Bringing an end to speculation that he was abandoning his original stance on the future of the Clifton property on the western tip of New Providence, Prime Minister Perry Christie said today that there will be no commercial development on the site.
“We are not going to compromise the integrity of our decision and its meaning by working some commercial formula into the process, even though those who may have that in mind have the right to approach the government of The Bahamas,” Mr. Christie said.
The prime minister had been considering a proposal by a group of Lyford Cay interests that wanted to build homes on the site and create a “buffer” between their development and the national park the government has said it would create.
The prime minister said he is also not interested in any “commercial formula” that may have been linked to plans by the University of Texas and the Nature Conservancy, a U.S. environmental group, who also want to “assist” the government in acquiring the property.
The university and the environmentalists have now indicated that they will help the government develop a World Heritage Site, the prime minister said.
Mr. Christie was already facing opposition from the Coalition To Save Clifton Cay – led by Senate Vice President Rev. C. B. Moss – and ReEarth, a local environmental organization headed by Sam Duncombe.
Both groups had said that they would fight to the end to ensure that not a single home, or any other commercial development takes place at Clifton, which had been caught up in controversy in 1999 when a group of U.S. investors planned to build 600 homes on the site and create another gated community next to the exclusive Lyford Cay.
While appointing the 12-member board of the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Commission today, Mr. Christie told members of the media that he has to speak with one more group before announcing the government’s detailed, developmental plans for that site.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to the acquisition of Clifton Cay and the restoration of not only the Whylly slave plantation, but others in Crooked Island and San Salvador.
“We want this current generation of Bahamians to see and experience our past and future generations would have it preserved for them,” said Mr. Christie. “It gives us the continuity for development.”
According to the minister responsible for culture, Neville Wisdom, tourism culture is a new thrust of the government. He noted that the government is taking a proactive approach in its planning with respect to the area.
“We intend to encourage this Commission to assist us in ensuring that the history of this area is continually researched and preserved, and further that the wonderful historical significance of the area is exposed to Bahamians and visitors alike,” he said.
The Prime Minister urged the Board to take note of the Bahamas Historical Society’s concern over the state of historical graveyards and cemeteries.
He also announced a mandate of “extreme” importance to the Board – a new honour system for the Bahamas.
The new system is expected to recognize national contributions of high profile Bahamians from Pompey – a slave for whom the local museum takes its name – to the late Sir Lynden Pindling, the country’s first Prime Minster.
The honor system is expected to be unveiled Independence Day 2003. It is calculated to bring about a higher, historical level of involvement and awareness throughout the nation, said Mr. Christie.
The Board’s mandate is to educate the Bahamian public in the area of antiquities, monuments and museums. It must ensure proper consultation, academic research and study is inculcated into the history of The Bahamas.
The Board, chaired by business executive George Mackey, must also oversee the upgrade of historical sites and encourage research, documentation and exploration of the Bahamian heritage.
Mr. Mackey, described by the Prime Minister as being a natural historian, says history does not repeat itself, “fools relive it.”
He expressed his pleasure in working with such a “distinguished board.”
Other board members include deputy chairman, business executive Owen Bethel; Dr Gail Saunders, director of the Department of Archives; Dr. Keith Tinker, the National Museum Director and Gary Larson, executive director of the Bahamas National Trust.
Also sitting on the board are Culture Director Cleophas Adderley, Michael Major, acting director of the Works Ministry Physical Planning Department; C.O.B President Dr. Leon Higgs; Tourism Director General Vincent Vanderpool Wallace; author Patricia Glinton-Miecholas; designer Harl Taylor and developer Amanda Lindroth.
