Bahamians Need to Hear More from the Prime Minister on Grand Bahama

by Sir Arthur Foulkes

Prime Minister Perry Christie has at last tried to say something reassuring about the state of affairs in the nation’s second city after a dramatic upheaval months ago. But it was a spur of the moment statement that was obviously not well-considered.

In Freeport for a groundbreaking ceremony, the Prime Minister apparently discovered what the whole Bahamas has known now for months.

According to a report in The Tribune, Mr. Christie could see that his audience was “more concerned about corporate governance and possible conflicts in the administration of the Grand Bahama Port Authority”.

“As Prime Minister,” said the Prime Minister, “it gives me an opportunity to tell you that you must not forget I am Prime Minister of The Bahamas …” Okay!

The Prime Minister continued: “ … that I have the responsibility of ensuring consistent governance in the context of what offends public policy, and that my government will not hesitate to ensure that all acts are taken consistent with that mandate to ensure that what we do in our country is consistent with good corporate governance and does not offend public policy.”

His audience certainly had not forgotten that Mr. Christie is Prime Minister. They may have been wondering whether after four and a half years that fact has fully dawned on him, or whether he had forgotten and was just reminding himself that he does indeed occupy the highest executive position in the land.

And they must have resisted a strong urge to laugh out loud when he talked about not hesitating, et cetera, et cetera.

When those three qualified Bahamians at the top of the Grand Bahama Port Authority were suddenly cut down, it was clear that the corporate purge had nothing to do with personalities nor qualifications, nor with being top-heavy as was later suggested.

The Bahamians were qualified, and if there had been over-staffing at that level it must have been only by one since two of the three were immediately replaced.

It was more fundamental than that. It was obvious that it had to do with the direction and governance of the nation’s second city after the death of Edward St. George, one of the principal shareholders in the Port.

The appointment of expatriate licensee Hannes Babak to succeed former Central Bank Governor Julian Francis as Chairman only encouraged that suspicion. This point and a few more were made in this column back in July:

“There can be no doubt that the late Edward St. George, with all his foibles, had a vision for Freeport and was keenly aware of the lasting contribution it can make to the overall progress and development of the whole country.

“It is the responsibility of The Bahamas Government to make sure that, while the shareholders are able to make money, the short- and long-term interests of the Bahamian people are not sacrificed together with Mr. St. George’s vision.

“There is a balance to be struck here and it could very well be that this is at the heart of the struggle at the Port Authority.”

All of this should have been crystal clear to Mr. Christie from the outset. The public, especially the residents of Freeport and Grand Bahama, would have been relieved to hear at that stage that the government was not hesitating to protect good corporate governance and public policy in the Port.

But they heard nothing like that even when there was an outcry from people the government has no reason to mistrust. What the public did hear were disturbing comments from Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe who happens to represent Bimini and the West End district of Grand Bahama.

According to Mr. Wilchcombe, it had nothing to do with the government since the Port Authority was a private company owned by shareholders, and no one could tell them whom to hire and whom to fire and how to run their business. He only hoped that they would have a plan that would be good for the country!

Mr. Wilchcombe also volunteered that when challenged he had a problem coming up with the name of a single Bahamian living in Grand Bahama who was qualified to sit on the board of the Port Authority.

This is a minister in the same government that prattles about Bahamianization and raids the homes of poor legal immigrant workers in the dark of night in an effort to trick the Bahamian people into believing that they have their interests at heart.

Never mind that these are jobs that Bahamians do not want in the first place. But when it comes to Bahamians who are eminently qualified for top positions being replaced by expatriates, they are simply not interested.

Since Mr. Wilchcombe uttered those foolish words he has been repeatedly reminded that the Port Authority is a special creature with special arrangements with the Government of The Bahamas and with special powers over a large sector of the Bahamian society.

So who runs the Authority and what their philosophy is must be of immediate concern to the Government of The Bahamas.

Furthermore, the Government has a responsibility not only to chase down poor immigrant workers but to make sure that Bahamians who qualify for high-end jobs are being fairly treated even by other entities which do not have the same power and influence over Bahamian affairs.

The Bahamas needs qualified expatriates in many fields to help develop the country, but it is irritating to Bahamians that there are some who need not be here but who are allowed to stay year after year and to engage in pursuits for which they have no permission, simply because they know how to ingratiate themselves with the right people.

Mr. Christie and his colleagues in a matter of months will have to face the Bahamian people again in a general election. This should help them to focus their minds so they can deal effectively with at least one serious matter before they face the judgment of the electorate.

But despite Mr. Christie’s words, it is not likely that this government will take the bull by the horns and do something to secure the interests of the Bahamian people in Freeport.

The Prime Minister can make all the pronouncements he likes about good corporate governance and public policy, but talk alone will not accomplish anything.

Nobody is going to say that the Prime Minister wants this so that is what should be done. He has to act. The shareholders – including those who have inherited from Mr. St. George – can be counted on to fight tooth and nail over what they perceive to be their own interests.

The Bahamian people have a right to expect their government to protect their rights in Freeport. They need to hear something more definitive from the Prime Minister than the comments he made when he discovered that a particular audience was less interested in a groundbreaking ceremony and more concerned about “corporate governance and possible conflicts in the administration of the Grand Bahama Port Authority”.

They need to hear what he and his government are doing about it.

Comments

[Chickcharney]

I would agree that the P.M. needs to be heard, but only if he educates himself on the history of and current reality of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement.
Very few of our politicians have a clue about the agreement and maybe this is why little intelligent is said by them about it. They al seem to have a hands off policy, all those except those who have some agenda for it.
In any case things are unravelling and like a rolling stone picking up speed, with no one brave enough to stand in its way.