A YEAR OF GAINS, YET MANY STRUGGLE
EDITOR’S NOTE: Candia Dames, Executive Editor of The Nassau Guardian, has written an excellent “Year in Review” article under the heading BITTERSWEET that I decided to share, via a link to today’s edition of The Guardian, with readers of my online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
NASSAU, Bahamas, December 29, 2023 — The year 2023 was not a particularly remarkable year for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, though it was one in which we marked 50 years of independence and, sadly, saw the death of a Cabinet minister in office, which triggered a spirited run-up to a closely watched by-election.
In observing our golden jubilee, there were nice parties and no shortage of other celebratory events.
Arriving at this point as a civil and stable democracy is an accomplishment that deserved to be celebrated, but in many ways, our 50th was a missed opportunity to do a fuller assessment of where we are, where we wish to be and how we intend to get there.
With Dorian’s horrors still fresh in the minds of many four years on, we were grateful to be spared the onslaught of any hurricanes.
Prime Minister Philip Davis this year continued to push his signature issue – that of climate change.
Seeking to advance the country’s climate-related investment programs, The Bahamas unveiled the Blue Co Caribbean Project and the Bahamas Sustainable Investment Program at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28), held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in November.
The government said it intends to use the funding from the initiative to make Bahamian infrastructure more climate-resilient and transition to clean energy.
Additionally, the Davis administration said those funds would go toward the conservation of Bahamian coastal zones, the reduction of biodiversity loss, regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration, and participation in natural asset-backed carbon credit programs.
The results from the programs remain outstanding.
In 2023, COVID-19 continued to fade in the rearview mirror, though there were still cases throughout the year.
We were not visited by any other major health crises either, but the public health system continued to be challenged and the general citizenry in need of medical care faced tremendous obstacles, particularly those with catastrophic illnesses.
There were no major national tragedies, but the high rate of violent crimes remained a major concern, particularly in New Providence where the majority of the population resides.
There were 128 murders recorded in 2022, and up to yesterday, there were 109 murders in 2023, a 15 percent decrease. But this provides little comfort as a triple digit count means The Bahamas continues to have among the highest homicide rates in the region, and many law-abiding citizens are terrified moving about the island at nights. The fear of crime indeed is palpable.
Sex crimes in particular remained worrying with reports of rapes outpacing those last year in the most recent report from the commissioner of police.
In early January, we expect to hear an update on the state of crime in The Bahamas.
There were also a number of high-profile court matters in 2023.
In March, former Free National Movement Cabinet Minister Lanisha Rolle, her husband and three others faced corruption charges over contracts awarded by the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture and the National Sports Authority.
In October, North Abaco member of Parliament Kirk Cornish was charged with rape, assault and threats of death in the Magistrates’ Court.
The corruption trial of Long Island MP Adrian Gibson started in November, and later that month, North Eleuthera MP Sylvanus Petty resigned as executive chairman of the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) after revelations made during the Gibson trial brought into question his (Petty’s) suitability for that role.
The illegal immigration issue also remained one of significant concern for The Bahamas this year as the deteriorating situation in Haiti helped drive undocumented migrants to our shores. While there are obviously other nationals who continue to flout immigration laws, Haitians are by far the largest group who come to The Bahamas illegally.
See complete article in The Nassau Guardian at https://www.thenassauguardian.com/news/bittersweet/article_41d2775a-a629-11ee-b588-b3d8bc0731bd.html
