IN THE past few days The Tribune has urged the Prime Minister in the strongest terms to control two of his ministers who have indulged in inflammatory rhetoric about the developer of the Baha Mar project. Today we want to implore Mr. Christie to use the power of his office urgently to resolve the impasse between Mr. Izmirlian and the contractor., China Construction America (CCA), in order to ensure completion of the project without further delay. This will be to the benefit of all concerned, not the least the thousands of Bahamians who have been adversely affected by the long delay in opening it, and will avoid further damage to the nation's economy and reputation.
Normally, we would never advocate political intervention in a commercial. But Baha Mar is such a huge project that in a small country like ours it has had a disproportionate affect on the lives of so many. Government, therefore, has a role to plain in protecting the interests of its own citizens. Indeed, it has already been involved for some time; though for the last several months its influence has been ineffectual or at worst, damaging to a resolution of the differences between the developer and the contractor. Without decisive and resolute action by the Government the situation will only deteriorate.
With the resort near to ninety-seven per cent completion, Mr. Christie should act immediately in a fair and non-partisan way to bring the two sides together. This is clearly preferable to lengthy liquidation proceedings which can only result in even more delay.
Such intervention might involve a mix of independent arbitration and strong-arm tactics to force each side to meet its obligations; and it might also mean providing a government guarantee of the necessary funding from the Export-Import Bank of China while also telling CCA that no further work can done on its separate British Colonial Hilton project, which was launched only last week, until Baha Mar is completed and open for business.
In our line of business, we have had a stream of comments both locally and from overseas about what has clearly been serious mismanagement of the Baha Mar project by the two main protagonists as well as by the Government, which many regard as having backed the Chinese in an effort to marginalize Mr. Izmirlian - they cite the Attorney General's sycophantic letter to the contractor and her visits to Beijing. Baltron Bethel's leaked letter (in collusion with the Chinese) seeking a new developer, and the government's red carpet treatment for CCA even when it has failed to meet its obligations in relation to Baha Mar. There are also many unseemly rumors to explain the Government's stance.
Whatever has happened so far, the situation has now become intolerable. Mr. Izmirlian may have been unwise in his public remarks about our elected leaders, but the Government has also been at fault in its extreme reaction to him and its failure to keep the Chinese in some sort of check.
Moreover, Mr. Christie's refusal to condemn the intemperate comment by Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell and by Labour Minister Shane Gibson indicates his misunderstanding of the Westminster system of cabinet collective responsibility. As an intellectual lightweight, Gibson's zany comments can be discounted, but Mitchell is well educated and articulate though unwise and lacking in good judgement. Vexatious and self-serving, it is our opinion that he is not a fit person to represent the Bahamas internationally and should be stopped from ruining the country's good name by his ill-tempered and vituperative public utterances.
The time has come, however, to put differences aside and to move forward. For the sake of the Bahamian people - and for Mr. Christie's own reputation as a prime minister of long experience - he himself must act now. Notwithstanding, accusations of his indecisiveness , he is fundamentally a decent man of integrity who must surely see that it is within his power as the country's political leader to resolve this crisis affecting the largest project of it kind in the history of The Bahamas.
Resolute action will help to secure his legacy as a leader who, despite the numerous scandals under his watch, has served his country well over many years. We earnestly hope that he will now step up to the plate.
Sincerely,
Friends Concerened For The Future
First published in the Letters of The Tribune, and posted here with the permission of the author.
