Rick Lowe
My old friend Mr. Pierre Dupuch raised some interesting questions in his recent letter to the Editor, posted here…
While I think the country needs the short term economic impact the project will bring, I wonder if it can sustain itself in the long term.
Will they be going after the same tourist market that Atlantis is currently tapping?
Will they be able to attract tourists from Europe and other parts of the world on a consistent basis?
The central question Mr. Dupuch raises, if I understand him correctly is, If the project fails, will the land remain in Bahamian hands (Crown Land) or will it belong to the Chinese?
This is a valid question and suggests to me that we should be looking for an alternative to Crown Land to solve this issue going forward.
The Abaco Independence Movement (AIM) had suggested turning all Crown Land into a Land Trust, where each Abaconian would be legitimate shareholders - not some make believe process like "owning" Crown Land - where income from any Land Trust property leased would accrue directly to Abaconians.
Is this a legitimate alternative to the present political gifting process?
What amazes me however is, when the former administration (PLP) approved the Heads of Agreement for this project in the first place nary a peep was heard.
Now they are rumoured to be opposed to the BahaMar land grant, work permits, and more? Now maybe they didn't know about the possible Chinese involvement at that time, but what they are doing seems eerily familiar.
This is not unlike the Constitutional Amendment process where they allegedly agreed to the changes and when the politics suited them, they did not have the courage of their convictions to continue to support the amendments.
Is the same thing happening here?
In addition, I have not seen any constructive suggestions or alternative ideas from the political culture either.
It's funny, when you visit a politician of any political stripe with a problem, they ask you to bring solutions to the table. When they take issue with something, they seldom see the need to do the same.
It's easier to create mischief rather than be honest with the electorate if you will.
Is there any wonder we distrust the political class?
