Many of the same issues are being raised at the International Labour Conference on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) that Bahamians have heard time and time before.
However, while some feel that such repetition is a waste of time, with something like the FTAA, which will have a deep impact on the whole nation, focusing on the same issues might actually help to reassure the public that we will not sign on with the treaty unless it has been settled that our country will benefit.
In this regard, it was the Minister for Trade and Industry, Leslie Miller who reiterated the government's stand that the country will not become a part of the FTAA until there has been a true assessment of the pros and cons of joining the treaty.
Nothing makes this point stronger than Minister Miller's own words, "The government of The Bahamas is firmly of the view that membership in any trading agreement should be a win-win situation, where there is balance and no trade-off on the sovereign rights of The Bahamas and that the unique interests of The Bahamas are preserved at all times."
At this particular time, while there are those who feel that there is no choice but to sign on, there are others persons like Dr. Peter Maynard, President of the Bar Association who do not believe that the country will capitalise from signing on with the FTAA.
In recent months, the attention has been on diversifying the Bahamian economy from being mainly tourism based.
One of the industries that has received a lot of attention is the Fishing and Agricultural sector, where persons working in those areas have been encouraged to form cooperatives to feed the whole Bahamas with an eye to potentially export goods, rather than the country being dependent on imported commodities.
However, Dr. Maynard presented a whole different picture of what would happen if The Bahamas was to join the FTAA.
According to Dr. Maynard, joining the FTAA would spell the end of diversification and the continued and extreme openness and vulnerability of the Bahamian economy. He noted that the logic of the free trade scheme, leads to tourism monoculture, as the Caribbean islands would specialise in sun, sand and sea.
Furthermore, he expressed the view that persons would be able to easily enter into the country and take away employment opportunities from Bahamians, which is a fear of many.
Now while persons may also raise conflicting viewpoints, it is important for such debate and variety of opinions to continue to educate the public so that they can make a decision as to what whether they would wish to be a part of the FTAA.
The re-iteration of information may at times appear like a lot of data to digest, but in this case, it may not be a hindrance but actually beneficial. Signing onto the FTAA would be a big step, and this reality is the reason why students are studying it in schools and there are countless town meetings to discuss the treaty and its potential effects.
The Nassau Guardian, editorial
