PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis. (File photo)
By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis admits that a change is needed for Grand Bahama to live up to its potential.
He said that unfortunately Grand Bahama is not seeing the kind of investments that is happening in many of the other islands in the Bahamas.
Last Friday, concerned business persons and residents, led by businessman Darren Cooper and former MP Frederick McAlpine, held a ‘Let’s Take a Stand’ march to the Grand Bahama Port Authority.
The group expressed their concerns about the economic state of Freeport and lack of investment to the island in the past 18 years.
Rev McAlpine has blamed GBPA executives. He claims that Grand Bahama is perishing because of the lack of vision by executives at the Port Authority.
When asked his thoughts about those concerns, Prime Minister Davis said: “My thought is that GB has not really lived up to its potential. The reasons for that are varied and I would not like to point fingers in respect to that.
“All I know is that there has to be a change and a fundamental change to see how we can get investments here to GB,” he said.
“We have been having over the years investments in many of our islands. And, unfortunately, have not seen the same kind of interest here in GB. When I say interests, it is interest that consummates itself at some point in time.”
Grand Bahama Port Authority president Ian Rolle urged marchers to read the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and its amendments to better understand the agreement.
In response to Mr Rolle, Rev McAlpine, the former Pineridge MP, complained that the Port is not living up to its obligations in the Hawksbill Creek Agreement. He said that GBPA is responsible for providing an airport, hospital, and additional schools.
One marcher said Grand Bahama’s economy has been in downturn since 2004, and another marcher who lost her 47-year-old husband to COVID said a new proper hospital is needed urgently.
Rev Frederick McAlpine, who was prominent in Friday’s demonstration outside the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA), told Tribune Business that businesses and inhabitants of The Bahamas’ second city were like the “children” caught up in a “bad marriage” involving Freeport’s quasi-governmental regulator, the Government and Hutchison Whampoa.
Comments
DiverBelow 2 years, 8 months ago
GB & The Bahamas would do very well if GBPA & Government would fulfill their obligations & fancy pre-election rhetorics, irrelevant of the political party in charge. The concept of children in a three way divorce is so true, ultimately the children will survive and despise each adult as they do now. If you want investments in GB, quit looking to iconic Quick Mega Investors, like Mega Yachts, experience has shown, they come to pick the bones of desperation. Such mega investors should have performance critera to meet or loose what they have invested, incentives/benefits received. Minimizing the quantity of development skeletons throughout the wonderous islands. The medium sized investors start small while providing growth and stability with more benefits to the community as they grow in size, case in point Sandals, Pharma Chem or the Shipyard. Get rid of the POLITICALLY CONVENIENT FOREIGNER PHOBIA. The best example of success without such phobia are your neighbors, USA and T&C, the latter by economic need. Minimize the temporary work permit process, including the Remote Worker concept. The Foreign Worker and Remote Worker rents or owns housing, needs food & participates in the local economy for longer periods than tourism... months & years. Go back to accepting & learning skills from those who have them thru mentoring programs. Get rid of those who are not willing to participate, both as teacher & student. Not everyone can go away for education, those who do must sign a contract to return to use their Bahama paid knowledge in Public Services for equivalent time/cost; then they could go abroad to practice their careers, debt free. This with mentoring, would add to the skill levels of public services, teachers, nurses, etc.
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