THE nasty feud between two billionaire Lyford Cay neighbours, which has played out in the press for years, may be coming to a head as one extended an offer to work together for the sake of the Bahamian people.
Peter Nygard has been an active foreign resident of the Bahamas for 20 years, and at least half of that time, he has been battling his neighbour Louis Bacon.
The latest spat between them has the press reporting that two separate campaigns to save Clifton Bay have been launched – one supporting Bacon, the other Nygard.
Yesterday, Mr Nygard called on his neighbour not to use Clifton, which he said is sacred to Bahamians, as a field for new battles between them.
Instead, he called on Mr Bacon to join hands with him so they can work together to help save and restore Clifton Cay and Bay.
He made this call on Gems 105.9fm talk show with host Debbie Bartlett.
“It would be good for us to join hands together and do this for the benefit of the Bahamian people and culture,” Mr Nygard said, calling on his neighbour to “put your money where your mouth is – let’s restore the slave sites and restore the land for the Bahamian people.”
Mr Nygard added: “I have a deep-rooted, genuine love for the Bahamian people. I came to the Bahamas by choice. I was born in Finland, I am a Canadian citizen, a United States domicile – I could be anywhere in the world and I chose this as my place.
“I didn’t join this as a Lyford Cay person. I joined the Bahamas and the Bahamian people; I invited them to come to my place and they came by the thousands.”
Mr Nygard said his interest in the future of the Bahamas has extended to his family – his sons are not only actively involved in coral and mangrove farming, but also organic farming. They have set up an organic farm as a model for sustainable agriculture in the Bahamas, with an aim to help to significantly decrease the $750 million annual expenditure on food imports, he said.
In addition, Mr Nygard noted that he has been instrumental as a financier for several sporting associations in the Bahamas for two decades, including track and field, beach volleyball, boxing and the national pastime, sailing.
His love for the Bahamas, he says, extends to seeing a brighter future for the Bahamas. He called on Bahamians to eat healthier and try to lose more weight as a country, to decrease the alarming rates of diabetes and obesity in the Bahamas.
He praised Bahamian women for being “a tower of strength for their families,” and he called on Bahamian men to collectively stop abandoning their responsibilities as fathers, so that the future could be brighter for the children.
Mr Nygard said he comes from an extremely poor background.
Born in Finland, he said his family had to leave their home to escape the invading Russians, and lived in a converted cabin in below 40 degrees condition.
He recalled days of no running water and electricity; of learning to speak English by being offered carrots and other items of food by a pastor who would not let him eat, hungry as he was, until he could name the item in English three times; of church members sewing old rags together to make a blanket for his family.
Despite these harsh conditions, he said his parents remained a strong unit and taught him lessons about hard work that helped him grow his fashion company from an $8,000 loan into an enterprise worth more than a billion dollars today.
The interview comes one day after the original crusaders for the preservation of Clifton called on the government to reject any application by Mr Nygard for a grant or lease of Crown land in the area.
Asserting its independence from newly launched groups said to be supporting either Mr Nygard or Mr Bacon, the Coalition to Save Clifton (CSC), which fought successfully to save the area from private development by foreigners between 1998 and 2002, called for the sea park promised by Prime Minister Perry Christie to become a reality.
Coalition president Rev CB Moss, who led the group since its inception, focused particularly on “newly created land” resulting from alterations of the coastline at Simms Point.
He claimed work was undertaken there without permits, and believes Mr Nygard has now applied to officially take ownership of the new land.
Comments
Tarzan 11 years, 8 months ago
Working together would be simple. Stop your illegal dredging and construction on the sea bed which was and continues going on right while you were talking "peace and brotherhood" on the radio.
If you are really about supporting the Bahamas and the Bahamian people, stop breaking our laws by building in the sea, on Crown Land and honor the lawful orders to cease, desist and restore that have been issued to you by their elected representatives.
Mr. Nygard, it would be so simple if you were serious. Please put your actions where your mouth is, and do it now!
Collin 11 years, 8 months ago
Totally, agree!!! Cease and desist, then restore! All the good feelings stories and veil threats save it to those who kiss up to you.
We appreciate your work in the community but that does not excuse your boorish behaviour and disregard for Bahamian law.
By the way, also know your other deal I understand you are seeking to obtain from PM Christie and the PLP will not happen. If they dared tried that they and you will be ran out of town!!!
lazybor 11 years, 8 months ago
well said, please follow the laws, it is not so difficoult!
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nowonder 11 years, 8 months ago
Bet he gets the land from our PM !!
TalRussell 11 years, 8 months ago
And, Comrades I bet you thought only the poor Bahamians living over-the-hill fought each other and now you know's it ain't so, when thanks be to The Tribune we have witnessed how these two billionaires has been go'in after each other, so damn publicly? Loud speakers blasting and all I remind you?
I ain't know about how's you thinking but I sure as hell ain't ready to consider neither one of these two billionaire men's, stepping beyond they role as "invited guest's" in Bahamaland, to start playing the role of a foreigner fath'eer to our Bahamaland.
Comrades not that we don't appreciate generosity but let's keep a lid about how you go'in about telling the world how sweet you is been to the natives, cause one day out of no where someone might come along and be asking to see the complete list, of all natives, who are beneficiaries of such a fat cheaguebook? Bahamanian's known plenty for wanting knows "all" your damn business, not just what you want talk bout. Yeah we nosey.
After all how many fath'eers can one tiny nation adopt, when we done got Comrades Milo, Lynden and to some extent, even "Pop" Symonette, as we three fath'eer,
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hurricane 11 years, 8 months ago
I challenge you to right one response without the word "comrade". Its truly tiring day in and day out.
ohdrap4 11 years, 8 months ago
I understand why he chooses to live here. He cannot dredge and reclaim land in these highly regulated societies where he could stay.
Although he is not the only one to harm the environment and get away with it.
TalRussell 11 years, 8 months ago
Haven't you been down this road before, Comrade? In the words of Yogi Berra, 'it's déjà vu all over again.'
I'd wager with odds that while you have this issue with my using Comrade, you sure as hell are one of the many Bahamians who still take pride in the glory of Britain's Queen Liz, bestowing her Colonial Titles upon our citizens?
With such a mentality still prevalent in our Bahamaland, is it really any wonder why Comrade Minister Fred's work permit policy has upset The Tribune, so much so that even they had to import a foreigner, as a Guest Editorial Writer, to attack him? Being he/she was not identified, we may never learn whether, considering their close British connections, they actually went as far as to engage a Colonial English Gent or Lady, to attack the minister?
Comrades can you imagine that they actually had the bullocks to engage an unnamed foreigner, to attack a Minister of the Crown?
Oh, while we're at it. Anyone know what ever happened to the case the police were called in on, by His Excellency Sir Arthur, involving his missing Royal Throne Chair, that went missing and was later recovered or returned?
What in hell would you do with a Royal Throne Chair? Sell it to who, a red shirt?
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concernedcitizen 11 years, 8 months ago
Tals in all actuality Freds anti work permit speech is just emotive rethoric for the undereducated masses ,, The medium and big investers and those connected on both sides of the political divide will get all the permits they need .. jewish gentlemen fron Florida were allowed to run and own Island seafood ,then Bahama food service ,now Cysco as long as D Rolle got shares as a front for Ping ,,Europeans were allowed to run and own commonwealth brewery as long as Tiger got shares ,,and the beat goes on ,,Fred talking for the ,undereducated masses where xenophopia is always a big seller ..
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