We listened to the press conference Monday night by Prime Minister Perry Christie on Baha Mar. Since it was a national address we thought he would be there along with the Export-Import Bank of China, the lender; China Construction America, the builder, and the new owner of the resort at Cable Beach.

Instead, Christie was at the center of the room in the Cabinet Office doing all the talking. From what we could see there were no representatives from the Chinese bank or builder. There certainly was no new owner.

Christie then proceeded to give a vague series of promises he thinks will make Bahamians giddy: workers will be paid, construction will start next month, Bahamian contractors will be paid, a world-class buyer will be found.

We say vague because the property is in the hands of the Chinese. The country needs to hear from them for all of this to have credibility. No one takes Christie seriously on Baha Mar anymore. He has proclaimed so many times, incorrectly, that the resort deal has been reached and work will start soon.

When reporters tried to ask Christie questions he nearly ran out of the room. He would not sit like a leader who knows what he is doing and answer the media. Why? Because he had no answers. Why did he have no answers? Because there is no final deal.

To be fair, it is clear that the Chinese are nearing a final deal on Baha Mar. Christie has no discipline, however. He went public too soon. He wants to be the beloved emperor who ushers in happy days for his people.

The public relations stunt on Monday was beneath the stature of the office of prime minister. Christie must hold Bahamians in contempt to think we would believe a deal has been finalized when it is obvious that is not the case.

A further indication that the deal is not done came when it was revealed that the government and Export-Import Bank of China asked the Supreme Court to seal documents filled in connection with Baha Mar. This means the public cannot see them.

The prime minister has a responsibility to keep Bahamians updated on this serious matter. The country is in recession; we have double-digit unemployment, two thousand people lost their jobs a year ago when Baha Mar went into bankruptcy. The prime minister, however, should not fill Bahamians with false hope.

"Tonight's hastily convened address does nothing to satisfy the needs and worries of the Bahamian people," said Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis on Monday night.

Minnis is right. When negotiations are done and all the parties have agreed, the prime minister should come to the Bahamian people with the Chinese bank, the Chinese builder and the new buyer.

They should all be willing to take questions and provide specific timelines as to when things will move forward. They all should also be willing to make public the deal, as much Bahamian land is involved along with millions of dollars in tax concessions. Then, if there is transparency in this manner, we will believe the way forward has been reached.

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