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Merry Christmas!

A Happy and Blessed Merry Christmas to the entire Bahamas. May this be a peaceful, fun-filled and happy time of year for all and sundry.

Current approach to immigration has failed

First published on The Tribune, in the column Young Man's View, on Friday, September 03, 2010

By ADRIAN GIBSON

THE Bahamas appears to have an unfocused immigration strategy, with politicians seemingly adopting a deer-in-the-headlights outlook whilst fretfully pondering the political risks of possibly offending an emerging, purportedly independent "new generation" of voters (offspring of migrants) and satisfying the anti-illegal immigrant stance of traditional Bahamian voters.

Adrian Gibson's response to Allyson Maynard-Gibson's letter

Dear Editor,

 

    Admittedly, I was surprised that my column on the importance of specialized courts and the alleviation of the current case backlog and published in The Tribune on August 13, 2010, seemingly incensed at least one former Cabinet minister so acutely.

 

    Former Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson wrote a letter, ubiquitously published in the major dailies and—I’m told—has been on a publicity tour and virally reproduced on several websites, criticizing me for a quote on the Coroners Court, while seemingly dismissing the entire article and obvious research. In her letter, she repeatedly stated and implied that I was not “minded to find out the facts and write the truth” and that my piece lacked “research.”

Response to Rick Lowe's soaking the rich blog

My initial concern was getting the facts straight as to what I actually stated. I thank Mr Lowe for his attempt to correct himself.  

Secondly, I do not miss the point about government spending....or overspending as you put it. And I am not a proponent of government abusing the country's resources or overspending, so I'm perplexed relative to where that suggestion comes from.

As for what I said about taxing the wealthy, in the column I wrote:

 "It is high-time that taxes are applied to, and raised (following the American format), on the wealthy and those persons making above a certain salary each year." I stand by this statement and American administrations-whether Republican or Democrat-have seen the value in the same.

In no way would I ever suggest over taxing and/or over regulation. But a streamlined structure must be in place. However, a fact of life, in any developed or developing country, is that taxes are necessary. Because we have no streamlined tax structure in the Bahamas, this is why citizens can gripe about this and that and whatever else and it is, frankly, part of the reason why the country incurs so much debt and must borrow so much. There is a need for a streamlined system of taxation, value-added maybe (as suggested by the IMF).....that's just a fact, the current pie-in-the-sky outlook on governance and the Bahamas cannot work without adopting such first world practices.

No one wants to pay lots of  taxes, not me, not anyone......but when you look at the infrastructure and improvements and development in first-world countries, the reason that is so is because the citizens commit to paying taxes in a streamlined structure.....with a value added tax, for example, the government can eliminate certain other taxes. A give and take of sorts.

I see your opposition to government overspending, but it would be great for you to actually point to the areas in the Bahamas where you feel the government is overspending?

Tackling social issues facing Long Island's young people

First publish in The Tribune, in the column Young Man's View, on Friday, July 02, 2010

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

WITH THIS, my final column in a three-part series on Long Island, I'm hopeful that I've pricked the conscience of Long Islanders to demand much more, embrace suggestions to solve the myriad of challenges facing our community and to further commit ourselves to building that piece of rock from which we were hewn. Long Islanders are dissatisfied with being malignantly neglected and seemingly being seen as a mere afterthought.

What is the proposed development plan for Long Island?

Today, beyond the economic and infrastructural drawbacks, Long Islanders must take on the Herculean task of tackling the social issues facing a young and technologically-savvy face book generation, coupled with an annual exodus of young people.

Long Island: a forgotten outsider

First published in The Tribune, in the column Young Man's View, on Friday, June 25, 2010

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

AMIDST the countless invaluable natural and national treasures that Long Island possesses, it is home to a relatively small population which, from time immemorial, has eked out a living from land and sea and is perhaps the Bahamas' most industrious people. Whilst I grew up on the best place on earth, it appears that Long Island is seemingly a forgotten outsider in this island chain.

In 2010, fishing, a few government jobs, a handful of small farms and tourism (primarily the hotels in the north) are the main lifelines for Long Islanders. Since the turn of the millennium, there has been no major investment or development in Long Island. Noticeably, settlements such as O'Neal's are becoming ghost towns, losing population as youngsters transplant to New Providence, another settlement or elsewhere for educational, employment or other purposes and/or as older residents die out.

Final day of government ministers' assessments

First published in The Tribune, in the column Young Man's View, on Friday, August 20, 2010

By ADRIAN GIBSON

TODAY is the final day of my assessment of government ministers and my opinion of how effectively the Ingraham government has functioned in these most difficult times.

In this column on Monday I gave my opinion of the performances of Mrs Loretta Butler-Turner, Minister of State for Social Services, Minister of Works Neko Grant and Housing Minister Kenneth Russell. On Tuesday it was National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest and Environment Minister Earl Deveaux.

On Wednesday I turned my attention to the portfolios of Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Charles Maynard and Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette.

Thursday was a discussion of the performances of Agriculture Minister Larry Cartwright, Education Minister Desmond Bannister, State Minister for Public Utilities Phenton Neymour and Labour and Special Services Minister Dion Foulkes.

Long Island: A Bahamian 'cultural mecca'

First published in The Tribune, in the column Young Man's View on Friday, June 18, 2010

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

Long Island breeze, I hear you calling; calling me upon the sea - Pat Rahming

IN 2010 my home town, Long Island, remains an overlooked gem on the archipelagic chain, a splendid refuge that has afforded me blissful memories of an idyllic life on this most beautiful outcrop of rock.

Originally called Yuma by the Arawaks and later renamed Fernandina by Christopher Columbus, Long Island is a cultural mecca, featuring unique ecosystems, breathtaking landscapes and a society of people of distinction, many of the Bahamas' most industrious inhabitants.

During a nail-biter of a flight, I recently returned home to celebrate the festivities of the island's annual regatta.

Travelling onboard an early morning twin turbo prop Pineapple Air flight, my homecoming was nothing short of bumpy, as gusty winds and dark clouds filled the aircraft's windscreen, lightning streaks illuminated the skies and the tempestuous weather and air turbulence left the plane rattling, bobbing and swaying back and forth.

Performances of Cartwright, Bannister, Neymour and Foulkes assessed

First published in The Tribune, in the column Young Man's View, onThursday, August 19, 2010

By ADRIAN GIBSON

TODAY I continue my annual report card giving my view of the performance of government ministers in their various ministries.

In Monday's column I gave my assessment of the performances of Mrs Loretta Butler-Turner, Minister of State for Social Services, Minister of Works Neko Grant and Housing Minister Kenneth Russell.

On Tuesday it was National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest and Environment Minister Earl Deveaux.

On Wednesday I turned my attention to the portfolios held by Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Charles Maynard and Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette.

Today I give my opinion on how I believe Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Larry Cartwright, Phenton Neymour, Minister of State for Public Utilities and Dion Foulkes, Minister of Labour and Social Services have performed in their ministries.

A national development plan is needed for the Bahamas

First published in The Tribune, in the column Young  Man's View, on July 09, 2010

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

AS UNEMPLOYMENT continues to inch upwards and the educational system continues to subsist in crisis mode, there is a clear and present need for societal and long-term reforms of education, social services, the financial sector, the economy and the judicial system. Frankly, as we celebrate our 37th Independence anniversary, there is a critical need for a sustainable national development plan.

In 2008, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) chided consecutive governments, urging that a strategic master plan to cover all development in urban areas was "crucial for the future of the Bahamas." In the last 50 years or so, consecutive governments have merely seen the political advantages in providing jobs--many menial in nature--to quell the high rates of unemployment, rather than seeking to promote and create successful entrepreneurs and thereby foster coordination in the production and sale of goods and services.