[xml][/xml]
The Bahamas Weekly Facebook The Bahamas Weekly Twitter
News : New Providence Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


Ferreira: government “cagey” over Nygard consultation process
By Diane Phillips & Associates
Jul 5, 2014 - 2:39:07 PM

Email this article
 Mobile friendly page
Romi-Ferreira-on-Ortland-Bodies-Show.jpg
SECRETIVE - Environmental attorney and Save The Bays director Romi Ferreira says government is still reluctant to come clean on the contents of the proposed expansion plan for Nygard Cay.

Nassau, Bahamas - Just days before the end of a public consultation process on plans to redevelop Nygard Cay, government has yet to reveal any of the relevant details, a leading environmental lawyer charged.

Romi Ferreira, a director of fast-growing social and environmental advocacy group Save The Bays, said the announcement of the consultation process on the proposed further expansion of Nygard Cay and lease of illegally claimed land to its owner, Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, is meaningless unless the veil of secrecy is lifted.

“The Ministry of works gave notice and said you could inspect the documents, so that’s what we did. That is what we wanted all along, public consultation, so we were very pleased they took that first step,” he said.

“But correct plans weren’t there for us to inspect, the report on the BEST Commission website was different from the one they exhibited – nothing was congruent. And they wouldn’t give us copies of the papers to inspect, so what is the point of inviting you come down to inspect documents?”

Speaking as a guest on the country’s first ever radio show dedicated to the environment, “Voice of the Bays: the Environment Speaks”, Ferriera warned the government that Bahamians are beginning to understand the connection between official secrecy and the opportunity for corruption, and are demanding more transparency.

“They are being cagey; we want to know if they are hiding something,” he said.

“We don’t know why the government is obfuscating this process, we don’t know why they won’t make the plans available to us, and in the absence of a Freedom of Information Act, we will never know.”

He called on the public to “galvanize together” and demand more openness, starting with the proposed plans for Nygard Cay, a development he said should concern all Bahamians.

The former FNM government determined that since its purchase by Peter Nygard in 1984, the area formerly known as Simms Point has grown considerably in size through the unauthorized accretion of large sections of seabed. Nygard was ordered to return the property to its original size, but has failed to do so.

Meanwhile, environmentalists say the development has blocked the flow of sand through Clifton Bay, causing nearby Jaws Beach, one of the only public beaches left in New Providence, to erode away.

“If somebody can come into your country, do as they please, ignore the directives of both governments, are you benefitting from that?” Ferreira asked. “Could a pure-bred Bahamian ever do that, could they just ignore what the government says with impunity?”

Since its launch just a year ago, Save The Bays has taken The Bahamas by storm, attracting more than 500 registered members, 14,000 Facebook followers and 6,000 signatures on a petition calling for the enactment of a comprehensive Environmental Protection Act, a Freedom of Information Act and end of unregulated development. “Voice of the Bays: The Environment Speaks” airs on Love97 FM Mondays 5pm - 6pm.


Bookmark and Share




© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com

Top of Page

Receive our Top Stories



Preview | Powered by CommandBlast

New Providence
Latest Headlines
World’s largest cruise ship to call on Nassau on March 9
LPIA reveals new summer 2021 operations plan, shares Important travel tips for passengers
Scotiabank upgrading ABM network
New Caves Corporate Center now fully leased by NAI Bahamas Realty Commercia
KFC Nassau Junkanoo Buckets competition awards $40,000 in prize money