Academic Seeks To Debunk Bahamas E-Commerce Claims
by Amanda Banks, Tax-News.com, London
03 November 2003

A leading economist at the College of the Bahamas has criticised government policy towards e-commerce, arguing that recent legislative measures will not be enough to establish information technology as the ‘third pillar’ of the Bahamian economy.

In a Bahama Journal report last week, Dr Olivia Saunders said that the e-commerce sector had been “bandied about as a liberator from our reliance on tourism and financial services,” but she said the policy was bound to fail if the government’s only goal was to see a computer in every classroom.

According to the report, only 28% of the Bahamian population has access to a personal computer and a mere 15% has access to the internet.

"I suggest that we stop holding onto the claims of uniqueness, of difference, of specialness, of better than, and get on with building a society that reflects the aspirations of its citizens” Dr Saunders commented.

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