EDITOR, The Tribune.

I would have been at The Bahamas Bar for a period in excess of 46 years had I still been a member in good standing this same month. Unfortunately (for me) I was disbarred many years ago for an act of malfeasance. The punishment, such as it was, was far too long, but I have accepted my fate and moved on as a Business & Media Consultant. The Lord Jesus Christ has been exceedingly wonderful to me in this venture.

Since the disbarment I have been consulted by scores of Bahamians who would have applied for a Grant for Crown Land, years and almost decades ago, to no avail except to sometimes receive a letter of acknowledgement.

Thereafter it could take an inordinate amount of time to access the relevant Grant, if ever at all. The process is cumbersome and very taxing. Many applicants simply give up in frustration. More would have died while awaiting a positive response. This is dead wrong and must be addressed by the Davis administration.

The Bahamas has hundreds of thousands of acres of arable land which could be used for building and/or farming on a medium to large scale. The land in most cases is just right where it is producing nothing of agricultural value and/or boosting the national economy. Land access for the average Bahamian is next to impossible here in New Providence. Many current residents of this island would, I submit, be more than willing to construct a primary or secondary home in their ancestral island, say in Andros; Cat Island; Exuma and even way down in Acklins and Crooked Island.

Unencumbered land has value and is marketable in most cases. One is able to imagine the economy activity that would be generated if Crown Grants were made more readily available. It is also likely that many Nassauvians would be prepared to return ‘home’ or simply to invest in viable commercial ventures.

I recall that the current Prime Minister, the Hon Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, QC, MP, would rail in the House of Assembly and wax eloquently about the necessity of liberalising applications and processing for Crown Land and to eliminate the baggage that comes with ‘Generation Property’ in many of the Family Islands. As the sitting Prime Minister, Mr Davis is in the driver’s seat, so to speak, to immediately bring resolution to both of these debilitating and vexing long standing issues.

With all of this Crown Land simply sitting around, tongue-in-cheek, we have to come up with workable policies and initiatives to extract and maximise the value of granted land. Where possible, applications should be digitalised and responded to within a matter of weeks not months and even years. The land, after all, is a part of the patrimony of ALL Bahamians. This is ‘real gold’ and something that can be utilised immediately unlike the mining of aragonite and sand, which would be beyond the reach of the average Bahamian. In fact, Crown Land, is a low hanging fruit that we all should be able pick and enjoy responsibly.

I, therefore, invite the PM to reorganise and modernise the lengthy time between when an application for a Crown Grant is made and when it is sound off on. I understand that some lawyers are charging big bucks to assist clients in this tortuous process and even then they are not granted the land applied for or at all. Over the years, sitting Prime Ministers, who have carriage over Crown Land, seem to be reluctant to empower the unwashed masses with even a small plot of land.

The personnel within the Office of the Prime Minister, historically, and factually, usually place applicants in ‘the proverbial dance’ for years and years. Up at the Department of Lands & Surveys, most records and plans are contained in shabby looking books and entries are often made by hand which often results in applications going missing and the inability to follow a paper trail. The Promised Land is already here but like the ostrich, our collective heads still appear to be in the sand.

ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr

Nassau,

August 11, 2022.