Many people around the world don’t know that Bahamians are famous for chasing and catching land crabs by hand. And the only people in the world that do it so easily!
By passing this tradition down to the next generation, they are keeping a unique cultural legacy alive that’s unique to the Bahamas.
Look at the baby though, lmao ๐คฃ ๐ ๐คฃ ๐
All of our newborn babies can do this as well. They come out the womb catching crabs in Andros I hear. Lol ๐๐๐
I am going to study the Torah. I believe it is calling my soul closer to it. I feel a strong pull unlike anything I have ever experienced.
Yet now I feel fear. What if I do not understand it? What if it is not truly for me? What if I become confused while studying it alone? Am I worthy of it? What will people think and say?
I am afraid, but an inner force draws me forward. Therefore, I will follow its path.
I will need to order a copy, but which one should I choose?
Father, I am only trying to please You in this same flesh that You gave me at birth. With this soul, I turn toward Your ways. Yes, I am very afraid for many reasons. However, I am not afraid to make choices and changes that are pleasing in Your eyes, O Father of life.
I pray that I make You proud in the presence of Your enemies and mine. Amen.
Today, I, Michael Elijah Muhammad Clare, denounce Christianity and every other religious belief. From this day forward, I will study and abide by the teachings of the Holy Torah.
I believe this is what my Creator desires. If I must suffer in this world because of this choice, I will count it among the blessings of the righteous. I am accustomed to suffering, and isolation has long been my closest companion, one whom I have come to love.
My birthday is six days from now. If the Most High, the Holy One, permits, I will reach fifty-four years in this world.
I am answering the Torahโs call, just as it calls to me through the Talmud and the Kabbalah, which I have been studying for a little over a year and a half. My eyes have been opened significantly by their teachings.
Now, I seek to sharpen my sight with the Holy Torah itself.
Letโs not beat around the bush, Bahamas. If you want to kill a stray dog, you donโt always need a gun; sometimes you just stop feeding it. And when it comes to the long-promised, long-delayed Freedom of Information Act, the Davis administration isn’t just withholding the foodโthey are actively starving the baby before it even takes its first breath.
Look at the numbers dropped in Parliament this week by Minister of Finance Michael Halkitis, and look at them good.
An unchanged $140,000 allocation for the 2026/2027 fiscal year.
Let that sink in. $140,000 to operationalize a massive, nationwide transparency framework meant to hold every government ministry, department, and public official accountable to you, the taxpayer.
The Math Just Doesnโt Math
When Long Island MP Dr. Andre Rollins stood up to question that measly little line item hidden under the vague umbrella of special financial transactions, Halkitis had the nerve to look the public in the eye and say, “Yes, we believe itโs enough.” He tried to smooth it over by saying, “Oh, well that doesn’t include salaries, it’s just operational costs.”
Who are they fooling? Experts and transparency advocates have stated clear as day that it will take at least $1 million to fully implement the infrastructure required for FOIA.
We are talking about secure databases, tracking software, public portals, training for civil servants across the entire archipelago, and public education campaigns.
You cannot buy a decent piece of commercial real estate in Nassau for $140,000, but we are supposed to believe itโs enough capital to build the foundation of a corruption-busting, transparency-boosting government commission?
Assassination By Budget Cut
This isn’t an oversight. This isnโt fiscal responsibility. This is by design.
The political class in this country, on both sides of the aisle, but currently sitting comfortably under the PLP sun, has fought tooth and nail for decades to keep the blinds drawn on government spending, secret contracts, and backroom deals. They promised us FOIA on the campaign trail because it sounds good on a rally stage. But now that it’s time to actually turn the lights on, they’ve realized they prefer the dark.
By underfunding the FOIA Unit so drastically, they achieve exactly what they want:
The Illusion of Progress: They can technically claim the Act is implemented and the unit exists.
Guaranteed Failure: Without the necessary $1 million in infrastructure, the unit will be bogged down, toothless, and unable to process requests efficiently.
When you ask for public contracts six months from now and get told the system is down or we don’t have the staff to process that, remember this budget.
Dead on Arrival
They are strangling the baby before itโs born. They are choking the life out of transparency with a measly $140K rope so that FOIA dies a quiet death before it can ever have a real, transformative effect on Bahamian society.
Itโs time for the public to wake up and realize that a government that hides its numbers is a government with something to hide. If they truly wanted a clean, accountable Bahamas, theyโd fund the tool to build it. Instead, they’ve left FOIA pennies on the dollar, hoping the public won’t notice the quiet assassination of our right to know.
To our leaders, I really believe that it’s time to do what is healthy for our country and the future of our small democracy!
