With former Baha Mar employees set to receive cheques from the claims committee established to administer payouts next week, not all persons are patting the government on the back for finally making some resolutions in the Baha Mar situation.

Former Baha Mar Director Dionisio D’Aguilar added that while he is happy persons are finally being paid it takes light away from the most pressing issue, which is the fact that the project isn’t moving forward.

“It is great that the staff is getting some money and that’s great and that’s all wonderful and the PLP should be commended for that but it’s a major distraction,” he said.

“At the end of the day, those people have not had a job for over 15 months. This little bone isn’t going to help their long term situation. They promised when they brought the project to Nassau that it would be opened by December 2015 and it hasn’t.

“There is no end in sight to this, every time they stand up and pop the champagne and let us know the end is near and the great Government of The Bahamas has solved this major problem, it’s all for naught.

“This little payment, this little bone they’re throwing people it’s a distraction to the greater issue which is the project isn’t moving forward.”

He added the government has been blinded by its pride and can’t see that the results they expected to see have not happened.

Mr. D’Aguilar also responded directly to one of the lead negotiators in the Baha Mar deal in Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald last week at cabinet responding to questions around the rumor that original Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian had offered to pay back all creditors, to which Fitzgerald said Izmirlian had not brought forward one cent but only words.

“How do you put one red cent forward,” Mr. D’Aguilar said.

“The government has sucked it away, and they have gone into bed with the Chinese. Ask Jerome Fitzgerald how any level headed businessman puts one cent into something he doesn’t have. Come to the table, he wants to talk, he wants to negotiate, he wants to bring this deal, he wants to move this deal forward but nobody will engage him. You know why because they’ve decided to go all in with the Chinese.

“The relationship isn’t baring any results, how much longer do we have to suffer before they get it,” Mr. D’Aguilar said.

The cheques persons are expected to received cover unpaid salaries, accrued vacation pay, severance pay and payments in lieu of notice.