Despite suggestions from Baha Mar that the government has taken sides in an ongoing dispute with its general contractor, Prime Minister Perry Christie said yesterday the Christie administration has negotiated in good faith and threatened to reveal his files to prove his assertion.

Christie, who was speaking in Grand Bahama, said too many people continue to make misstatements about what is taking place and about the good faith of the government of The Bahamas.

“Because what it does, it tempts me to do something that prime ministers ordinarily wouldn't do and that is to open up my files to the Bahamian people so they could judge for themselves what has happened, the extent to which we have been involved and the manner in which we have gone about effectively dealing with an issue that is very relevant to the future of our country,” Christie said.

“We don't expect on matters of great economic importance to our country to engage in political scrimmages where the intent is to undermine and not to inform. So I ask them to exercise the greatest care.”

Baha Mar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States on June 29, bringing the $3.5 billion project to a standstill.

It is unclear who Christie was referring to.

Baha Mar board member Dionisio D'Aguilar suggested on Monday that the government, through its public statements, has been very anti-Baha Mar.

D’Aguilar added that the government seems to be siding with Baha Mar’s main contractor, China Construction America (CCA).

“What is being reported in the press gives the impression that the government is certainly making overtures to them (CCA) and is certainly going out of its way to be kind and generous to them and make them feel as if yes, we the Bahamian people are on your side... And I think that's the wrong approach,” D’Aguilar said.

“If the government puts as much pressure on CCA as it has been putting on Baha Mar to make a deal we would have a deal.”

Defense

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts also defended the government on Monday night.

“To date, the only side the government of The Bahamas has taken is the side of the Bahamian people and the national sovereignty of The Bahamas,” said Roberts in a statement.“It was the Bahamian government that paid the salaries of the 2,500 Bahamian workers at Baha Mar while seeking a good faith negotiated settlement because their welfare was very important to the government.

“The government refused to allow anybody to use them as pawns.

“Any suggestion to the contrary is at variance with the truth.

“In light of the role Mr. D'Aguilar played in the current mess, he should do the Bahamian people a favor and keep his advice to himself. When the public needs advice on washing clothes, we will turn to him. Until then, no thank you.”

Roberts added that the SuperWash president is a part of the problem.

“He sat as a member of the Baha Mar board when without notice Baha Mar filed a bankruptcy application in Delaware, placing both Crown land and the payment of over $100 million in monies owed to scores of Bahamian contractors and creditors in jeopardy,” Roberts said.

“As a board member, he helped to preside over the current impasse that the government was called in to resolve.

“He fully knew that filing for Chapter 11 allowed the developer to walk away from the massive debt he owed to scores of Bahamian creditors, including the government.”

In a statement yesterday, D'Aguilar called Roberts’ “washing clothes” comment laughable and asserted the PLP chairman is “dismissive of anyone who doesn’t drink his Kool-Aid.”