I sympathize with the Bozine Town residents as they fight to keep their homes. I am pleased that certain Cabinet Ministers are jumping in to ensure that the residents are treated fairly.
However, it makes me wonder why no politicians are jumping in to protect the property rights of other Bahamians, whose situations may not yield as much political mileage, like myself.
I have been forced to contend with an illegal occupant in my family’s building, who, despite a court ordered eviction, has, in my opinion, used unscrupulous legal tactics to remain in the building, for the past three years, without paying a dime in rent. I have lost hundreds-of-thousands of dollars, my constitutional and property rights have been violated and I have been given the runaround by the Bahamas judicial system in every way imaginable. I have waited almost three years for justice in the courts and I can’t even get a court date.
The problem is bigger than Bozine Town, and Bahamian politicans and members of the Bahamas legal community have an obligation to ensure that the property rights of ALL Bahamians are protected, not just those who can get them good press.
Lisa Wells
October 19th, 2004
