The Tribune

EDITOR, THE TRIBUNE

Today I came across a post of “The World” – a floating condominium anchored in Bahamian waters, which triggered the questions: when, who, how, what and why, and as I searched for answers, it brought into sharp focus our crucial need to act immediately and more responsibly with regard to recognizing, owning, protecting, and sustaining our natural resources, as well as putting strict laws in place to mitigate damage and receive retribution.

Why can’t our oceans become another ‘Panama Canal’? Why are we not charging the trillions of sea vessels an equitable tariff to sail in our ocean space in the same way we are supposed to be collecting tariffs for the use of our airspace? Why aren’t all Bahamian reef areas protected as designated “no anchor” zones? Why haven’t we put an end to oil drilling in Bahamian waters?

The funds collected from registering more and more foreign behemoths to sail our “oceans blue” and giving away our islands to many of them for a pittance to do as they wish, cannot be anywhere significant enough to allow them carte blanche to traverse and pollute our pristine waters, anchor where they wish and destroy our reefs, without being held accountable, especially since increasing climate change threats loom threatening over us.

Surprisingly, several events have occurred that have a direct correlation to the above comments. Consider that here we are in this month of October reminiscing six centuries past that time when the gentle and welcoming Lucayans were obliterated in the first act of “New World” genocide, thanks to “foreign”; Coral Vita, a group of scientists based in Freeport have placed The Bahamas positively on the world stage, having just won the million pounds Earthshot Prize to extend their amazing research on growing corals on land to revitalize the world’s oceans that are under grave threat; Former Royal Defence Force commander, Commodore Tellis A. Bethel. Sr., has just released his book “The Lucayan Sea: Birthplace of the Americas” – a case for naming the historic waters of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands; Rocket ships are being regularly launched into space – the new frontier; The Bahamas is “the most beautiful place from space” according to astronaut Scott Kelly.

Our oceans surround us. Our oceans are our past, our present, and our future. Our oceans are our livelihood and the patrimony of our people, and it is our duty to protect them for perpetuity. But do we as Bahamians truly understand what all this really means? Do we as Bahamians truly understand that we must invest in our people first? Do we as Bahamians realize that we are all stakeholders in our country’s future, and must all do our part? Do we as Bahamians understand the difference between “service” and “servitude”? Do we as Bahamians understand the difference between “sovereign” and “foreign”?

Will the “New Day” mean business as usual and continue to look outward to “foreign” to “save” us by giving away our most valuable resources, thereby destroying our future in the process, or will we truly “see what we lookin’ at” and protect our precious patrimony?

PAM BURNSIDE

Nassau,

October 24, 2021