The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The former “Most Honourable Prime Minister” Dr Hubert Minnis, will undoubtedly go down in history as The Crown Land Prime Minister, if for no other reason than his largesse in this sphere. I don’t know if there is any register anywhere where one can discover what Crown Land any particular Prime Minister transfers, from the Crown or Treasury to private citizens and Corporations, but it would surely make interesting reading in this case.

Prior to last year’s election we heard a great deal about a Crown Land giveaway to “smart” “professional class“ Bahamians. We also heard a lot about a young Bahamian entrepreneur Toby Smith being given a Crown Land lease that was subsequently reneged on when the mega foreign cruise ship company Royal Caribbean Lines (RCL) decided that it wanted the small strip given to Smith to add to its already massive land holding bordering on the Smith lease. RCL of course had some leverage that Smith did not, as they had expressed an interest in taking the Grand Lucayan Hotel off the Government’s hands and helping to cover the massive cost incurred to “save” Freeport.

Just before the election the RCL land lease was consummated, notwithstanding a Supreme Court action brought by Smith against the Government. It subsequently came to light that RCL was given an effective 150-year lease for a pittance of $140,000.00 per year, for the 400,000 Bahamian people to share. About thirty five cents per person per year.

On Maundy Thursday last week, the last business day of Holy Week and at the start of a four-day Easter holiday weekend, when a great many Bahamians traditionally travel abroad, the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP), in the Ministry of the Environment and Housing, decided that this would be a good time to get the public’s feeling and opinion on an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a tourism project being proposed by Sand Dollar Tours (SDT) on ATHOL ISLAND.

The Virtual ZOOM meeting began with JSS Consultants, reading over the EIA which the company had prepared on behalf of SDT. Very interestingly, and somewhat telling, was the statement that the project would not have any adverse effect on the wild birds, because there was no sign of food for them to eat. No berry trees and that sort of thing. The presenter seemed oblivious to the fact that when God made birds he gave them wings, that they might fly, to get food and water. And, not all birds exist on berries either.

The Bahamas White Crowned Pigeons were never on the list of birds observed, but that is likely due to the time of year of the study. White Crowned Pigeons have probably been nesting (breeding) on Athol Island for hundreds of years before the Indians or Europeans even arrived in this country. And they tend to breed on barren land where they and their young will not be eaten by snakes and rodents and other predator breeds, including Humans. And so they choose islands, mostly surrounded by sea which most of the predators cannot cross. Finley Cay between Exuma and Eleuthera is a prime example of nesting islands. Big Green Cay east of Kemps Bay, Andros, is another, Mangrove Bush in Long Island another and there is no food on any of these islands and the pigeons fly 60 and 70 miles to the nearest food source and when the eggs have hatched they will do this twice or more times a day to feed the young.

Not being very familiar with how this “trading” in Crown Land works, most of us on the call were horrified to find that SDT already has a lease on the land, and when pressed as to which Prime Minister granted the lease, we were told that it was none other than Dr Minnis. The Tribune had already done some research on this, in its April 4th Business Section, where one Al Collie indicated that the previous Government (FNM) had granted him a lease on Athol Island and he planned to develop his property.

Social Media had already published photos of the roads that had been cut through the mangrove, as well as a brick wall that Mr Collie had already built. No indication of when his EIA had been published though. Maybe over the Christmas holiday?

I understand that Mr Collie already has a Crown Lease on the entire island north of Athol Island, which he has subleased to a non-Bahamian group. Mr Michael Darville stated that his lease was granted for 21 years, but he was quickly advised not to disclose the agreed rental value that the Bahamian people would gain from it. Hopefully more than 35 cents per year per person.

What is so very discouraging with these Crown Grants and Leases is that the person or persons to whom they are awarded acquire an exclusive right to the land and they can bar any other person from entering upon it. I know that for a fact because on Mr Collie’s other Crown Lease on Spruce Cay (aka Pearl Island), I have been chased away on more than one occasion, when stopping at the little beach there for a swim. Reminded me of Normans Cay and Carlos Lehder back in the day.

Athol Island is the last unspoiled island outpost on the north coast of New Providence. The others are all privately owned now or leased to other people. Sandals Cay (aka Balmoral Island), Long Cay (aka Blackbeard’s Cay) legal status unclear, Silver Cay (status unclear) but connected to Arawak Cay by a bridge. Paradise Island (aka Hog Island) gone, Blue Lagoon (aka Salt Cay) privately owned, Spruce Cay (aka Pearl Island) Crown Lease as mentioned, Sandy Cay, privately owned, Rose Island privately owned. Green Cay, privately owned.

So where are the poorer class (those that don’t own live-aboard yachts) Bahamians supposed to go for a weekend of camping say. Athol Island has four camp sites that Bahamians have used for decades on long weekends where they could get to in a small boat and throw up a couple of tents and light a small fire on the beach to cook over and in a couple of days clean up and go home.

The easternmost beach Mr Darville wants to take, the north centre beach Mr Collie says is his, the little beach in the boneyard someone has a floating bar and dance-floor right next to the beach and lastly the Narrows Beach and who knows Doc may have granted that to someone else or doubled down with one of the others. So three people now have exclusive right to these beaches, to the exclusion of the other three hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven Bahamians, who were born with a right to enjoy these beaches.

If it is true that “God don’t like ugly”, the events of September 16th, 2021, may simply have been another example of God working in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.

BRUCE G RAINE

Nassau,

April 18, 2022.