The Tribune

JAMES Freeman Clarke, an American theologian and author, wrote that “a politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.”

Today, Prime Minister Christie and his government are making decisions with the 2017 election as their goal post. Their vision is short, and their ambition is party-oriented.

If Bahamians want to avoid becoming second class citizens in their own country we invite them to become statesmen and make decisions that will protect not only their children, but their grandchildren and many generations of Bahamians to come.

Today, China is the up-and-coming nation with funds to spare and a desire of acquiring economic and political domination on a world scale.

To understand the picture we are about to paint, we invite our readers to take out their world map, and journey with us as we circle the globe.

Let’s move to the South China Sea, where China is spatting with its neighbours for possession of small islands — much of them reclaimed from the ocean by China. According to an AFP report from Singapore, the US on Saturday demanded an immediate end to China’s intensifying reclamation works in the area and vowed to continue sending military aircraft and ships to the tense region.

According to US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, speaking at a conference in Singapore, Beijing was behaving “out of step” with international norms. China is claiming sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, which is not only a major shipping route, but believed to be rich in oil and gas reserves.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan also have claims and have built outposts on what they see as their territory.

“Yet,” said US Defence Secretary Carter, “one country has gone much farther and much faster than any other.

“China has reclaimed over 2,000 acres, more than all other claimants combined and more than in the entire history of the region. And China did so in only the last 18 months,” he said.

China on the other hand claims that its action is “reasonable and justified.” Unless, there is a peaceful settlement a head on collision is inevitable.

Now before leaving Asia let’s move a little further up the coast to Hong Kong. In 1997 Britain returned Hong Kong to China. The people, used to British freedoms, were in for a rude awakening. They were now being ruled from Beijing whose people live in a completely different world from the rest of us. Not too many months ago the world saw a large number of Hong Kong students, joined by other protesters, setting up tents and barricades in the city centre demanding the right to nominate their own chief executive without interference from Beijing. In August last year Beijing decided to allow Hong Kong to vote for its chief executive. However, those nominated to stand for election had to first be approved by a pro-Beijing committee. Naturally, accustomed to a democracy, the people of Hong Kong, led by the students, reacted violently — even the use of tear gas could not move them. The disruptions lasted for more than two months.

Now the battle is on for press freedom — something taken for granted in British Hong Kong. During the year, not only have there been physical attacks on journalists, but major businesses have withdrawn their advertising from various media outlets. Today reporters say they now have to exercise self-censorship.

Now let’s move on to Africa, where China has become that continent’s largest trading partner. There has been much investment in Africa, but, despite this, according to the Economist earlier this year: “Africans are increasingly suspicious of Chinese firms, worrying about unfair deals and environmental damage. Opposition is fuelled by Africa’s thriving civil society, which demands more transparency and an accounting for human rights. This can be an unfamiliar challenge for authoritarian China, whose foreign policy is heavily based on state-to-state relations, with little appreciation of the gulf between African rulers and their people. In Senegal residents’ organisations last year blocked a deal that would have handed a prime section of property in the centre of the capital, Dakar, to Chinese developers. In Tanzania labour unions criticised the government for letting in Chinese petty traders.”

Now we return to our part of the world where Beijing is encircling the United States in her own basin of influence. China has moved up and down the Caribbean and, with promises of much needed investment, has booted Taiwan out of many of the Caribbean islands and replaced it with the embassy of the People’s Republic of China. This also happened in the Bahamas. We were rewarded with the Sports Stadium for replacing Taiwan with Beijing. That is not to suggest that this country is not very grateful for the sports stadium. However, moving into the future our human rights and freedoms are far more important.

In Freeport, there is the Hutchinson Whampoa company, a Hong Kong-based company, which owns and manages 50 per cent of the Grand Bahama International Airport and 50 per cent of the Freeport Harbour. Hutchinson was founded and largely owned by Chinese multi-billionaire Li Ka Shing. According to a US Security Policy report in August 2002, US intelligence believes that Mr Li is “clearly tied to the Communist leadership in Beijing.”

This tremendous port, which today is about the only entity keeping Freeport afloat, is just off the toe of Florida. On the Pacific side of the US — one of Hutchinson’s subsidiaries has secured a long-term lease at either end of the Panama Canal, one of America’s important shipping lanes. Recently China Construction opened its Latin American Regional headquarters in Panama having put down its tools in the Bahamas thus thwarting the opening of the Baha Mar resort on which so much of this country’s economy depends.

We understand that one of the conditions for the loan to Baha Mar from the Export-Import Bank of China was that China State Construction was to be the general contractor for resort. So far they have let this country down.

China Construction, having admitted that it was on a “go-slow” at Baha Mar, causing it to miss at least four opening dates, had the brass in January to urge Government to “make a decision” quickly on its proposed master plan to revitalise the whole of downtown Nassau.

Already they have started work at the British Colonial Hilton, which they recently purchased, having obviously got special permits for its development. It’s ironic that Bahamian Bay Street property owners complain they can’t even get an appointment with their own Prime Minister to discuss plans for the development of their own town. China Construction obviously has the PM’s ear.

Also while in China in January, Mr Christie announced that he would request China to support our national budget and refinance and restructure the country’s debt.

But first things first, the Bahamian people should demand that Baha Mar is completed and opened for business before there are any further discussions of any future with China.

Remember Mr Christie – also his Deputy, who even went to Panama to congratulate China State Construction on its Panama venture, when so many Bahamian jobs depended on the opening of Baha Mar — is only charting a course to win the 2017 election.

We urge Bahamians to open their eyes as to what is happening in the world – what is happening to other countries and even now to our country— and have the wisdom to protect future Bahamians from becoming second class citizens in their own Bahamas.