By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE LEGAL director of an environmental group believes that the Family Islands will only prosper if local government is strengthened giving more power to the people who reside in these communities.

Addressing scores of residents at a recent town hall meeting in Bimini, Save The Bays’ Director Fred Smith, QC, responded to concerns that the central government continued to have great control over the economic decisions of the Family Islands at the expense of their natural preservation. His comments came as he spoke of the need to protect Bimini’s natural resources from exploitation and degradation at the hands of big, foreign direct investments.

“The big challenge that the entire Bahamas and all the Family Islands face is the fact that the government in Nassau runs everything that happens in the Family Islands instead of respecting the locals,” Mr Smith said.

“Bimini belongs to the Biminites just like Guana Cay belonged to the people from Guana Cay. Just like Freeport and Grand Bahama belong to the people from Grand Bahama. The country is called the Commonwealth of the Bahama Islands. It is not called just the Commonwealth of Nassau. And the challenge that Bimini faces and the challenge that every Family Island and so many of the beautiful settlements we have and the environments that we have throughout the Family Islands face is the fact that the government in Nassau treats all the Family Islands and all the settlements and all the people who live in the settlements with no respect.

“And that’s why I’m so glad Mr (Mike) Roberts said what he had to say tonight because he’s right. It’s time for people in the Family Islands to rise up and make sure that the politicians listen to them,” Mr Smith said to an applause from the residents.

Mr Smith said he was not using the forum to promote partisan politics while saying “but it really is the people’s time,” referring to the Free National Movement’s election slogan.

“And the people of the Bahamas now need to make sure this government remembers from Mayaguana all the way up to the Abacos. It is the people’s time to make sure that the government in Nassau and your district councils listen to the people.”

At Thursday’s town hall, Mr Smith told the Bimini residents that his group was not there to tell the people “what should or shouldn’t be done” but wished to stressed that the same issues are faced by all the Family Islands.

“Foreigners, God bless them I want them to keep coming ‘cause they’re going to give us jobs and help us grow and develop, but foreigners come with little brochures and they go and sit in the Office of the Prime Minister and they took up secret deals like the Chinese did in Baha Mar, like they did in North Bimini, like Baker’s Bay and Discovery Bay and Guana Cay.

“The problem is our government. It’s not the foreigners, who sit and cook up corrupt deals. Why is it after all these years, year after year, government after government, the people of Bimini, the scientists, everybody knows you’ve got to preserve the environment for Bimini. That’s why people come here. They come to fish, they come to snorkel, they come to scuba dive. I was here last month swimming with the hammerheads. A fabulous experience,” Mr Smith said.

“So I’m so glad Mike Roberts said what he had to say because that’s the point. The people in Nassau who represent you and your district councillors need to listen to you and that’s the big problem.”

“The Bahama Islands used to be a colony of Great Britain. When we got independence in 1973 we simply became a colony of Nassau and that is what has happened. The politicians in Nassau simply use the resources in our Family Islands to make very, very lucrative corrupt deals for themselves,” he claimed.

“And you the people of Bimini have a responsibility for your own island.”

Mr Smith said he was glad to be present for the meeting “to experience the power of the people.”

“I can feel the frustration, I can feel the anger, I can feel the despair, the discouragement and the great hope because we have it. We have 400,000 people who live in the Bahamas. We have five million plus guests a year. Every person in the Bahamas should be rich. We should never be poor people. Why is it that the wealth in the Bahamas has become so concentrated in a small group of white Bahamians and a small group of black Bahamians in Nassau? It’s not fair.”

Speaking of the Bimini Bay resort, Mr Smith said “it is a disgrace to drive through Bimini see the condition of it and when you go through those gates, you walk into Disney World.”

“You got sidewalks everywhere, You have flowers everywhere. You have lamp poles everywhere and all the Bahamians can do is go pick up the towels on the beach, drive a few golf carts for them, cut up some conch, it’s not fair.

“And so my message to you tonight and the message that Joe Darville and many others from the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association have been promoting for 40 years, is that we need true local government in the Bahamas so that you in Bimini, if you want a casino, you get the casino taxes so you can have a nice hospital or medical centre or school. Or a nice pier.

“You in Bimini through your district council and local government can decide whether they should dredge or not. The prime minister was at the Crown lands office a couple days ago talking about Crown land. But it’s time that the Family Islanders through their local government own their own Crown land.”

Mr Smith said the residents on these various islands should not have to consult with central government officials in the capital on whether they can get a public park.

“You can’t blame the foreign developers when they come and your own politicians that represent you let them abuse you. We should welcome the foreign developers. Save The Bays is not against the government. We never have been. We just want regulated development and local government to say what’s going to happen in your local community.”

“We want local governments to be able to tax, to be able to pass by-laws, to be able to enforce that and to be able to own your own land in your own home. It’s your home.”

Local government started in June 1996 and the Local Government Act provides for elections to take place once every three years.

Last month, the new government’s policies were outlined by Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling in the Speech from the Throne at the opening of Parliament.

“My government is committed to the exploration and development of the untapped resources of the Family Islands,” the speech noted. “Consequently, my government will promote diversification in tourism and banking and promote more Bahamian ownership of these industries.”

“My government will, where practicable, ensure the purchase of locally manufactured goods and services and other supplies. My government will renew the Family Island Incentives Act to promote growth in agriculture and manufacturing and support diversification in growth of agricultural produce among Family Islands and encourage and enhance inter island trade. My government will provide for a portion of the revenue collected by the district councils to be used to address local needs. My government will establish a committee to look into the implementation of local government in New Providence.”