WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister speaking yesterday. Photo: Donavan McIntosh
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister said his ministry spearheaded the demolition of 23 illegal structures in The Farm shanty town in Abaco last week, with some 20 more structures targeted for demolition this week.
The move comes despite widespread calls from local and international human rights activists urging the government to halt demolition works of homes in the storm-hit community.
Activists have said the move could result in thousands of residents being displaced.
Over the weekend, a group of residents from The Farm protested on the island, with some children seen holding placards that read “no shelters in Abaco, we have nowhere to go,” and “we need help” while delegates from the United Nations visited the island as part of their mission to this country.
Yesterday, Mr Bannister said Saturday’s demonstration shows that “people are being coached” and taught “how to evade” the law.
“The challenge is this throughout this country, there is an organised effort, a really organised effort to build shanty towns,” he said before going to a Cabinet meeting. “These are not coincidental. It’s highly organised. You can see by what happened when these children were put in front of cameras over the weekend.
“These people are being coached and they’re being taught how to evade the laws of The Bahamas. It’s very important that all of us Bahamians and people who come into the country obey the laws. That’s very important.”
Yesterday, Mr Bannister said he is concerned about the issue of unregulated communities on Abaco and several other Family Islands. He added his ministry is doing its best to “keep up” with the new developments.
He said the government remains committed to eradicating unregulated shanty towns across the country.
This comes amid recent reports of new shanty towns emerging on Abaco, particularly in the Dundas Town and Murphy Town communities, and on other islands as well.
“I am concerned about Abaco,” Mr Bannister said. “I’m concerned about Eleuthera. I’m concerned about Andros and for those of y’all who went out to Carmichael last week, you’d see the growing shanty towns right there, growing right there next to where the immigration minister lives and you know none of these persons have permits. If you look at the structures, you’ll see that none of them meet the code so what’s going to happen if we have a hurricane?
“…The Ministry of Public Works is trying its best to keep up with what’s happening and it’s also important for Bahamians to keep informing us as the illegal activities are going on because those are the illegal activities that impact our lives, every one of us.”
He added: “When the Ministry of Agriculture comes and examines the water table and tells me how polluted the water table is in certain areas, every one of us is impacted because most of us have wells we use for different purposes and all of those things come back and affect us so it’s critical for us to be able to report when we see these things happening and we keep investigating at the same time we’re doing our job.”
According to Mr Bannister, more than 40 illegal structures have been demolished in Abaco so far in recent weeks.
In April, 45 “incomplete and unoccupied structures” were demolished in the shanty town after government officials posted eviction notices on the illegally erected buildings weeks earlier.
“Last week, we demolished 23 structures in the farm,” Mr Bannister told reporters yesterday. “The week before that, we did 20 and this week we marked 22 for demolition and we’re going to keep consistently demolishing them until all are gone and we’re going to continue to move on to other areas.
“There is a manpower challenge and there is a cost involved in this so as soon as we can start preventing people from doing it, it’s going to be best for all of us. It’s going to save you, your taxpayer’s money and that’s why it’s so important for us to stop it.”
For his part, Immigration Minister Elsworth Johnson insisted yesterday that the government is dealing with shanty towns in the country in a humane way.
However, he noted that if certain people feel that the government is committing some wrongdoing, they should come forward and voice their grievances.
He said: “If we’re doing something wrong, we encourage freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, say that to us. We encourage anyone in The Bahamas to speak to the UN or whatever have you. We have no problems with that, but where are the adults who wrote those placards? They should come forward.
“But you take the children and put the children out front, and you hide in the back, it’s like throwing a stone or a rock and then hiding it. If we’re doing something that’s contrary with the law, tell us. Tell us how we can enhance it, but let me say this, when the UN comes, they present their passport. They go into regulated places to live and reside and eat...but where these communities stretch for more than ten or 20 acres or miles, you cannot deal with it anymore.”
Comments
Dawes 3 years, 6 months ago
If the Government was serious they would also go after the landlords and those who have work permit holders living in these areas (per WP the employee is meant to ensure they have a suitable place to live). As the Government is not this is probably just an election tactic and people living in shanties are an easy target. If it is true that the majority of those living there are legal then the Government must also work out a way for legal people to be able to live in a house. And those who are illegal should be dealt with per agreements we have with whatever country they are from.
tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago
Just shut up Bannister and do your job.
Bahamian voters would hardly call demolishing only 40 of the more than 1,000 illegal, unsafe and unhealthy shantytown dwellings around our country a serious effort to enforce our laws. And because of Bannister's failure to aggressive enforce our laws, these illegal shantytowns are now starting to pop up everywhere. This is really beginning to look more and more like just another election ploy by the corrupt and incompetent Minnis led FNM administration.
TalRussell 3 years, 6 months ago
Comrades, so difficult to watch It all captured on film, courtesy of social media. Social media that goin' get viewed far and wide and by many from places across the globe.
Heart-wrenching theatre as seen through the eyes of a child as their home with personal belongings stillinside is bulldozed under the authority of a crown minister.
The ministry of tourism's, It's Better in the Bahamaland, now replaced with disturbing images of what was once cherished play Dolls, mangled and twisted trapped under the rubbles of woods, personal household goods, appliances, beds, baby cribs, and furnitures.** left behind by the seems be pleased with himself crown minister's hired wreckin' crew and wrecking ball, yes?
tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago
Aaahhh, yes, the playing of that 'ole time honoured sympathy card. Just give us Bahamians a moment Tal while we wipe all of the tears flowing from our eyes for all of our fellow Bahamians suffering great hardship today who cannot afford a roof over their head but nevertheless abide by the laws of land and therefore do not illegally squat and illegally build wherever they choose as many of these lawbreaking Haitian nationals do.
TalRussell 3 years, 6 months ago
@Trib, did the crown's hired wrecking crews arrive with a or else, demolition order signed under the authority and seal of a Judge, yes?
tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago
Get real! It's not our government who's breaking the law, but rather enforcing it.
You know as well as anyone that these illegal shantytowns are predominantly occupied by lawbreaking Haitian nationals who have illegally built unsafe and unhealthy dwellings on land they do not own with dangerously jerry-rigged utilities and other structures to boot.
And you cannot possibly think for one serious moment that our government has the financial means to put a roof over the heads of all of these lawbreaking shantytown dwellers. Besides, if word ever got back to Haiti that The Bahamas would be willing to provide free land and housing for Haitian nationals and their offspring (something The Bahamas does not even do for Bahamians), then we would have a huge flotilla like no other setting sail from Haiti for our shores.
We want the right message of "You're not welcome here" sent to all Haitians in Haiti who may be considering paying human traffickers a hefty fee to illegally bring them to our shores. Enough is enough! The national security and well-being of the Bahamian people is under serious threat and must be protected as a matter of survival no matter how self-serving that may seem to some; otherwise we will soon be second-class citizens in a Bahamaland that very closely resembles Haiti.
Bahamianbychoice 3 years, 6 months ago
The challenge remains that most persons in these shantytowns have some level of immigration status including citizenship. While I agree that shantytowns are not the way, there has to be some realization on the Governments part they 1. awarded status 2. working wages do not afford the opportunity to gain proper financing 3. there are no low income/affordable housing options. Given this, the Government's strategy is flawed. If the issue is "slums" as being unhealthy then you just have to look at the inner city here to see the same, are they next, some Bahamians still have no indoor plumbing? This is nothing but a political move to desperately gain votes because it is highly visible and shocking (and pathetic), it in no way addresses the actual problem. To divert from the fact the Government has miserably failed Abaco post Dorian. The people are not going anyway from these shantytowns, all you are doing is increasing the probability of crime. Bannister is out of his depth as very seen with his involvement at BPL.
TalRussell 3 years, 6 months ago
The Crown's Minister of Works Comrade Desmond, more than anyone, knows except on the showing up in Abaco occasional visits to pretend be assisting Abacoians - post-Hurricane Dorian, his government has failed all of Abaco.
Not only have their two MPs, deserted them but little to nothing measurable has been done financially to assist Abaco's residents and business owners - including even after dishing out umpteen millions of dollars in contracts designated to construct and erect the promised 300 Domes.
The entire non-existence 300 Domes project has now turned into a no laughing $20 million contracted-out, playing around with the welfare of all Abacoians of a major failure that demands further looking deeper into, investigation,** yes?
tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago
Nice try Tal, but I think Minnis already knows the FNM stands no chance of winning a seat in Abaco even if he didn't disrupt the supply of slave labourers for the wealthier residents and businessmen by demolishing the illegal shantytown communities.
TalRussell 3 years, 6 months ago
There remains unmeasurable post-Hurricane Dorian pain and suffering, stretching wide across Abaco's chain of islands, cays, towns, and settlements.
Homes, Businesses, and Family Capital Assets have been lost to not only Hurricane Dorian but to post-Hurricane Dorian failure that still to this very day, keeps occurring.
Assets that were once earmarked as secured to be inheritance generational passed on, either no longer exist, or in danger of.
And, yes, even the untold, unaccounted for, lost lives.
tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago
Yeah, right. And all that Minnis has done is make it very easy for the likes of Sebas Bastian to 'buy low' and develop at very low cost.
bogart 3 years, 6 months ago
Atlantic Hurricane season poised to be above average wid 3 - 4 major Hurricanes expected. Season starts 1st June, 2021.
There should be more emphasis on teaching in Kreyol language the laws and of extreme dangers of building the unofficial uninspected building plans of structures that will endanger the lives of the occupants and others. Bizzare dat all these decades with all the legal supporters continuous assistance for decades,, top educated lawyers, govt area officials elected MP's, that the teaching and laws of the territory never bin seriously done or observed by thousands of people.
TalRussell 3 years, 6 months ago
@Comrade Bogart, how could you not actually see how close the realm's entire 1200 Out Islands, Cays, and Rocks is to not even trying to avoid a globally led singer of an economic boycott, yes?
bogart 3 years, 6 months ago
Tal, the long currupt road for decades have been taking advantage of these peopleHaitians, half Haitian, quarter, ,Bahamian, outside children, restavik children, with or without papers etc,, dere chillrens and we can all talk and talk anf insult, and swear, and go round an round and round whichinin ain't gon change dynamics and go on another decades.
Frankly, looking at countries like Japan with 8.46 million houses left empty, deserted in rural areas and selling cheap like $500, dollars seems inviting, Italy has been having house for €1, both Japan and Italy have conditions. They should be informed that even professionals in Nassau needed 83 acres of 150 homes to live in.
After looking at the the failures, $210. weekly wage, low income category earners high expensive country, where da Covid vaccines in Kreyol in shantytowns wid illegal migrants, chillrens by Education Minister must get schooling only fails to recognise children graduate and no papers, onlly inferior lands in flood zones affordable,corruption, beating around the bush, not ever one labour board complaint against wicked employer , false promises, renewal Work Permits until grandvhildren, files missing, no phones anseering, Church people absent, Communities leaders absent, no govt salaried MP ever named in any of these articles, no inhuman Human Trafficker and network caught, no Haitian officials have constructine notice of Haitian in distress, greasing, UN coming an going on and on. These people are there and solutions need to be sought by themselves in other countries.
Looking at the situation anyone affected would moving and contacting Japan to have a unified highly work ethics group of workers and families and chillrens to be better to reach da stars.
bogart 3 years, 6 months ago
Who is the salaried MP for these Abaco areas ???
TT242 3 years, 6 months ago
“Last week, we demolished 23 structures in the farm,” Mr Bannister told reporters yesterday. “The week before that, we did 20 and this week we marked 22 for demolition and we’re going to keep consistently demolishing them until all are gone and we’re going to continue to move on to other areas"
And where will those people go, what are their options? Government should be providing the policy framework and infrastructure for people to provide for themselves, give them the land and enforce the building code, its Abaco not Nassau, its needs all the economic development it can get.
Bulldozing homes without any alternative for these people is just lunacy, more will be on the street to protest with placards and more of the Intl community will look upon the Bahamas as a failing country. Sad but true.
tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago
Spoken like a true Haitian national who illegally entered our country and has many family members and friends back in Haiti looking forward to coming to The Bahamas to live on free Crown Land and enjoy Bahamian taxpayer funded free housing. Get real!
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