The Tribune

By TYLER MCKENZIE

THERE is something of a phony war going on – with Downtown Nassau being pulled this way and that like a chew toy.

Between the new cruise port, Royal Caribbean, Atlantis and the various parties looking to make a quick buck, poor old Downtown is caught in the middle.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper nailed it when he called on Atlantis to “put their money where their mouths are” over Downtown.

He wants Atlantis to partner with the Tourism Development Corporation to improve Downtown, saying: “I think they will answer the call.”

He said that back in mid-May, however, so perhaps the call went to answerphone.

Mr Cooper added: “Let me just say that there’s been a lot of noise about the Royal Caribbean development on Paradise Island. This is driven primarily by Atlantis, who cite that they have environmental concerns, and I’ve always said if they have environmental concerns there, there is a process that is available to have those environmental concerns [addressed]. If those concerns go beyond environmental, then there’s a process for expressing those as well.”

Online, there is a lot of talk about how different developments will hurt Downtown – especially focused on how Royal Caribbean will allegedly take visitors out from Bay Street. However this argument holds no basis in reality. Royal Caribbean’s beach club development will see their cruise line actually bring more tourists to Downtown as their cruise passenger numbers increase from one million passengers to 2.5 million. Even with the guests who will eventually trickle over to Paradise Island, there will still be half a million more guests on Bay Street because of this beach club experience.

So it was quite laughable to see a Facebook page called “Stopping the Downtown ByPass” pop up overnight pushing calculated misinformation about the Royal Caribbean development. Some persons saw right through it and questioned why should a private cruise line be asked to investment in Bay Street? Those buildings are owned by the Bay Street Boys - a group of elite white Bahamians who hail from the glory days of the United Bahamian Party (UBP) who themselves have failed to put a nickel in the upkeep of their own buildings. So we know they are not the ones who actually care about any “bypass” of their businesses. Bay Street has been in a state of disrepair for well over 30 years. If indeed “Bay Street” or “Downtown” was a real concern for the purveyors of this Facebook page they would focus their singular attention on the $300m cruise port that recently opened Downtown. With these new, beautiful buildings, open green spaces, and clean haggle-free shipping, tourists have no reason to move one block over to the litany of T-shirt, cosmetic jewellery, or Chinese-made products that occupy Bay Street.

So now that we have established that this Facebook page’s their real concern is not the actual survival of Downtown, or the “bypass of Downtown”, we can see who and what their agenda is - blocking this development at all costs on Paradise Island.

We are reminded of the recent spat that Atlantis had with the Bahamian owners of Wendy’s who have been trying to overturn their Town Planning approval for the establishment of a Wendy’s and Marcos Pizza in the old Scotiabank building on Paradise Island. Atlantis claimed that the fast-food eateries would not fit into the “esthetic of Paradise Island,” and that there is only high-end eating options, yada yada yada. Something didn’t pass the smell test for us, and we were right. A story in The Nassau Guardian and The Tribune showed that Atlantis themselves were bringing a ShakeShack to Paradise Island later this year. What does ShakeShack sell you ask? Hamburgers and fries. What does Wendys sell? Hamburgers and fries. A Wendys combo is priced at just under $10. We imagine the ShakeShack option would hover around $30-$40 if you’re lucky. So you do the math, and see for yourselves what the real “esthetic” concern is.

So we can put that and other baseless concerns to bed.

Now, let us jump back to Downtown.

What is missing from this whole conversation is a real discussion about what to do with Downtown. Certainly a beach club on Paradise Island is no threat whatsoever.

There is certainly little encouragement at present for Bahamian entrepreneurs to take advantage of what should be a resurgence in the area. I say should, because I am in no way confident of the certainty of such a thing.

In truth, such a resurgence should be well under way – it should have been timed to coincide with the opening of the cruise port so that the new development would have meshed seamlessly with the revived Downtown area. So much for that.

Former Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar pitched in, saying that we have to “figure out how to create this buzz and life Downtown”. That didn’t happen on his watch, and he talked of how governments have “pecked” at the problem, improving sidewalks and street lighting, which as far as I can see amounts to much the same as shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic.

There is much talk about the dilapidated buildings to be seen if you turn left instead of right when you come out of the cruise port – but go one street back from Bay Street and the situation is even worse. There is no sign of a living, breathing community in these areas – just a few rundown properties and waste patches of land that double up as car parks. If Downtown is to become a thriving location at night as well as day, then there is no local community to back it up.

So much for all the problems, where are the solutions?

Well, they don’t lie in seemingly phony concerns expressed only to cover self-interest. As Chester Cooper says, if concerns over the life and health of Downtown are part of Atlantis’ worries over the neighbouring Royal Caribbean project, then Atlantis can help invest to revive the area any time it wants.

Digging through social media arguments that seem to come from accounts that are there for the purpose of arguing on behalf of others doesn’t help to resolve this feeling of alienation that this is a debate that is not really about us.

What we as a people want seems secondary to what large interests are seeking. There are giants in the playground, and we are only called upon to “express our concerns” when it suits their agenda.

If we are to see serious and meaningful change Downtown, we cannot depend merely on the grace and favour of organisations that are too busy looking out for themselves – be it private entities, or it would seem these successive administrations that can do no more than peck.

What is the solution? Bahamians need to live downtown, and the strangle hold that the Bay Street Boys have enjoyed for generations needs to be lifted. Until a government, any government, has the will to enact eminent domain and take some of these old buildings for the public good, nothing will change for Downtown.