Arawak Homes Chairman Franklyn Wilson is convinced that the economy of The Bahamas can only be stronger if Bahamians change their work ethic.

As he discussed the recent 2015/2016 Budget Communication which is focused on building a stronger Bahamas, Wilson, who was yesterday’s guest on Love 97’s Jones and Co. talk show, said the budget is laden with incentives for economic growth, but this will only be achieved if people would understand the value of a job.

“A stronger country needs people who can understand a job,” he explained.

To clarify his premise, Wilson quoted National Congress of Trade Unions of The Bahamas President Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson, who provided a view of the attitude of some modern Bahamian workers.

According to Wilson, Dotson said, “Many workers do not posses soft skills. They do not have any idea of time and believe they shouldn’t come to work because they had a rough weekend.
They have no respect for a job.

“We have a generation of workers unable to adapt, perform under pressure, have no work ethic, cannot manage time, do not think positively of themselves, cannot be part of a team, cannot solve problems, lacks self confidence, cannot take or give criticism, are inflexible and lacks communications skills.”

Therefore, Wilson explained that a stronger country must include people who understand a job, who can be a part of a team and who are not similar to what Dotson illustrated.

He said the recent budget presented by the prime minister is strong because it demonstrates what the government is doing to bring change in those areas.

For example, there are a lot of young men who are brought before the courts regularly and according to Wilson, the budget seeks to address this issue by allocating money to provide programmes for young men with behavioural problems.

According to the budget, $20 million has been allocated to address youth unemployment, which will assist with the establishment of a special school for young people with behavioural issues.

Prime Minister Perry Christie said behavioural issues militate against the employability of young people and the establishment of this school reinforces the government’s policy commitment that every child must count and none be left behind.

“The point I’m making is there are specific things being done in this budget to recognize that we cannot build a prosperous Bahamas unless we tackle some of the problems that Mrs. Dotson identified,” Wilson said. “And to do it, this budget says we are making a down payment on it.”

He noted that during the early 90s when Sol Kerzner, former chairman of Kerzner International Holdings, sought to expand Atlantis, Kerzner was asked by international investors, “What makes Atlantis works?”

Wilson said Kerzner’s response was, “the Bahamian people.”

He explained that Kerzner’s view of Bahamians caused him to do what he did in the early 90s and Kerzner’s view is totally different from Dotson’s view of present Bahamian workers.

“If Kerzner saw what Mrs. Dotson saw in us, he would not have done Atlantis,” Wilson said.