(March 21, 2016) It has been brought to my attention that Bahamas Press issued a
statement noting my resignation as a director of Save The Bays,
indicating it was the start of a crumbling organization, and I would
like to take this opportunity to clarify my position and reiterate my
strong support for the work that Save The Bays is doing to raise
environmental awareness.
First, please understand and appreciate
that my resignation as a director was strictly for professional and
personal reasons and was not related to politics of any sort. In public
relations, it is critical to have respect for and be respected by
decision-makers. Their work, whoever they are, impacts life and
especially so in a highly centralized governmental system as is The
Bahamas. For more than 30 years, no one has ever tied me to one party or
another and, in fact, most of the time the PLP has thought it was FNM,
the FNM thinks I am PLP and the DNA believes I am neutral, simply
lending the time and talent of my very able staff to further worthwhile
community efforts when called upon by all governments since the days of
Sir Lynden Pindling. It has long been a company policy that a generous
portion of our work is pro bono but we can only afford to give our time
and talent if we are successful in the work we do for paying clients.
While I resigned as a director, I am very proud to continue to
represent Save The Bays in bringing sensitivity and awareness to matters
involving the environment. I want to go on record saying that I believe
Save The Bays has done an amazing job of making people aware of how
important their voice is in having a say in how their communities are
developed, in the need for a Freedom of Information act, in protecting
mangroves that are the nurseries of the fish, conch and crawfish that
are so much a part of the Bahamian culture, in promoting a return to the
land with expanded farming and agri-businesses to diversify the
economy, in sharing with the youth of the country the beauty so majestic
it takes our breath away.
Every one of us who loves The Bahamas
for the richness of its beauty has within us the desire, even if
unspoken, to preserve that beauty and I applaud Save The Bays for
reinforcing that message. That has nothing to do with politics, it is
simply a matter of wanting to make sure that we will always have a
Bahamas where the sight of our water lifts our spirit, the clear blue
sky makes our soul soar and the people who hail you on the street make
you feel like you are part of one family so proud of the land and the
life we enjoy.
Di
