The Tribune

WHO IS Keod Smith? In fact, we know who he is. Better put, the question should be: Who does Keod Smith think that he is?

It seems he has taken over Jaws Beach, which comes under the statutory jurisdiction of the Clifton Heritage Authority, and has announced that in so doing he is protecting the “patrimony” of the Bahamian people. However, from his recent pronouncements he has made it clear that white Bahamians are not included in that patrimony. Jaws Beach and environs apparently belong to Mr Smith, who has announced that “you just gat to know this black people land”. How he arrives at this conclusion is indeed a mystery.

Perhaps this racist seed was planted in his ear by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who on a short visit here as the guest of Mr Smith’s patron Peter Nygard, reminded black Bahamians: “Now either this is your (land) or you’re not the owner any more of this. But you paid a price and the land is being sold right out from under your foot.”

After long years of struggle and sacrifice by generations of Bahamians to create a “One Bahamas” from the many ethnic backgrounds that make up this country, suddenly the evil chants of racism from the western end of our island threaten once again to divide this nation.

The clash came when concerned Bahamians became aware that publicly-owned Clifton Bay had become a construction site. The information was that construction was being done without government’s permission.

These citizens — Bahamians of every colour — formed themselves into a Coalition to Preserve Clifton Bay and other common marine environments surrounding New Providence. They started to ask questions.

“Who is in lawful control of Jaws Beach?” the coalition asked. “Someone has bulldozed the pond and wetlands behind the beach.

“Who, if anyone, gave permission to build a new dock, take down the old one, move sand, and bulldoze the wetlands?” the coalition hammered.

The coalition also wanted to know what the Ministry of the Environment was doing about the “ecologically important areas” that were “damaged during the work”.

The coalition also wanted to know whether the Heritage Authority was prepared to let private citizens do whatever they pleased on public land.

Apparently, no permission was given by government and the Clifton Heritage Authority remained mute. As a matter of fact, this group seems to have gone into hiding.

On April 26, the coalition wanted to know whether the weekend construction and beach alterations had anything to do with the Occupy Clifton/Renegotiate event held on Jaws Beach on Sunday, April 21. The coalition said the event was attended by about 150 people who were bused in on five jitneys.

When asked who gave permission, Keod Smith made the most astounding statement.

“Permission? It comes from me! It comes from us. This is ours,” he stated.

“We don’t need to ask anybody’s permission to do what is ours. You don’t have to ask permission to do what is in your yard. This is our yard... I’m not going to ask my government, certainly not going to ask the Clifton Heritage Authority for permission to do anything. They serve the interests of Mr (Louis) Bacon. They sitting on his coalition and his board. That’s where they are. They’re not supposed to be. They are in conflict. I called for their resignation.”

Keod Smith then added: “I’m not asking anyone’s permission. From the Prime Minister straight on down. This here is mine, and this is everyone else’s in the Bahamas.

“This is ours to have. I need no one’s permission for anything,” said Mr Smith.

Many questions are being asked, but there is a particular one that has been buzzing quietly underground for sometime. Now is the time for that also to be exposed so that if it is only a rumour, it can be put to rest.

It has been admitted that Keod Smith, Mr Nygard’s lawyer, invited Louis Farrakhan to Nassau, and that the Nation of Islam leader was not only flown from Miami to Nassau in Mr Nygard’s plane, but he was entertained at Mr Nygard’s Lyford Cay home.

It is being whispered — we have not been able to confirm whether this is just a rumour, or a rumour with some flesh on it. The rumour is that under consideration was (or is) a plan to invite Mr Farrakhan to establish a branch of his organisation at Clifton.

If true, this would be the worst curse that anyone could wish on this country. Mr Farrakhan harbours a bitter, destructive racial hatred that in the worst of times has never been experienced in the Bahamas.

At the time of Malcolm X’s death in the United States, many persons, including Malcolm X’s family, accused Mr Farrakhan of being involved in the 1965 plot to assassinate the civil rights leader. Malcolm was also spokesman for the Nation of Islam. According to Wikipedia, in a 1993 speech Farrakhan seemed to acknowledge the possibility that the Nation of Islam was responsible for the assassination.

“We don’t give a damn about no white man law if you attack what we love,” he told his audience. “And frankly, it ain’t none of your business. What do you got to say about it? Did you teach Malcolm? Did you make Malcolm? Did you clean up Malcolm? Did you put Malcolm out before the world? Was Malcolm your traitor or ours? And if we dealt with him like a nation deals with a traitor, what the hell business is it of yours? You just shut your mouth, and stay out of it. Because in the future, we gonna become a nation. And a nation gotta be able to deal with traitors and cutthroats and turncoats. The white man deals with his. The Jews deal with theirs.”

In a 60 Minutes interview that aired in May 2000, Mr Farrakhan stated that some of the things he said may have led to the assassination of Malcolm X. “I may have been complicit in words that I spoke,” he said. “I acknowledge that and regret that any word that I have said caused the loss of life of a human being.”

A few days later, Farrakhan denied that he “ordered the assassination” of Malcolm X, although he again acknowledged that he “created the atmosphere that ultimately led to Malcolm X’s assassination”.

In the meantime, racially motivated clashes have occurred at Jaws Beach. The police had to go to the beach to keep the Keod Smith group and the coalition apart. All of this will probably end up in cross action court cases.

Another question now being asked is: Where is the Prime Minister?

This country is now in meltdown. Even Keod Smith is challenging Mr Christie’s authority. It is now time for the Prime Minister to step up and restore order.

We would advise Mr Christie to get control of his cabinet, the members of which are busy contradicting each other on almost every issue, leaving both Bahamians and foreigners to question the continued stability of the Bahamas.