“We often talk about having development that will provide jobs and give us access to a better life. However, these days, it seems that this is merely a pipe dream”, writes Ian Betthell Bennett in the Nassau Guardian.
“The Bahamas now boasts anchor developments on many of its islands, and everyday we open a new high-end exclusive resort where the rich and famous will come to frolic uninterrupted by commoners.
Once the resort has purchased all the requisite permissions and paid all its facilitators to allow development unhindered, they are free to exclude as they choose. The creep is on. Yes, they may provide some work, but they provide little else.
Ian Strachan talks about the resort being the new plantation. But this is a plantation that we have chosen, we have sought after and encouraged, in fact, often begged to come to our shores.”
In Brief
- There has been a major centralization of the economy so that all business focuses on tourism and tourism, as the Minister of Tourism argues, becomes our culture. Meanwhile, locals find themselves displaced from much of the valuable land.
- Reports from the major tourism islands have shown that pollution is out of control, the services are depleted by the tourists and the way of life has changed. Residents cannot get piped water because resorts drain the pipes first. We now cannot access the beach, old fishing grounds, farming grounds or crabbing areas.
In Depth
Read the full article on the Nassau Guardian
In the Future
