Retired Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez, is on the side of those who agree the Commercial Enterprise Bill needs to be rethought, a suggestion he hopes the government gives serious consideration.

Weighing in on the Commercial Enterprises Bill, while appearing as a guest on Love 97’s evening talk show “On Point”, Archbishop Gomez expressed three major concerns – the first that while the government is aware of the need for an economic policy, he had hoped it would have come up with one before now.

“Although the Prime Minister is saying that as a result of this bill, the economy is going to be super-charged, and the middle class is going to be benefitting and improving, I don’t see anything in this bill that gives me comfort to believe that coming into the country with $250,000 is going to do anything to build up the middle class.

“Even if you have a significant volume of people coming in bringing in around $250,000 – $300,000, businesses of that size can only employ a few people,” Archbishop Gomez said.

During the show, Archbishop Gomez criticized the bill as a threat to Bahamian entrepreneurship, suggesting that a separate bill be created for Bahamians.

“The bill as I see it, although they claim that Bahamians are entitled to the same benefits as the foreigners coming in, that’s really not true.

“The foreigners coming in with $250,000, many Bahamians right now have ideas they would like to put into operation, they don’t have the capital, they cannot even get $100,000 to start.

“So, if the government wishes to help Bahamian entrepreneurs, they need to perhaps have a separate bill where they are going to set out a frame work and provide some form of capital to make a real drive for entrepreneurship,” Archbishop Gomez said.

As for his thoughts on the immigration policy, Archbishop Gomez referred to it as deplorable and that the government would be allowing foreigners to enter the country without discretion.

“It really is allowing the foreigner to come in carte blanche.

“A Bahamian seeking to get a work permit for someone has to go through a process. If they say the Bahamian employer who is seeking to employ someone under the scheme, if he is granted permission to be part of this scheme, that Bahamian would have the same approach.

“I think the Bahamians should have priority over the foreigner, as far as immigration goes and I think the immigration aspect of it is deplorable.

“It is backward thinking, and it does not fit in with anyway of thinking that I know of in the whole world,” Archbishop Gomez said.