The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

AFTER he was criticised for suggesting Bahamians should “build out of your pockets” instead of going to a bank for a home loan, State Minister for Legal Affairs Elsworth Johnson said yesterday the recommendation was taken out of context and was meant to address systemic land injustice.

Addressing the fallout from his presentation in the House of Assembly last week, Mr Johnson yesterday claimed the “nihilistic attitude” of many Bahamians led to the misrepresentation of his call to aid in the toppling of a system he said was at the root of many of the country’s woes.

“(Fixing this) will address some of the historical, social and economic injustices preyed against (us),” Mr Johnson told reporters.

“You can imagine you have, let’s say, 500 acres on the island and they (banks) say that’s generational property and that don’t worth nothing because you don’t have the documents to it. And then on the other hand, you have a group who goes throughout the islands and quiets chunks,” he added, referring to the Quieting Titles Act.

“And you got your court saying, the present Court of Appeal, one of the justices saying I am concerned to give certificates of titles in some of these matters because we may be an unwitting participant in a fraud against people.

“And to hear, when I’m trying or when we are trying to put something that recognises us, our struggle and what we ought to be doing here today as Bahamians, to hear it twisted and turn like that; we have a lot more to do,” Mr Johnson said.

When speaking last week on a resolution for the conveyance of 1.2 acres of land in Fox Hill for the government’s serviced lots initiative, the Yamacraw MP suggested people should enlist the help of their friends to assist with building their homes.

“If I had it to do again, and I do have it to do again, never go to a bank unless it’s the purpose of a significant investment, not to purchase a home, you could build that. When I was told that, I thought the person who told me that was crazy, you can get together and do that. It has been done, it has been done by our people,” he said last week.

“And you have the opportunity to get a piece of property that you can own, that has good and marketable title, you can get together and you can build. And if you do decide to go to the bank, just be sensible.”

Expounding on that view yesterday, Mr Johnson suggested the lack of collateral often limits what is offered to young Bahamians.

He said this reality often meant that, for past generations of Bahamians, the only option would have been to build in fledgling communities using the same generational plots of land deemed useless by the bank.

“Let’s just presuppose that you can get a piece (of property form the bank) … (if) you are able, and this is how it was done in the past because they don’t have title to land in Cat Island and other places, they build it (out of pocket),” Mr Johnson said.

“It takes some time, (but they build it),” he added.

“You can decide, and I am talking in that context, you can decide whether or not you are going to spend 25 to 30 years and pay three times the amount ... or you get together as a group.

“I did not say that you should not go to the bank, you know, I said if you go to the bank, do sense.

“That means you have to look at the interest rates, you have to look and see when they will take that money out of your account because if the take it at the middle of the month and not at the end of the month, what it does, it runs interest right. These (are the) little things we don’t think about,” Mr Johnson said.

Mr Johnson alleged that there are persons in both the Free National Movement and the Progressive Liberal Party who have worked to stall proper land regulation.

“I went on and spoke about the old ladies in Cat Island who went to prison, and if you get the document from the House of Assembly you would see that when they applied to the Privy Council their files went missing, and I was just speaking to this … a baton was passed to us and we have to come together more than to just have these little social things or this interview.

“You have to do business with me, I have to do business with you. I have to look out for you and you have to look out for me. And as I said before, and I make no apologies, there are some powerful individuals in this country who don’t want to see land reform.”

Mr Johnson added: “So after saying all of those things that recognise the social, human and economic injustices portrayed against the Bahamas and its people, the only thing you would hear, and this is what concerned me and Cornel West spoke about nihilistic attitudes that pervade us, the only thing I heard is that ‘Johnson said to build your house out of your pocket’ after focusing on that piece of legislation.”

Mr Johnson also said consultation is underway on the government’s land policy white paper proposal, a process he implored all Bahamians to participate in.