A Trading of One Slave Master for Another!
May 7 2021
Professor Dr. Kevin Turnquest Alcena
Ph. D. in Economics/ Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology/ Ph. D. in Public Health/ PhD in Herbal & Holistic Medicine/ Ph. D. in Biogenetics/MD, Titular Professor, Attorney-at-Law in the UK-Lawyer & ClLex:ACIArb
“The great enemy of freedom is the alignment of political power with wealth. This alignment destroys the commonwealth — that is, the natural wealth of localities and the local economies of household, neighborhood, and community — and so destroys democracy, of which the commonwealth is the foundation and practical means.”
(Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays)
As we reflect on this sovereign nation that many of us call home and look at where we have come from to where we are now, one must truly ask the question are we still slaves in our own country? The misery index is very high and continues to rise. After everything that Sir Lynden Pindling, our father of the nation did to establish our freedom, have we been able to carry on the work he has started? Have the powers that be remembered their social responsibility to us the people? Or have we once again become pawns on the chess board in this game we call life? The truth of the matter is no one wants to ask the hard questions or face the realities of the society we now live in and call our home. We are bound not only by our allegiance to this country but our lack of motivation to produce anything has made us pawns for the world as a whole. This is because our inability to stand on our own have impinged upon our rights to be independent. We cannot say no to certain things or disagree with the powers that be because they have the capability to take away whatever it is we desire or have achieved. Is this what our forefathers had in mind when they banded together to obtain our independence? Was it their intent for us to trade bondage for the illusion of freedom? Nelson Mandela said, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” My fellow learned readers I ask you have we obtained freedom in its truest sense of the word? I’m sure if anyone could be called as an expert witness on the subject it was former president Nelson Mandela as he himself gave up his freedom to give his entire country and people the right to be free.
Mr. Prime Minister I therefore ask are you fighting for the rights of all to be free or is it the entitlement of those who can afford it? It would be a great disservice to the country that you set out a budget and it is the same old, same old, given the fact that the global economy is going into what is being termed a ‘double-recession.’ As such we need to have some sort of dialogue with the powers that be, which include the IDB, because at present The Bahamas needs a 3-billion-dollar stimulus package, especially when we note the fact that we have a 9-billion-dollar deficit. Notwithstanding sir, we do commend you for the Entrepreneurship initiative, however, thousands of Bahamians are waiting for this loan to be approved.
Now while we understand that many will not flourish, if we even have 5% that are successful in obtaining this loan to jumpstart their business, it can have a tremendous trickle-down effect to the economy. If we are going according to the words you, Mr. Prime Minister put in the atmosphere during your campaign, that being ‘It’s the People’s Time,’ then shouldn’t the expectation be that you would do what is necessary for the success of all and not just the elite and increase the minimum wage to $12? Moreover, the budget should also reflect
The Bahamas Government making a concertive effort to meet with the Black Caucus as they can negotiate anything on behalf of the government in terms of what they need from Washington. The Black Caucus is a political group or organization compose of African-Americans and aiming to promote the interest of black people. Opposition Leader Philip Brave Davis realizes the importance of this network which is why he has already taken the first steps to securing this budding relationship by meeting with the Black Caucus. As a matter of fact, Mr. Prime Minister, paying a courtesy call to the Vice President should really be considered, the Premier and the Prime Minister of Turks & Caicos and Barbados understands this as there has been a dynamic paradigm shift in the role of women in leadership. As Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” I have yet to see in the newspaper, social media or television where you or a female Caucus, including your wife pay a courtesy call to the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
It is my hope, Mr. Prime Minister and leader of the Opposition Mr. Philip Brave Davis, that a woman is chosen as Deputy Leader of the party. You are not being proactive Mr. Prime Minister this is critically important as it is all about relationship networking. Our number one tourist comes from the United States so connecting with the Black Caucus can help us increase this source of revenue by tapping into Religious Tourism. You may not believe it Mr. Prime Minister but Religious Tourism is the biggest business in the world. We have the capacity to hold conventions, but the Minister of Tourism needs to put together a team that we can further promote and gain from this underestimated source of income. Do you remember Sir Stafford Sands ingenious plan to promote The Bahamas by sending The Police Band all over the world?
We can network with our Religious leaders to promote conventions here. Let’s not forget that last election and the election prior to, the polls indicated that the highest number of voters were women! It would do well Mr. Prime Minister to not only remember, but show more respect and inclusion to the women in our country. Make no mistake about it Mr. Prime Minister you are being closely scrutinized and things like this people take note of. We must be creative in terms of this approach in regards to relationships and be cognizant of the fact that the entire world is going into a double recession as Europe and Germany have already publicly declared. It is strategically important that we maintain a good relationship with the United States, that is our closest neighbor and if you arrogantly think that you are more powerful than the U.S. it’s laughable!
My dear friend and Minister of National Security has every other flag up . Moreover, to go see him requires one to go through so many hoops as if we are a Military State.
One has to be properly attired, the protocols in this little island to go see the Minister of National Security is outrageous! Come on now! I can go see the Commissioner of Police and the President of the United States in crocs, but have to wear shoes to see the Minister?
I. like thousands of handicapped Bahamians only wear crocs due to circulation issues, heart problems and any other medical problem they may have. What has the county become when you are hindered from entering a building because of your disability? Leviticus 19:14 “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.”
These kinds of protocols are laughable because we are an island! However, my fellow learned readers I will commend the Minister for the CCTV that he implemented, the body cams for police officers, even the drones and for this I give the Minister of National Security an A! I also want to commend the Commissioner of Police for enforcing the protocols through the use of the Covid Ambassadors and actively ensuring that people be charged before the courts. This major step was an excellent move in terms of charging people that are breaking the protocols for safety and protection of us all. We salute you Commissioner. You are doing an awesome job! As the word says, “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor” (Romans 13:7). I also commend the Commissioner for charging people with defamation, but are they going to charge people for political defamation? The attack against my learned and good friend Fred Mitchell is nasty! This homophobic rhetoric is going to do more harm than good to our little nation. Take note that Biden has made a commitment to aiding the transgender community so we need to be careful how we are treading.
We cannot expect to spread this kind of vileness and expect to get tourist from all around the world. While I may not agree with it, people’s lifestyle choices are their own so they shouldn’t come under attack for it. Bahamians in droves are being given residency in Canada because they leave here in fear of their life. How can we be a part of the world and using it as a propaganda for political gain? It’s a diabolical attack and we need to find a way to implement new legislation that will deal with the spreading of fake news. I’m hoping that the government recognizes that this fake news is having an impact on our tourism business. Tourist see these things and some are afraid to come here when they hear about the politicians spreading unseemly and despicable propaganda.
The Athaliah attack against our politicians is not going to win elections, rather it is doing more harm than good to our country. People as far as Sweden and Switzerland are reading these things and if this is how both parties are aiming to be elected it’s wrong! I also commend you Mr. Prime Minister for the vaccine campaign and how it is now being extended to the Family Islands. I thank all the team members that are working together in this effort to see that the entire population is vaccinated.
In order to place us as a country into a position where we are recession proof, we need to take a look at a stimulus package, similar to what President Biden is doing. We have to look at focusing on strategical reforms, such as being innovative in making the process for obtaining a business license into a one-stop-shop and by extension ensuring the procedure is less tedious with a quicker turn around time. Moreover, the many restrictions being placed on young entrepreneurs to complete the process for a business is license is outrageous. Why is the turn-around time to register the business with N.I.B. is now increased to 21 days?
The additional days now extend the time individuals have to take before they can even begin the next step in the process. This to me indicates how much of a god-like complex you Mr. Prime Minister has under taken. As Gholdy Muhammad said, “Perhaps the people who need criticality the most become those who share identities with the greatest oppressors of the world.” These constant changes in rules have taken controlling of the masses to another level. You sir are not concerned whatsoever about the discouragement and frustration this is for persons trying to become business owners. The people in this country already live under the weight of the greatest task master in the form of the salaries that are paid, particularly to those in the civil service.
For example, educators are required to have a Masters Degree to work in the system, yet when they have spent $30,000 plus dollars obtaining their Degrees, they are only given a $50 a month increase. This is preposterous and a crying shame! Teachers, Police Officers, Nurses, Doctors, Social Workers, Judges, Lawyers in the A.G. Office, Chief Justices and others in the Judiciary are overworked and grossly under paid! Did you know that Jamaica recently tabled an order to increase the salary of the Judiciary to the tune of 15.5 million dollars? Or how about in Jamacia where the average salary of a Judge is $94,888? Henry Ford said, “An underpaid man is a customer reduced in purchasing power. He cannot buy. Business depression is caused by weakened purchasing power. Purchasing power is weakened by uncertainty or insufficiency of income. The cure of business depression is through purchasing power, and the source of purchasing power is wages.”
This, sir is a slave master’s salary for the civil service and it is absolutely not right! But these are the same people that you are expecting to vote for you in the next General Election? If we run the government and become proactive in any of our ministries and meet the service for the people, then you shouldn’t have to wait twenty-one (21) days to get a business license! It is totally insane! I can go online and apply to the Cayman, Barbados, Bermuda and in 24 hours have a business license. It tells me, my learned readers that we as a country is digressing. We are competing against the global world sir and a double recession. If the locals have to wait twenty-one (21) for a license they will go elsewhere to do business.
The problem we face in this country Mr. Prime Minister is ridiculous bureaucracy and I know you cannot fix the problem because of your people, the Athaliah team that you are taking counsel from that you have in play that thrives on controlling and inconveniencing people. The mere fact that people have to go through so much dramatics, extended processes, too much red tape and must endure it because they are at the mercy of the powers that be speaks voluminously. These many issues all point to the fact that the country is not moving forward its moving backwards. You honored someone the other day for their efforts in the Covid Pandemic and being sung as a true hero. She is no hero, the people that feed thousands everyday are the true Unsung Heroes. People like Great Commissions, Hands for Hunger, Mr. Philip Smith, that are feeding people in the Fox Hill area these are our true heroes that have been doing so for years. Where are their awards? Where are their accolades and acknowledgements? These elite parasites that you cling too has placed you on a sinking shape. They are only interested in benefiting for themselves and this will only hurt us as a people in the long run. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee” (Proverbs 23:7).
We need a Geriatric Hospital and a real Women’s shelter. In all of the budgets over the years no one has ever mentioned the plight of women, yet you are going to come to the women to reelect you.
Where in the budget is there provision for dealing with the many crisis women are facing? In this pandemic more divorce has taken place, more homelessness, more people having to go live with family, and a major increase in domestic violence around the world. According to Wikipedia, many countries have reported an increase in domestic violence and intimate partner violence. UN Women stated that COVID-19 created “conditions for abuse that are ideal for abusers because it forced people into lockdown” thus causing a “shadow pandemic” that exacerbated preexisting issues with domestic violence globally.
The abuse of our women has sky-rocketed and we need to look after our women and our children as they too have been affected by this crisis. Moreover, a report from the IDB entitled “The Caribbean Crisis: Results from an Online Socioeconomic Survey” is based on results from six countries in the IDB’s Caribbean Department — The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, indicated that in The Bahamas, 910 people were surveyed. The study showed that “11.3 percent of women indicated an increase in domestic violence within their household since the beginning of the pandemic.
There was a higher prevalence of an increase in domestic violence in high-income households at 13.9 percent when compared to middle-income and lower-income households, at 10.1 percent and 10.3 percent respectively.” This clearly exemplifies that not only women of low economic status have been affected but those in higher income homes as well. Hence, the need for shelters that can become safe havens for these women who have nowhere to else go or turn too can be of great effect for them and their children. “A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy: a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim” (Maya Angelou). Furthermore, legislation should be further amended to the Domestic Violence Act that even after the court appointed time is up when a man has been removed from the home, whether marital or not he should not be allowed to return but rather look for somewhere else to reside. When will the court systems begin to take this issue seriously? When we have more deaths on our hands? What will it take for our leaders to make it a priority to focus on solutions to the crisis our women facing in their home on a daily basis? Who will advocate for them? Who will defend the defenseless? Is it really the women of this country’s time? One truly does wander! As Exodus 22:22 states, “Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.” The budget therefore, should truly reflect a service government.
Now, my learned doctor who has a hard on for China, have you never watched The Hunger games? You frequently like to go on the talk show and discriminate against the Chinese medicine. Aren’t you not descended from India? I haven’t heard you appear on any station this week stating that you will pledge your money, time or talents to helping them. Are you, Mr. Prime Minister, trying to play the Hunger Games with the masses of the Bahamian people? For those of my learned readers that have never seem the “Hunger Games,” the story is described in the following synopsis:
In what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on its 12 districts by a forcing them each to select a boy and a girl, called Tributes, to compete in a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games. Every citizen must watch as the youths fight to the death until only one remains. District 12 Tribute Katniss Everdeen has little to rely on, other than her hunting skills and sharp instincts, in an arena where she must weigh survival against love.
Like the main character Katniss, the mistreatment and discrimination of the Bahamian people will in turn create a desire for people to rise up and fight back Mr. Prime Minister. In case it evades your memory, we are getting ready once again for a General Election in this our great country. Whether it escapes your attention or not the people are tired of being victimized, criminalized and all out devalued in their own homes.
“He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want” (Proverbs 22:16). How much more do you think the rich in this country need Prime Minister Minnis? When did serving the elite become the crux of what you were elected to do? When did the Corporate Social Responsibility become the new task master to us the Bahamian people? Yet you say “It’s the people’s time!” To this I ask who people as I make reference to the daily dilemma being faced by our fishermen. I am rallying the people of the nation, the underdogs, the forsaken to band together and make a public plea and outcry to the powers that be of the injustices our fishermen are experiencing!
It is a sad and tragic day that the Bahamian fishermen are being constantly harassed by The Royal Bahamas Defense Force because they have Dominican Bahamians who are documented, have their papers, married to Bahamians with children, yet being discriminated against. It’s a terrible form of racist dichotomy that is being orchestrated by the Spanish Wells boys as well as the Long Island boys who I’m a descendant from. It’s very sad that they make these men run out of fuel and when they do so, they arrive at the dock, they are met with having to repeat the whole thing again. The United Nations are taking note of this, the fisherman’s legal team is going to file a complaint to the U.N. as well as The U.S. Government in respect to the U.N. Treaty. “Each one of these treaties is a step for the maintenance of peace, an additional guarantee against war. It is through such machinery that the disputes between nations will be settled and war prevented” (Frank B. Kellogg). It is with this in mind Mr. Prime Minister that these issues be addressed. It is outright racism and it concerns me that they want only one exclusive group to have access.
It means they are utilizing the Defense force to carry out their nasty work. The Commodore is not a part of this nor does he even know what’s going! Something is definitely wrong! If their property is lost, they refuse to return it. This form of piracy is what was utilized by the slave masters, yet they call this “The people’s time?” Thank God their legal team is filing a complaint with the U.S. State Department as well as the United Nations to get these other stakeholders involved in the fighting of these egregious acts. If they are Bahamians or have Bahamian citizenship, why are they not being allowed to go into Bahamian waters? I thought the point was to keep foreigners from our waters, not its own citizens! This is totally wrong and this has not only happened to one individual but a number of persons are experiencing the same thing.
These hardworking men have mortgages to pay on these boats, families to feed and many other expenses and they do not care. If its not the group out of Spanish Wells or Long Island, they are prevented from touching the waters. Any Bahamian that becomes economically empowered they will try to take down or keep underfoot. This sort of behavior is archaic and dangerous and should be dealt with immediately, this being “The people’s time and all,” just saying!
But the travesty is, it does not stop there. They make them run from island to island until they are out of fuel which then puts them in an economic bind, then bring them in. Moreover, they are trying to promote an archaic legislation in this regard so that the fish can in essence only be controlled by the cartel of the Long Island Boys and the Spanish Wells boys. I am hoping that the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader take note of this and appeal this crazy law.
Notwithstanding, it is a known fact that the U.S. Peace Treaty with the Government and the U.N. is watching all of this. We are digressing and the slave master wants to emasculate you. If you can only make one $10 that’s all they want, but if you’re talking about beyond that they are coming after you. This a sad situation. One would think this would be enough, but no! The take them to the station, even though they have not committed an offence and when they find out they are Bahamian citizens and residents, they have no legal charge against them. This is what they call piracy harassment to the highest order. They produce I.D.’s, yet they are still shaken down to basically discourage them from going on the waters they have a right to be on. This is the Modern-Day Hunger Games in full effect Mr. Prime Minister, but you say Mr. Prime Minister, “It’s the people’s time!” O what a time in our country. Slavery is alive and well today! As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Our lives begin to the end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”
The Election bells are about to ring get ready to sound off!!
Berry, Wendell. The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays. (2018). http://www.scribd.com
en.wikipedia.org
biblegateway.com
