PM lashes out at PLP's 'absolute nonsense' on Baha Mar deal
tribune242
PRIME MINISTER Hubert Ingraham has called the PLP's latest jab over his stance on the Baha Mar deal "absolute nonsense".
The PLP accused Mr Ingraham of making a mockery of the foreign investment process after he declared that the government was still not satisfied with the terms of the deal, particularly with regard to the foreign labour element and the fact that the entire project is to be completed in one phase.
The PLP accused the government and Mr Ingraham of having policies that "come off as shifting sands, sinking ground".
But in a dismissive two line statement issued yesterday, the prime minister said the PLP's problem is they "simply cannot take a stand".
"Having negotiated a deal giving away our land, they shamelessly continue to defend the indefensible," he said.
The debate over the proposed $2.6 billion resort development intensified this week after Baha Mar announced it had concluded an agreement with SoctiaBank over outstanding loan payments, this being considered one of the final hurdles to the project getting off the ground.
Mr Ingraham responded shortly after, saying the government still has concerns about the deal.
This prompted the PLP, on whose watch the Baha Mar heads of agreement were signed, to accuse the government of not sticking to its word. The party issued a statement which read: "What does someone think of a prime minister who comes to parliament asking parliament to approve a project, having negotiated a new agreement with Baha Mar and then unceremoniously abrogates that agreement by changing the rules in the middle of the game?
Warned
"We warned him that there was a problem with the high foreign labour content. He was dismissive saying a deal was a deal.
"We warned him of the consequences of default of the project falling into the hands of a foreign state. He was dismissive and said a deal was a deal.
"Now it turns out that a deal is not a deal and he is prepared to flip and flop at every turn to save his political skin."The opposition said the Baha Mar project is the only major investment game in town and there is no other project on the horizon that offers the same level of capital injection, job creation, economic stimulation, and public revenue generation - all of which "the weakened and challenged economy of the Bahamas so desperately needs."
October 09, 2010
tribune242
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
