Apparently, I have now been christened “D’Jango,” in a clumsy attempt to liken me to the character Stephen from Django Unchained. God forbid these intellectually lazy critics should at least get their movie references right—though, to be fair, expecting accuracy from people who struggle with basic logic may be asking too much.

All this outrage, mind you, because I dared to suggest that we find a sensible compromise on increased cruising fees and their impact on the yachting industry. In some corners, that apparently translates into “siding with white foreigners over Bahamians”—as if every seasonal visitor who drops anchor in our waters arrived with a treasure map and a plundering crew.

The irony here is almost poetic.

It turns out that the Chairman of the New Day Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Fred Mitchell, is saying essentially the same thing I am. Yes—brace yourselves—Fred Mitchell and I agree. Somewhere, pigs are warming up their wings.

According to The Nassau Guardian; “Govt concerned about impact of cruising fee increase, Mitchell says”, Mr. Mitchell openly acknowledged that the marina tax issue is not simple, that government officials are “deeply concerned” about the knock-on effects, and that marinas in places like West End and Harbour Island are sitting empty. No boats. No business. No taxes.

Some marina owners are reporting a staggering 40 percent drop in boating traffic compared to 2024. The result? The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism has now promised a review of the very policy that was rolled out with such confidence. Predictable.

And yet, instead of honest reflection, some voices prefer to vilify all seasonal visitors—people who return year after year, rent homes, buy groceries, hire locals, maintain boats, support marinas, and quietly keep Family Island economies alive during the slow months. These are not pirates. They are economic lifelines.

Yes, a “happy medium” must be struck—but that phrase means nothing unless we define it with reason rather than resentment.

Perhaps the solution is not to shock the market with blunt, poorly calibrated fee hikes, but to introduce a moderate, sliding cruising fee—one that accounts for vessel size, duration of stay, and genuine environmental impact. Pair that with a targeted increase in foreign sport-fishing licences, where pressure on marine resources is demonstrably higher. That’s policy. That’s balance.

What we must first discard is the lazy narrative that every foreigner who visits our shores is here to “plunder” something. That rhetoric may be politically convenient, but it is economically reckless—and it is the Family Islands that suffer first and longest when policy is driven by ideology instead of impact.

So yes, it must be a brand-new year if it begins with the PLP chairman and myself agreeing on something. I will agree with anyone—government or otherwise—when the argument makes sense and genuinely serves the best interests of The Bahamas and its people.

Here’s to 2026. May it bring better policy, fewer knee-jerk decisions, and perhaps even a little more logic.

END