The Tribune

DESPITE the Free National Movement’s landslide victory and its five seats in Parliament for Grand Bahama, there is “still no hope or help” for the devastated island, said Democratic National Alliance Deputy Leader Chris Mortimer.

Mr Mortimer also said withdrawal of the Wynn group from negotiations on the sale of the Grand Lucayan Resort in Grand Bahama and the government’s relative silence on the matter beg many questions.

Mr Mortimer said the Minnis administration, which ran on a promise of transparency in governance, missed an opportunity last week to openly and honestly discuss the matter.

“The withdrawal of the Wynn group from the ongoing talks is telling in many ways and raises some very important questions, including one obvious one: Why would the front runner for the purchase suddenly abandon the negotiations in which it has invested so much time and money into over the past many months?

“Equally troubling has been the government’s response. When speculation about the viability of the talks broke last week, the Minnis administration, whose entire campaign was run on transparency, missed an opportunity to frankly and honestly address the situation. “Instead, they attempted to deflect from the ensuing complications by promising an announcement soon,” Mr Mortimer noted in a statement released Sunday.

“These empty, open-ended promises harken back to the previous administration that while promising help and hope did nothing but ignore Grand Bahama and its residents.

“During the last electoral cycle, Grand Bahama showed overwhelming support for the Free National Movement sending all five of its nominated candidates to Parliament. It is the responsibility of these five individuals to do everything in their power to protect the interests of the men and women who voted for them.

“Now, more than ever, Grand Bahamians deserves honest, transparent communication. They deserve a road map detailing the government’s plans to rescue Grand Bahama from the precipice of economic decline. They deserve real help and hope and not just more empty promises,” Mr Mortimer said.