The Tribune

By MORGAN ADDERLEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net 

BAHAMAS Christian Council President Delton Fernander is concerned about the human impact of the proposed Oban Energies project on Grand Bahama and the government’s plans to tear down sub standard shanty town houses, he told the Tribune yesterday.

Bishop Fernander spoke to The Tribune on the sidelines of a press conference for the upcoming CEO Network Bahamas Conference, which will be held April 25-28.

When asked his perspective on the controversial Oban deal, Bishop Fernander referenced the many “missteps” the controversial project has had in recent months.

The latest chapter in the saga has been the disappearance of a file from the Bahamas Environment Science Technology (BEST) Commission.

On Tuesday, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold admitted the file “contains information about Oban and the deal”.

However, he refused to explain the significance of the missing file and would not say if it contained proprietary information or trade secrets. Police are looking into the matter.

When asked if the Christian Council is pleased with the way the Oban deal has been handled so far, Bishop Fernander declined to speak on behalf of the council without first presenting the matter to them.

However, he said: “I think all of us can conclude that (there’s) been some missteps, and we pray that with the public scrutiny, it gets better.”

Giving his personal opinion, Bishop Fernander said: “First of all we want to figure out what effect or footprint will this have on our air quality, maybe our water quality.

“As you know I’m an engineer, (and) that’s done through studies and tests. And any business coming into our country should not, for the sake of making a profit, destroy the environment they met.

“I’ve seen the most recent report that the file is missing on the impact study. As all Bahamians, we’re concerned about the impact on human beings. We’re concerned about what we’ve been through as a nation in Grand Bahama, with the air quality that has been making people nauseous.

“And we’ve mitigated that I think, and now we’re going into another deal that could have that kind of effect.”

When asked if he thinks the project should be abandoned, Bishop Fernander suggested waiting for the results of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) first.

“I think first of all what we’re asking as a nation is make sure that if this deal is going forward, it doesn’t go forward with a bad impact study,” he told The Tribune.

“That if the impact study says it’s not good for our environment, it’s not good for our country, that we stop it right there.”

Shanty towns

The status of shanty towns in the country has been under recent debate following two fires in The Mud shanty town in Abaco earlier this year.

On March 5, Works Minister Desmond Bannister said the government is working fully to “eradicate” shanty towns, focusing on clean up and removal as opposed to regulating these areas.

Labour Minister Dion Foulkes, head of a government shanty town committee, has said a census of people living in the 11 shanty towns across New Providence will take place before any demolition. 

On Tuesday, Mr Foulkes added any structures in these areas that do not adhere to building codes will be “demolished”.

He also promised the matter would be carried out sensitively and humanely.

Bishop Fernander acknowledged Mr Foulkes has been very “proactive” in handling the situation. He also added that Mr Foulkes has met with the council in the past.

However, Bishop Fernander also referenced Mr Foulkes’ recent decision to meet with individual churches, saying he doesn’t support that move “all the time”.

On Tuesday Mr Foulkes told the Tribune: “We have met with the Haitian Pastors League, some 16 of them. 

“We have met with Rights Bahamas, which is Joe Darville and Fred Smith (QC). We have met with the Anglican church, the Catholic church, the Seventh-Day Adventist church.” 

Mr Foulkes added that today there will be a second meeting with 20 Haitian pastors.

When asked if the council will be involved in the process, Bishop Fernander said: “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the minister. I know that he has taken the approach to talk to individual churches. 

“[Tuesday] in your report he would have named the churches. I don’t support that all the time, but if it is that he is saying he doesn’t need the council in general but he meets those churches, that’s fine.

“I don’t support sometimes just going to individual churches because you get a better information when you have all of the churches involved. But…I can’t fault them for that [approach].”

In terms of any decisions made surrounding the shanty towns, Bishop Fernander said: “We just ask that they be true to their word and (it would) be done humanely.”

Bishop Fernander also said that he “obviously” has concerns about people being put out of their homes. 

He added that the council could act as a “social network” in this respect while the press acts as the “watchdogs” to the process. 

“What has been explained to us is that (the shanty town residents) are going to be migrated into the housing system.

“And that’s why the census is important— how many people need housing, what’s their income level, what’s available in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, that’s what’s being purported to us.

“And that’s why we need observers.”