Nassau Guardian: Administrator Johnley Ferguson Speaks

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Posted by Briland Modem News Team on April 11, 2001 at 12:20:32:

Nassau Guardian: 10 April 2001
Local administrator encourages Eleutherans to seek their own success:
An interview with Mr. Johnley W. Ferguson, Administrator, Central Eleuthera.

My advice to parents is that they train their children to begin to look at ways to improve their surroundings instead of looking for foreign investors to come in to provide jobs. That mentality has to change if Eleutherans are going to turn things around.

ADVOCATE: What are your duties as Administrator for the Central Eleuthera District?

ADMINISTRATOR: As Administrator, I am responsible for the operation of local government and persons working with the Central Eleuthera District Council and District Town Committees. There are six (6) Town Committees that fall under my jurisdiction from Gregory Town in the North to Savannah Sound in the South. I am also responsible for the administrative offices in the District, for example, the Road Traffic Department in the absence of the Road Traffic Controller. In other words, I am the Chief Public Officer in the District, including the Disaster Preparedness Committee that deals with hurricane and other natural disasters. My duties also include sitting as a Magistrate on routine matters, arraignment of persons and I function as a Justice of the Peace and a Marriage Officer.

ADVOCATE: How long have you been in office?

ADMINISTRATOR: I have been in office now for three (3) years and local governmnet was instituted during my tenure in office.

ADVOCATE: Have you always been in the public sector?

ADMINISTRATOR: All of my working years have been spent in the public sector, some 31 years now. After graduating from college, I went into the teaching profession, where I spent 28 years.

ADVOCATE: Why the change?

ADMINISTRATOR: An opportunity was offered to senior public servants like myself to assist in the establishment of local government in the Family Islands and I thought it would be great to make a change and to offer my services in this way.

ADVOCATE: Do you feel that Local Government is progressing well?

ADMINISTRATOR: In my opinion Local Government is a great way of dealing with the affairs of the Family Islands, but there is room for improvement. feel that with amendments to the laws, refinements would come to the system and bring some fine tuning.

ADVOCATE: What is your opinion on the economic situation in Central Eleuthera?

ADMINISTRATOR: I admit that the closure of Club Med since Hurricane Floyd has greatly affected
the economic situation of the island. For many years Club Med has been an establishment that provided a stable source of income for many Eleutherans. On the other hand, I feel that other smaller hotels, guest houses and local restaurants have been opened and these investors are trying to fill the void in providing jobs for the people of Eleuthera. Additionally, the revenue collection agencies in the District have not suffered too great a short-fall, for example, the Road Traffic Department, Bahamas Customs and various offices that grant franchise licenses.

ADVOCATE: How do you feel we could change the economic situation?

ADMINISTRATOR: Eleutherans must stop looking at what used to happen and work to create what they want to happen. In former times, Eleuthera was known as a great farming community. The Hatchet Bay Plantation and the Rock Sound farms played an important role in not only feeding the people of Eleuthera and The Bahamas, but many people were sustained as a result of jobs being provided. Of course tourism had its part to play in providing jobs, but farming was a priority. My advice to parents is that they train their children to begin to look at ways to improve their surroundings instead of looking for foreign investors to come in to provide jobs. That mentality has to change if Eleutherans are going to turn things around. When I grew up in Acklins, we did not discuss unemployment. Whatever we could find to do, we did it to make a living, unlike Eleutherans, who have been accustomed to others making opportunities for them. We had to create our own opportunities. We farmed, fished and gathered Cascarilla Bark for marketing its various uses. Waiting for employment was never an issue. We never waited around for anyone to give us jobs.

So when I came to Eleuthera and heard the people here say that there was nothing to do, and I looked
around and saw acres and acres of land to be cultivated, not to mention opportunities to fish, I could
not comprehend why there was unemployment. As I mentioned earlier, my advice to Eleutherans is to look around them and try to find ways and means to create a better life for them selves. If they put their minds to doing this, Eleuthera's economic situation would make a turn around.

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: Nassau Guardian: 10 April 2001 : Local administrator encourages Eleutherans to seek their own success: : An interview with Mr. Johnley W. Ferguson, Administrator, Central Eleuthera. : My advice to parents is that they train their children to begin to look at ways to improve their surroundings instead of looking for foreign investors to come in to provide jobs. That mentality has to change if Eleutherans are going to turn things around. : ADVOCATE: What are your duties as Administrator for the Central Eleuthera District? : ADMINISTRATOR: As Administrator, I am responsible for the operation of local government and persons working with the Central Eleuthera District Council and District Town Committees. There are six (6) Town Committees that fall under my jurisdiction from Gregory Town in the North to Savannah Sound in the South. I am also responsible for the administrative offices in the District, for example, the Road Traffic Department in the absence of the Road Traffic Controller. In other words, I am the Chief Public Officer in the District, including the Disaster Preparedness Committee that deals with hurricane and other natural disasters. My duties also include sitting as a Magistrate on routine matters, arraignment of persons and I function as a Justice of the Peace and a Marriage Officer. : ADVOCATE: How long have you been in office? : ADMINISTRATOR: I have been in office now for three (3) years and local governmnet was instituted during my tenure in office. : ADVOCATE: Have you always been in the public sector? : ADMINISTRATOR: All of my working years have been spent in the public sector, some 31 years now. After graduating from college, I went into the teaching profession, where I spent 28 years. : ADVOCATE: Why the change? : ADMINISTRATOR: An opportunity was offered to senior public servants like myself to assist in the establishment of local government in the Family Islands and I thought it would be great to make a change and to offer my services in this way. : ADVOCATE: Do you feel that Local Government is progressing well? : ADMINISTRATOR: In my opinion Local Government is a great way of dealing with the affairs of the Family Islands, but there is room for improvement. feel that with amendments to the laws, refinements would come to the system and bring some fine tuning. : ADVOCATE: What is your opinion on the economic situation in Central Eleuthera? : ADMINISTRATOR: I admit that the closure of Club Med since Hurricane Floyd has greatly affected : the economic situation of the island. For many years Club Med has been an establishment that provided a stable source of income for many Eleutherans. On the other hand, I feel that other smaller hotels, guest houses and local restaurants have been opened and these investors are trying to fill the void in providing jobs for the people of Eleuthera. Additionally, the revenue collection agencies in the District have not suffered too great a short-fall, for example, the Road Traffic Department, Bahamas Customs and various offices that grant franchise licenses. : ADVOCATE: How do you feel we could change the economic situation? : ADMINISTRATOR: Eleutherans must stop looking at what used to happen and work to create what they want to happen. In former times, Eleuthera was known as a great farming community. The Hatchet Bay Plantation and the Rock Sound farms played an important role in not only feeding the people of Eleuthera and The Bahamas, but many people were sustained as a result of jobs being provided. Of course tourism had its part to play in providing jobs, but farming was a priority. My advice to parents is that they train their children to begin to look at ways to improve their surroundings instead of looking for foreign investors to come in to provide jobs. That mentality has to change if Eleutherans are going to turn things around. When I grew up in Acklins, we did not discuss unemployment. Whatever we could find to do, we did it to make a living, unlike Eleutherans, who have been accustomed to others making opportunities for them. We had to create our own opportunities. We farmed, fished and gathered Cascarilla Bark for marketing its various uses. Waiting for employment was never an issue. We never waited around for anyone to give us jobs. : So when I came to Eleuthera and heard the people here say that there was nothing to do, and I looked : around and saw acres and acres of land to be cultivated, not to mention opportunities to fish, I could : not comprehend why there was unemployment. As I mentioned earlier, my advice to Eleutherans is to look around them and try to find ways and means to create a better life for them selves. If they put their minds to doing this, Eleuthera's economic situation would make a turn around.

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