Ministers: A significant number of Bahamians believe the following:
1. A small group of persons have been awarded rights to mine Aragonite in The Bahamas.
2. It is not widely known who those persons are.
3. The Bahamas government receives minimal taxes from their operations.
4. The private company enjoys significant revenues.
5. No other individual or company may enter the business at this time.
6. The government should exploit this resource directly for the benefit of Bahamians.
7. The uses of this resource are well known.
8. The uses of this raw material to make other products could take place in The Bahamas.
Additionally, they believe:
1. As much as 5 billion tons of sand are produced every year in The Bahamas valued at one hundred billion dollars.
2. The said sand is lost to the floor of the ocean due to oceanic waves and current movement.
3. A senior Cabinet Minister is now exploiting or is seeking to exploit this resource.
4. These issues are well known, but have not been addressed because past and present government officials are benefiting from the sale of this resource.
5. Even if the conspiracies are untrue, the government should consider how these resources might be exploited for the benefit of all Bahamians.
Frankly, I don’t know whether much of this is true, but given the loud calls by Bahamians for action and the value that is being speculated, I believe the government is obliged to address this issue as a priority. I hope you will agree with me in that regard.
Lynden R. Nairn - Facebook