There is an old adage which starts with the lament “with friends like these …” This thought came to us as we reflected on a decision taken by the U.S. government, advising its citizens to avoid travelling to The Bahamas due to the threat posed by Hurricane Isabel.
As a direct consequence of this decision, the Unites States Embassy made the precautionary decision to temporarily suspend the operations of its pre-clearance immigration and customs facilities in Nassau and Freeport, beginning Sunday, September 14th 2003. These decisions were taken – it is being claimed – due to the projected path of Hurricane Isabel.
In their more complete elaboration of the issue, the United States Embassy argues that they anticipate that the temporary suspension of the pre-clearance operations will have no impact on U.S. citizens travelling to or from The Bahamas.
This is where any number of Bahamians, including some in the government, vehemently disagree. Surely in a country where tourism is literally the lifeblood of the economy, any disruption is to be taken most seriously.
While we freely admit that the United States Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. State Department have the authority to do what they wish, we seriously question the wisdom behind a decision which can hamstring The Bahamas. To say the least, the decision taken was much too hasty, and was clearly based on grossly inadequate prognostications. Every projection we have seen plainly points to Hurricane Isabel skirting The Bahamas and South Florida. While no judgement regarding hurricanes is ever definitive, until the danger has passed, we say that the U.S. authorities based their decisions on the flimsiest of pretexts.
Today with a decision already made, and the matter a fait accompli, the Bahamian people have no alternative but that of riding out this man-made storm. It is a source of both pity and sadness that harm has come at the hands of an ally.
There have been many Hurricanes over the last several decades in The Bahamas without the suspension of Pre-clearance. It is our belief that there is more to this decision than we are being told. Since U.S government officials often tell of the good relations between our country and theirs, we believe that they should come clean on this particular issue. Today it is obvious that the Hurricane will not affect The Bahamas, so it seems clear that the U.S. Embassy if it is operating in good faith, should reverse the decision.
Editorial, The Bahama Journal
