konop
01-09-04, - 12:57 PM
Hey all.. just read an interesting article by our good friend George Major and since he didn't post it up here, I thought I would. How many people actually think the Government sell land to foreigners for pennies? Because I can assure you, they do not. It is misinformation like this that turns ordinary Bahamians resentful towards outsiders.
Life sometimes has its great moments.
After a hard days work when some milestone has been arrived at, some challenges you had previously overcome one walks out on the world in the evening with a sense of accomplishment.
Upon going out this evening I encountered a number of people throughout the village who wanted to talk about the topical issues of the day. One such villager is upset because the town planning committee a few years ago took his property, which he was in the process of developing into a mini condominium resort and turned it into and extension of the already existing graveyard. He cursed some senior members of the community for being so jealous and greedy for having done this to him.
He’s somewhat bitter with the upcoming economic development and says that it will not bring the kind of economic prosperity the community really needs. How can the government of the Bahamas take the peoples land resources, sell it to foreigners for pennies and in the end all the community gets out of it is a few menial jobs. How can everyone settle for being gardeners, maids and waitresses? This type of development plan he says is not attractive and appealing to him.
I agreed with his fundamental philosophy but insisted that at least there will be some benefits for the community. Rather than being without jobs at all there will be some meaningful employment for the local population.
My colleague assured me that personally he would be happier if there was no development. At least, he said, he would be able to keep the land and do what ever he could to survive. He thought he might be better off owning the land and planting oranges or other types of citrus.
I understood his point of view and shared the philosophy with him that government should instead of selling for pennies to foreigners perhaps they can give large loans to Bahamian businessmen with good business practices and a good business plan in order for them to inherit and develop the land instead of giving it away to foreigners.
He agreed with my point of view.
We parted company having dialogued and expressed our points of view entirely understanding that our best interests were the plight and the best interest of our indigenous people.
We agreed that governments interest in the matter was purely political and in the best interest of winning the votes of the countries menial labor force.
This approach by government accomplishes something but does not get to the real root of the problem. It does not allow the average citizen their equal right in our country to maximize and realize their potential as a citizen but rather enslaves them into a life of servitude and dissatisfaction. They don’t even realize the potential or see the issues being clouded by the pressing need to work and pay their bills clouds their judgment in the matter.
So at least we left Travellers rest agreeing on something. This upcoming development in the Island of Eleuthera would not be the end to all of our problems. Although massive these investments into the many millions will primarily benefit the Foreign investor and leave the local populous without the benefit of his own land.
Why can’t our government get to the root of the problem before all of the land is sold out and given away entirely to the foreigners leaving our local populous more bankrupt than before? Why will they not empower each Bahamian landowner with the finances to both build and own their own hotels rather than providing them with a lifetime of menial labor in the hot fields of the modern plantation.
The final solution has not yet come. Carry on and think Bahamian government. What is your real purpose for which you serve the Bahamian people? Lets get to the real root of the problem and find a better solution than servitude and political blindness There has to be a better way.
Life sometimes has its great moments.
After a hard days work when some milestone has been arrived at, some challenges you had previously overcome one walks out on the world in the evening with a sense of accomplishment.
Upon going out this evening I encountered a number of people throughout the village who wanted to talk about the topical issues of the day. One such villager is upset because the town planning committee a few years ago took his property, which he was in the process of developing into a mini condominium resort and turned it into and extension of the already existing graveyard. He cursed some senior members of the community for being so jealous and greedy for having done this to him.
He’s somewhat bitter with the upcoming economic development and says that it will not bring the kind of economic prosperity the community really needs. How can the government of the Bahamas take the peoples land resources, sell it to foreigners for pennies and in the end all the community gets out of it is a few menial jobs. How can everyone settle for being gardeners, maids and waitresses? This type of development plan he says is not attractive and appealing to him.
I agreed with his fundamental philosophy but insisted that at least there will be some benefits for the community. Rather than being without jobs at all there will be some meaningful employment for the local population.
My colleague assured me that personally he would be happier if there was no development. At least, he said, he would be able to keep the land and do what ever he could to survive. He thought he might be better off owning the land and planting oranges or other types of citrus.
I understood his point of view and shared the philosophy with him that government should instead of selling for pennies to foreigners perhaps they can give large loans to Bahamian businessmen with good business practices and a good business plan in order for them to inherit and develop the land instead of giving it away to foreigners.
He agreed with my point of view.
We parted company having dialogued and expressed our points of view entirely understanding that our best interests were the plight and the best interest of our indigenous people.
We agreed that governments interest in the matter was purely political and in the best interest of winning the votes of the countries menial labor force.
This approach by government accomplishes something but does not get to the real root of the problem. It does not allow the average citizen their equal right in our country to maximize and realize their potential as a citizen but rather enslaves them into a life of servitude and dissatisfaction. They don’t even realize the potential or see the issues being clouded by the pressing need to work and pay their bills clouds their judgment in the matter.
So at least we left Travellers rest agreeing on something. This upcoming development in the Island of Eleuthera would not be the end to all of our problems. Although massive these investments into the many millions will primarily benefit the Foreign investor and leave the local populous without the benefit of his own land.
Why can’t our government get to the root of the problem before all of the land is sold out and given away entirely to the foreigners leaving our local populous more bankrupt than before? Why will they not empower each Bahamian landowner with the finances to both build and own their own hotels rather than providing them with a lifetime of menial labor in the hot fields of the modern plantation.
The final solution has not yet come. Carry on and think Bahamian government. What is your real purpose for which you serve the Bahamian people? Lets get to the real root of the problem and find a better solution than servitude and political blindness There has to be a better way.