The Free National Movement’s singular focus has been to contribute to the ongoing dialog about the Baha Mar development in a way that would assist with the opening of the Resort. Tremendous efforts were made by the Party’s leadership to stay abreast of the progress of the project prior to the delayed openings and eventual chapter 11 filing by the Developer. These efforts were ignored and rebuffed by the government at that time.

It was only after the collapse of good relations between the Developer and the Construction company (CCA) that the government even considered reaching out to the Official Opposition. Even then it was with ulterior motives and minimal transparency. Nevertheless, our leadership remained open to contributing and continues to be hopeful that the stakeholders will find a way to work through their differences to solidify an agreement that would result in the successful opening of the Resort in the shortest possible time.

It is telling that Minister Gomez, the former lead attorney for the government relative to Baha Mar is now endorsing the recent advice of US Judge Kevin Carey who admonished all parties in the Baha Mar conflict to “keep talking.” Judge Carey is hearing the Bankruptcy application in Delaware and recognizes that it is far better to negotiate an out of court agreement than to get bogged down in a quagmire of legal actions and counter actions. Thousands of Bahamians along with the FNM recognized this simple fact from the outset.

Minister Wilchcombe and Gomez in large measure have come full circle to share that position. We know that there were other PLP supporters from the very beginning who cautioned the government not to get entangled in a legal web that has the potential to be long and protracted. While the Prime Minister mouthed negotiations his team was busy pursuing legal actions.

The nature of the government’s involvement in the efforts to resolve the impasse has caused grave concerns from the outset due to their oversights, inappropriate public statements and ill-advised actions. At every turn the government appeared to choose litigation over private mature discussions with all parties. At this moment as the Minister of State for Legal Affairs speaks, the Christie government is engaged in no less than three legal actions against the Developer by way of his group of companies and quite possibly on a personal level.

The FNM holds no brief for the Developer who we believe share responsibility for where the project is at the moment, however we believe not all other options for resolution were given adequate time bear fruit.

Clearly, Christie’s Cabinet is divided on a number of important national matters. Baha Mar is yet another one of those national matters they don’t see eye to eye on and are prepared to share those differences publicly. Prime Minister Christie continues to demonstrate his inability to achieve consensus and enforce discipline among his colleagues. It is a virtual free for all! Unfortunately Baha Mar became central to Prime Minister Christie’s Economic Plan. So much so that Standards and Poors (S&P) placed tremendous emphasis on the Resort’s fortunes in evaluating the country’s potential in the short to medium term. The downgrade shows that they are not optimistic!

However, the FNM is confident that the Bahamas will rebound from our present state as the government listens to and heed the advice of the Opposition and the many brilliant Bahamians who convey their recommendations in various ways. Even more so, we are confident that the general elections will give the Bahamian population a chance to remove this administration that has failed us miserably and without shame or remorse.