Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes reads the Speech from the Throne.
By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
FREEPORT - In response to the Speech from the Throne, Grand Bahama residents were very excited about government's plans to extend similar concessions in the Hawksbill Creek Agreement to East and West Grand Bahama.
Former educator Joseph Darville describes it as "revolutionary" for Grand Bahama.
"I thought it was an excellent Speech from the Throne, he told The Tribune. I see tremendous amount of new vision, new approach, and a multitude of young, intelligent, and very nationalistic minded persons - we should get a whole lot done over the next five years."
Mr Darville believes that extending concessions to West and East Grand Bahama would jump-start the island's economy.
"In terms of concessions being granted to Grand Bahama similar to what the Hawksbill Creek Agreement (HCA) has for Freeport...I see it as something revolutionary.
"It would jump-start the economy and get people back in the mood of a place that used to be very productive, and truly the second city it ought to be."
Although no specific details were given of what concessions would be extended, Mr Darville said that one would imagine that there would be tax exemptions, etc.
He also indicated that the other Family Islands would be expecting similar concessions.
"I think it would take some legislation because if you were to employ something of that nature for East and West Grand Bahama, then, of course, what about the rest of the Bahamas - they would be expecting similar concessions as well.
"I don't think that Grand Bahama is in that dismal a state that it would necessitate any sort of extraordinary measures more than what would be given the other islands," Mr Darville said.
Businessman Jeff Butler believes that it would be absolutely beneficial for the island.
"The island of Grand Bahama should be included in that, and not necessarily under the HCA, but just the exemptions.
He said there are about 4,000 bonded cars in Freeport that can go to West End or East End to spend money.
"And so people like Bishop and Brother John in the East, and those in West End like the Chicken Nest will have four times as much business," Mr Butler said.
The businessman and West End native has been pushing for this for the past eight to 10 years.
"I do support it and look forward to it happening," Mr Butler said.
Gladstone "Moon" McPhee said that it is time that residents in East and West Grand Bahama have similar concessions as Freeport.
"I think it would be beneficial for persons in those outlying areas economically, making their life easier," he said.
The Tribune also contacted East End resident and businessman Bishop, of Bishop's Bonefish and Resort, Restaurant & Bar, but he declined to comment.
The Diamond Sunrise Restaurant and Bar in High Rock was also contacted, but no one returned our call up to press time.
Agriculture was another area that the government plans to focus much attention on.
It is something that Mr Darville has been agitating for, for many years. He stressed that tremendous focus should be given to agriculture.
"We are not making good use of our natural resources and it is time we focus tremendously in that regard," he said.
"That is one way we could put hundreds of people work. And even if there has to be some sort of coercion," said Mr Darville.
He said many young people are unemployed and creating havoc in the community.
Mr Darville was pleased with the appointment of Alfred Gray as the Minister of Agriculture.
"I am intensely anticipating to see what exactly is going to be done in that regard because if something was to happen to the tourism sector, then the only thing we have to fall on is what God has given us naturally - our land, water, and climate, etc," he said.
Comments
TalRussell 12 years, 5 months ago
The first order of Freeport business for PM Christie is to conduct an audit of the agreements between the GBPA and the government, like you would do with any business to get to the roots of the real problems that either have to be corrected or eliminated.Why is it that neither an FNM or PLP administration saw fit to order an audit to find out what in the hell happened to the millions of dollars in shares owned by our Bahamaland's government in the Port? How can you move forward when there is still much to be settled over Freeport and an agreement that was created by the corrupt Sir Stafford and his Bay Street Boys? Why so quick to hold an referendum to legalize the criminal gambling activities but no referendum to permit Grand Bahamians and all natives their say in what should be done and not done with Sir Stafford's old Port agreements?
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GilbertM 12 years, 5 months ago
Freeport's Death: not possible to exaggerate Gilbert NMO Morris
The extension of the "benefits of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement" to East and West Grand Bahama is meaningless. The so-called benefits have long been rendered redundant because the principals of the Port Authority were never nearly as visionary as the document itself; which is in my view, one of the finest legal concepts in the history of development. If you need a reference point, the entire nation of Singapore is a little larger than the "Port Area" in Freeport. But Singapore is more than 10 times wealthier than all CARICOM nations combined. And Singapore has more reasons than Freeport not to have developed. But they did and we have not. And now we are about to take a great agreement and not use it to get into the most advanced "future-driven" industries in the world. No. We are going to flog Chinese products, like a giant flea market. Think of Steven Jobs. Do you really think he would be trying to build an “Asia-Mart”, or some other for of international “strawmarket”, using the most advanced agreement in the world?
It is disgraceful. There are other issues also. The Port Authority will have a right of suit to prevent the extension contemplated. The licensees will have a right of suit, if both against the government and if the Port Authority agrees to the extension, again the Port. Make no mistake however, there is nothing left of the original benefits the Hawksbill Creek Agreement once offered. The Agreement once offered the following aimed at the advancement of trade advantages of a deep water harbour:
Not one of these carries any strategic advantage today. Harbours have deepened all over the Eastern Seaboard and in the Gulf; and even Jamaica. The are now and increasing "free trade zones" in the US, which means the custom's holiday is dead. The immigration benefit, which would have made Freeport an investment magnet, has been dead for years. While the Bahamas struggles with an unimaginative - bottomfeeding - financial services structure. Freeport offered once the opportunity to be at the forefront of the regional commodities trade - real financial services - which at last check was valued at nearly $250 billion dollars in the Eastern Seaboard, Caribbean Basin region alone. Additionally, the Licensing power was a source of abuse. If you want an idea of what Freeport was meant to be, look at Qatar and Estonia, both of which achieved their prominence in 15 years, when Freeport has had half a century. These lazy moves such as "extension" of non-existent "benefits" are part of the mendicant habit we have developed in the Bahamas of slapping are teeth and gums together, and when we hear what we have said, it fires our synapses, with effect that we feel the psychological satisfaction of actually having done something. That is also the pathos of dementia.
TalRussell 12 years, 5 months ago
One word best describes today’s Freeport when we are talking about the old Sir Stafford deal(s) that the Royal Commission if Inquiry said was corrupted from its very planning and signing. “Obsolete!” Let's not forget that Sir Stafford entered our Bahamaland into not one but two agreements with Wallace Groves a man who would refer to Bahamians working as domestics and laborers in Freeport as "immigrants from another Island." First, you must understand why the need for two separate agreements before you can understand the second vehicle would be used as the courier of money to the governing power-brokers of the day? Funny how some in the old FNM regime were quick to question who the former PLP administration had done business with. Yet, the natives are well aware that they were surrounded with some of those connected by blood and the at hip with the former UBP Bay Street Boys who had turned over what would later be called Freeport to Groves, a convicted felon.
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