If the Government was serious they would also go after the landlords and those who have work permit holders living in these areas (per WP the employee is meant to ensure they have a suitable place to live). As the Government is not this is probably just an election tactic and people living in shanties are an easy target. If it is true that the majority of those living there are legal then the Government must also work out a way for legal people to be able to live in a house. And those who are illegal should be dealt with per agreements we have with whatever country they are from.

Just shut up Bannister and do your job.

Bahamian voters would hardly call demolishing only 40 of the more than 1,000 illegal, unsafe and unhealthy shantytown dwellings around our country a serious effort to enforce our laws. And because of Bannister's failure to aggressive enforce our laws, these illegal shantytowns are now starting to pop up everywhere. This is really beginning to look more and more like just another election ploy by the corrupt and incompetent Minnis led FNM administration.

**Comrades, so difficult to watch It all captured on film,** courtesy of social media. Social media that **goin' get viewed** far and wide and by many from places across the globe.
**Heart-wrenching theatre as seen through the eyes of a child as their home with personal belongings stillinside is bulldozed under the authority of a crown minister.**
**The ministry of tourism's, It's Better in the Bahamaland,** now replaced with disturbing images of what was once cherished play Dolls, **mangled and twisted** trapped under the rubbles of woods, personal household goods, appliances, beds, baby cribs, and furnitures.** left behind by the seems be pleased with himself crown minister's hired wreckin' crew and wrecking ball, yes?

Aaahhh, yes, the playing of that 'ole time honoured sympathy card. Just give **us Bahamians** a moment Tal while we wipe all of the tears flowing from our eyes for all of **our fellow Bahamians** suffering great hardship today who cannot afford a roof over their head but nevertheless abide by the laws of land and therefore do not illegally squat and illegally build wherever they choose as many of these lawbreaking Haitian nationals do.

@Trib, did the crown's hired wrecking crews arrive with a **or else, demolition order** signed under the authority and seal of a Judge, yes?

Get real! It's not our government who's breaking the law, but rather enforcing it.

You know as well as anyone that these illegal shantytowns are predominantly occupied by lawbreaking Haitian nationals who have illegally built unsafe and unhealthy dwellings on land they do not own with dangerously jerry-rigged utilities and other structures to boot.

And you cannot possibly think for one serious moment that our government has the financial means to put a roof over the heads of all of these lawbreaking shantytown dwellers. Besides, if word ever got back to Haiti that The Bahamas would be willing to provide free land and housing for Haitian nationals and their offspring (something The Bahamas does not even do for Bahamians), then we would have a huge flotilla like no other setting sail from Haiti for our shores.

We want the right message of "You're not welcome here" sent to all Haitians in Haiti who may be considering paying human traffickers a hefty fee to illegally bring them to our shores. Enough is enough! The national security and well-being of the Bahamian people is under serious threat and must be protected as a matter of survival no matter how self-serving that may seem to some; otherwise we will soon be second-class citizens in a Bahamaland that very closely resembles Haiti.

The challenge remains that most persons in these shantytowns have some level of immigration status including citizenship. While I agree that shantytowns are not the way, there has to be some realization on the Governments part they 1. awarded status 2. working wages do not afford the opportunity to gain proper financing 3. there are no low income/affordable housing options. Given this, the Government's strategy is flawed. If the issue is "slums" as being unhealthy then you just have to look at the inner city here to see the same, are they next, some Bahamians still have no indoor plumbing? This is nothing but a political move to desperately gain votes because it is highly visible and shocking (and pathetic), it in no way addresses the actual problem. To divert from the fact the Government has miserably failed Abaco post Dorian. The people are not going anyway from these shantytowns, all you are doing is increasing the probability of crime. Bannister is out of his depth as very seen with his involvement at BPL.

The Crown's Minister of Works Comrade Desmond, more than anyone, knows except on the showing up in Abaco occasional visits **to pretend be assisting Abacoians - post-Hurricane Dorian, his government has failed all of Abaco.
Not only have their two MPs, deserted them but little to nothing measurable has been done financially to assist Abaco's residents and business owners - including even after dishing out **umpteen millions of dollars in contracts** designated to construct and erect the promised **300 Domes.**
The entire **non-existence 300 Domes project** has now turned into a **no laughing $20 million contracted-out, playing around with the welfare of all Abacoians of a major failure that demands further looking deeper into, investigation,** yes?

Nice try Tal, but I think Minnis already knows the FNM stands no chance of winning a seat in Abaco even if he didn't disrupt the supply of slave labourers for the wealthier residents and businessmen by demolishing the illegal shantytown communities.

There remains unmeasurable post-Hurricane Dorian pain and suffering, stretching wide across Abaco's chain of islands, cays, towns, and settlements.
Homes, Businesses, and Family Capital Assets have been lost to not only Hurricane Dorian but to post-Hurricane Dorian failure that still to this very day, keeps occurring.
**Assets that were once earmarked **as secured** to be inheritance generational passed on, either no longer exist, or in danger of.**
And, yes, even the untold, unaccounted for, lost lives.

Yeah, right. And all that Minnis has done is make it very easy for the likes of Sebas Bastian to 'buy low' and develop at very low cost.

Atlantic Hurricane season poised to be above average wid 3 - 4 major Hurricanes expected. Season starts 1st June, 2021.

There should be more emphasis on teaching in Kreyol language the laws and of extreme dangers of building the unofficial uninspected building plans of structures that will endanger the lives of the occupants and others. Bizzare dat all these decades with all the legal supporters continuous assistance for decades,, top educated lawyers, govt area officials elected MP's, that the teaching and laws of the territory never bin seriously done or observed by thousands of people.

@Comrade Bogart, how could you not actually see how close the realm's entire 1200 Out Islands, Cays, and Rocks is to not even trying to avoid a globally led singer of an economic boycott, yes?

Tal, the long currupt road for decades have been taking advantage of these peopleHaitians, half Haitian, quarter, ,Bahamian, outside children, restavik children, with or without papers etc,, dere chillrens and we can all talk and talk anf insult, and swear, and go round an round and round whichinin ain't gon change dynamics and go on another decades.

Frankly, looking at countries like Japan with 8.46 million houses left empty, deserted in rural areas and selling cheap like $500, dollars seems inviting, Italy has been having house for €1, both Japan and Italy have conditions. They should be informed that even professionals in Nassau needed 83 acres of 150 homes to live in.

After looking at the the failures, $210. weekly wage, low income category earners high expensive country, where da Covid vaccines in Kreyol in shantytowns wid illegal migrants, chillrens by Education Minister must get schooling only fails to recognise children graduate and no papers, onlly inferior lands in flood zones affordable,corruption, beating around the bush, not ever one labour board complaint against wicked employer , false promises, renewal Work Permits until grandvhildren, files missing, no phones anseering, Church people absent, Communities leaders absent, no govt salaried MP ever named in any of these articles, no inhuman Human Trafficker and network caught, no Haitian officials have constructine notice of Haitian in distress, greasing, UN coming an going on and on. These people are there and solutions need to be sought by themselves in other countries.

Looking at the situation anyone affected would moving and contacting Japan to have a unified highly work ethics group of workers and families and chillrens to be better to reach da stars.

Who is the salaried MP for these Abaco areas ???

“Last week, we demolished 23 structures in the farm,” Mr Bannister told reporters yesterday. “The week before that, we did 20 and this week we marked 22 for demolition and we’re going to keep consistently demolishing them until all are gone and we’re going to continue to move on to other areas"

And where will those people go, what are their options?
Government should be providing the policy framework and infrastructure for people to provide for themselves, give them the land and enforce the building code, its Abaco not Nassau, its needs all the economic development it can get.

Bulldozing homes without any alternative for these people is just lunacy, more will be on the street to protest with placards and more of the Intl community will look upon the Bahamas as a failing country. Sad but true.

Spoken like a true Haitian national who illegally entered our country and has many family members and friends back in Haiti looking forward to coming to The Bahamas to live on free Crown Land and enjoy Bahamian taxpayer funded free housing. Get real!