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Last Updated: Apr 3, 2017 - 9:32:19 PM |
 Nassau, New Providence - That Baha Mar is important to the Bahamian economy is indisputable.That hundreds and soon thousands of Bahamians will be employed there is clear. And yet, Hubert Minnis is desperate for this hard-won success to be a failure.He sees everything only through the prism of his own political ambitions.
For weeks, Hubert Minnis has maintained Baha Mar is not actually opening.What happens when reality collides with his delusions? We shall find out on April 21st, when Baha Mar will open. How will he respond? With grace and humility, or with more lies? Will he congratulate the new Bahamian employees? He’s more likely to repeat his promise to Stop and Cancel Baha Mar’s opening, and sell it to a new owner. Expropriating a major employer— this could only cause great market uncertainty, turn investors away from The Bahamas, and place into jeopardy thousands of Bahamian jobs.His promise to sell Baha Mar if he wins is breathtakingly irresponsible— and unprecedented— no one hoping to lead The Bahamas has ever played such a low game with so much at stake.
Hubert Minnis has always been wrong about Baha Mar.He rails against the Chinese, when it was the FNM who brought the Chinese in— it happened while Hubert Minnis was in Cabinet.
And the fact is that if Minnis had his way, Baha Mar would still be tangled up in a US bankruptcy court. When the previous developer filed for Chapter 11 in Delaware, that filing was an admission of the lack of funds to complete and operate Baha Mar.
Having matters decided in a US court would have made it nearly impossible for Bahamian employees and contractors to get anything at all. It’s important to remember that this decision to vote to have Baha Mar matters resolved in the United States instead of The Bahamas was supported by Hubert Minnis, and FNM candidates Marvin Dames, Jeff Lloyd and Dionysio D’Aguilar. D’Aguilar didn’t just support it, he voted for it, as a member of the Baha Mar board! It’s almost unimaginable— that a Bahamian would vote in favor of a bankruptcy filing that would have left Bahamians last in line.
Had they prevailed, those bankruptcy proceedings, exceedingly complex and involving many creditors, would still be unfolding, and the property would be dead and shuttered.
Instead, the PLP government made sure matters would be decided in The Bahamas— and a world-class buyer was found, one with experience in successfully managing high-end luxury properties across the world, including in the Caribbean. The new buyer is investing $250 million in a phased opening. In the meantime, Bahamian employees were paid, Bahamian contractors were paid, the debt owed to the Bahamian Government has been paid. And, of course, scores of Bahamian families are now feeling the new hope that comes from new opportunities.
Hubert Minnis’ lies and reckless promises about Baha Mar are disqualifying.No one who behaves in such a way should be considered for national leadership.His own colleagues have repeatedly questioned his integrity and his trustworthiness. A senior FNM writing in the Nassau Guardian said that Hubert Minnis, if elected, would“plunge the country into a national nightmare.” We agree.
The government is committed to ensuring that Baha Mar realizes its fullest potential for the country’s economy. Our work is not done. The Bahamian people trust this government to work closely with them and on their behalf as we move Bahamians forward together.
© Copyright 2017 by thebahamasweekly.com
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