The Tribune newspaper reports that government is being urged to investigate an alleged sex-and-theft scandal which, it is claimed, could sink the popular Junior Achievement programme.
A group of leading young business people say the alleged theft of nearly $34,000 and the sodomy of young boys must become the subject of civil and criminal proceedings.
The alarming allegations come from a committee made up of successful Nassau business people – mostly former junior achievers – who claim the money went missing following fund-raising promotions in which they were involved.
A committee spokesman said, “There has supposedly been an eight month investigation into this matter, and still we have seen no answers.”
“We believe the Ministry (of Youth, Sports and Culture) is involved in a cover-up, but we insist that these matters become the subject of criminal and civil charges” if the allegations are found to have substance.ﾠ The ministry is headed by Neville Wisdom, whose bungling and incompetent handling of Junkanoo has led to numerous cries for his dismissal.
Junior Achievement, with its slogan, “bringing the real world to kids” was created to build character and business sense into young people. But the Bahamas’ version of the international organisation may have gone a little too far in pursuing that slogan.
Founded by Frank “the snake” Wilson and headed by ubiquitous committee bureaucrats like Felix Stubbs, Junior Achievement in the Bahamas has been plagued with a contradictory identity since its inception. How an organisation founded by a man with a reputation as a “snake” is going to instill good business values in young people was never understood.
Many are now questioning the signals being sent by the College of The Bahamas, where Mr. Wilson is president. Some believe it is hypocritical to expect young people to aspire for good citizenship when the head of an organisation is a man whose alleged ethical lapses have earned him the nickname “snake”.
Mr. Wilson, was also the chief fund raiser for the PLP political party in the last election.ﾠ A local tabloid has reported that he engineered million dollar contributions from nefarious sources such as Panamanian and Columbian drug cartels. The PLP is also an organisation plagued with allegations of sexual predators. There is currently a case before the courts in which a young man claims he was raped by two high-level PLP officials. The case is “lost” in the Bahamas court system, conveniently stalled by PLP legal manipulators.
Sociologists believe Bahamian society will continue to deteriorate unless actions are taken to remove gangsters and unethical business persons from positions of leadership.
