The Tribune

WHAT is the government trying to achieve with its ongoing dispute with the Grand Bahama Port Authority?

First of all, the government made an offer to buy out the authority’s two shareholders – the Hayward and St George families.

According to Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell – who has been heavily involved in the discussion around the GBPA despite it being nowhere near his ministerial remit – that offer has been withdrawn. We seem to hear far more from Mr Mitchell on this matter than from the Minister for Grand Bahama.

Instead, there are now suggestions of arbitration proceedings to get back money from the GBPA that the government says is owed to the public treasury.

Quite where any of this benefits the people of Grand Bahama is yet to be made clear.

Let us be clear – Grand Bahama has faltered whether under the hands of the GBPA or the areas under government control.

Economically, it is nowhere near the thriving existence it had as the Magic City. Instead, we have straw vendors struggling to make ends meet, the Grand Lucayan hotel’s future still unresolved, and the closure of PharmaChem just the latest blow to a jobs market that has many more people than opportunities.

This is despite much talk of the strength of the tourist economy, although the benefits of that do not seem to be filtering down to many.

For some, the GBPA might not be considered the safe hands needed for the future. The trouble is, the government does not seem to be the ideal solution either.

FNM leader Michael Pintard, meanwhile, is right to say that the unseemly row does nothing to inspire confidence in any other would-be investors to our nation.

As he says in today’s Tribune Business, “the government should not litigate this issue in the public domain… it sends the wrong signal to local and international investors and creates an environment of uncertainty”.

The move towards arbitration may be part of a strategy to force a sale – but it should be noted that the government has yet to reveal its vision for whatever would replace the status quo.

There is talk of Bahamianisation, although Mr Pintard points out that many of the existing shareholders of the GBPA are already Bahamian – so that may just be a distraction.

More pertinently, what will any future island administrative body actually do for the people there, and how long will it be before anyone sees any benefit?

As for any funds that do get paid back by the GBPA – minus legal costs from arbitration perhaps – will they go back into Grand Bahama? It would be appalling indeed if funds paid from Grand Bahama as part of a wrangle over improving the island end up benefitting New Providence instead.

What is the end game in this for Grand Bahama? That is what residents, local businesses, investors – and yes, many Bahamians – could really do with clarity over.

Grand Bahama is crying out for new life, for an invigoration. The status quo is not providing that fire to light up its future – but what will? If there is a plan, let us all hear it – so we can buy into it if it is a good one. Goodness knows businesses there could do with added certainty as they make their own future plans – investor likewise.

If the plan is for government to take over GBPA – well, take a look around at all the other state-owned enterprises and ask yourself if they are the model we wish to emulate. Check the balance sheet in the budget for how much those SOEs are costing the nation.

Is that the path we wish to go?