Dear Editor,
The apparent start of what I perceive will be the meltdown of Baha Mar has kicked off with a bang with the Chapter 11 bankruptcy application filed in the USA.
What is most disturbing and startling with this development is the admission by the prime minister that he was not informed and knew nothing of the filing before it was done. If this is in fact the case, Christie has now become, even if he does not know it, a lame duck prime minister and his much sought after legacy is now in tatters.
We all hope that project on Cable Beach succeeds. That is a given for all right thinking Bahamians. Whether the Gold Rush administration did or will do enough, from a political and economic point of view, to attempt to assist with the salvaging of this monstrosity, remains to be seen. It is clear, however, that the prime minister, as point man, dropped the ball. If he had dropped egg shells, that might have not been so bad. He dropped, however, that fragile ball called 'foreign direct investment'. The repercussions could be severe.
There is, obviously, bad blood between all of the relevant parties, inclusive of the government of our wonderful nation. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy, while it looks benign, is akin to explosives that could go off at a moment's notice or not at all.
Izmirlian now has the Chinese contractor, local contractors, employees and more importantly, the prime minister and his administration by the coconuts, to great extent. Buddha himself could not extricate Gold Rush from this one.
It has now been reported that the government will pay the salaries of the 'sent home' workers from Baha Mar. It is a noble gesture, but one which should apply across the board for all displaced workers in our country.
It would be, I submit, rank discrimination and massive political posturing otherwise. Had Christie and crew handled their meddling in the purported inter-party negotiations and paid Sarkis, et all, the agreed compensation for the road works on a timely basis, what we are now witnessing may not have occurred.
Common Cause condemns the prime minister, et al, for interference, disdain and total apparent contempt for the Izmirlian clan and their financial backers.
There are no doubts in my mind that some of them rue the day when they ran across individuals and bit part players in The Bahamas. It is now an accepted tradition that when one has a financial challenge with a bank or lender, do not under any circumstances ask the prime minister for help.
Ishmael Lightbourne, God bless him, 'lost' his palatial residence to the lending institution when Christie sought to intervene on his behalf. In fact, the police escorted the former senator from off the premises in a very public way.
Now, just the other day, the prime minister crowed in parliament that he had good news for Bahamians and that he was intimately and directly involved in negotiations between the stakeholders, inclusive of the Chinese.
It is to the PM's credit that we did receive some news but it was not what we expected or anticipated in our wildest dreams, even if we were seeing holograms and dead people. Well do I remember the days when Christie was minister of agriculture and fisheries.
The USA had donated a number of horses, cows and a few chickens to a project known as BATARD in Andros. Lo and behold, they all died or were put down for various reasons. Christie never recovered from that debacle.
Today, the tradition continues. Around 140 were laid off at Melia last year. Around 30 at Ocean Club and now another 150 or so are expected to be involuntarily displaced at BTC.
Several of our local and international banks and insurance companies have downsized while beefing up the home base and our jurisdictional areas. It is an amazing phenomenon that the PLP, with a straight face, is able to say 'believe in Bahamians'. Almost four million dollars to make a 'Stronger Bahamas' while Canadians and a few selected Bahamians grin and laugh out loud straight to the bank? Mudda Sic!
It would appear that it does not matter if a lot of them earn annually tens of millions of dollars in our nation. They come when they are ready and go when it pleases them.
Our politicians hardly ever owned or managed a 'real' business. A law firm or a doctor's office is run by functionaries such as secretaries, office administrators and a few gofers.
The people of this nation have become addicted to the bogus promises and lemon pie in the sky offered by our political class. The Gold Dream or nightmare?
Baha Mar is set to be yet another 'teachable' experience for the PLP (which I support, but agitate for the retirement of Christie at the earliest opportunity) and its reactive leaders. BAMSI burnt down, or at least one building down there, and we have yet to know or be told the current status.
Christie goes over to Barbados and informs the attendees at a CARICOM conference of the difficulties with Baha Mar while firing what appears to be a broadside against the parties involved.
Mind you, he has yet to fully account to us, except through a very acrimonious press conference surrounded by his band of merry men and women, and said absolutely nothing of value or comfort to our workers and other Bahamians. This, clearly, is the winter of the lion or another chapter (hopefully the last) in the 40 year old fairy tale called: 'The Lion in Winter'.
Winter represents a shift in climate and, according to astrologers and divine illuminators (of which I am one), personality changes that descend into the solace (or slumber). The Lion, of course, represents those born under the zodiac sign of Leo.
Christie is a Leo and probably regards himself as a lion. This fiasco then, I submit, represents the lion in winter. To God then, in all things, be the glory.
- Ortland H. Bodie Jr.
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