The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Progressive Liberal Party MP Philip Galanis has questioned the absence of those critical voices within the government who chastised Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian when he castigated Perry Christie but who are now silent on the release of recordings of Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard in which he refers to the Prime Minister in a derogatory manner.

Mr Galanis said none of Mr Christie’s colleagues have condemned Mr Nygard, as this behaviour from a “visitor” in this country should be spoken against in the strongest possible terms.

He added that he was reliably informed that Mr Nygard, when in mixed company, refers to the nation’s leader as “Perry”, saying someone should tell him to have respect for the Prime Minister.

“I would like to say that I think it is totally inappropriate for Mr Nygard to be referring to the Prime Minister or speaking to the Office of the Prime Minister in the way in which he did,” Mr Galanis told The Tribune.

“I think it is totally unacceptable and it ought to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. He is a visitor in the country and he should not be speaking to the Prime Minister the way that he has on the tape.

“In addition, I want to know what has happened to all those voices who were eager to get rid of Mr Izmirlian when he was supposedly disrespectful to the Prime Minister. There were a number of persons who came out very strongly against Izmirlian and those voices have gone silent.

“Not one of the Prime Minister’s colleagues as far as I know has condemned Mr Nygard’s utterances. So why is it okay for him to do it but not okay for Izmirlian? Not that I am supporting or justifying what Izmirlian said or did, but I am saying that if it is good for the goose it ought to be good for the gander. This double talk is something that needs to stop.”

In a secret video recording on May 10, 2015, between Mr Nygard, Livingston “Toggie” Bullard and Wisler “Bobo” Davilma, the fashion mogul lambastes Mr Christie for making “fake promises” over the issuance of a Crown land lease for which Mr Nygard had received authorisation nearly 25 years ago.

He goes on to rant and rail that Mr Christie “lacks f*ing courage”.

“The PM is supposed to issue this lease,” Mr Nygard said in the video. “There’s nothing to hold him back from issuing the lease that they have now promised for 30 years for me to have built on government property. They gave a letter of authorisation almost 25 years ago. They said they were going to send me a lease. They never did.”

“There’s no f*ing reason it should take this long and keep making these fake promises and promise after promise. He (Christie) was very distant because he was embarrassed about meeting me, you know?”

The video is part of evidence filed in support of a lawsuit against Mr Nygard by environmental group Save The Bays.

Last year during a public back and forth between Mr Izmirlian and public officials including Mr Christie, Labour Minister Shane Gibson suggested that the government should begin performing “psychological evaluations” on all foreign developers seeking to do business in this country.

Mr Gibson also blasted Mr Izmirlian for “acting contrary to the policies and rules of The Bahamas”.

This came after Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell’s Emancipation Day speech where he said an invitation should be extended to Mr Izmirlian “to consider making the appropriate steps to live elsewhere” if he cannot conform with the expected conduct of “economic guests”.

He added that Mr Izmirlian’s previous “attacks” against Mr Christie were “offensive” and “incompatible with the status of someone who is not a Bahamian citizen”.

This was just one of Mr Mitchell’s repeated criticisms of Mr Izmirlian over Baha Mar’s bankruptcy filing in 2015.

In response to the ministers’ defensive tones, Mr Christie said while they were reflecting their feelings because they were offended, this was not the position of the government.