⨠BEY, LET'S TALK ABOUT 51%
â¨A Message to My Bahamian People...
You've heard it your whole life: "This business is Bahamian owned!"
And when you asked how much, they said: "51%"
And you felt proud. Because 51% sounds like majority. Sounds like control. Sounds like ours.
But let me show you something.
⨠đ THE MATH THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE...đ â¨
Picture a business worth $10 million.
Foreign investor puts up: $8 million (80% of the capital)
Bahamian partner puts up: $2 million (20% of the capital)
đ¤ But the ownership is split:
đ Foreign investor owns: 49%
đ Bahamian partner owns: 51%
⨠Look at that again.
The foreign investor:
đ¤ Put up 80% of the money
đ¤ Takes 49% of the profit
đ¤ Controls the operations
đ¤ Makes the real decisions
đ¤ Has all the expertise
đ¤ Knows all the suppliers
The Bahamian partner:
đ Put up 20% of the money
đ Takes 51% of the profit
â ď¸ But depends on foreign partner for everything
⨠Who REALLY owns that business?
⨠HERE'S WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS
The foreign investor says:
đŁď¸ "I'll handle operations, suppliers, management, marketing. You just be the face for the government paperwork."
đŁď¸ And the Bahamian partner agrees. Because they don't have:
đ¤ˇđžââď¸ The connections
đ¤ˇđžââď¸ The expertise
đ¤ˇđžââď¸ The capital
đ¤ˇđžââď¸ The suppliers
đ¤ˇđžââď¸ The systems
So 51% ownership becomes a FRONT.
The foreign investor:
đ¤ Charges "management fees" (reducing profit)
đ¤ Bills "consulting services" (reducing profit)
đ¤ Adds "operational costs" (reducing profit)
đ¤ Transfers money through "supplier contracts" (reducing profit)
đ´ââ ď¸ By the time profit gets calculated, there's barely anything left for that 51%. The money leaves the country in fees, not profit. And it's all legal.
⨠THE BIGGER GAME
đď¸ This isn't just about one business.
Look around:
How many "Bahamian owned" businesses are 51%? How many are actually controlled by Bahamians? How many have Bahamian management making real decisions? How much profit actually stays in Bahamian hands?
đ 51% was designed to LOOK like Bahamian control while preserving foreign dominance.
đ It's exploitation with a nationalist bow on top.
⨠WHY WE ACCEPTED IT
Because after independence, we were told:
"Foreign investment good. We need the capital. We need the expertise. 51% ensures Bahamian ownership while attracting investors."
⨠And it SOUNDED good.
We got majority on paper. But we gave away control in practice. And for 50+ years, we've been calling this "Bahamian owned."
đ´ââ ď¸ When really, we've been fronts for foreign profit extraction. đ°
⨠THE TRUTH WE NEED TO FACE
51% was NEVER Bahamian ownership. It was the MINIMUM required to make exploitation look patriotic.
Real ownership means:
đŞđž Real capital investment
đŞđž Real operational control
đŞđž Real decision-making power
đŞđž Real profit staying local
âĄď¸ â ď¸âĄď¸ At 51%, you have NONE of that guaranteed. You have a NUMBER on paper. And a lot of faith that your foreign partner isn't taking advantage.
đđž How's that faith working out?
⨠WHAT REAL OWNERSHIP LOOKS LIKE
âď¸ 60% minimum. âď¸ Here's why:
⨠At 60%, the Bahamian partner:
đŞđž Put up enough capital to have REAL stake
đŞđž Has operational control that matters
đŞđž Makes decisions that stick
đŞđž Can't be out-maneuvered by foreign partner
Actually benefits from the profit
⨠60% means you have POWER, not just paperwork.
⨠THEY'LL SAY IT'S TOO MUCH
𫤠"You'll scare away investors!"
𫤠"Foreign capital will leave!"
𫤠"We can't compete regionally!"
âď¸ Good. Let them leave if they only want to come here to exploit us.
⨠Let them go somewhere else to hide behind local fronts. We want partners who RESPECT our ownership, not USE it for cover.
⨠THIS IS ABOUT DIGNITY
Not just dollars. Every time we accept 51% as "Bahamian owned," âď¸ we're saying: "We'll settle for the appearance of control while you keep the actual power."
đ Every business at 51% is a reminder that we accepted the MINIMUM.
Our grandchildren will ask us:
"đśđž Why did you let them do that?" What will we say? "Because we were grateful for the crumbs?"
⨠THE DECISION IS OURS
âď¸ We can keep accepting 51%. Keep pretending it's real ownership. Keep watching profits leave. Keep being fronts.
đŞđž Or we can demand better. Not because we hate foreigners. Because we love our country. And real love means real standards.
⨠60 IS THE NEW 50.
⨠51% WAS NEVER BAHAMIAN OWNERSHIP.
It's time we admitted that. It's time we demanded more.
â¤ď¸ It's time we stopped settling for the appearance of control and started requiring the REALITY of it.
⨠Our businesses. Our capital. Our decisions. Our profit.
Not 51% on paper while everything else stays overseas.
Real ownership. Real control. Real future.
⨠THIS IS OUR RESOLUTION
Not just for 2026. For our children. For our sovereignty. For our dignity.
Together, as Bahamians. We deserve better than 51%.
We deserve better than fronts. We deserve real ownership of our own country.
đ§đ¸ It starts now. It starts with us.
60% or nothing.
đŞđž BSO | Interactive Bahamian Futurism
#BahamanOwned #60IsTheNew50
[Comment below: What businesses do you know that are "51% Bahamian" but clearly foreign controlled?
đŁď¸ Let's talk about it.]
