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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
Founder and CEO of Bahamaren, Latrae Rahming speaks to students at Sadie Curtis Primary School on January 29,2014
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There are dire consequences future generations of Bahamians will pay if this generation remains imprisoned in silence. If we fail to understand that remaining silent in the face of inequality and economic oppression is the same as supporting it. When the foundation of that silence is chained to the walls of fear, that if the voices of an economically oppressed people begin to shape their democratic right of the freedom of expression; they would be politically victimized or economically weakened resulting in sanctions that would hinder any possibilities of mobility.
A forty year old Bahamas that encourages and demonstrates its support for economic and social inequality, having an economic pie that suffice a small minority of Bahamians running the risk of inviting social upheaval. A Bahamian middle class that has suffered a lost decade and face a threat of another, by working only to pay their bills defers their dreams and the dreams of their children. A country that has a people with a sense of inadequacy in meeting their future needs , harnessed by a system of Rule and Divide ; where political leaders are much more responsive to the needs and wants of the privileged than to needs of average citizens and the least affluent , creating a serious imbalance in its social and economic development. The cries of thousands pleading for an economic environment offering a fair an equal chance only to have that plea, turn into a whisper that is lost on the ears of their leaders.
A government that sings a chorus of better days ahead, but for whom? The minority, where the country’s wealth and income is in the hands of the few. An economic atmosphere that undermines the illusion of fairness of any advancement to become a better citizen. A people conditioned in their character to be passive in presence of challenges and thereby eventually we lose sight of any ability to defend ourselves and the people we love.
The only democratic right Bahamians exercise without fear is the right to vote, even within the inheritance of the freedom of expression we are prosecuted by the government or private firms. Bahamians should be allowed to hold their own opinions and to express them freely without government interference. Job security must have value in our country, whether that Bahamian is black or white, poor or rich, gay or straight, and Christian or atheist. From a political perspective, it doesn't matter whether the individual is FNM or PLP as long as he or she is capable and competent. Leaders should never be intimidated or feel threatened by the talents of their own people and stagnate them for the benefit of security.
A successful country is one where its citizens are judged on their individual abilities rather than their family connection. When we lose our belief that any Bahamian could get to the top, we’ve lost the purpose and the reason for which Majority Rule was achieved for Bahamians. It’s important that the fundamental doctrine in our country is one where every Bahamas has an equal chance to get ahead to ensure a better life for the individual and his or her family. There is a spirit of declinism when a thriving and self-confident middle class in our country is eroding which, this has "far-reaching consequences" for the rest of society, when middle class families cannot afford to purchase their own homes.
When there is continued marginalization and the creation of barriers to prevent mobility of citizens in our country, it becomes an antidote to poverty, an incubator for crime, a garment for inequality, and a disincentive for individuals who work to improve their economic position. When we lose our middle class we imbalance the interests of the rich and the poor. Bahamians deserve a chance to profit from this economic pie. They should be given a chance to work, to send their children off to college, to raise a family, and to own a house while enduring old age security. We can't ignore the voices of young Bahamians demanding an education and a future. We can't allow Bahamians to watch the dreams they hold for their children evaporate. The Bahamas cannot build a middle class only working to pay the bills. Politicians should always prove their ability to represent our country, providing a track record our country providing a track record of unselfishly helping the public.
Talented qualified Bahamians , in the Bahamas is an endangered species facing extinction going country to country in search for economic appreciation and a better way of life because we failed to provide an attractive economic environment for talented Bahamians to return home to. The Bahamas ought to do more to raise the heads of students clouded with shame and neglect walking through the Halls the College of the Bahamas and remove the stigma of disgrace and create an institution we are all proud of.
At this juncture in the development of The Bahamas, the lesson of relying on the uncertainty of political parties’ election victories should have been learned. The election victory of political parties is no guarantee or barometer upon which to make a decision to send Bahamian children off college. All this portends is living in a five year cycle of employment and a possible subsequent five years of victimization. When Bahamians rely on a government handout, their lives depend on whether the PLP or FNM is the government.
Economic oppression is a disease, a cancer that eats into the cultural, political and economic fabric of society, and destroys the functioning of vital organs. We all want an economy that gives us that ladder to better days. We should reward, empower, and encourage talented Bahamians. I find it amusing and rather shameful that we are prepared to invest in the next generation of hotel maids, bellboys, and bartenders, but find a difficulty in investing in small businesses, aspiring entrepreneurs, or the dreams of our people. Bahamians want to own a part of their economy and the government has an obligation to provide that access and not deny at leisure of a small minority. When we invest in the talents and skills of the Bahamian people we are at our best as a country. Believing in Bahamians has to be more than a campaign, slogan it has to be our way of life.
The Bahamas is at its worst when we only respond to the cries and concerns of the privileged and overlook and fail to correct the challenges of the majority. All we say to any government, be true to what you say on paper. We are not at our best as a country when children are confined to the environment they are born in, when we fail to address the high school to prison pipeline, when Bahamians face a great degree of difficulty opening a business, when females still confront the difficult challenge of raising children by themselves, when Bahamians refuse to support one another in business endeavors and help pave pathways for future entrepreneur's to walk on, and when we continue to strengthen the gaps between racial, social, & economic injustice and fail to find the root of the separation. We have to return to the days where we build the Bahamian community with pride, in heritage, and start supporting one another. The work must begin within our homes and our communities so that economic restoration can begin throughout the land! We should never forget when we are not strong enough to fight our economic oppressors, we end up fighting ourselves.
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