As I reflect on a number of issues facing our beloved country and the response or lack thereof of our government, which came to power just one year ago supposedly “ready to govern on day one,” I cannot help but recall the song “While She Lay Sleeping,” which was written and sung by the contemporary country western singer Kenny Rogers.
The PLP is a party that while campaigning promised to double the government’s investment in education, but now somehow upon gaining the reigns of government managed to reduce its financial support to The College of The Bahamas (COB); thereby leading to increases in fees for certain services. And while the government has seemingly fallen asleep on the promises it made, COB students are clamoring for government-funded free tertiary education, a privilege that is enjoyed by their counterparts in Barbados. That country is part of the Caribbean group of countries and some Bahamians feel it is financially inferior.
With a national unemployment rate of 14 percent, the government has to be more than aware that many entrepreneurial-minded unemployed people would be seeking financing for start-up projects from the Entrepreneurial Venture Fund (Bahamas Venture Capital Fund) as well as the Bahamas Development Bank because the commercial banks, which traditionally did very few start-up business loans, retrenched even further as a result of the recession.
Yet “while she lay sleeping” both severely under-funded institutions are begging for more government funds to lend assistance to more Bahamians so they can employ themselves and others.
According to recent articles in The Miami Herald, the slow but steady increase in the price of oil on the international market has sparked a mini-boom in oil prospecting in Southwest Florida. While state and local leaders recognize the massive potential for employment and revenues from these ventures, our leaders are almost asleep on the oil question. Consequently, we risk being left behind yet again as we were recently when Florida expanded its casino operations. Does the government not realize that because The Bahamas is geographically in close proximity to Florida we have to be ahead or at worst on an even keel with it regarding any arena where we compete against each other? Failing this, The Bahamas is going to suffer and suffer badly.
Unfortunately, while sleeping people enjoy many fantasies (dreams) reality is a completely different matter. There is an urgent need for the leaders of our country to wake up and not only face reality but boldly and decisively take control of and shape that reality to our benefit; otherwise our national nightmare will continue.
By: Concerned Citizen
