Published On:Tuesday, February 16, 2010

EDITOR, The Tribune.

What can I do?......

What difference will it make? Who cares?......

I have heard these sentiments hundreds of times in the last few months as we have mounted a grass roots campaign against the government's plan to build the new Bunker C power plant at Wilson City in Abaco. It is tragic to me that so many in our country feel such a sense powerlessness or apathy over our national affairs. We seem to have become a nation of big talkers and small doers.

Everyone has an opinion, but very few are willing to step up and invest their time, energy or money to make a difference.

This is not a new phenomenon in our culture as we suffer from the hangover of our colonial past. We are not a culture that encourages free thinking and personal responsibility in managing our lives. We have been cultured in the matrix of dependence, where the government, the church and any other authority knows best. We are still a plantation culture waiting for the master to provide for us. We do not have the confidence in ourselves as a people to take a stand against misappropriated authority. We are afraid to lose favour with whoever the authority may be for fear that we may lose a contract or not get a turkey for Christmas. We have been reduced to a people who wash about on the waves of radio talk and blow around in the winds of political rhetoric. This is not us. These are not the people I know. We Bahamians are strong-willed, big-hearted people with indomitable spirit. Where are these Bahamians now? Where are the people that will stand for what is right simply because it is right? Where are the people who will think for themselves, not just of themselves. Where are the people who will follow their hearts towards salvation and their minds towards resolution, instead of blindly following the establishment toward ruin and despair? Who will be the one that stands and declares that the emperor has no clothes.

Bahamas, we are better than this! We deserve better than this. We heard from the government that Wilson City was a "done deal", that it was "not up for discussion." The last time I checked, the people were still the government and there is nothing in our constitution about "done deals." There can never be "done deals" when the deals are duplicitous, destructive, and irresponsible. The government cannot be allowed to secretly cut deals (however well meaning or well intentioned) that endanger the human and environmental rights of the people.

A few months ago a small group of people formed a new activist group called Abaco CARES (Abacocares.org) to promote respect for local rights, advocate against irresponsible development and to hold decision-makers accountable for their decisions. During a recent protest in Marsh Harbour against the Wilson City Plant, I was approached by a government representative who asked me, "what difference do you think this small group of people is going to make?" I responded that we were protesting because it was the right thing to do and we hoped that others would become aware of the issues and the government would listen. It turns out that the government is now considering changing the fuel source at Wilson City from the destructive Bunker C to a cleaner burning fuel. I doubt the government would have ever considered this change if not for the voice of a small group of people.

There has been a great deal of local criticism against the efforts of our group, with claims of foreign involvement, fringe fanatics, and so on. This is not surprising to me given the nature of our culture, and I say "our" culture as my family has been in the Bahamas for 320 years and the majority of our group is Bahamian. Ours is increasingly a culture of rumour and innuendo, of entitlement to opinion without the inconvenient burden of fact. The criticism of our efforts is largely based on the unwillingness of the general public to do the research themselves and engage in any substantive debate. After the September 10th public meeting in Marsh Harbour, hours of government presentation was taken by many as the gospel truth. The health risk of Bunker C to our children and grandchildren, the potential for environmental disaster and the simple untruths of prevailing wind information presented by BEC were not enough to make some people stop and think. The Government presented an Environmental Impact Study that subsequent independent scientific review has proven laughable.

Abaco CARES is not against development for Abaco. We realize the need for more power and the fact that development is inevitable. But if we set out to do something, let's do it right. There is good development and clean power generation, so why do we settle for carelessness and mediocrity? We cannot stand by in silence as the government devises "done deals" that will destroy the very reasons we love this island and why visitors from around the world come to enjoy Abaco. The reality of the Wilson City Power Station is that it was simply a very poor decision based on even poorer information and lack of vision. There was no local consultation, no thought of approaching Abaco's need for additional power as an opportunity to unfold a new vision of alternative energy. History will be a harsh judge of this administration's decision to site this plant at Wilson City and we can only pray that in time this wrong can be corrected.

I am a great believer in the Bahamian spirit, and I am confident that many of the answers to our current struggles lie in the hearts of our people. It is this spirit that must be unleashed and encouraged to thrive. I encourage all Bahamians to engage this debate and be vigilant protectors of this most fragile country we have been blessed to live in. My hope is that Wilson City becomes a catalyst for an environmental movement in our country that holds the government accountable to the highest standards in all development. We are better than this and my hope is that in the years to come we will be able to say to our children and grandchildren that we were the generation that made a difference. Remember the words of Margaret Mead: "Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world, in fact it is the only thing that has." Your voice matters. Come join our small group and let it be heard.

CAPT. CLINT KEMP

President,

Abaco CARES,

February 12, 2010