Madam President,
Honourable Senators,

I rise in support of bill #22, ‘The Family Island Development Encouragement (Amendment) Act, 2002’, which amends the act from three years in the first instance and increases the time to three years and six months; and in the second schedule, from five years and six months to six years, and in both categories, extends the time of exemption to mainly the more suppressed islands or areas of the Bahamas.

Madam President,
Although I support the amendments, I think that maybe, more thought or consideration could have been given for an additional five years, thereby giving relief through December 31st, 2007.

It is about time that a Family Island Development Plan is instituted which would effectively, once and for all, constitute the blue print for the way in which we move forward.

One only has to drive through the streets of New Providence, Madam President, to figure out that not much thought or planning was put into its layout and design; The narrow streets were constructed for horse and buggies with buildings erected on the very edge of most of the streets and no thought given to side-walks or boundary lines.

Madam President,
I see evidence of the same poor planning in Abaco, where we have literally, hundreds of thousands of acres of land, yet the same mistakes are being repeated.

But you know, Madam President, we don’t have to go about with blinders on, because we already have a perfect blue print on how our family islands can be successfully developed. It was done on Grand Bahama Island by the stroke of a pen, through the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which saw the creation of a modern metropolis, Freeport.  So, I encourage the decision makers to study this plan and see how it can be applied to the orderly development of other family islands.

All of us on both sides of the political divide, have been entrusted with an awesome responsibility, and that is to protect and preserve the islands of the Bahamas for future generations of Bahamians and the decisions we make today, will either impact positively or negatively those yet unborn.

I believe, Madam President, that another area that can be improved upon and which can enhance the orderly Development of the Family Islands is local government.  The local government act, in its present form should be abolished because, I feel that it was drafted in haste to fulfill an election promise by the former FNM government and has since been used as a political football in certain areas of the Bahamas, especially Abaco.

The general view of Abaconians is that local government in Abaco has become a political evil and as such should be abandoned and a new act incorporated with a re-structuring of the system with no political boundaries.  A case in point is a situation currently under review in Man-O-War Cay with respect to the collection of garbage.  With a population of just over 300 persons, it is appalling that the government pays in excess of one hundred thousand dollars annually for the garbage to be collected as well as for the maintenance of roads and parks on an island approximately 2 ½ miles long and half a mile wide at its widest point.

The contract, for at least the past 6 years, has been awarded automatically to an elected member of the local government board without consideration for anyone else who might have wanted to submit a bid. This is clearly a conflict of interest and it wasn’t until just prior to the general election in May of this year that the contract was put out to tender for the very first time. And even though a PLP supporter, Mr. Samuel Albury, came in as the lowest bidder by several thousand dollars, the other individual was still awarded the contract, even though he remained on the board.
 
I have since been informed Madam President, that this individual is a staunch supporter of the Free National Movement, has since resigned his position on the board; however, he still retains the contract even though his bid was higher by several thousand dollars.

Furthermore, and this might well explain the present predicament, all elected members of the local government board in Man-O-War, are F.N.M supporters and/or family members of the Member of Parliament for South Abaco.

Madam President,
I don’t have any problem with the family ties; I do however have some difficulty understanding the rationale behind the awarding of the contract, even though the member has since submitted his resignation in order to retain the lucrative contract

But, as I said this matter is under review and we shall have to wait and see what happens next.

Another reason for my desire to see the abolition of the local government act is that hopefully, it will discourage political patronage and nepotism.  Take for example the case of the Chief Councilor on Man-O-War Cay, who happens to be the brother of the Member of Parliament for South Abaco and owns 12 or more docks on the only piece of available crown land on Man-O-War with an extended approval to build additional docks as needed.
 
I have no problem with this person having 12 docks in one area, which gives the impression of a small marina, even though these docks are strictly used for business purposes and monthly charges are assessed for each slip, I do, however, have a problem with the refusal by the ministry of transport of the application of one individual, Herbert Key, a PLP supporter, for the construction of a short dock to access his private island, just because it had to be built over some low lying Mangroves. Mr. Key submitted his application over two years ago, and while it was approved by the local board, it was rejected by the Central Council supposedly for environmental reasons.
 
Madam President, I cannot for the life of me, see why this PLP supporter has had his request for one small dock to access his private cay, denied, while the FNM supporter has been given seemingly, unlimited approval to build as many docks as he chooses, regardless of any inherent environmental hazards.

Clearly, there needs to be some dramatic changes in attitudes if we are to see the implementation of an orderly family island development plan.

Another area of concern, Madam President, is the small island of Hope Town, which is possibly, the fastest growing area for second home owners in the Bahamas, second only to Lyford Cay.
 
These second and third home owners, hundreds of them, have turned this island into a city, having invested tens of millions of dollars over many years.

Yet, when one takes into account the revenue which has been generated over the years from that tiny island alone, and compares it with the deplorable conditions of the main road that leads from the settlement to White Sound, which is at the southerly end of the island, it is a total disgrace.
 
With all the investment that has taken place, the only supply of fresh water is from above, despite the fact that just four miles away, on the mainland of Abaco, there sits a reservoir of billions of gallons of fresh water, which for reasons unknown, is inaccessible to the residents of Hope Town.

The gist of this is that orderly family island development carries with it the responsibility of ensuring that more of the revenue that is generated by communities, be returned to those communities for the proper upkeep of roads and other necessary infrastructure.

Madam President,
There is one final area of grave concern that must be addressed, and that is the quality of water that is being supplied to the residents on the mainland of Abaco by the Water & Sewerage Corporation.  There have been an alarming number of deaths in Abaco in recent years, among young people in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s and most of them have been cancer related. There are a significant number of young children being left with only one parent, having lost the other to cancer.

The problem is so severe, Madame President, that most people who can afford a filter system, are filtering their drinking water through expensive filter systems, in an effort to reduce the excessive quantity of chlorine which is being piped through their homes from the local supply.

I have, personally, made complaints to the Water & Sewerage executives in Marsh Harbour, and here in Nassau, about the high levels of chlorine that is added to the water supply in Abaco, but there has been no noticeable decrease. The scent of chlorine that comes from the tap when the water is turned on is enough to cut your breath.  Imagine having to take showers, brush your teeth, wash your hair, clothes and dishes and DRINK this poison every single day.

Every person ought to be aware that chlorine rates among the worst or highest cancer causing chemicals and it is very sad and disheartening to know that more than twenty individuals alone, in a small community like Marsh Harbour, have died from cancer in recent years and three other persons have just recently, in the past three weeks, been diagnosed.
 
Madame President,
There are many families who cannot afford the expensive filter systems or the one dollar and fifty cents that it costs for one gallon of water in the supermarkets. And why should they have to, when Abaco has an abundance of water, with a fresh water lens of up to eighty feet deep and billions of gallons of good wholesome, fresh water lying just below the surface.
 
Madam President, this problem is so grave, that I hereby invite the honourable Minister of Health to commission a thorough investigation of this serious health crisis in Abaco before the entire population is wiped out.

The regulators responsible for the addition of chlorine and other chemicals to the water system need to ensure that the adequate levels of chlorine are added in parts per million, PPM and not parts per gallon, which currently seems to be taking place.
 
Madam President,
It is not my intention to lay blame at any particular governments door, because this situation affects all Abaconians, but I can say, without fear of contradiction, that this increase in chlorine levels started shortly after the 1992 change in government, and 10 years later, the inhabitants of Marsh Harbour, Dundas and Murphy Towns in particular, have witnessed a decline in their population as family and friends have paid the ultimate price for someone’s serious error in judgment.
 
My prayer, on behalf of all of Abaco, is that these concerns expressed, will not fall on deaf ears but will serve as a clarion call to those responsible.
 
I thank you.