Adrian Gibson
First published in The Tribune on Friday, September 4, 2009 under the byline, Young Man's View.
IN ORDER to encourage notable investments to drive the local economy, we must develop a new marketing message for the Bahamas--one that highlights the synergies of business and leisure opportunities.
As the debate about land usage and crown land continues, it is clear that our governments must seek to use the land to attract native (and foreign) investors to invest in boutique hotels, luxury apartments, housing estates, shopping centres and office premises. In promoting economic diversification and moving towards first-world developmental status, the government and all economic stakeholders throughout the archipelago should set aside industrial development zones that cater to blossoming economic ventures such as fisheries processing, information technology (IT), eco-estate projects, research and development, and so on.
To drive the Bahamian economy, it is imperative that we enhance our position as a financial and investment capital, tourism and leisure centre, and also evolve into more of cultural and economic hub, retail node and an international logistics management centre. What is it that impairs from thinking outside of the box?
Due to apparent land shortages in New Providence, governments should move to issue Crown Land grants and incentives to serious investors interested in developing the Family Islands. In addition to economic diversification of the Out Islands, this would also encourage a population shift away from Nassau and thereby reduce the maddening traffic congestion and possibly the spiking crime rate.
As the unemployment rate skyrockets, efforts must be made to encourage more private and public sector investment, foster development zones and establish diversification and investment niches on many of the more progressive Family Islands (one such island being Long Island, my home town, which is in need of an economic facelift).
Furthermore, we must also seek to diversify the domestic economy, with focus being placed upon commodities, communications, farming and fisheries, transport, and on nurturing and expanding the light manufacturing sector.
The Bahamas does not need to beg or pine for investors!
Frankly, we hold a trump card and many foreign investors are anxious to invest here without the plethora of concessions and land giveaways.
Our close proximity to the US, tax haven status, great climate and generally literate population does, when compared to many other jurisdictions, put the country in an advantageous position.
However, we must improve upon our skill sets and management capabilities.
Sadly, over the last 50 years, it appears that Bahamians have adopted a "herd mentality" where, instead of investing in diversified ventures, nearly every entrepreneur seemingly invests in the same sector. As we encounter a harsh economic depression, where just this week throngs of people have been laid off, we must accept that this "herd mentality" is a primary reason why, when spectacular losses occur, investors are highly volatile and sometimes crushed under ever ballooning financial pressures.
The Bahamas has scarce resources, so why hasn't the policy makers and/or the monied, economic stakeholders sought to also promote, and establish, the country as an information and communications technology (ICT) centre? Indeed, one way to diversify the economy is to establish ICT centres, becoming a managed service provider, that many Fortune 500 companies--across the globe--outsource to and depend on to manage computers, networks and business applications. I have no doubt that with the right skill sets and training, the evolution of our economy to incorporate ICT centres would also heighten aspects of corporate governance--such as security--across the world.
The government and private sector stakeholders must continue to invest in the physical infrastructure of the country in order to modernize present economic sectors, while reforming our educational system and investing in laying the foundation for new sectors--moving our economy from its 50-year-old embryonic state and lifting future economic output.
Harassment on the job - private and public sector!
Disciplinary action must be taken against those employers, supervisors and employees who harass workers/co-workers while at the work place.
Recently, I have been told of a relentless campaign of mean and spiteful behaviour at several working environments, where supervisors/school principals/managers even hide information relative to promotional exercises.
Frankly, I have been told that, in some offices, crude comments, continuous staring, the removal of papers from desks and acts of sabotage are used to cause distress and/or unnerve or intimidate some employees.
On-the-job harassment is a hidden menace in Bahamian society, which is rarely addressed, but has caused the mental breakdown of employees unable to cope with being assigned to "departments from hell."
The Darwinian theory, which speaks to the survival of the fittest, aptly applies to those environments at some business places and government offices where domineering supervisors/colleagues--particularly those that see someone as a rival--are outright bullies.
Since being told of a recent case of harassment, I am pondering whether there is any serious anti-harassment law in place, or that is being enforced, to protect workers from overzealous managers/supervisors and colleagues.
