‘Don’t play politics over Baha Mar’

Former Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson.

As of Monday, October 26, 2015

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Allyson Maynard-Gibson yesterday fired back at the Official Opposition over its accusations that the government was to blame for the more than 2,000 jobs lost at Baha Mar.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson told The Tribune that “people’s lives are not something that anybody ought to play cheap political games with” in response to the criticisms levelled by the Free National Movement.

“When it comes to the Bahamian people, and most especially young people, I’m not prepared to play politics,” she added.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson declined to comment on the status of negotiations to resolve the deadlock between major stakeholders ahead of a Supreme Court hearing for the resumption of the liquidation proceedings scheduled for November 2.

The attorney general echoed Prime Minister Perry Christie’s disappointment over the layoffs, adding that she shared his optimism that there will be a positive outcome “soon”.

Mr Christie told diplomats on Friday that he had “great optimism” for the stalled project’s opening “in the not too distant future”.

“A single large investor can, when it runs into difficulties, throw an entire country out of whack,” Mr Christie said.

“To the west of here you would have seen the soon to be completed Baha Mar resorts, the opening of which has been stalled due to reasons that have been well explained to the public. The delay in its opening has been a setback, there can be no doubt, but we look forward to its opening in the not too distant future.”

Mr Christie spoke at an event for Diplomatic Week hosted at the Atlantis Resort.

Approximately 1,440 non-active employees and approximately 580 active employees, including members of management and line staff, were made redundant on Friday.

Justice Ian Winder granted approval in the Supreme Court on Thursday morning to Baha Mar’s court appointed joint provisional liquidators’ request to make layoffs.

The joint provisional liquidators, Bahamas-based KRyS Global and UK-based AlixPartners, said the layoffs were due to the financial insolvency of the $3.5 billion resort project that has been stalled since June 29.

The layoffs have sparked severe criticism from the FNM and Democratic National Alliance.

Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner accused the Christie-led administration of aggravating the Baha Mar “crisis” through incompetence and repeated missteps.

Mrs Butler-Turner said the “heart-breaking and deeply worrying” decision was a direct consequence of the government’s request for the appointment of joint provisional liquidators to oversee the development.

FNM Deputy Leader K Peter Turnquest also weighed in on the shocking development, declaring the redundancies of 2,000 Baha Mar workers a “major blow” for the country.

Mr Turnquest said the move raised significant concerns given the resort’s looming court date for liquidation, the recent economic forecasts from international rating agencies, and costly hurricane restoration.

On Friday, DNA Leader Branville McCartney blasted Prime Minister Perry Christie over his “false disappointment” response to the Baha Mar redundancies.

Mr McCartney claimed that as a seasoned attorney, the nation’s leader was well aware that Baha Mar’s employees would likely be terminated, adding that Mr Christie’s statement lacked any clear indication of the way forward or what the affected workers should expect from the government.

More like this story

B_I_D___ 9 years ago

Excuse me while I bust out laughing at her not playing politics...sorry excuse of a person.

asiseeit 9 years ago

What a disgusting human being this woman is.

cmiller 9 years ago

I am really, really GETTING that song about clowns now!!!! These some jokey folks!!! How can she even talk about people playing politics?????

Bahamian_in_London 9 years ago

So let me get this straight:

playing politics over the murder rate is no problem.
playing politics over Baha Mar, when the PM directly filed the winding up order is not appropriate?!!?

What did they think was going to happen when you try to wind something up? That everyone gets paid forever?

These people are such outrageous hypocrites. I genuinely do not understand how they can say these things with a straight face.

sangeej 9 years ago

Playing Politics? coming from a PLP, wow!

Economist 9 years ago

"You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of "the time. Problem is, with a "D" average on the few BGCSE's written, means that you can fool most of the people all the time.

PKMShack 9 years ago

Thanks Birdie and Tal, you vote and support shit you get more shit Thanks Again

themessenger 9 years ago

. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians

--Edward Langley,

SP 9 years ago

................................. Really? -------- I mean ------ REALLY? ................................

WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE read the PLP 2012 manifesto to the head witch and this pratfall of clowns.

http://myplp.org/2012/04/24/christie-re…

PLP played politics with the entire country from day one! Especially the young people with the "BELIEVE IN BAHAMIANS: A NEW CHARTER FOR GOVERNANCE - GOATSHYT!

Dean 9 years ago

The government has played a major role in creating the fiasco we find ourselves in with BahaMar, and therefore they fully deserve to be criticized for their actions. They claim to have been unbiased in their approach to the opposing parties, when it has been clear to one and all that they have favored the position of the contractor (and by extension that of the EXIM bank as they are both instruments of the Chinese government) over that of the developer. I will not speculate upon the reason for the tilt, but rightly or wrongly, I am among those who feel that the reasons are less than honourable. The contractor had clearly repeatedly failed in their obligation to complete the project in the time-frame agreed upon, and then withdrew from the project leaving the developer in the lurch. The government should have intervened on the side of the developer, and compelled the contractor to either fulfill its mandate, or be removed and the contract assigned to another builder. Instead the government kowtowed to the Chinese, and that has led to the current impasse. BahaMar would never have even gotten to the point of considering bankruptcy, if the government had only taken a stand on what was clearly a just approach. This situation should have been resolved months ago, and the government is to blame for the current crisis due to its bias and lack of decisiveness.

jus2cents 9 years ago

I totally agree with All your points, thanks!

BaronInvest 9 years ago

These politicians are disgusting - i've been living in many countries but only here you see politicians who found the perfect symbiosis of stupidity, greed and ignorance.

I wasthinking how we could fix this. So the idea is everyone who sees them on the street should slap them in the face every time they say or do something stupid - but then again i thought they'll in a life threatening condition after 24 hours if we would apply a system like that.

TalRussell 9 years ago

Comrade Honourable Minister of AGs office and the PM's chief government negotiator responsible to get Baha Mar back on her financial foots.
The Bahamalander people will ask everyone to please, whist in prayer, begging our Dear Lord Jesus that the monitor the PM's "Supremely Confident" is going be monitored on, has been fixed by now and it will be working during this Cable Beach hurricane, cuz it has been loudly claimed that the monitor was not operational over at THE Department of Meteorology, whilst Hurricane Joaquin was approaching we islands.
Minister you can rest assured there will be lots backup monitors in homes and businesses, all over we capital of nassau Town and islands to monitor any success of da PM's "Supremely Confident". They will be turned on 24/7.

MonkeeDoo 9 years ago

Lord God Almighty !

wasturrup8493 9 years ago

Okay, so let me get this right, Mrs. Maynard-Gibson doesn't want to play politics no more that Baha Mar has become a fiasco. If you look at it Mrs. Gibson, this whole downfall is the governments fault. From the size of the project the government should have supervised this project and made sure that it was done in phases. Furthermore, why did she decline to issue a statement regarding the status of negotiations that have everything to do with the lives of Bahamian, more importantly, young Bahamian people.

Apart from her, Peter Turnquest nor Brenville McCartney should have anything to say about anything. If you ask me both the government and the opposition parties are a mix of clowns, monkeys and elephants that makes it safe to say that Parliament is one hell of a circus. If you ask me Loretta Butler-Turner is a joke too. The problem with our politics is this, too many politicians.....too little people.