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Columns : Letters to The Editor Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


Donald Demeritte: The Bahamian Professional’s Dilemma – Who Buys Bahamian?
By Donald Demeritte
Feb 23, 2015 - 2:44:57 PM

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Dear Editor,
 
Last week I read a ‘Letter to the Editor’, written by Dirk B Saunders, Principal Architect, Jackson Burnside Limited, and really had to pause for thought.  Mr. Saunders, as he prefaced his comments, was basically only re-submitting a letter previously written and submitted (in the 1990s) by Jackson Burnside.  Mr. Burnside’s letter was bemoaning the lack of respect and opportunities given to Bahamian professionals back then.  He spoke of the local landscape being littered with examples of buildings, designed by foreign experts (architectural and engineers), which failed due to the fact that the ‘local’ flavour or logistical input, required to prevent preventable missteps by foreign consultants, were inexcusably and sadly missing.

Dirk Saunders’ position: - what was true in the 1990s is very much a sad reality today!!

As a Bahamian professional, one has to distinguish between choices made by private institutions versus those made by the government (public).  On the private side of the equation, any disaster (or loss) created by the hiring of expat talent, to the exclusion of locals, accrues mainly to the private sector.  On the public side, however, there are national implications!  Losses do not simply accrue to ‘our’ public purse but also to the psyche of our people – in terms of confidence, frustrations and/ or a rising sense of justice/ injustice.

Placing this in perspective, with the National Health Insurance debate looming, why are an inordinate amount of specialist medical procedures, that can easily be handled here, still being directed to US providers, by local insurers and even government institutions?

In terms of the engineers and architects, and Mr. Saunders’ letter speaks for itself, why are our very capable and locally grounded architects and engineers, being relegated to ‘rubber stampers’, for the most part, with all of the developmental and construction works going on around us?

Closer to home for me, in the management consultancy sector, why is 95% of all consultancy dollars, leaving our country?  (Our neighbours fare no better in what is a multi-billion dollar/ annum industry.)

To put this (leakage) in perspective, the Bahamas’ Junkanoo Carnival Committee most recently said that ‘if’ $7.5 million dollars of its budget is spent locally, the expenditure will generate (using a 4 times multiplier effect) some $30 million in our economy.  So if (say) 50% of the estimated $25 million per annum management consultancy fees, spent by our government(s), is paid to Bahamian-led consultancy consortiums, this will equate to some $50 million annual stimulus to our economy.   No extra expenditure and skirmishes - just more prudent applications and emphasis on building local capacity!

Bahamian professionals, who are notoriously insular and protective, must see the ‘management consultancy’ umbrella as a loophole that extra-regional consultants can gain an advantage over local and regional consultants.  In this vein, the loophole has to be monitored and managed.  This calls for a clustering of local professionals and the creation of a ‘management consultancy’ register, with appropriate cross-referencing and enforcement of standards.  CARICOM has begun the trek towards establishing common standards and the creation of national and regional ‘management consultancy’ registers for its nationals – Bahamian professionals must embrace the opportunity and help the cause.

I shared my views with the Bahamas Society of Engineers some three (3) years ago but nothing has materialized and we, i.e., the independent Bahamian professionals, continue to watch 90% plus of locally generated fees fly out of our country - never to be seen again.

The emphasis and objective here is Buy Bahamian, region and then beyond!

If this is not a practical rallying call for Bahamians, i.e., citizens and residents, to support each other, albeit food-store purchases, landscaping services, fruit & vegetables, newspapers, music, handicraft items, medical services, architects, engineers, consultants, restaurants, light industries, etc. – what is?

The Bahamas is set to host the CARICOM Heads of Government to their 26th Inter-sessional Meeting in Nassau this week.  Our Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Christie has confirmed that a leading Agenda item will be the ‘need to leverage CARICOM’s human, cultural and natural assets for the economic development of the community’. This is indeed an ideal time for The Bahamas to lead the region by example.  We can begin by ensuring that every tender emanating from every government agency speaks to viable local content and wherever possible, a local lead. We can do so with the participative support of our regional partners and vice versa. This is a legitimate method of doing business and is imperative if we are going to nurture and grow our national and regional technical resources and innovativeness.  

Our ability to pounce and capitalize on this opportunity is most crucial.  A heightened focus on building local capacity and sourcing additional well-paying jobs to professionals, will allow the country to embrace the large cadre of well-educated graduates, who are frustrated and turn elsewhere for jobs.  (A built in hedge against the brain drain we are experiencing.) It would also provide, through leveraging, both empowerment and jobs proliferation through value chain development. This naturally speaks to more exposure for Bahamians, and equates to a building plank for our national succession planning program.

I was pleasantly surprised, most recently, when I read a call for Expressions of Interest, by a government corporation, for persons interested in bidding for the repair works to one of the Paradise Islands bridges.  This particular agency had placed a 20% weighting on partnering with or utilizing a Bahamian company for this initiative.  This is a step in the right direction and one that must be continued and sustained at all costs.  We have suffered for far too long, in many instances, holding the hands and doing the work for our foreign counterparts, while they are given the lucrative businesses.  Businesses that we were better equipped to handle.  Even more damning, Bahamian professionals silently suffer through instances that are clearly learning experiences for both foreign and local consultants.  At the end of the day, in the vast majority of instances, because the ‘billings’ and ‘lessons-learned’ credit accrue elsewhere, we (unfortunately) cannot even pursue similar opportunities.  Yes the beat indeed goes on but now with an exception.   Our children, the new generation of Bahamians, are admonishing us older folks (parents, aunts, uncles, mentors, heroes, etc.) – ‘STAND UP FOR YOURSELVES AND US!!’

Bahamians professionals and SMEs have remained silent for far too long, whilst union and other voices speak out – which has (perhaps) resulted in disproportionately skewed national priorities.  Let your voices be heard!  Heard for the sake of our families, children, neighbours, etc., but most importantly our dignity.

We do not need any handouts just a ‘hand-up’ – by ourselves and to ourselves.

Our ‘Buy Bahamian/ Take Pride Bahamas’ narrative needs to gain momentum and begin burning fiercely, at the forefront of our national dialogue.   

Love and respect to all.
Donald Demeritte
EPS Consultants
Director/ Member of Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants

22 February, 2015



Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his/her private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of TheBahamasWeekly.com




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