The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Freeport stakeholders must "stop talking and create a real action plan" that holds all parties accountable for the city's economic revival, the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce's chief urged yesterday.

Greg Laroda told Tribune Business that while the Revitalization and Economic Expansion of Freeport (REEF) committee "hit some of the major issues" any strategy for the city's rebound required "timelines and deadlines" for achieving key milestones and objectives.

He argued that this was the only way to hold the Government, Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) and private sector accountable for their promises and actions, as he called for all sides "to put everything on the table" in charting Freeport's path to a better future.

The Chamber president said key questions surrounding the GBPA and its owners, the Hayward and St George families, also need to be addressed - especially whether Freeport's quasi-governmental authority "has the financial wherewithal to continue in the role they're supposed to play under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement".

Mr Laroda said a positive answer was critical to fostering private sector and public confidence, and buy-in, to any Freeport revival plan as well as giving credibility to the effort.

Arguing that short-term solutions "to get us out of the situation we're in now", especially the absence of a fully-functioning airport and public hospital, needed to be married with long-term goals, he added that most of the ideas generated by the GBPA-created REEF committee had been discussed or floated previously.

The Chamber chief, acknowledging that execution/implementation was what has been lacking, told this newspaper: "I think they [REEF] hit some of the major issues we are faced with here on Grand Bahama when talking about the airport and the hospital, and the extension of the tax provisions that expired under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement.

"You cannot talk about the economy here if you do not mention those. We plan to move forward and see if the three of us - the Government, Chamber and the Port Authority - can't come up with a real action-type plan moving forward as opposed to reports which say what needs to be done.

"We need to come up with some actual timelines and deadlines as to when we will do things to move the economy forward. I think if you were to ask, and I know the Port is soliciting feedback from the community now, but when you look at what's been put forward, most persons who have their finger on the pulse will say we've been down the road of talk," Mr Laroda continued.

"It's good they've [the GBPA] done something; we at the Chamber said we wanted to see some plan from them as to what needs to be done, so this shows they're looking at it and are aware of the issues but, instead of talking about what needs to be done come up with an action plan."

Calling on the Government, GBPA and Chamber to work together on achieving exactly that, Mr Laroda cited Grand Bahama International Airport's Dorian-devastated state almost 13 months after the storm's passage as to why an "action plan" - complete with deadlines - was needed.

The REEF report called for the Government to "enact or amend" any laws that would facilitate its rapid purchase from the joint ownership of Hutchison Whampoa and the GBPA, the latter ironically being the very entity behind the committee's creation.

"You are saying some policies, laws need to be changed to facilitate the airport's acquisition by the Government," Mr Laroda added. "Let's put a timeline on that. We've been talking in earnest about the Government taking ownership of the airport for over a year. Instead of talking, hold ourselves to some deadline for this to happen so we can move the economy forward.

"There are some folks saying we've heard all this before, but what are you going to do about it? When are we going to see some real action? We need to sit down as a group of stakeholders and come up with an action plan that has timelines for when we expect things to happen, and which the public and business community can hold us to.

"You said these things would happen by this time, but I don't see anything. Where are we today? We need to give regular feedback as to where we are. We need the major stakeholders involved, or otherwise we will not have buy in. We need to move to an action plan, not talk about what hasn't or should have happened."

Many observers have suggested that any plan to revive Freeport's economy will not succeed unless there is a change of ownership and management at the GBPA, with some even suggesting that the city's quasi-governmental body has effectively created the REEF committee to tell it how to do its job.

Others have privately voiced to Tribune Business their lack of confidence in the GBPA's ability to execute any final recommendations coming from the REEF exercise, as Freeport has been allowed to steadily deteriorate under their watch for the past 15 years. The need for full government co-operation has been cited as a further obstacle.

Mr Laroda, acknowledging these concerns, said: "We need to have public confidence and buy in. We need to put everything on the table, so to speak. The GBPA that entered into the Hawksbill Creek Agreement in 1954 is not the GBPA that we know today...

"Does the GBPA have the financial wherewithal to continue in the role it is supposed to play under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement? Once we answer that question, and talk about plans and action moving forward, we can come up with credible and legitimate action items.

"If the only action items are what the Government needs to do I'm not sure that will go over well with the business community and the public. The Port has a role to play, and it needs to demonstrate it can play that role, and then all of us can look at how to move the economy forward," he added.

"That part of the issue has to be addressed. What is the status of the GBPA right now? Do they have the wherewithal to live up to what's required of them under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement? Once the answer to that question is given openly, and the public are aware of what it is and it's favourable, it will give more credibility on the issue.

"Everything has to be on the table. It may call for reform of the GBPA. It definitely calls for a better relationship between the GBPA and the Government. It's going to be a long road ahead, but we need to sit around the table and hash things out, not put fancy things on paper and not have a real action plan."

Rather than have to renew Freeport's real property tax, business licence, capital gains and income tax exemptions every year to six months, Mr Laroda said this issue needed to be settled once and for all if investors - local and foreign - are not to be deterred by the uncertainty surrounding the city's tax environment.