I agree with the Minister on this one. transparency is required in this instance. What locations are being rented- for what purpose and on what terms? And who owns the properties the government is renting from? This should be public information and an addendum to the national budget. This is a serious matter and is something a journalist should follow until the answers have been provided. Sadly all we seem to have in the Bahamas are reporters. I suspect this the the last time we will hear about this.

Time for a Change- While I think we need better governance from both sides of the aisle- I agree with you that we have a special way of passing responsibilities or blaming government for our own failures. I was raised in the middle of the ghetto, but I was parented right- not perfect but right. All the mantras were drilled into my head- "You might have been born in the ghetto, but the ghetto wasn't born in you"; "Don't be jealous of nobody because you don't know what they had to do to get what you see" etc. When I was going to college- because education was valued in my house and it was expected that I would go- the only thing my grandpa said to me was that in those people country I needed to remember how I was raised. In households where social values are present (single parent or two parent households) and adults parent, you see children doing amazing things that truly give me hope. But by and large we have become a country dominated by adult children refusing to be responsible for anything and therefore always casting blame. How do children learn?

You speak as if morality is only absent in these grassroots spaces (apparently brimming with PLP supporters) and not in the figurative "Eastern Road" areas. Having lived in both places- trust me when I say- they just hide it better. "Grassroots areas" are not as singular as you imagine and boundaries constantly change. Montague anyone? Pinewood? Two of the most violent areas on the island and you don't hear peep from either representative- FNM and PLP. Many of these constituencies contain people occupying a range of economic levels- as noted in the Minister's speech with regard to Elizabeth. I think most of the so called grassroots areas have elected members from both parties over the past twenty years or so with the exception of maybe two constituencies- hardly enough to carry a government. They vote in hope, but in the final analysis what has really changed in these areas - no matter what party has represented them?

@ Concerncitizen and others. I think its naive to think that the majority of PLP supporters are grassroots people and that the majority of FNM supporters are middle or working class. Those old demographic patterns just don't hold water these days and the assumptions embedded in that statement - a thin veiled association between race, class and intelligence- is quite troubling. The party tribalism Bahamians encourage is destroying this country. It is a culture of blame- that is devoid of vision and action, regardless of who is "in power." If Pinder is saying something with sense - then say that he is making sense THEN ask him- So what's the plan? What is your vision for working through this? What are you doing in your constituency to at least try to address the problem that you have rightly analyzed? We can blame the educational system, indiscriminate procreation and cyclical poverty all we want- and they all play a role, but how do we deal with the thousands of young people between the age of 18-25 TODAY who want things and are not only unemployed but are unemployable and destined to seek the easy, unwise way to their "goals"?

One hates to see the face of an unhappy child and this two year old's face speaks volumes. Very, very sad.
I am with proudloudandfnm on the legal side of things. Jail is a good place to start with the so called father

Thanks for this comment. I am sick of this one sided condemnation of women and their morality in the Bahamas as if men are not to be held accountable for their behavior. The man is a murderer. He had it in his mind to kill her and did it. Premeditated murder. I don't want to hear no pseudo religious people joining in with the murderer and blaming the victim for her death. If you believe in God you know that God is life and love. None are a part of this story. There need to be consequences in this country for atrocities like this. They are becoming far too common. He needs life without parole.