After analyzing a recent report issued by the Central Bank of The Bahamas, Free National Movement Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis deduced that the government is at fault for a failing economy.
Again, jabbing at the beleaguered state of Baha Mar, Dr. Minnis noted that according to the bank, many economic failures including a real GDP decrease of 1.7 per cent can be attributed to the Baha Mar debacle.
The FNM leader asserted that the continued failure of the government to get Baha Mar up and running is hurting the economy.
“It’s been over a year since Baha Mar went bankrupt yet in that time this Government has only offered up more empty rhetoric and a series of broken promises. None of which has put the 2,000 people who lost their jobs back to work, nor helped the Bahamian contractors that are owed tens of millions of dollars get what they are rightfully owed,” Dr. Minnis said.
He again alluded to what he dubbed desperate dealings with the Chinese that he says are “clouded in secrecy”.
Dr. Minnis further charged that there are still too many unanswered questions where Baha Mar is concerned.
“The PLP promised Baha Mar was going to lift our economy, that it would deliver 5,000 good paying jobs and help elevate our tourism industry. None of this happened, so why should Bahamians trust the PLP to negotiate a secret deal with the Chinese? What is this Government giving away? The Bahamian land, citizenship, taxes or what? The people have a right to know,” he said.
“Will Bahamians be employed to finish the construction? Will our Bahamian contractors get the money they are owed, or will the PLP sell Bahamians birth-right out to the Chinese? We don’t know the answers to these critical questions because the PLP is hiding the details of their negotiations from the people,” Dr. Minnis added.
Almost a year after work at the resort came to a halt, Prime Minsiter Perry Christie, in May of this year, announced in the House of Assembly that the government had undergone successful negotiations in Beijing China, with China Exim Bank, and China State Engineering Company for China Construction America to remain contracted to complete the stalled project.
This announcement came days after a group called Baha Mar Citizens wrote a letter to the Prime Minister pleading with him not to reengage CCA into Baha Mar’s completion, asserting that the company does not have Bahamians best interest at heart.
However, since then, Mr. Christie has said the companies involved have committed to working closely with the government to bring about success.
The resort today remains in the hands of receivers.
