By Earyel Bowleg

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement (FNM) leader Michael Pintard said now that the “legal hurdles” have been overcome, the party supports and calls for immediate action after a Supreme Court Justice lifted a previous injunction regarding shanty towns.

Justice Cheryl Grant-­Thompson ruled on Friday the “matter of national importance” at the conclusion of a legal battle filed in 2018. Mr Pintard argued in a press statement yesterday that the party considered it one of national importance as well when it took steps to address the problem.

The demolition shanty town properties and evictions of residents can resume after the justice’s lifting a previous injunction.

An injunction was granted in 2018 but in 2021 it was extended to all of Abaco, following the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, which prevented the government from tearing down structures in the shanty towns. The initial injunction was applied to Abaco then extended to New Providence.

In the statement, Mr Pintard said: “The Free National Movement has called on the government to act with urgency on the immigration crisis in general and the unregulated development (including shanty towns) in particular for months now. Now that the legal hurdles have been overcome (we await the written judgement) we support and call for immediate action.

“I note that the judge referenced that the issue is one of national importance. The FNM considered this to be a matter of national importance when it took steps to address the problem. We have lost valuable time and are sure that history will judge all the actions which derailed our efforts to address this challenge.”

The Marco City MP went on to discuss that some of the unregulated developments violate laws “on multiple levels”. There are communities on both Crown and private land.

The FNM leader said these communities are “largely unsanitary” due to a lack of proper water systems and bathroom facilities. These conditions have contributed to the damage of our water table.

“In addition, electricity is often illegally connected and shared in these communities. Sometimes generators are utilised and when improperly use result in injury or death. The presence of these communities negatively affecting property values and quality of life. The growing disillusionment with government officials is the failure to hold systemic law breakers to thrive while law abiding citizens who are facing rising electricity costs are made to pay or lose their power supply,” Mr Pintard argued.

“The government in partnership with private developers and contractors should collaborate in launching in earnest a housing revolution across The Bahamas in order to meet decades old huge housing demands among Bahamians, labour imported for various projects and to accommodate, at fair market price, those Bahamians and non-Bahamians (with status) who would be in need of alternative legitimate. housing. Persons with rental properties should be called upon to advertise vacancies they have in their inventory.”

He added: “Regional and global, non-governmental organisations and multi-lateral bodies should be engaged with a view of The Bahamas attracting the requisite resources to construct world-class detention centres to house persons who have breached our immigration laws until such time that they can be repatriated to their country of origin or another country that is minded to accommodate them.

“The government should follow the law in this regard being careful not to engage in rhetoric or excessive actions that may undermine the legal entitlement of our country to protect its borders, and to compel citizens and non-citizens to comply with all laws related to taking possession of and occupying land, both private and public, for the purpose of home construction.”

Mr Pintard said immediate steps must be taken to ensure that “not one more new construction” takes place that violates the Building Regulation Act and the Planning and subdivision Act. Furthermore, owners of land who permit the transformation of their land into shanty towns should be compelled to follow the law.

“The government must act humanely but with a sense of urgency address this crisis which we face,” he cautioned.