BARF
03-13-03, - 10:30 AM
What is the FTAA?
The FTAA is an effort by corporations and governments in the Western Hemisphere to form a trade region for corporate expansion and “free trade.” It will be compliant with the World Trade Organization and allow corporations to make profits at the expense of worker’s rights, public health and the sanctity of the environment.
Our Mandate:
We believe that not since the abolition of slavery would such an initiative change the political, social and economic landscape of the Bahamas. Accordingly, because our constitution is one where our government serves and the people govern, we are calling on the government to hold a Referendum on the Bahamas’ joining the FTAA.
We propose to petition the government with signatures of Bahamians across the length and breadth of the Bahamas as well as the world demanding a referendum on this most important issue.
We will conduct numerous seminars up and down the country to individual sectors of the Bahamas to make them aware of how our inclusion of the FTAA will affect them. We believe that this is the most effective way for Bahamians to understand in a very personal way the ramifications of FTAA.
________________________________________________
Our View:
Currently, the government of the Bahamas has reserved the following business for Bahamians only:
- Wholesale and Retail Operations;
- Commission agencies engaged in the import / export trade;
- Real estate and domestic property management agencies;
- Domestic newspapers and magazine publications;
- Domestic advertising and public relations firms;
- Nightclubs and restaurants, except specialty, gourmet and ethnic restaurants, restaurants operating in a hotel, resort complex or tourist attraction;
- Security services;
- Domestic distribution of building supplies;
- Construction companies, except for special structures for which international expertise is required;
- Personal cosmetic / beauty establishments;
- Shallow water scale-fish, crustacea, mollusks and sponge-fishing operations;
- Auto and appliance service operations;
- Public Transportation
All of the above will no longer be exclusive to Bahamians if we agree to FTAA!
You have heard that there will be no free movement of people…and this may be true. But this FTAA will allow for movement of capital and employment to cross borders. All of us know that they will follow their money with their people. The agreement allows for companies to provide goods and services and if the Bahamas joins FTAA you will see mass migration here.
- Fishermen, imagine the Dominicans and Hondurans competing with you and in many cases out fishing you;
- Taxi drivers, imagine Yellow Cabs owned by a company in the US competing with you for fares from the 4 million tourist that visit this country;
- Straw vendors, imagine other vendors from the south Caribbean competing directly with you selling craft;
- Bahamian professional firms, imagine competing with other professionals from say New York competing directly with you in the Bahamas for fees.
BARF is of the view that the FTAA gives no real advantage for the Bahamas. We believe that in order for us to be in a position to have some advantage our economy has to first of all be opened to all Bahamians before we can allow the full avalanche of FTAA. When we say open, we are talking about the removal of exchange control for Bahamians as we do for non-Bahamians and investors here. This will allow us to access capital and investments on a leveled playing field. It is pointless for us to open our country until we would have had an opportunity to complete on this level. To do otherwise, would be like the Hawaiians but instead of wearing grass skirts and a flower ban at the airport and dancing the hulu, we will be dancing the Vola Shuffle and making junkanoo parades on Bay Street while our economy is possessed by other than Bahamians. This is not the kind of Bahamas our ancestors died for or our children will be proud of.
We have a duty to protect the Bahamas for our children and for those unborn Bahamians. If the majority of the eligible voters vote in favour of our joining the FTAA that will be fine. All we want is to have the opportunity to have vote on this issue so that at the end of the day the government will speak to the international community with one voice knowing that the majority of the people would have spoken.
Please feel free to post your comments on this issue.
The FTAA is an effort by corporations and governments in the Western Hemisphere to form a trade region for corporate expansion and “free trade.” It will be compliant with the World Trade Organization and allow corporations to make profits at the expense of worker’s rights, public health and the sanctity of the environment.
Our Mandate:
We believe that not since the abolition of slavery would such an initiative change the political, social and economic landscape of the Bahamas. Accordingly, because our constitution is one where our government serves and the people govern, we are calling on the government to hold a Referendum on the Bahamas’ joining the FTAA.
We propose to petition the government with signatures of Bahamians across the length and breadth of the Bahamas as well as the world demanding a referendum on this most important issue.
We will conduct numerous seminars up and down the country to individual sectors of the Bahamas to make them aware of how our inclusion of the FTAA will affect them. We believe that this is the most effective way for Bahamians to understand in a very personal way the ramifications of FTAA.
________________________________________________
Our View:
Currently, the government of the Bahamas has reserved the following business for Bahamians only:
- Wholesale and Retail Operations;
- Commission agencies engaged in the import / export trade;
- Real estate and domestic property management agencies;
- Domestic newspapers and magazine publications;
- Domestic advertising and public relations firms;
- Nightclubs and restaurants, except specialty, gourmet and ethnic restaurants, restaurants operating in a hotel, resort complex or tourist attraction;
- Security services;
- Domestic distribution of building supplies;
- Construction companies, except for special structures for which international expertise is required;
- Personal cosmetic / beauty establishments;
- Shallow water scale-fish, crustacea, mollusks and sponge-fishing operations;
- Auto and appliance service operations;
- Public Transportation
All of the above will no longer be exclusive to Bahamians if we agree to FTAA!
You have heard that there will be no free movement of people…and this may be true. But this FTAA will allow for movement of capital and employment to cross borders. All of us know that they will follow their money with their people. The agreement allows for companies to provide goods and services and if the Bahamas joins FTAA you will see mass migration here.
- Fishermen, imagine the Dominicans and Hondurans competing with you and in many cases out fishing you;
- Taxi drivers, imagine Yellow Cabs owned by a company in the US competing with you for fares from the 4 million tourist that visit this country;
- Straw vendors, imagine other vendors from the south Caribbean competing directly with you selling craft;
- Bahamian professional firms, imagine competing with other professionals from say New York competing directly with you in the Bahamas for fees.
BARF is of the view that the FTAA gives no real advantage for the Bahamas. We believe that in order for us to be in a position to have some advantage our economy has to first of all be opened to all Bahamians before we can allow the full avalanche of FTAA. When we say open, we are talking about the removal of exchange control for Bahamians as we do for non-Bahamians and investors here. This will allow us to access capital and investments on a leveled playing field. It is pointless for us to open our country until we would have had an opportunity to complete on this level. To do otherwise, would be like the Hawaiians but instead of wearing grass skirts and a flower ban at the airport and dancing the hulu, we will be dancing the Vola Shuffle and making junkanoo parades on Bay Street while our economy is possessed by other than Bahamians. This is not the kind of Bahamas our ancestors died for or our children will be proud of.
We have a duty to protect the Bahamas for our children and for those unborn Bahamians. If the majority of the eligible voters vote in favour of our joining the FTAA that will be fine. All we want is to have the opportunity to have vote on this issue so that at the end of the day the government will speak to the international community with one voice knowing that the majority of the people would have spoken.
Please feel free to post your comments on this issue.