Chairman of the Urban Renewal Commission Dr. David Allen on Tuesday raised serious concerns about the sale of Bahamian land to foreigners and urged action to reverse what he believes is increasingly becoming a disturbing trend.
In an obvious hit at the Christie Administration, Dr. Allen said, “Let us not remain silent as the Bahama land candle burns out, or else some day our children, whose land we have borrowed, may rise up and scream out in disgust at our lack of vision, poor planning and shameful immediate gratification.”
He said heads of agreement are signed usually with great fanfare and “grand projections” of new jobs for Bahamians.
“One of the last to be announced was a $100 million development for an exclusive condominium complex in Exuma where the average price is around $2 million,” Dr. Allen noted. “Sounds good for the foreign investors!”
Dr. Allen, who is the prime ministerﾒs cousin, has reportedly also expressed an interest in running for the PLP in the South Eleuthera constituency. He does not point to that in his statement to the press, but does say that as a “son of the soil and a descendent of Eleuthera” he has concerns about the sale of land to foreigners.
“Most projects underway or proposed are gated private developments where only the Bahamian maintenance staff sees any results,” Dr. Allen said. “And more and more hotels offer full catering, reducing the use of local services and restaurants.”
He added, “Have you seen the monstrous great mansions being built around the Ocean Club Golf Course or the blocks of apartments where units will be sold for $2 million or $3 million or more? Are these developments beneficial to Bahamians?”
Dr. Allenﾒs statement comes at a time when the government of Prime Minister Perry Christie continues to tout the $11.6 billion in foreign investment projects it says it has been able to attract.
In fact, during the PLPﾒs mini convention a week ago, Minister of Financial Services and Investments Vincent Peet said the Christie government has “aggressively pursued investment in order to develop our Bahamas so that Bahamians can benefit from all our country has to offer.”
He said that as a result of the vision and dogged determination of the prime minister between May 2002 and April 2006, 112 investment projects were approved by the government, and 46 projects have started or are operating with capital expenditure to date including contracts awarded totaling over $1.5 billion.
Minister Peet said that permanent direct employment to date has been more than 3,400.
But in his statement on Tuesday, Dr. Allen said that even with the recent hotel development projects announced, the negotiation seemed to be centred around tax incentives and duty reductions for the developers rather that benefits for Bahamians.
“Please, I am not saying that the developments are wrong,” he continued. “I am not against foreign investments because they may be necessary to sustain high levels of employment, though I have not seen facts to support this conclusion.”
On Monday, the Department of Statistics said that it was embarking on its new employment study and government officials are expecting that the employment rate would be down to a single digit figure.
In 2005, some government officials expressed regret and even disbelief that the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 10.2 percent over 2004, as had been reported by the Department.
Dr. Allen said his “deepest fear” is that the negotiation process with foreign investors and the decision making “is far too one sided.”
“Bahamians,” he said, “should receive direct and well-defined benefits, not the promise of employment opportunities. Other countries put great emphasis on investments that lead to better education facilities, new infrastructure resources and the maintenance of the environment rather than just employment. Should the Bahamas have these objectives?”
Dr. Allen said if one were to look at the most successful developing countries the policy common to them all ﾖ whether they are the largest like China or the smallest like Dubai or Singapore ﾖ is that their main focus is on education and crime reduction.
“It is the rapid growth and prosperity of qualified young managers and professionals and the support of local entrepreneurial endeavors in a crime safe environment that is bringing prosperity to their countries,” he said.
“I donﾒt believe I am dreaming if I say the Bahamas could be the centre of learning in the Caribbean, but we will never achieve that goal without policies to build new schools and the employment of the most qualified academic leaders irrespective of nationality in a crime safe environment.”
Dr. Allen said the money must be found to achieve the educational good and reduce crime effectively.
“Why canﾒt this come from developers? This could be the way to return benefits to Bahamians,” he said. “What other benefits could the Bahamas receive when the government allows the construction of massive hotel, timeshare and condominium developments?”
Dr. Allen, who is a psychiatrist, recommends that 10 percent of each new development be devoted to provide funds to fight crime, build education facilities, and improve community infrastructure.
He said the 10 percent donation from each project should be a one-time contribution for community development. Dr. Allen said the funds should be managed by a consortium of distinguished accounting firms.
Development projects should not be approved until the local communities are satisfied with the proposals and plans are made for the proper use of the 10 percent contribution for community development, Dr. Allen said.
“This approach requires the political will and the commitment of the people involved in a participatory democracy,” he said.
By: Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
