By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

FASHION designer Peter Nygard yesterday urged the government to call on top international scientists to form the ethics board to oversee the stem cell industry.

Now that the country has the legislative edge to become an industry leader, Mr Nygard warned that such a critical role should be in the hands of the “smartest people in the world”.

Based on his understanding, regulations currently being underwritten with the University of Miami will be completed by the end of the year; however, Mr Nygard maintained that he was not an authoritative source.

He added that it was critical that public education was not polluted by religious misinformation concerning emerging stem cell therapies.

“The board of ethics, the controlling board that ultimately makes the decisions about who can and cannot, this should be in the hands of the smartest, the most qualified people in the world,” said Mr Nygard. “Not at all just local people, this would drive everybody away.

“This legislation,” he said, “is an international legislation, this is for the world, not just for the Bahamas. So what we need is a very responsible board which is not based or controlled domestically so people will have confidence that this is in good hands to be regulated.”

The Stem Cell Research and Therapy Bill, which was passed in Parliament last month, provides a regulatory regime covering all aspects of stem cell research, namely clinical research, non-clinical research and therapeutic uses.

The legislation has proved to be a “game changer”, according to Minister of State for Investment Khaalis Rolle, who told Tribune Business last month that applications to develop stem cell research and treatment facilities were coming in weekly.

Mr Nygard praised the Christie administration for braving global controversy to create the legislative environment for the Bahamas to play an integral role in medical history.

Referring to the legislative debate, Mr Nygard said that anyone who politicized the issue had “no business being in public life.” 

“I think it’s so short-sighted and so naive,” he said.

“I saw some of that crept in there and I think that was a horrendously bad thing for the opposition party to start politicizing this.”

He added: “I think the point that the opposition was making that presumably the Bahamas is not qualified enough to contain or control this is such a lack of confidence in the Bahamas people. How demising, how irresponsible is that.”

Meanwhile, the Lyford Cay millionaire has also enjoyed recent success in his professional capacity as a fashion designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

Last month, Mr Nygard was awarded with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition for his work raising money and awareness for local cancer charities and his contributions to Canada and the Commonwealth.

Sales from his new fashion line “SLIMS”, a body-shaping pant, were projected to rack up $70 million in its first year.

Engineered to provide the control of Spanx without eliminating womanly curves, Mr Nygard said the “revolutionary” item will be launched in the Bahamas next Spring.

Responding to a question on how to ensure there is continuity following the proposed medical tourism boom, Mr Nygard said the country must protect its uniqueness.

Drawing comparison to the Banking and Trust industry, Mr Nygard said that the former administration “surrendered” to the United States, and policy changes led to the loss of the Bahamas’ competitive edge.

“People have gone from here because we pulled the rug from underneath them, we gave away that trust business now. We surrendered to the US – the previous government did – and now they have now made the trust business and the banking industry unfavourable. Now there is no advantage in having that business here any longer because it’s the same as the United States.”

He added: “We have to be sure that we not only build this business, but we continue to protect it in terms of making a favourable climate.”