His remarks concerning the vexing issue of Haitian migration to The Bahamas, and some concerning a United Nationﾴs Quality of Life Index. In the latter regard, Prime Minister Christie expressed what seemed to be genuine amazement that Barbados has a purportedly higher quality of life rating than The Bahamas.
Quite evidently, his amazement would be due ﾖ in part at least ﾖ to that penchant most island dwellers have, which is to believe that somehow their homeland is the best of all places in the world. In and of itself, this is not dreadfully important in the larger scheme of things. There is, however, a great degree of good which comes about when leaders are obliged to frame their views, put them in context, and otherwise speak precisely.
When Prime Minister Christie travels in the region and into the world, he knows that the problems facing him, in his role as Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas are by no means unique. The point, too, is that useful comparisons can and should be made between countries sharing a common history and contemporaneously very similar problems.
When these comparisons are made, crucial differences between countries should be cited. Take for example, the much ballyhooed distinction between Barbados and The Bahamas, regarding their different quality of life indices. Our view is that while Barbados and The Bahamas do share some things in common (particularly as regards economic strategy), their geographical circumstances are so different, they might explain most of the purported difference between the two countries, as regards quality of life indicators.
For one thing, location right off the coast of the mainland United States, exposes The Bahamas to any number of very expensive security challenges. Criminals intent on using The Bahamas as a launch paid and platform to facilitate their enterprises have done just that. They are helped by the fact that as an archipelago, The Bahamas is an almost perfect place for any number of modern day pirates. Indeed, this has always been the case.
Location and geographical configuration do play a large part in distinguishing Barbados from The Bahamas. As one large island, Barbados can better defend itself from predators. This would ﾖ again quite evidently ﾖ reduce the level of their outlay on security. This would have the salutary benefit of freeing up sources, thus the capacity to spend more on health, education, physical and social infrastructural works. These, then, would conduce to elevating Barbadosﾴ quality of life index.
In The Bahamian case, the reverse would be the case. As more and more resources are spread far and wide, they run thin. This is why remote places in The Bahamas fare so poorly. It also explains why the fruits of economic growth do not necessarily translate into a higher standard of living for very many people.
On Prime Minister Christieﾴs observations concerning the migration of undocumented labour to The Bahamas, it is quite evident that location and configuration are vitally important. It is far easier to defend and protect one island (say Barbados), than it is to defend and protect an archipelago which occupies over 100,000 square miles of ocean. There again, is another crucial variable to explain the gap between Barbados and The Bahamas.
Our view, then, is that while the Barbadian situation is good for Barbadians, it would be na�ve to assume that their successes can be easily replicated in The Bahamas. This is not to suggest, however, that nothing can be learned. Far from it.
At this juncture in their countryﾴs history, Bahamians can and should try to learn as much as they can from everywhere. They also need to learn that the American Way is not necessarily the best way for all of them, which bring us to what is perhaps unique about The Bahamas. Precisely because it is an archipelago, The Bahamas boasts a culture which is both varied and beautiful.
With Bahamians living in twenty two or more population centres through the island chain, each island group has it own distinctively Bahamian identity and cultural orientation to the world. As such, therefore, fragmentation and dislocation have been turned into positives. There is no known index to measure the worth and value of this. But as everyone who has travelled through The Bahamas would attest, this is what makes The Bahamas unique. These points are made in aid of the argument, that Bahamians should not underestimate themselves and the uniqueness of their countryﾴs situation in the world.
When placed in the context of the wider region, the Bahamian experience serves to underscore the importance of diversity. As a microcosm of the world, the Caribbean is home to peoples from everywhere, with Africans, Indians and Europeans preponderant. This brings us ﾖ as it were ﾖ back to the situation The Bahamas and its sister nations in the Caribbean now face, as they grapple with the problems and challenges facing their neighbours in Haiti. For its part, the Bahamas has been obliged to deal with a steady northward trek of Haitians, intent on escaping Haitiﾴs misery.
We are of the view that ﾖ if given half a chance ﾖ many of the undocumented migrants in The Bahamas, would much prefer making a life for themselves in the United States of America. It is this ﾑfact,ﾴ which explains why successive Bahamian administrations have wisely turned to the United States of America for help in dealing with a so-called ﾑinfluxﾴ of Haitians. Many Bahamians routinely accuse these people of being a drain on social services, even as they turn to them as a source of reliable and cost-efficient labour. Some would say that a better expression would be ﾑa source of cheap labour.ﾴ
Regardless, our contention in reaction to some of the prime ministerﾴs commentary and report on the quality of life index in The Bahamas, is that comparison to other nations must always be tempered by an understanding and appreciation of certain brute facts of life. Note well that Barbados would not be obliged to deal with any large number of ﾑillegalsﾴ or undocumented. As one island space, law and order would be more easily secured in such a situation.
Essentially, therefore, our advice that Bahamians should not be too hard on themselves. While there is much more that could be achieved, particularly as regards community building and good governance, much has already been achieved.
Editorial, The Bahama Journal
