The Times They Are a-Changin’ – Bob Dylan
If you look around Freeport, you will see people dying from within, and nobody cares.
How can a Government feel so little for their people that they will let them be treated like nothing?
On the surface things might look well, but that’s not actually the case. We Bahamians are usually happy go lucky people, but when we are pushed hard enough you will see the “pot cake” come out in us.
For example, there was a certain businessman who had people working for him for 20 years, never gave them a raise, and then let the business shut down and to this date has not paid severance to the employees.
Because he was the son of a prominent person in the community, everyone was intimidated by him so he got away with it.
When this situation was going on, not one single government official came to check out the situation and still have not.
So now when other employers see one person doing it and getting away with it, more are doing the same thing and no government official has stepped in to try and correct this or deal with it in any way.
You can imagine what would happen if I had a business in England and decided to shut them down and move out of the country and did not settle with my employees?
They would send their Navy Seals to come after me to get me back to England to deal with the situation correctly.
So why can’t the Bahamian government see fit to stand up for their Bahamians?
In 1984 I had a job at a local restaurant making $250.00 a week, plus tips and when I returned 14 years later I was offered a job at another establishment to make $150.00 a week.
Is there something wrong with this picture? The same bartenders’ job 14 years later and you make LESS?
In 1998 when I came back to the island I started working for a certain restaurant and after working for a year, I spoke to my supervisor about a raise, and he actually laughed in my face; so I went to the manager and she said “absolutely not” and therefore referred me directly to the owner.
I did speak with the owner and he asked me “how were my tips?” and I got nothing and for the duration of my employment with the company, and this is allowed.
Even Bahamian employers speak to the employees as if they are nothing, and this is the mentality of many employers. We all need to work on being kinder to our fellow Bahamian.
Anyone in Freeport will know if you make less than $1,000 a month here you can barely make ends meet.
You’re only working to pay rent, electricity etc, cannot save, having to work numerous jobs if available just to keep your head above water.
The crime level would certainly drop if the minimum wage was higher, then the desperation would be less, so the need to steal would go down.
I also think there should be yearly cost of living increases.
Prices to live keep going up, but salaries cannot even compare.
You can’t really blame the employers, because why would they pay more than they have to, it’s the Government approving these laws. Shame on them for passing these laws.
I remember the feeling when Pindling broke the gates down in Eight Mile Rock, and the changes he made in the beginning is what we need again.
We need a new PLP, we need someone who is dedicated to The Bahamas like Pindling was.
I recently watched a show on Discovery Channel telling of how the Prince of England was sympathetic to Hitler’s ideas, so the English government wanted to keep an eye on him.
They sent him (Prince) to The Bahamas so they could keep an eye on him.
The Prince’s wife made a statement that she didn’t want to come here because of the Bahamian people being close minded and shallow.
This was shocking to me. People thinking they are better than others because of their financial status.
There should be someone here that is working for the “little people,” which is the majority in today’s times.
We need a Government Agency that could create jobs, ie: by starting the world’s 2nd Conch Farm, and having major fines for anyone caught with undersize conch, Fish farms, soft shell crab farms and lobster farms doing the same with fines for these. Solar energy could be something that can be looked into.
These things are taking place in East End. This could be something for the younger and honest upcoming people.
Also drug rehab and someone out there to help the people on the streets.
I have a challenge for all of the politicians in The Bahamas, for the first year, put half of your salary back into The Bahamas and the Bahamian people. ie: not drawing on the salaries and putting the half not drawn into increasing minimum wage or any of the above mentioned projects, making the party responsible a well remembered party so at the end of the term, there will be no question as to who is re-elected for the next four years.
The politicians do not need their high salaries to live off of, I have struggled off of $150.00 a week for the past three years, so I know.
We need someone who is loyal to the Bahamian people, and has the country and the people as priority.
Just like when you see Americans sing their National Anthem and pledge their allegiance, the pride they have for their country, that’s how it should be with The Bahamians, but sad to say, it is not. We seem to want to be so Americanised, then let’s up our minimum wages to match the Americans.
Politicians seem to be on par with American politicians, so why can’t the Bahamian people’s wages be on par too.
The majority of the people that I have spoken to say they are not going to vote, because they have no clue as who to vote for. They see no keeping of the promises made by either FNM or PLP, so they are lost. Everyone who is able to vote should do so to help get the changes needed on the way. We need to bring pride back to our country.
These times are like a pimple, and it’s about to pop.
By: Concerned
