THE SLAVES IN THE GRAND BAHAMA ECONOMY

Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce President James Carey

The Grand Bahama economy has been going down the tube for years. The Prime Minister Philip Davis in his early budget speech made the point that he had been watching all the islands.  Their economies grew but Grand Bahama’s had declined.  He put it down to the fact that the Grand Bahama Port Authority and its present owners and shareholders were retardants to the growth of the island.  The Prime Minister’s comments were only a reflection of the widespread complaints across Grand Bahama about the ineffectiveness of the Grand Bahama Port Authority.  The shareholders and owners have in fact been presiding over a city in decline, with them selling off assets, pocketing the money, and putting nothing back into the economy.  An offer was made to buy but the owners rejected it.  The Government has now demanded payment for services pursuant to the Hawksbill Creek Agreement.  You would have thought that the business community would be grateful and welcome the push by the Government to improve the lot in Grand Bahama.  Not so.  Immediately the voices of the slaves started rising up “ Oh Massa, don’t set we free.  What is going to happen to us”?  Leading the fight is Rupert Hayward, one of the shareholders.  His language is disrespectful and condescending. It is also clear that  The Tribune’s Neil Hartnell is a willing tool of the disinformation campaign that the shareholders have been running.  It is also clear that the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce’s President James Carey and Attorney Kirk Antoni are other willing tools of the “ Massa Don’t Set Us Free School”.  You really have to shake our heads.