Flipping Grand Bahama

So, it's been five days since the general elections in The Bahamas and great revelations all over the country. How does a country feel about the people they have elected to power at any point in time? Will a people unify to tell someone they don't want them? The landslide victory for the Free National Movement was a surprise for many. For some, it was a delight to see their party win by such a huge margin. But there are some who worry that such a large margin is a cause for grave concern that without a proper and good opposition, tyranny can ensue. There was a prediction that the FNM would win and then there would be a riot. But, we know the people of this country are not particularly violent in numbers unless greatly provoked. We have not seen any rising up for years and certainly not over elections since the early days. What does it all mean for Grand Bahama and Freeport in Particular? So one has adequately addressed the changes brought on by the recent amendmen...

Soo  I was going through my Facebook feed this week and came across this bit of information that rocked my work. I always remind my self that because it is written does not mean it is all true but you ready this except and you decide if you think its true. What caught my eye was the title: HOW THE BAHAMAS BECAME THE BAHAMAS, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME VERY STRANGE MEN .... AND CANADA. Hmmm I thought. Very interesting. Then I saw the length of the article and immediately thought it was going to be boring. Well I was left trying to buy the book. If you dont hear from me for a while, I'm still contemplation ways forward. Posted: June 25, 2013 | Author: jr | Filed under: Insights , Jeffrey Robinson's eBooks , Money Laundering | Comments Off on HOW THE BAHAMAS BECAME THE BAHAMAS, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME VERY STRANGE MEN… AND CANADA EXCERPT FROM: “THE SINK – Terror, Crime and Dirty Money in the Offshore World” (C) JEFFREY ROBINSON 2003, 2011 ...

The prayer of Jabez from the Bible. Little is known of him but his prayer is being shared around the world. According to 1 Chronicles 4:9-10: Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. In this land of 40,000 people who are not economically able to sustain business, we need to enlarge our territory. If at first you don't succeed, then you definitely need to take stock, revise your plan and start again. So we want to bring back the magic to Freeport. The magic will never be the same but it can be better and last longer if we plan it right this time. How many are ready to stop complaining and do as Jabez did, pray and worked for and after the enlarging of his territory. It should be easier in this world of e-commerce but for The Bahamas there are a lot of restrictions. And a determined person would find ways ar...

 A recent report from the International Momentary Fund telling of the state of The Bahamas noted that the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) is helping the countries financial position. The report said that the economic activity in The Bahamas strengthened somewhat in 2014 while the external current account deficit worsened primarily as a result of Baha Mar construction-related import. It noted that the authorities continue to make substantial progress on fiscal consolation with successful VAT implementation in January 2015 setting the stage for continue improvements in the fiscal position.  Further it said that lower oil prices helped keep inflation anchored in 2014, but said that still notwithstanding the capital flow management (CFM) regime international reserves remain low. The advice given as key policy advice was:  Despite the U.S. recovery and the imminent opening of the Baha Mar resort, the growth outlook remains well below pre-global crisis leve...

It's about over a week since the last post and in that time we have hosted the first Bahamas Womenpreneur Power Conference and Expo at the Pelican Bay Hotel in Freeport. Well the number of participants was not what we wanted but we had a number of vendors and over all I would deem it a success. Collaborating FSI, with Media Unlimited and Flipping Grand Bahama we did a lot of promotions online and some radio advertising, as well as newspaper articles. We learned a lot in putting on the event, and even more from the speakers on staring business, how to deal with the recently implemented Value Added Tax (VAT) and where funding is possible in The Bahamas. Again the aim of this blog is to be a game changer, to change the mindset of the people in the country and particularly on the island of Grand Bahama for us to change it into a successful little island. Of great importance we learned about the concessions implemented for the people living outside Freeport and those concess...

The quiet dreamy island of Grand Bahama was very quiet for centuries and its potential was seen by an American investor who first settled in Abaco then came here. On a vision, a whim, he pictured a second Vegas/Paris/London in the Caribbean just off the coast of Florida. The idea caught on and years later we have Freeport, Grand Bahama. It was "the new world" for those persons looking for the warm weather not far from home but boasting the beautiful trees by the long stretches of beaches. It was the place to go and many came looking for a new life filled with new beginnings. The first of everything they can say they saw along with the potential being realized by Wallace Groves who dreamed up Freeport. To Bahamians this was a far fetched idea that would not work in the long run. No other project in the island did last very long so why should this. The 99 year lease was a laugh and that laughter has turned to a frown waiting for the shoe to drop ... 60 years later. Yes,...

At the beginning of this week I asked a question that still only one person has answered. The question, "What future do you see for Grand Bahama?" This was one way to find out how many persons are actually reading the posts even though in total we have around 15,000 views so far and for the article on Sarah St. George at the Grand Bahama Business Outlook we have almost 500 views alone, the highest views per page yet. It was great to hear Terence Gapes"  view during the Chamber of Commerce meeting this week though, almost in answer to the question, but he also brought with him a pamphlet entitled, "Economic Crisis in Freeport: A Call to Action Volume 1." This is what I wish to share today. The attorney noted that this was an article written since September 2012 with a follow up, "Call to Action II: Freeport 2015 and the Bridge to Nowhere." Mr. Gape further said that since the Call to Action I the conditions of the economy in Freeport...

Grand Bahama is positioned geographically in a very good position to prosper. It has the right amount of sunshine each year, as well as beautiful beaches. It has a lot to offer and has offered a lot in the past, but not so much in the recent past. This blog which began July 5, 2013 has but one aim, and that is to change the thinking of the people on the island which could be whats needed to change the island itself. As the years have gone by, especially the past thirty, the feeling and mindset of despair has been over taking a lot of the residents. What is worst is that the people have been speaking negatively about the economy for a long time and some may not have felt the effects of the things they speak but without being mindful of the fact that the tongue carries a lot of weight, they say the negative things anyway. This negativity has permeated many areas of the island and is the downfall of many businesses. There is still a thought that the economy needs a large influx ...

During the Grand Bahama Outlook last Thursday President of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce Kevin Seymour, gave an inspiring talk on Freeport then, now and the future. The title of the speech was Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce Continuation, Collaboration and Competition. However as he looked at the future here is what he had to say: "The city has been built, they did come, but the sad reality is, a good number of them also did not stay, so how do we now get investors to return? "In the past, when the Central Government was being asked to extend the tax exemptions relating to real property taxes and business license fees, under the Freeport Grand Bahama Act, 1993 and the HCA respectively, the Government demanded in return that certain “works and undertakings” be carried out by the Grand Bahama Port Authority and the Grand Bahama Development Company. "These works and undertakings in the main, focused on the island’s physical infrastructure, which I hasten to ...

What shall I write about today was something I was grappling with since Tuesday, even thought I knew of something that was coming. My motivators gave me a lot to write about but I thought, what really applies to Grand Bahama. Really… most of it. To "Flip" or change Grand Bahama, we need to start with the mindset of the people. This is what brought me to the topic this morning - "Anything" is not a job. Its nearing that time when thousands of young people all over The Bahamas will be graduating high school. Oh the choices, the ambition, the new life that is within each and every one. Some will get to go off to school and others will stay here looking for a job because of the pressures of life and parents. But what are their dreams? Even if you knew what your kids dreams were, would you help them with it or will you call it silly and say that with this economy it would not work? How open are you to the new era that is upon us and allowing young people to be ...

Grand Bahamas has seen a series of ups and downs and I think one of the hardest was during this era. As we came into the 90s there was great political upheaval all around the islands, but particularly here. The champion of Grand Bahama and leader of the then official opposition - the Free National Movement, died just before we came into this era. But it is reported that on his death bed he asked a former member of the ruling Progressive Liberal Party, who had been kicked out, to take on the leadership role of the Free National Movement. This was the only position that the ousted man could pridefully take considering the fact that in previous times he stated that he could never join this party. So with elections fresh in the air in beginning of the 1990s, this buck gave it all he had and together in 1992 they won the election from the 25 rule of the Progressive Liberal Party. It would have been the second time I was eligible to vote and yet, I was still unregistered and cared ...