never be covered (eg all the possible retail stores etc) and its ’roll out’ was rushed and not organized. It would have been best to start with a ‘Pilot’ program to work out the kinks before releasing on our populace…a clear sign that government is desperate for income! A word to government: create a budget and stick to it🤨

Another obstacle to Bahamians living a hassle free life🙄

It boggles my mind that our authorities can apprehend a boat filled with “illegal migrants”, but can NEVER identify the ‘smugglers’???!🤷🏽‍♂️

When we truly value human life and decide to treat people fairly utilizing a sense of right from wrong then maybe we’ll take human trafficking seriously! It won’t matter who benefits or how high up their social status is…treating others like we’d want our loved ones treated is a universal truth.

I support your concern Mr. Darville!

We do need much more discussions around our littering issues and the environmental consequences from indiscriminate dumping as well as our every day littering of our beaches and motorways. I’d say continuous and ongoing education in our schools and throughout the airwaves/ social media with enforcement/expansion of littering laws is sorely needed.

Beachgoers, whether hosting a paid event or visiting a beach should clean up after themselves 🤨

…agreed. And:

While they’re at it Bahamians can “pick up” and take home their litter instead of leaving it on our beaches. It’s despicable how many leave their picnic garbage on the beach, not realizing that there is no program in place by government to collect it. Importantly people should be aware that even their attempt to ‘bagged up’ their trash results in stray animals scattering it along the sea & sand attracting rodents and insects, ruining the very ambiance they seek to enjoy.

Please don’t litter and pick up after yourselves.

Ministers “of the government” should NOT obtain policy positions from ministers ‘of (any) religion’.

Smells ‘fishy’🤨 We find it hard to believe that a Bahamian contractor with relatively little resources compared to multinational corporations that maneuver in this fashion (providing its own financing) can carry out such a project to completion. We wouldn’t even talk about ’on-time’ and ‘on-budget’🙄 Is the pursuit of this strategy meant to avoid the requirement of a bidding process?

One would think if we really wanted a Rehabilitation strategy imbedded into our Bahamian Correctional institution then we would have consulted one of the Northern European and specifically the Scandinavians whose system is built around this concept?! Not meaning to be in anyway derogatory to our American neighbors, however their known for something quite different in the ‘corrections’ world 😳

Many Bahamians are well aware of the concessions granted to hotel (foreign) investors as well as the history of government funding their staffs’ termination benefits when they exit the country. No; we’re not feeling the guilt of hotels paying the room taxes while a few Bahamians with part time rentals (not listed on Air B&B) reap a few dollars “tax free”. You have outlined a number of benefits that accrue to government and the country so government should thread carefully if and when they decide to interfere with this seasonal emerging market. In many Family Island communities homeowners represent the lion’s share of the rooms available! There are probably ways for Bahamians to contribute a small portion in taxation for these rooms although it may indeed be that their income does not exceed the $50,000 annual threshold government has established for VAT charges/payments in many instances, especially for Bahamian home owners.

Bahamians, or at least many of us, are entrepreneurial by nature. We prefer to own our our business and work for ourselves. This new market of short term home rentals is one step where we can realize that dream…forward, upward, onward…

Wow, Mr. Munroe, a man who always seems to ‘know’ so much, suddenly doesn’t no a darn thing🤨 His response is a disgrace and a genuine attempt to avoid responsibility. Everyone who ever lived or currently lives on a Family Island knows firefighting is mostly a voluntary effort; we have never relied on the RBPF Fire Services, it’s just not feasible.

However establishing and maintaining a standard for equipment, training and ongoing simulation exercises should be under government control. It would be good for the Cabinet to discuss ways to avoid similar situations in the future by addressing the above. The problems and solutions involve more than simply manpower and equipment and should be comprehensive and nation wide.

Let’s learn from our mistakes (and those of others); and let’s stop passing the buck. If you can’t stand the pressure, get out of the public service!

How do we gain? Not sure how anything other than Bahamian entrepreneurship grants any “gains”?!

Maybe the question should be “how much do we gain?”
Answer: “nothing!” Except environmental damage and social degradation 🙄