by Jerome Pinder
Mr. Brensil Rolle, poor guy, must have lifted his head out of the sand long enough to ask natives of Exuma what they thought of the marina development on Bell Island. Doesn't he realize that politicians don't ask the voting public for an opinion, especially after it has been publically announced that the Government has approved the project.
See the Tribune's Article here.
According to the Tribune's article noted above, Mr. Rolle then had the nerve to respond "I just ask the question, nothing personel (personal)." Now he must really think we are all fools. If it is not personal, then what the hell is it?? For Mr. Rolle's information, it is personal to all Bahamians not only those living in Exuma. For those living with their heads in the sand, it is our Country and our Park.
I was pleased to see a letter to the Tribune by The Officers and Members of The Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance speaking out against the development on Bell Island. See the letter here. Where is everybody else who should be speaking out? We already lost the National Trust.
Mr. Rolle's response on November 13th, available here, only sought to make the issue an FNM vs. PLP one. While on the subject, perhaps he can get together with Minister Deveaux and present to the Bahamian People the long term benefits for allowing this project to proceed. And while at it, he may wish to seek his colleague's advice on keeping his head in the sand!
I am surprised that anyone is surprised at what came from Mr. Rolle.
I understand where you are coming from Jerome, however, we have to be careful when we give people the right to buy a property that they cannot access.
Alternatively, a policy can be developed going forward that anyone buying a property in a land and sea park must access it by helicopter – (yes my tongue is planted firmly in my cheek.)
Of course there are other people that own islands that will require access too. What iof they sell it to another investor?
It’s fine to be green, but we have to be reasonable or people will not invest.
Property rights are sacrosanct to me.
With regard to the politico, well…
Rick, I fully appreciate what you are saying. However, at what cost do we finally say no. Is the work to be done in the Exuma Sea Park or not? Even my own private property in Nassau is subject to restrictive convenants and I would never be allowed to carry out work or any other project on my parcel of land if it had a negative impact on my neighbours or my subdivison. All property owners are subject to restrictions. So in this case, the owner should have to accept that he cannot dredge.
Owning property in a subdivision your access rights are guaranteed.
Are we suggesting that if you own an island you do not have the same right?
With an island sometimes you have to dig a channel, just as in a subdivision we have to knock trees down for a driveway.
Now if you’re saying no one else can buy or build etc in the park area, that’s different and brings loads of other questions about the rights of existing property owners etc.
Rick I do not have unlimited rights, as I am governed by restrictive convenants. Cutting down a tree, as long as I don’t take out my neighbours roof, is a far cry from dredging to accomodate my yacht and destroying surrounding sea life, reefs,etc in a protected park at that. Would approval be granted if it was a Bahamian who applied for the same thing? I have heard different, but that storey is for another day!
If I was allowed to buy an island and then told I could not get access to it I surely would have a thing or two to say – Bahamian or not!
To clear property to build a home we destroy wildlife habitats, kill baby birds among other things.
The property owner deserves to be allowed access to his island.
We can quibble about depth, width of the channel etc, but owners must be allowed the right to get in and out of their land.
Rick I fully agree that access should be allowed, but what access? Should he be required to utilize a boat that would not require such dredging? If I purchase property within a park than I have to accept that certain things are not allowed. If that involves not cutting down certain trees then so be it. And why are Bahamians not being given equal treatment? Why are Bahamians not being granted permits to equal foreigners? I can see an Atlantis that has long term benefits, but what benefits are there here that a foreigner should rank priority over a Bahamian. When you chose to purchase an Island within a Country’s Natural Park then you have to accept what comes with that. I would love to see a Bahamian go over to the middle east and be granted equal permits just for throwing around money. You would never see it.
What one is allowed to do in the Middle East or what Bahamians are not allowed to do are very valid questions Jerome, but are not what I am referring to.
If I own an island and am travelling here by yacht, I need access for that yacht yes.
If I will not be allowed to gain access, it should be made patently clear at the outset. Before I buy the land.
It’s too late after the investment has been made.
As I attempted to indicate in an earlier comment we must decide if we want to ban sales of property in the Park all together.
We cannot have people spending their money and then get blindsided by over zealous political maneuvering.
One would have thought that common sense would prevail, in that if you make a decision to purchase land within a National Park that there would be a restriction, as to the size vessell that could be accomodated. If I decide that a car is no longer appropriate to drive to and from work and would prefer a tank to remain safer on the streets, the Govt would never approve and license such a vehicle. We are not denying the owner access, he can anchor his yacht and use a smaller watercarft to access the island. And why are we not giving Bahamians equal treatment. Would a Bahamian have been given approval in this case?
An interesting dialogue gents… and at the risk of getting lick down…[hehehe] here’s my 3 cents [current economy now worth about 21/2cents]…
An investor of the successful caliber of this one, does not buy an island without checking on laws, permits, statutes etc. especially in a national park area. So was he told “no problem” long before the public knew he was even purchasing…??? Cash is King. Now when the mess hits the fan, everybody gotta cover their hide.
Further I have to agree with Pinder on one issue…
That you cannot ASSUME legal access means any access you wish… How about dredging for a small cruise ship? If you have the money it can be done. You get my point???
With respect to rules, laws, covenants etc. sorry! Unless it becomes public, as in this case, its who you know and how much “lunch” you buy. The Blair neighbourhood is a good example. There are rental properties [duplexes] on roads where they are not zoned for. Town planning people even visited during construction to say No No. but there it is. My neighbourhood has a covenant that specifys no split level or multi-story buildings. There are. No rental apartments or mult-family dwellings… there are. And to add more… 2 schools – not even zoned by the government. I personally spoke with a well placed person at Town Planning to complain more than once. The best I got, and only off the record, was “well you know how much clout the Baptist Church has”! Wait… did I mention even a former MP once lived there and in spite of the covenant saying No animals larger than cats and dogs – he would keep goats and horses there on occasion ?! These covenants are not worth the paper they are written on.
…but I digress… and the dredging will go on…
Thanks AGR.
It begs the question then, should we have dredged the harbour for example?
Development must go on and in this case I think the BNT made he right decision allowing the dredging.
Changing the rules of the game, after it has already started, as this appears to me, is a no no in the real world.
One more point, you would have thought that there would be restrictions with regards to this island being located within the park and that this would have been brought to the buyers attention. Was the buyer aware? Is there another reason why he is still being granted permission? There are a lot of unanswered questions with this one?
Rick, I just don’t see it. The harbour is not located within the Exuma Park, one of the treasures of this country. What are the economic benefits for the population at large compared to the benefits of a private individual dredging? This is comparing apples and oranges. Again, the buyer can have access, but considering the location of the island, access has to be within reason. And there is no reason here to allow the type of access requested. But apparently I do not see eye to eye wiht the Govt or BNT, they appear to be willing to take the risk. Time will tell and time is longer than rope. While I expected the Govt to disappoint us, I did not expect the response out of the National Trust. Their job is not to worry about restrictions to private property and more to do with protecting the environment.
I’ll accept that Jerome but do you think there is a disconnect between what believe their job should be and what it is?
There is a fine line between what an investor makes a decision to invest on, and when they decide not to invest.
I can’t seem to make my point that when rules change willy nilly, we get no investors.
What then?
Rick, I am fully on your side that we can’t change the rules willy nilly, but I have a hard time believing that the buyer of Bell Island did not know what he was buying up front. The disconnect is certainly there. It will be a sad day when the dredging starts. I am sorry to see that more people are not speaking out on this issue.
This is all quite simple and clear…if you donate millions to the National Trust, the environment takes a back seat. It is all about the money and politics with this government and the Trust.Why are Bahamians in Georgetown running legitimate businesses and services not allowed to dredge 70 feet but Hamas sympathizers can tears up thousands of feet in the park?! Better yet, should I catch so much as 1 grunt in the park..I’m imprisioned, boat confiscated, fined etc., but a Middle easterner donating millions to the BNT (Better Not Trust) not a freaking word.
I and many friends have now boycotted the Trust this year and unfortunately will not attend Jolification (which we do every year). Unfortunatley Bahamian small exhibitors might suffer which hurts, but nonetheless someone must take a stand against this corrupt fraud organization.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting Chris.
Obviously I disagree with you because if was fortunate enough to own an island in the Exuma Park, I would fight tooth and nail for access. I’m sure you would too.
Should we propose that development not happen?
How do we afford to buy the property back from the people that have bought it.
While I can’t speak to the alleged corruption, I can address property rights. And they should be absolute.
Why would people, Bahamian or “Hamas sympathizers” as you put it.
If political corruption exists, let’s weed it out. But don’t destroy the country’s investment friendly atmosphere in the process.
Finally, as I keep pointing out, the rules can’t be altered on a whim, it’s too destabilizing for Bahamians as well as foreign investors. Witness the recent budget.
Mr. Lowe And Mr. Pinder the point that neither one have you is made is that this is the largest conch nursery in the park. The conch is the most endangered of all commercial species and the problem is not being addressed. The BNT is fully aware of the damage this will do to the conch population of the park and if they don
t they should all be forced to resign because the natural deep water channel running along Bell Island is named Conch cut which serves as the Southern boundary of the park.m sure the Government wouldn`t allow that.Dominicans do more damage to the conch population than any other species, they have no regard for size and break the conchs on the bottom leaving the empty shells creating "graveyards" instead of removing the shells for a new population of conch to move in.
There are docks already on Bell Island so the developer has access to his property, because he wants to have a much bigger boat than the previous owner is irrelevant, he already has convenient access if i wanted to put an airport on my property so I could have more convenient access I
What are absolute property rights? Where does it start and where does it end? My subdivision must be the only one that has restrictive convenants. I own my property but I don’t have absolute rights. Others own their property in Exuma and they don’t have absolute rights. The owner has access, are we to allow unnecessary access that can damage the park? Just because money is being thrown around now, anything is optional. Sure we want and need foreign investment, but we need responsible investment. Should I say I want a private drive from the main road to my residence that no one else can use, no matter what inconvenience I bring to my neighbors? Should I start burning trash in my yard and smoke my neighbors out? Perhaps if I had the money to throw around I could get away with these things. I just don’t get it, how people are accepting this and are not crying foul on the BNT. That foul oudor remains all over this.
An airport would probably destroy more natural habitat than the dredging.
By the way, I think property rights are guaranteed in our Constitution?
Has anyone read the laws pertaining the BNT’s authority etc?
Maybe we’re all bent out of shape for nothing as they really don’t have the authority to do anything other than approve it?
I hesitate to accuse people of taking bribes to approve it as I do not have enough facts to do so.
If anyone does have the facts let’s report it to the Police.
Did you see the release by the Bahamas National Trust Jerome?
OK and for the record…
Has the BNT received any donations and/or contributions of any kind from the owner or any agent of Hamas/the Bell Island proposed project?
The BNT is a non-profit org. so this should be a simple matter of public record.
Or even have they received any recent large annonymous donations…? They should have nothing to hide… so show & tell…
My Friend AGR, had this been a Bahamian the story would have been completely different. However, our Prime Minister now tells us that we are only making “noise.” I hope he is right. If we destroy a portion of the Park what will he say then??
From 1958, all governments should have been buying those cays that were sold back!! We have a bunch of IDIOTS as our leaders!!! They created this problem and their solution is to continue to allow foreigners to DESTROY what they say we can’t touch????
How creative!!!! Rick, I can’t believe that you are agreeing with this garbage being stuck down our throats….
Thanks Objective Thought:
I take no issue with changing the policy and buying back land etc or even denying future purchasers the right of access. Once it’s clearly defined up front.
The point that you appear to miss is property rights. That wins over emotion. Or should.
Remember, Democracy is protecting the right of the individual, not the mob.
Seems I’m the objective one :0)
Rick, we still have not addressed why Foreigners get preferential treatment over Bahamians. What are absolute property rights? I assume that foreigners get absolute rights, but Bahamians do not. Is it because they have the money to throw around. In this case, the argument of property rights is nothing but hot air.
Thanks Jerome:
Maybe it’s only the foreign cases that come to the fore?
But you are correct that everyone should be equal before the law.
What I was trying to get across by saying “absolute property rights” was property rights are extremely important and not subject to “mob rule”. In other words they are not to be taken away because plenty people disagree with them.
They are one of the things guaranteed in the Constitution.
Hope this makes sense?