The government was challenged on Wednesday to implement a “proactive national economic development strategy” to stimulate the country’s economy, as E-commerce can only develop within a vibrant economy.
Opposition Free National Movement Senator Tanya McCartney also criticised the Progressive Liberal Party as a “feel good, sound good, and talk good” administration, harbouring the mistaken notion that E-commerce was an “industry unto itself.”
In her contribution to a Senate debate on a package of enabling legislation before the chamber, Senator Tanya McCartney, obviously referring to claims that E-commerce could become a “third pillar” of the economy, said it was merely a means of facilitating economic transactions.
She said, however, that while she supported the Bills, she also urged the government to find means to improve the living standards of Bahamians, as E-commerce will be rendered ineffective if residents do not have food to eat, money to spend, let alone have funds to transact business over the internet.
“It would appear that E-commerce is perceived by those opposite as an industry unto itself,” she said. “This however, is not the case. The efficiency of E-commerce as a mechanism for buying and selling goods and services by electronic means is only as good as the economy is. It is simply a facilitator of business activity.
“Without business there is no E-commerce. If people have no money, E-commerce is rendered irrelevant. For E-commerce to be of relevance to any Bahamian we must have a vibrant economy and a proactive national economic development strategy,” Senator McCartney said.
To date, she maintained, there has been no such vibrancy under the Progressive Liberal Party regime, and there has been no pro-activity on the part of the government by way of implementation of a national development plan to stimulate the economy.
To put it simply, Senator McCartney said, E-commerce is of no benefit to individuals if business on the whole in the country is doing badly.
“I listen to what my Bahamian brothers and sisters are saying, and they are crying, crying for a little bit of help and hope. But hope is gone and help is lost. The mothers who cannot pay their rent or find a job are crying, and E-commerce is not the answer,” she said.
Senator McCartney called on the present administration – war or no war, to take proactive steps to curb the “economic haemorrhaging” in the country.
Calling on the government to do something that would affect Bahamian lives in a tangible way, she urged, “Let the Bahamian people see the plan at work in their lives. Let the business community see the plan at work in their lives in order that E-commerce may be rendered relevant.
The introduction of the E-commerce Bills at this time, gives an indication of the government’s priorities, she said, and obviously, “Feeding the poor, jobs for the jobless is not. This is a feel-good, sound-good and talk- good government. I admonish this new administration to get serious about stimulating commerce. I admonish this administration to get serious about touching lives in a meaningful and substantial way. We must be real with the Bahamian people.”
The Bills stemmed from the Free National Movement’s vision for an information-based society with positive implications for entrepreneurial pursuits and education, Senator McCartney said, and once properly implemented, would contribute to the overall development of information technology in The Bahamas.
By Keva Lightbourne, The Nassau Guardian
