Bahamians have been experiencing very bad times, but Grand Bahamians have been experiencing extremely bad times for too long. For us it would seem once we get our economy on a roll it quickly finds itself on a slippery slope.

We have endured the tragedy of the five missing boys which paralyzed our communities; we have endured the tragedy of the famous women Frances, Jeanne and Wilma of which many have not recuperated from; we have endured the closure of the Royal Oasis Resort which has had an enormous impact on Freeport’s life; we continue to endure struggling businesses and talk of more layoffs; we watch and listen as grown people fight at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, and wait for them to realize that while they fight, Freeport, its residents and Bahamians are the losers. The community is now enduring another great tragedy at Freeport Container Port which has resulted in the loss of lives. For many wives, children and families this tragedy will forever impact their lives.

What have we managed to do as leaders? The same thing we do all the time; mislead the public, try to score cheap political points and hope it translates into votes. A very seasoned politician once told me, “be careful what you say when you are in opposition because one day you may be in government.” Has anyone noticed, our electorate is more knowledgeable about the issues, demanding more from leaders and is not fooled easily by political rhetoric.

I am sure all the issues regarding the tragedy at the Container Port will continue to be reviewed. One of the issues I think may be of interest to us is our weather patterns. I make this suggestion just on the history of some events that have occurred on Grand Bahama Island.