The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

TALL Pines MP Leslie Miller said yesterday he finds it “incredible” that people have become fixated on the concessions contained in the new deal to complete and open the shuttered $3.5bn Baha Mar resort, as he defended the government and castigated Bahamians for “complaining” too much.

He said he doubts that this newly negotiated deal or the resort’s eventual opening would do much to quiet the “noise in the market”.

In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Miller insisted that he didn’t recall this same pressure on the government to reveal the details of the Atlantis deal and stressed that Baha Mar will get no more incentives than those afforded to the Paradise Island mega resort.

The former Cabinet minister also revealed that as far as money owed to employees and local entities are concerned, those up to a half million will get full pay and after that there would be negotiations geared at receiving at least 50 per cent of the outstanding funds.

“I understand that those up to a half million will get full pay and after that you will have to negotiate and hopefully you’ll get 50 per cent. That is what I am told,” the Progressive Liberal Party MP said yesterday.

“They also owe us (Sunburst Paints) $28,000 for paint we sold them. It wasn’t a big deal to me because I didn’t expect to get the money at all.

“What I find incredible is these Bahamians moan about concessions. What (do) they know about concessions? What do they really know about the Hotel Encouragement Act? They have very little interest in these things except they go on the radio and in the newspaper to complain.”

He continued: “The China Export Import Bank (CEXIM) and the development will get no more incentives than what the people at Atlantis got because under the heads of agreement no one could get more than them. I see it as a ‘win win’ for all and I hope to God that it would hurry up so we can get those Bahamians back to work in those jobs that are so necessary to enable us to move our economy forward because as soon as that project starts we would be upgraded again and put us back on an even keel.

“But this complaining and moaning about what’s in the agreement…really what can they do about the agreement to begin with? These naysayers who believe they are well versed in everything they don’t know anything.

“It bothers me as someone who has been in business for 38 years creating jobs, over 200 in my lifetime. These people contribute nothing to society and nothing to the advancement of the economy but they are the experts raising hell all the time.”

The government has been the subject of intense backlash after Prime Minister Perry Christie announced last Monday that CEXIM, China Construction America (CCA) and the government inked a new deal to get construction restarted at the West Bay Street development.

Critics castigated the government for failing to reveal specifics about the arrangement, such as the concessions offered under the new deal or if an entity had been selected to purchase the resort.

The Free National Movement said Mr Christie’s announcement was “smoke and mirrors” and lacked detail. The government has also come under fire after it was revealed that the Supreme Court documents relating to the deal have been sealed.

On Thursday, Mr Christie said there is “nothing secret” about Baha Mar and that lawyers have instructed him not to divulge relevant details because of the sensitivity of the matter and the amount of money being transacted among parties.

He criticised public figures, questioning whether they are fit for public service in view of their criticism of the government’s limited revelation of details surrounding the recently struck deal.

Mr Christie’s comments came during a groundbreaking ceremony at the Bahamas Technical & Vocational Institute (BTVI) to mark the beginning of construction of a $2.3m smart classroom complex at the institution.

Striking a tone of defiance and frustration, he frequently diverted his focus toward defending his government’s actions from critics.

“As we debate Baha Mar, and they say they don’t believe me even though what I say has to be approved by the courts and held by the courts for the time being – people got to believe I’m stupid,” he said.

“And when I say people, those who say that in all my years in public life, I would get up to the Bahamian people, speak to their future about Baha Mar which is the most complex, vexing issue that resulted in downgrading by Standard & Poor’s specifically and question marks by Moody’s, rating agencies, that I would get up and announce something that wasn’t true; the naivety of people in public life amazes me to the point where I question their fitness to serve,” Mr Christie added.