My fellow Exumians, Do you realise that private property signs are appearing on some of the Crown owned cays in Elizabeth Harbour? This means that we Exumians and our visitors are being told to stay off of these cays and believe me this is just the beginning. Once we accept the fact that the government has leased or sold these Crown lands, then all Crown lands will eventually be owned by the private sector and more than likely they will be owned by foreigners and not Bahamians.
It is time that we demand some answers from the Government. Who now owns these cays? Who has given permission for these cays to be sold or leased? Who is being paid for these cays? And, how many more of these cays are up for sale? In many countries the governments are trying to acquire land for the public and its visitors to be put into parks and reserves. So, why is our Bahamas Government giving our land away? So, come on Exumians, let us stand together as a people and protect what belongs to us. If we don’t then all of these cays, plus additional Crown lands, will be taken out of the hands of the public and put into the hands of private individuals and we will be seeing a lot more private property signs throughout our island.
If we let this go, it will be detrimental to every individual on Exuma. Not only will we be banned from these locations, but so will every visitor staying on a boat, in a hotel and in a private home. When tourists learn that there is not a beach for them to visit, they will not return. Think about it, Exumians, and make sure you do before it is too late.
Concerned Exumian
