First published in The Tribune on Friday, August 3, 2007 under the byline, Young Man's View.
HOLLAND: With all of its fancy TV commercials promoting their internet service, Cable Bahamas’ internet service is deplorable. I have personally had to call the cable company on numerous occasions for assistance, usually having to do with failures in internet connectivity.
Belgian Honorary Consul Hervey Kelecom expressed his disgruntlement with Cable Bahamas to me, saying:
“I think Cable Bahamas is a disgrace! I am having a lot of problems at the moment with getting online. In my email from them, everything is blocked! I only get emails by luck, and sometimes they are repeated in excess of 15 times. There are emails that are being delayed!”
Further, Mr Kelecom said: “I refused to pay them last month’s bill. They said they would send an engineer, but he has not arrived yet! Cable Bahamas should understand that there is a maximum that people will accept! They must accept they they cannot charge people for service not performed. And they should apologise to the public.”
“I am not asking for a miracle but just that they do better. If they cant handle a service, they should abandon it. I am fed up with them, because they have been doing this for weeks; maybe the government should step in and say ‘enough is enough’ and tell them that ‘if you can’t perform, we will find another company”, he said.
In concluding, Mr Kelecom lamented: “The cable company say it’s a problem because of the rain, but could you imagine if they were in England or some other country where rain falls in some areas up to one meter. It isn’t even close to that here and they talking about rain. If this poor service happened in Europe or the states, the company would have been bankrupt!”
Mr Kelecom’s comments, I am sure, sum up the feelings of many Bahamians towards Cable Bahamas.
Happy Emancipation Day Bahamas!
This August 1st, the Bahamas commemorated the emancipation of the slaves in 1834 and I celebrated my 23 birthday. I am currently on vacation in Holland, and travelling to Belgium and Germany for a few weeks—in nearly a week, I have seen some of the most picturesque, mind-blowing sites.
The diversity of the people and industries in thee countries only solidify, for me, the notion that the Bahamas must begin exploring other economic avenues and industries to truly become a first world country.
This week, as we celebrate emancipation, the Bahamas can still be seen as a modern day plantation, where many Bahamians are merely trained to serve, rather than become entrepreneurs or envisage innovative ideas of their own. Why are many Bahamians still only being trained to serve as maids, cooks and so on, rather than to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams? Indeed, these are all noble and honest means of making a living, but we must know that the forward progression of a society can only occur through it’s peoples educational upliftment and their pursuit of business?
The Bahamian government must broaden its perspective on investment, looking outside of the tourism box, and encouraging more competition. Industries such as farming, fishing and mining (aragonite) or other light industries, can all have a great impact upon the Bahamian economy if more resources are invested in them. Further, by enticing those foreign investors that promote environmentally sound projects, the Bahamas would take an enormous step towards being a developed country.
In Holland, I am told that the research and development industry is booming. After a product is effectively tested and developed, it is out sourced to countries such as China where cheap labour allows for these goods to be produced in mass. Why shouldn’t reputable companies be invited into the Bahamas to carry out research and development projects? Why has the Bahamas not seriously delved the technological arena encouraging and giving concessions to local business people and also by luring in foreign, technologically adept companies to operate—and I don’t mean Pegasus?
Finally, this week I would like to congratulate Mrs Eileen Carron and The Tribune, on a noble move in agreeing to a joint operation agreement with the Nassau Guardian. The Guardian had fallen into the doldrums, with a drastic decline in sales and readership. As far as the very near future is concerned, the Guardian, a paper that is 161 years old, has a chance to be around for another century, particularly as it was on the verge of collapse.
