After the "Bend or Break" Speech
After the "Bend or Break" Speech
Following the famous or infamous "Bend or Break" speech by the then Premier and later first Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Sir Lynden O Pindling, there was a lot of movement in Grand Bahama and Freeport in particular.
It is said that the Sir Lynden knocked down the gates the bounded Freeport from the East and the West allowing "dark" Bahamians to travel in and out of Freeport not only during the day time, but also during the evening.
A number foreign investors then decided to leave the island and the country. Some without closing businesses or selling.
What was left was the hope of a flourishing Freeport continuing at a sluggard pace. This pace through the years seemed to have dropped off but the "hope" of the Magic City, still persisted.
In the 1980's there are a number of persons who are still very, very hopeful and even came up with papers on how we can better this island and the economy here.
At the time though, we were in the height of the drug culture and money was flowing very well, but the local economists were concerned about the longevity of this false economy. They were also trying to find the "right" ways to being the "Magic" back.
The development of Freeport and the words of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement gave hope to investors, but the reality of what was going on, brought some discouragement.
Here is a link to the Agreement: http://laws.bahamas.gov.bs/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/1965/1965-0063/HawksbillCreekGrandBahamaDeepWaterHarbourandIndustrialAreaInterpretationofAgreementAct_1.pdf
From this you see that the Government of The Bahamas wins, the investors win and the people all win.
How does this translate to what is going on?
As Ive said before..... look at the mindset!
In my next update I want to give you an idea formulated by an economist back in the 1990s on how to better Freeport. Just to give an idea of that hope that still exists.
I find it incredible and very heartening that "hope" does exist even though wiened a bit.
Its that "hope" that I wish to stoke and to bring alive the reality of a "magical" Freeport and the vision held by Wallace Groves to come true.
Following the famous or infamous "Bend or Break" speech by the then Premier and later first Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Sir Lynden O Pindling, there was a lot of movement in Grand Bahama and Freeport in particular.
It is said that the Sir Lynden knocked down the gates the bounded Freeport from the East and the West allowing "dark" Bahamians to travel in and out of Freeport not only during the day time, but also during the evening.
A number foreign investors then decided to leave the island and the country. Some without closing businesses or selling.
What was left was the hope of a flourishing Freeport continuing at a sluggard pace. This pace through the years seemed to have dropped off but the "hope" of the Magic City, still persisted.
In the 1980's there are a number of persons who are still very, very hopeful and even came up with papers on how we can better this island and the economy here.
At the time though, we were in the height of the drug culture and money was flowing very well, but the local economists were concerned about the longevity of this false economy. They were also trying to find the "right" ways to being the "Magic" back.
The development of Freeport and the words of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement gave hope to investors, but the reality of what was going on, brought some discouragement.
Here is a link to the Agreement: http://laws.bahamas.gov.bs/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/1965/1965-0063/HawksbillCreekGrandBahamaDeepWaterHarbourandIndustrialAreaInterpretationofAgreementAct_1.pdf
From this you see that the Government of The Bahamas wins, the investors win and the people all win.
How does this translate to what is going on?
As Ive said before..... look at the mindset!
In my next update I want to give you an idea formulated by an economist back in the 1990s on how to better Freeport. Just to give an idea of that hope that still exists.
I find it incredible and very heartening that "hope" does exist even though wiened a bit.
Its that "hope" that I wish to stoke and to bring alive the reality of a "magical" Freeport and the vision held by Wallace Groves to come true.
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