The Clifton Review

The Clifton Review is a bi-weekly column that examines the question of the Clifton project along with the evolution of the war between two billionaires, the links to unsavory characters, the use of the courts for personal agendas, the involvement of a political party, and the attacks on the Government of The Bahamas.

We covered the start of this war with articles describing the battle over easement rights, the mysterious burning of a home, the blocks to rebuilding, and countless questionable court filings. This series of articles asks the needed questions and presents the arguments in full.

By P.J. Malone

Why do so many Bahamians bury their heads in the sand and not seemingly care enough about what’s going on in The Bahamas to speak out?

When our children, our grandchildren and our great grandchildren look back over the development of our society, what will they see?

Will they see a society that was always focused on making The Bahamas the best it could be? Or, will they see a society where individuals only care about themselves and did nothing to help shape The Bahamas into a better place with a great legacy?

Merriam Webster dictionary describes “legacy” as “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past”.

What will we be ‘transmitting from our past’ to future generations? Well as it stands, future generations are in danger of seeing some very pernicious things as our legacy in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

The inheritors of our legacy are in danger of seeing a Bahamas where organizations like Save The Bays are getting away with maligning our good name, creating havoc with unjust attacks on individuals, and interfering in proper Governmental functioning.

They are in danger of seeing a Government that has allowed party politics to get in the way of human decency.

Citizens of every country should be conscious of the type of legacy they are leaving. In fact, it should be said about us that we each contributed to the positive growth and development of our nation.

As motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “All good men and women must take responsibility to create legacies that will take the next generation to a level we could only imagine.”

So, what legacy will we create as a nation? What will we be known for? What will future generations say about us after we die?

Will they say “many Bahamians achieved wealth and status but didn’t care enough about what was going on to stand up and speak out about the injustices in our society”?

Will they say “many Bahamians lived their lives as if no one else mattered simply burying their heads in the sand pretending not to see the abuses in our country”?

Or, will they say that we cared about those around us, cared about the health and well-being of our those in our society, and ensured the positive growth of our nation?

It matters because, if we don’t, who will? Who will make the changes to ensure growth in the right direction?

Do you think that things change on their own? That they get better on their own? That our country will develop into a great nation on its own?

Governments are not there to simply control everything while we sit back and do nothing to direct their paths. As a citizen of the country we each have a responsibility to make a positive contribution to steer the country in the right direction.

Since the alarming spread of terrorism around the world, you see more and more efforts to mitigate it. These efforts can be seen in travels around the United States and other places.

The United States Homeland Security Department has a campaign to create awareness and induce people to be more aware of their surroundings in an era of potential terrorism acts. The core message to everyone everywhere and especially on trains, buses, and other means of transportation is, “If you see something, say something.”

That’s a very simple message and an easy thing to do. Why can’t we adopt that to prevent the development of a legacy in The Bahamas that is really not representative of who we are and were not meant to be in the creation of our nation?

We may not be perfect in our efforts, but at least the inheritors of our legacy will say when they look back “they didn’t just stand back and allow the country to devolve; they stood up and spoke out”.

Let’s create a legacy in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas that future generations can be proud of.