By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis says he believes the country would have been further ahead in dealing with unregulated shanty towns if Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson had made a similar ruling to Friday’s judgement when his administration was in office.

Dr Minnis said this would have allowed his administration’s work to continue, adding that the previous court ordered halt on shanty town demolitions was a setback to the country.

He spoke after Justice Grant-Thompson on Friday ruled that the Minnis administration’s shanty town eradication policy was lawful and that applicants did not come up with sufficient evidence that any move to seize their property was in breach of the law.

 The ruling means that the injunction is lifted and demolition of shanty town properties by the government may resume.

 Commenting on the judgement yesterday, Dr Minnis told The Tribune he was pleased to see that the previous injunction had been lifted, but also admitted to being disappointed when the court did not make a similar judgement when the FNM government was in power.

 An injunction protecting shanty towns in New Providence and parts of Abaco was granted in 2018, but was extended to all of Abaco in 2021, after the Minnis administration began demolishing newly built illegal structures on the island following the devastation of Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

 In 2021, Justice Grant-Thompson ordered the government to cease and desist further interference with those communities until the judicial review of the matter was completed.

 Yesterday, Dr Minnis said he believed the 2021 ruling was a setback for the country.

 “I would say that I am generally pleased with the court’s ruling (on Friday) along with many other Bahamians,” Dr Minnis told this newspaper.

 “I was surprised, disappointed and disheartened by the court’s earlier ruling on this matter during my administration and I believe that the earlier ruling during the previous FNM government was a setback for the country.

 “And we would have been further ahead if the court had ruled differently back then. However, moving forward, I hope the government is going to act humanely and swiftly to address this long standing and vexing issue of shanty towns, including the threats to health and public safety, especially the possibility of cholera.”

 Dr Minnis reminded that during his administration’s time in office, his government had also formed a committee “to look at many aspects of removing illegal shanty towns throughout the country”.

 He added that their approach was a comprehensive one and urged the Davis administration to follow a similar plan, adding “we cannot afford more delay”.

 “The country will continue to watch how the executive... will proceed on this matter and if they will do so in a timely and consistent manner and I also must say that we cannot afford more delay especially as the situation in Haiti continues to worsen, and shanty towns continue to grow,” the former Prime Minister continued.

 “We here in The Bahamas must send a clear message on illegal migration and the need for deterrence. We must also send a message, a clear message to Bahamians who assist in these violations.”

 Dr Minnis again doubled down on calls for the removal of all illegal shanty towns, saying his government was determined to rid the country of the communities and called on the Davis administration to do the same.

 “It is very unfair for Bahamians who save up all their money, follow the law and get the necessary permits, etc, regardless of how long it may take, they go through the procedure, buy and hope to develop their greatest investment – a home,” he added. “Only the cost of their investment will depreciate by the development of shanty towns or illegal structures next to them that you cannot remove. This cannot and must not be tolerated in our country.”

 FNM leader Michael Pintard echoed similar calls Sunday, saying now that the “legal hurdles” have been overcome, the party supports and calls for immediate action against shanty towns.

 Last year, a shanty town committee was formed under the auspices of the Ministry of Works to look into and investigate these irregular communities.

 While Prime Minister Philip Davis has said that the government intends to begin the process of dealing with shanty towns in view of Friday’s ruling, he did not say when action will be taken by his administration.