THE WEEK IN THE BAHAMAS BY ELCOTT COLEBY
(21 – 25 NOVEMBER 2016)
This week in Parliament
The House of Assembly met on Monday 21st November to consider Urban Renewal legislation that will give teeth to that government agency. Additionally, a resolution was tabled for the appointment of a select committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 2011 sale of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC).
In the evening session, Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie addressed the public debate over the proposed $2.1 billion investment involving Chinese businessmen and Bahamian stakeholders in the agriculture and fisheries industry. The Prime Minister was emphatic in his position that the proposed agri-fisheries venture at the centre of wide-spread public controversy would never have been approved by his government.
Amid a fiery exchange in the House of Assembly over the controversial proposal, Prime Minister Christie declared that if such a plan came before Cabinet it would be “rejected out-right”.
In weighing in on the matter, Tall Pines MP the Hon. Leslie Miller revealed the contents of a conversation he held with the Bahamas Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China about the interest some Chinese businessmen have in investing in the local fisheries and farming industry. Miller told the House that he told Ambassador Gomez that he was free to pursue the initiative but the Bahamas government was not going to support any proposal that was not in the best interest of Bahamians. Miller also questioned why his colleague, Agriculture Minister the Hon. Alfred Gray was the subject of such heavy public criticism over what Miller called a “non issue.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE…