EDITOR, The Tribune
I had an interesting chat with a lady several days ago. Her name was Andros and she belonged to the Bahamas family.
Andros spoke of the past years and compared them with today. She said that many years ago when elections were held on different islands on different days, she would see the landing craft on the horizon coming in for the election. It was loaded with liquor. The people on it were loaded with money.
When it landed the front opened and the party started. Four shillings and a bottle of rum! That was the price of a vote. They always won. This put them in a position to grant to themselves as much Crown Land as they wanted. Some took thousands of acres for themselves.
But they impregnated me with many seeds of various types. I carried them and, because I had plenty fresh water, produced thousands of offspring. They were healthy and fed families. These were the good old days. We were productive.
But the powers-that-be were not interested; they couldn’t be bothered. They had their land and they had put themselves in the position to get more. They impregnated us with more seeds but they did us no harm. They left our water and left our soil.
But then on the horizon I saw many landing craft. All packed with heavy equipment, some never before seen in The Bahamas. They were no longer the land grabbers who had no picks and shovels.
These folks planned on digging our hearts out and leaving us to die.
They were going to mine our rock. They were going to open our fresh water lenses into salt. They were going to take five hundred thousand – yes five hundred thousand acres of our land, kill it, mine it and ship it out.
The money flowed. I shouted RAPE. Nobody listened.
In desperation, I called out to the lady who used to be known as the Lady of the Environment.
Years ago she would have been out front shouting, “Stop!! Foul!” But I haven’t seen or heard her name mentioned.
They promised to create 10,000 construction jobs. I heard the same figure at “The Pointe” in Nassau. I don’t recall seeing many Bahamians on the site. Could this be hot air too?
They have promised to give the Government $2/load of what they mine. How much are they selling it for?
They want tax-free status. I ask, how can Bahamians compete if the outsider pays no taxes, but we Bahamians have to pay taxes? Do they think we are inferior?
They say that this foreigner with a Chinese name has a “golden” record; that he is in no way tied to the Communist Chinese Government. But I understand that the same story was given about Hutchison Whampoa in Freeport. Was it not recently said that Hutchison Whampoa through Hong Kong was intrinsically tied to the Communist Chinese Government?
What about Baha Mar? Are we being taken for a ride again? Are we giving our country away again because we don’t have either the ability or imagination to run it ourselves?
RAPE! Our fellow Bahamians, please help us. RAPE! I won’t be able to breath – help us, we are being RAPED.
PIERRE V. L. DUPUCH
Nassau
June 20, 2020
Comments
joeblow 3 years, 10 months ago
Its rape and incest Mr. Dupuch. Our own doing it to us too!
Porcupine 3 years, 10 months ago
People the world over have discovered that education is the way out of many sticky situations in life. They discovered this many, many years ago. They raised their children to be doctors, lawyers, accountants. They didn't have much money, but knew that their children would benefit by an education. This story is told the world over. But, on Andros you can hardly find a book. Except one. But, even that one doesn't seem to have much use. Votes are still quite cheap; leadership just a word. Andros is also hampered by our neighbor to the north who use our waters to prepare for war, diverting our mail boats, our airplanes and our citizenry in our own national waters. People in Nassau don't see or feel this. AUTEC is a major stumbling block for our development, not just Chinese expansion. Andros will not be liberated by those in Nassau. Nassuvians have also taken their share and planted their seeds of repression, as well. Overall, I agree with your thesis Mr. Dupuch, but there is always more to the story, hey? And, you are quite correct that we do not need these massive investments/ giveaways of our land and treasures to see progress. Imagine if we had a government who truly wanted Androsians to prosper? Who actually wanted them to have crown land, to invest in and profit from their own heritage? We do not have a government like that. In any way shape or form. From the view on the ground, it seems that the central government is against the island of Andros becoming anything more than a sleeping giant. And, it seems that the powers that be in Nassau are quite content to have a place to hunt and fish, and do what they may, with no restrictions whatsoever.
JokeyJack 3 years, 9 months ago
I think it is important not to complicate this issue with AUTEC. They have been there long time. This is a SIMPLE issue of the government "giving away" (at least as far as what we the people will get) our land and our resources (for some reason they are doing this, can anyone guess?)
China will not stop until their flag is raised in Rawson Square. We can wait to see it, or you can start to pay attention to who you are giving your hard earned $1.75 to. Who are you giving your $8.50 to in the shop? When you go to the USA, do you shop at the big place whose name starts with W but really should start with C ? It is so convenient. The prices are so good. Just the way that cheese looks to a rat as he approaches the rat trap. That cheese look good eh? Muddo.
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