Media complaintsFebruary 22, 2006Dear Sir,The late Winston Churchill once said: “Politicians in the free world who complain about the media are like ships’ captains who complain about the sea.”

WILLIAM M. COX

DevonshireDismayed by land lawFebruary 9, 2006Dear Sir,Reading the article “Luxury house sale law challenged” on your front page today, I was dismayed to learn that enterprising Bermudians who have developed a property worth $45 dollars are prevented from selling it, because they are only permitted by law to sell to Bermudians, none of whom have that amount to spend on a home.

This insane regulation benefits nobody; it condemns the Bermudians who upgraded the property to its current value to lose their investment in maintenance costs and it prevents the potential buyers from spending all kinds of money in Bermuda, which they would certainly do if they owned a home in our beloved Island. If Oprah had bought this property, I’m sure she would have mentioned it on her show. Advertising like that money can’t buy.

Don’t Bermudians purchase property in Florida and elsewhere? What is the purpose of this change of policy, which appears to penalise everybody and benefit nobody?

SKIPPER INGHAM

City of HamiltonA better solutionFebruary 22, 2006Dear Sir,The recent court case where two Bermudian developers of luxury homes in Tucker’s town sued the Minister for Home Affairs for his change in policy which made it, overnight, impossible for them to market and sell their house, “Goldeneye”, to a foreign buyer, demonstrates, again, that this Government does not adhere to its stated policy of openness in dealing with the general public.

The new policy came into effect without any prior consultation with anyone, and was introduced in a manner, which was clearly detrimental to all Bermudians who own real estate where the ARV would otherwise allow sale to non-Bermudians.

In the case of “Goldeneye,” the largest private house ever built in Bermuda, in an area dubbed “Billionaires Row” in Tucker’s Town, the suggestion, forwarded by the Solicitor General, that preventing its sale would help preserve land for Bermudians, defies logic.

The new policy does nothing to preserve land for Bermudians, and does nothing to create affordable homes for Bermudians. On the contrary, statistics show that, over the past ten years Bermudians have been buying homes from non-Bermudians. Certainly, under the new policy, no Bermudian, in his right mind, will by a house from a non-Bermudian, and preventing Bermudians only from operating in the highest level of Bermuda real estate is not going to make homes more affordable at the lower end of the scale.

If Government really wanted to tackle the problem of affordable homes for Bermudians why not earmark the income derived by Government from sales of homes to non-Bermudians for the building of affordable homes?

Approximate sales vale : $35,000,000

Stamp Duty $2,044.500

Licence Fee $7,875,000

Total $9,919.500

Using a pre-fabricated concrete building system one could reasonably expect to be able to build for say, [AT]245.00 per square foot. Allow an average unit size of 250 sq.ft. for a 3-4 bedroom home:

Approx, cost per unit: 1250 sq.ft. [AT] $245 = $306,250

Number of units which could be built: $9,919,500: $306,250 = 30 Units

So, does it make any sense for Government to prevent the sale of this house to non-Bermudians? I think not. Nor does it make any sense to discriminate against Bermudians in Bermuda’s property market. Reducing the number of homes available to non-Bermudians can be done simply by increasing the ARV to whatever level the Minister deems reasonable to achieve the necessary reduction. This also has the effect of making the homes, which fall outside the new ARV, saleable only to Bermudians and thus encouraging the return of these properties into Bermudian hands.

The Solicitor General was unable to forward any credible argument in defence of the new policy, and concluded his case by saying that the court should not interfere with the Minister’s decision, because the Minister had every right in law to exercise his discretion to make any decisions which he deemed to be in the best interest of Bermuda and Bermudians, and also that the Minister could deviate from his own policy if he so decided.

This sounds remarkably like a pitch for the kind of power only afforded to dictators, and if it reflects this Government’s thinking on the kind of relationship it wants to have with its people, then the future of Bermuda and Bermudians is in grave danger from this administration.

It is to be hoped that the Court will do what it is there to do in a situation such as this, and that is to ensure that fairness prevails and abuse of power fails.

REALITY CHECK

City of Hamilton<$>The right directionFebruary 19, 2006Dear Sir,Belco’s decision to sink an underwater power generator is a great move for Bermuda. The ocean current generator will reduce the island’s dependency on oil and also help cutback on emissions. I hope the action will further increase environmental awareness and help the island become a more sustainable society. I admire reading about those like Jeffrey Steynor who has ambitions of bringing alternative sources of renewable energy to the island. Renewable energy is going to be very important, probably more important than most people realise. I believe if oil ran out tomorrow, Bermuda would be in trouble. An absence of oil means no production of electricity and no transportation; it would cripple society. Therefore, it is important that we pay attention to the environment because it greatly affects our community.

However, it seems like Bermuda is heading in the right direction with the appointment of Erica Smith as the sustainable development director and Amy Harvey as waste management education and enforcement officer. Hopefully, the positions can help push for some much needed policies like the bottle bill and mandatory recycling in Government schools. Still, Bermuda has more pressing issues. For one, how do we manage wastewater? Should we build a waste treatment plant and if so should there be one big one or should they be strategically placed across the Island? These are answers we need to think long and hard about, but not too long because time is of the essence. Bermuda is small with little space left; mismanagement could be detrimental to the Island.

Visitors often refer to Bermuda as a paradise, however, for this belief to continue we need to maintain our surroundings. This is why we should praise and help societies like The Bermuda Audubon Society and the National Trust who help maintain our culture through saving bluebirds and preserving architecture. People say we need casinos to help revitalise our tourism industry. I would like to think that Bermudians are more imaginative than that and can dream up more innovative ideas to draw tourists to the island’s natural beauty. Perhaps a boardwalk around the Island in certain areas is one answer, to attract tourists and provide open space for excitement.

Education is the key to sustainable living. David Chapman’s book “Daddy and I Explore the Tide Pools” is a good example of make young people more aware of the environment. It helps to give youth a greater appreciation for nature and become more inclined to protect it as they grow older. Education doesn’t solely have to occur at schools for students, it should also occur at home for the general public. Raising awareness about the environment should occur on television. Perhaps a commercial between the evening news that advertises solar power panels that explain how they are useful for heating water and can lowering electricity bills. We need to explore possibilities. How can we lessen traffic? Do we make the busses free? Can we make places safe and more pedestrian friendly? Sometimes I feel that it is necessary to bite the bullet economically for benefit of future generations.

It is clear, that the solutions to these problems are not always obvious and easy to implement. However, it is important that we take steps to finding the answers and to do what we know is right. Bermuda has demonstrated this by filling in positions where the environment is a priority and the recent decision for Belco to take on a more green energy source.

MATTHEW TROTT

School of Planning, University of Waterloo, Ontario<$>Freedom of speechFebruary 17, 2006Dear Sir,As most people in Bermuda know, February is Black History Month and in today’s Royal Gazette the advertisement about Black History drew attention to the achievements of the great black opponent of slavery Frederick Douglass.

The emphasis on Douglass is entirely appropriate as he was a giant among men, an orator and writer of prodigious ability. On December 4, 1860 Douglass gave a speech which rates, in my opinion, as one of the most eloquent ever given. It was entitled “A Plea for Free Speech in Boston” and it should be required reading for every student in Bermuda over the age of 14.

Let me mention just three excerpts from this magnificent oration.

1. “Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one’s thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down. They know its power. Thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, founded in injustice and wrong, are sure to tremble, if men are allowed to reason of righteousness, temperance, and of a judgment to come in their presence. Slavery cannot tolerate free speech. Five years of its exercise would banish the auction block and break every chain in the South.”

2. “It is just as criminal to rob a man of his right to speak and hear as it would be to rob him of his money.”

3. “A man’s right to speak does not depend upon where he was born or upon his colour.”

Of course, there is very little chance of students in Bermuda being permitted to learn about this great man.

The Bermuda College in its infinite wisdom detests free speech to the extent that the College Board dismissed an honourable man, Dr Sean O’Connell, for having the temerity to say something with which the unprincipled College administration disagreed.

They effectively spit on the principles of Frederick Douglass, and undermine the idea of Black History. An educational institution like the Bermuda College should be upholding the principles of Black History and giants like Frederick Douglass — not holding them in contempt. ROBERT STEWART

Smith’s Parish

P..s. Those who are interested will find his speech on the web at http://douglassarchives.org/doug_a68.htm