GRAND BAHAMA PORT AUTHORITY MUST PAY EVERY PENNY

Agents of the Grand Bahama Port Authority have made sure that the contents of a letter of demand from The Bahamas government were made public.  Last week, The Tribune reported that the Government has made a formal demand for the sum of 300 million dollars and change for the services that the Government provided to the Port and for which they are contractually obligated to reimburse the Government.  This is the first time that the Government has formally demanded the sums.

The formal demand comes after a history since 2002 of the Government asking the shareholders of the Grand Bahama Port Authority to divest themselves of their holdings and allow a new buyer or shareholder who can provide the capital to discharge the responsibilities of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement which their predecessors in title signed back in 1955.

The obligation of the  Port was to build the city, with the requisite infrastructure: a seaport and airport, the roads and to promote investment and to upkeep that infrastructure and promotion.  They have been woefully failing in that job and Grand Bahama, unlike the rest of The Bahamas, has been failing in that mission.

Unfortunately, the Opposition FNM does not agree with the Government and is supporting the continued ownership of the Port by the present shareholders.  So the battle is now joined.  An offer was made to purchase the shareholdings which was rejected by the owners.  The government has now turned to the agreement and that part of it which stipulated the payment for services.  The nub of it is that the Grand Bahama Port Authority does not have the money to pay. 

The matter appears headed to arbitration or the Courts and we shall see what happens.

Prime Minister Philip Davis who is leading the charge on this, traveled to Grand Bahama last evening to make the case to the PLPs in Grand Bahama that the fight is joined and the principles upon which the fight is taking place.

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