PRIME MINISTER PHILIP DAVIS at the signing of the country agreement to host the annual meeting of the Afrexem Bank in Nassau at Bahamar with Bank President Benedict O. Oramah. The photo was taken on 13 April 2024. Our photo of the week. Photo by Calvin Brown RBDF
On Sunday past 7 April 2024, the Grand Bahama Port Authority issued a nasty press release. This is now a pattern of foreign investors in The Bahamas who now so forget themselves that they seek to publicly challenge the Government of The Bahamas. This surely means push has come to shove. The press release said that they did not owe the Government of The Bahamas a penny and intended not to pay and would fight any attempt to get them to pay.
The statement was impertinent and full of cheek. It is our view that they should be slapped down, slapped down quickly and without equivocation. For years, successive Bahamian governments have been playing footsy with a crew that obviously has nothing in their heads and certainly has no money. We are talking about the present generation of owners of the Grand Bahama Port Authority that have failed miserably in fulfilling their obligations to the Bahamian public pursuant to the provisions of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement 1955.
The most recent outrageous example of default is that of the inability or unwillingness to repair the airport in Freeport after the damage by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. They did nothing, then collected the insurance money and sold the airport to the government for 1 dollar. The foolish FNM Prime Minister and his colleagues picked it up for a dollar in fee simple but also liabilities of 250 million at least to get it repaired.
Now these same people who walked away from their obligations, want to fight the Government of The Bahamas under Philip Davis because a lawful demand has been made to repay the government for the services that the government provides to their city. A city which they say they own and which according to the agreement requires the reimbursement of the costs of Government services supplied to the city.
In the book of Job, it says the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. The Grand Bahama Port Authority and their shareholders ought to know that admonition. The powers under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement are legislated powers, and devolved powers. We think it is time that the Bahamas Government declare that there has been a fundamental breach of the contract and take steps in the legislation to remove the regulatory powers of the Grand Bahama Port Authority.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 13 April 2024 up to midnight: 412,752;
Number of hits for the month of April up to Saturday 13 April 2024 up to midnight: 967,493;
Number of hits for the year up to Saturday 13 April 2024 up to midnight: 6,361,996;
Sir Baltron Bethel in file photo with former boss Rt Hon Perry Christie disputes the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s claim
One of the defences advanced by the Grand Bahama Port Authority in their impertinent press release last week was that no previous Government had ever sought to advance the demand to reimburse the Government for the services provided to the city. Sir Baltron Bethel who worked with Perry Christie then Prime Minister in 2016 as a Senior Policy Advisor, put the lie to that when he told the press last week in The Tribune business Friday 12 April 2024 that the matter was raised by Mr. Christie’s government. In any event, the present Prime Minister Philip Davis has said that he cannot speak for previous administrations. He can only speak for his own. The Prime Minister told the press last week that the demand should not have come as a surprise to the Grand Bahama Port Authority. He said they had plenty of notice. We use this comment to show that this is just another false story that is being circulated by the Grand Bahama Port Authority to defend what is an indefensible position.
Michael Pintard, the Opposition Leader, should really concentrate on keeping his job and planning the one-day convention he says he will have in June. He should leave the public equivocation on the Grand Bahama Port Authority to the others. Public equivocation is a disgrace for a Leader of the Opposition who should be joining hands with the Government in cleaning up the mess which his predecessor as Leader of the Free National Movement left in place with regard to Freeport. Mr, Pintard agrees that things are not what they should be in Grand Bahama but he wants the Prime Minister to not do anything about it. Typical of FNM politics: on the one hand on the other hand. One of the silliest though was to say to the press of The Bahamas, reported by Our News that he wanted to know why Fred Mitchell was spending so much time on Freeport when that was not his portfolio. Mr. Mitchell snapped back on Thursday 11 April 2024 on Eyewitness News reminding Mr. Pintard that he (Fred Mitchell) has lived in Grand Bahama, and worked in Grand Bahama. He has been an advocate for Grand Bahama for over a generation, and he said he would never stop advocating for Grand Bahama. He added that the Chairman of the PLP speaks about anything and everything in which Bahamians are involved. What a silly comment to make for the Leader of the Opposition.
Afreximbank President and Chairman of Board of Directors, Prof. Benedict Oramah (standing second left) Philip Davis, K.C, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas (standing right) watch as Anne Ezeh, Director Communications and Events, Afreximbank and Creswell Sturrup, Permanent Secretary in the Office of Prime Minister, Government of Commonwealth of The Bahamas sign the Agreement for The Bahamas to host the 31st Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM) and the third edition of the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF).
NASSAU, The Bahamas – The government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have signed the agreement for The Bahamas to host the 31st Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM) and the third edition of the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF). The AAM will be held in Nassau, The Bahamas, from 12 to 14 June 2024.
Professor Benedict Oramah, president and chairman of the board of directors, Afreximbank, said:
“Afreximbank’s historic decision to hold the 31st Afreximbank annual meetings in The Bahamas will be the first time it has been held in the Caribbean. There is a hugely positive outlook for many African and CARICOM countries – as demonstrated by the IMF’s forecast that seven African countries and one CARICOM country will be in the top ten fastest growing economies globally – so cementing closer links between the two regions is of clear mutual benefit to accelerate growth and prosperity.”
At the signing ceremony, which was live-streamed to reach a global audience, The Hon. Philip Davis, K.C, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, commented: “Hosting both the AAM and ACTIF demonstrates the determination and commitment of The Bahamas to leverage on the shared history, identities, and cultures of AfriCaribbean nations to forge significantly greater trade, investment, and direct transport linkages. Doing so will stimulate economic growth and development, which will feed through to immensely beneficial societal impact. It is also vital that we enhance our global influence by speaking with a unified voice on matters such as securing global action to meaningfully address climate change.”
We are now officially past the midterm mark of the administration of Philip Davis and the next fiscal year’s budget is coming up. We know the fascination and interest that the Ministry of Finance has with deficits and balanced budgets and raising revenue but with elections coming shortly, this is not the year to be playing that theme. We have to spend our way out of this economic quagmire in which we find ourselves. The ravages of inflation have hit us badly and while there is money in the pockets of our citizens because of the raging tourism industry, too many are complaining that they don’t have enough. The cry is loudest amongst PLP supporters. Our advice is, we had better turn this tap on this next fiscal year or face peril in the subsequent election campaign.
Last week, we exposed the former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis’ self-interest. He was giving a grand speech in the House of Assembly about the glories of a tax incentive programme of his administration but neglected to say that he and his father were amongst the principal beneficiaries of that tax exemption policy. We neglected to publish the evidence and do so this week. The evidence was laid on the table of the House of Assembly at its meeting on 3 April 2024 by Fred Mitchell
How did Shenique Miller, the chat show host of Eyewitness News, decide to go to Mayaguana and Inagua to do an investigation into the conduct of the Member of Parliament Basil McIntosh? The supporters of the PLP need to read the tea leaves. Ask yourself whether she spontaneously did that or whether she was promoted and supported financially to do it? Mischief is afoot and all is not what it seems.
Ambassador Dai Qingli spent her last night in The Bahamas on Tuesday 9 April 2024 at a dinner hosted by the British High Commissioner Thomas Hartley. It was a fond farewell attended by the American Charge Usha Pitts who herself will leave The Bahamas this month. The terms of the two females were similar. They have spent three years here and did well in serving their countries. As the Chinese Ambassador left, the Chinese government announced that they were granting The Bahamas a three hundred million dollar facility to build the new hospital to replace the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau.
They finally gazette the decision to appoint the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) after days of delay which caused their Caricom partners some grief. Now there is the business of swearing in the members and the appointment of a Chair and the new Prime Minister. Prime Minister Ariel Henri is parked in California waiting for them to do so, and then he will formally submit his resignation. Kudos to the Eminent Persons Group with Perry Christie, Kenny Anthony, and Bruce Holding for their work in getting this done. The Chair of Caricom, the President of Guyana carefully guided the course. But Haiti is still not fixed. The work now begins.
Senator Tyrell Young
Leroy Major MP
The Prime Minister’s office announced last week that Senator Tyrell Young has left his post as Chair of BAMSI, the agricultural training school in North Andros. No word on a replacement. He is to move into the Ministry of Agriculture. The office also announced that the Chairman of BAIC Leroy Major MP, the industrial agricultural corporation, is leaving his post for an unspecified post in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Omar Davis Jr was murdered and then dumped into a plastic bag in August 2022. On 11 April 2024 in the press, his mother was incensed and upset that the Government arranged a plea bargain for the death. Instead of murder, the assailant pleaded guilty to manslaughter on 9 April 2024. The crown said that Omar came to the defendant’s home to demand that a text be removed from the defendant’s phone. A fight ensued and the defendant stabbed him to death but did not intend to kill him. The mother said the 15 year sentence which was further discounted by the two years spent on remand was a slap on the wrist. We agree. The fight was thought to be over a text which would have revealed homosexual liaisons.
Congratulations to Kyle and Katie Clarke on their marriage in New York’s Central Park Ladies Pavilion 11 April 2024. He is the nephew of Fred Mitchell, the Foreign Minister. The siblings and Mr. Mitchell- Ian, Carla, Mathew, Marva, gathered for the occasion.
Fred Mitchell pays respects to the late Franklyn Ferguson at PLP HQ in Nassau 11 April 2024.
With Prime Minister Philip Davis at a dinner hosted for Mark St Hill CEO of CIBC Caribbean Bahamas with artist Ambassador Jamaal Rolle, Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell, Businessman Adrian Fox, the Prime Minister, Mr St Hill and Ambassador Sebas Bastian. 10 April 2024
Fred Mitchell at the formalization of the construction contract on the refurbishing of the Thomas Robinson Stadium by the Chinese Government as Ambassador Dai Qingli takes her leave of The Bahamas. 9 April 2024 with Prime Minister Philip Davis, Sports Minister Mario Bowleg, Works Minister Clay Sweeting.