PLP confirm Killarney, Carmichael candidates
tribune242
THE PLP has confirmed that the party will run financial services consultant Jerome Gomez in Killarney and Dr Daniel Johnson in Carmichael in the next general election.
According to a PLP release, Mr Gomez, a financial services consultant and former member of several Government boards, was ratified by the PLP's National General Council on Thursday evening as the Killarney candidate.
Meanwhile, Dr Daniel Johnson, a podiatrist, son-in-law of the late Sir Lynden Pindling and son of former MP for Cat Island Oscar Johnson, will run under the party's banner in Carmichael.
Presently, the Killarney seat is held by Dr Hubert Minnis, also Minister of Health, and Carmichael is represented by Desmond Bannister, Minister of Education.
Mr Gomez, 46, is the principal of the chartered accounting firm Baker Tilly Gomez and has previously worked at Shell Bahamas Limited and Barclays Bank in various positions.
He is the managing director of Gomez Corporate Management Ltd., a licensed financial and corporate service provider, and Gestfinanz (Bahamas Ltd.), a Bahamian licensed securities investment advisor.
As a Fund Administrator for the Bahamas Entrepreneurial Venture Fund, the government sponsored venture capital fund, the party noted that Mr Gomez has "had the privilege of providing hundreds of entrepreneurs with business consulting services."
Mr Gomez served for a period as chairman of the Hospitals and Health Care Facilities Licensing Board, deputy chairman of the Town Planning Committee and a member of the Real Estate Disciplinary Committee.
He is a graduate of St. Augustine's College and holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance from Barry University, Miami, Florida. He is married to Jean Gomez (nee Shannon) and is the father of five children.
The party did not release any further information about Dr Johnson.
August 23, 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.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) change of heart on the Baha Mar deal and work permits for as many as 8,000 Chinese workers
PLP MAY CHANGE STANCE ON BAHA MAR
By KRYSTEL ROLLE
Guardian Staff Reporter
krystel@nasguard.com:
The Progressive Liberal Party(PLP)may have had a change of heart as it relates to its stance on the controversial foreign work component issue surrounding the Baha Mar deal - which could result in as many as 8,000 Chinese workers being granted work permits.
Yesterday PLP Leader Perry Christie said despite indicating in June that the party would not involve itself in the decision to allow thousands of Chinese workers to receive work permits, he would do what is best for the country.
"We have since met with the principle shareholder of Baha Mar and we were briefed by the top executives of the company, Christie said. "We are meeting this afternoon to consider our position on the matter in anticipation of going back to Parliament.
"The Progressive Liberal Party is absolutely aware of the state of our economy--the deteriorated state of our economy and the urgency for there to be some kind of development.
"In that regard we are going to take a position based on the needs of the country. And we're not going to be tied to anything that I may have said in the past in regards to the work permits. We want to be able to provide a very concerted view on the matter. We(the PLP)begin meeting on the matter at our parliamentary meeting today(yesterday).
In June, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said the approval of the "extraordinary" number of Chinese workers required to help construct the resort development would not be given without opposition support.
But at that time, Christie said the prime minister is "on his very own" as it regards deciding on the Baha Mar labor issue.
He said the PLP had not been given sufficient information on the deal and therefore would not involve itself. When speaking with The Nassau Guardian yesterday, Christie said he still has not spoken to the prime minister yet.
"I know representatives have met with the Chinese ambassador, and I don't know if the prime misinter has some special information to provide me with, but I anticipate that if he has new information that would be provided to me prior to our going to Parliament. I have not heard from him yet."
Ingraham met with Chinese Ambassador Hu Dingxian at the Office of the Prime Minister in Cable Beach on Thursday, to discuss the Baha Mar project.
Last week The Guardian also spoke to Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly Tommy Turnquest, who confirmed that the Ingraham administration intends to bring the labor resolution to Parliament on September 8.
The Guardian understands that since the announcement from the Cabinet Office late last month that the government of the People's Republic of China had approved the Baha Mar deal, Baha Mar officials have been meeting with officials from the prime minister's office to answer questions about the project.
Turnquest said the MPs would be allowed to express their views on the labor issue before the government makes a final determination.
If a majority of MPs take issue with that component, he said the government would have to take that into consideration prior to making its decision.
Turnquest said publicly that at the height of construction Baha Mar could have up to 8,000 foreign workers on the project.
Baha Mar has said that out of the 10,000 proposed construction jobs the project will create, at least 3,300 will be set aside for Bahamians. Eight thousand permanent jobs are also projected once the resort is completed.
The proposed Cable Beach development would be financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and constructed by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation.
If the project receives Bahamas government approval, Baha Mar's first course of action would be to award nearly $60 million of construction contracts to six Bahamian contractors, representing early infrastructure works needed to prepare the site, Baha Mar's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sarkis Izmirlian said in a press statement last month.
8/22/2010
thenassauguardian
By KRYSTEL ROLLE
Guardian Staff Reporter
krystel@nasguard.com:
The Progressive Liberal Party(PLP)may have had a change of heart as it relates to its stance on the controversial foreign work component issue surrounding the Baha Mar deal - which could result in as many as 8,000 Chinese workers being granted work permits.
Yesterday PLP Leader Perry Christie said despite indicating in June that the party would not involve itself in the decision to allow thousands of Chinese workers to receive work permits, he would do what is best for the country.
"We have since met with the principle shareholder of Baha Mar and we were briefed by the top executives of the company, Christie said. "We are meeting this afternoon to consider our position on the matter in anticipation of going back to Parliament.
"The Progressive Liberal Party is absolutely aware of the state of our economy--the deteriorated state of our economy and the urgency for there to be some kind of development.
"In that regard we are going to take a position based on the needs of the country. And we're not going to be tied to anything that I may have said in the past in regards to the work permits. We want to be able to provide a very concerted view on the matter. We(the PLP)begin meeting on the matter at our parliamentary meeting today(yesterday).
In June, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said the approval of the "extraordinary" number of Chinese workers required to help construct the resort development would not be given without opposition support.
But at that time, Christie said the prime minister is "on his very own" as it regards deciding on the Baha Mar labor issue.
He said the PLP had not been given sufficient information on the deal and therefore would not involve itself. When speaking with The Nassau Guardian yesterday, Christie said he still has not spoken to the prime minister yet.
"I know representatives have met with the Chinese ambassador, and I don't know if the prime misinter has some special information to provide me with, but I anticipate that if he has new information that would be provided to me prior to our going to Parliament. I have not heard from him yet."
Ingraham met with Chinese Ambassador Hu Dingxian at the Office of the Prime Minister in Cable Beach on Thursday, to discuss the Baha Mar project.
Last week The Guardian also spoke to Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly Tommy Turnquest, who confirmed that the Ingraham administration intends to bring the labor resolution to Parliament on September 8.
The Guardian understands that since the announcement from the Cabinet Office late last month that the government of the People's Republic of China had approved the Baha Mar deal, Baha Mar officials have been meeting with officials from the prime minister's office to answer questions about the project.
Turnquest said the MPs would be allowed to express their views on the labor issue before the government makes a final determination.
If a majority of MPs take issue with that component, he said the government would have to take that into consideration prior to making its decision.
Turnquest said publicly that at the height of construction Baha Mar could have up to 8,000 foreign workers on the project.
Baha Mar has said that out of the 10,000 proposed construction jobs the project will create, at least 3,300 will be set aside for Bahamians. Eight thousand permanent jobs are also projected once the resort is completed.
The proposed Cable Beach development would be financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and constructed by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation.
If the project receives Bahamas government approval, Baha Mar's first course of action would be to award nearly $60 million of construction contracts to six Bahamian contractors, representing early infrastructure works needed to prepare the site, Baha Mar's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sarkis Izmirlian said in a press statement last month.
8/22/2010
thenassauguardian
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas (UTEB) members need a serious reality check
UTEB members need serious reality check
tribune242 editorial
WITH desperate parents having to transfer their children from private schools to an overcrowded public school system where there is now no room for them, we get news that members of the College of the Bahamas' teachers union are still not comfortable with their salaries.
At a time like this when hard working Bahamians -- who do not have the luxury of long summer vacations as do teachers -- are struggling to make ends meet and are forced to adjust to the realities of a tight economy, we have teachers, who should be leading by example, bleating about dissatisfaction with their own salaries. Where is the College to get the funds -- raise the fees of struggling students? These teachers should be thankful that they have a job - many Bahamians today are jobless, while others are out on the highway flashing phone cards for sale -- anything to make a few dollars to keep body and soul together. In the meantime, these elite teachers with full job security have the nerve to complain that they do not have enough.
"We feel like the salary package they have offered us really doesn't show us any respect as professionals," one union source told a Tribune reporter yesterday.
"It doesn't respect the work we do. We are talking about the persons who are educating the people who are driving national development.
"We think it really insults us what they have offered us and that they should rethink their position."
We wonder who was disrespecting contractor Charles Nottage who in better times could afford to send his daughter to a private school. Today he is faced with the reality that he can no longer afford this luxury for his child. Mr Nottage told The Tribune that for the past four years his daughter was in a private school. He dreaded the thought of having to move her to a government school, "but it is a necessity right now," he said.
However, he still does not "know what to do" because government schools are so overcrowded that he can find no place for her even there.
How are hard working Bahamians, who at present cannot afford to send their children to private schools, going to find the funds to pay teachers for higher education? If the COB union says the College Board is disrespecting its teachers, then who is respecting Bahamians like Charles Nottage who cannot afford private education for his child?
To make this statement about disrespect shows that these teachers have no sensitivity to the times in which we all live. They must be on a planet of their own creation. And yet people, like Mr Nottage, are willing to face reality and step down until conditions in the country change to give them an opportunity to again start their upward climb.
These are the hard working Bahamians who adjust to hard times and will survive. Those with the attitude of some of these teachers will be left floundering in their own importance. Eventually they get nowhere.
Earlier in the year the College announced that it could not agree to the demands of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas (UTEB), which would amount to an average increase of $11,500 per faculty member.
The union had demanded a reduction in workload for its teaches with an increase in pay ranging from 16 per cent to more than 19 per cent, for a total salary increase of 17.5 per cent.
The union seems to have something backward here. Business people are accustomed to paying more for more work -- not more for less. These teachers had better be sent back to school to get their maths in the right order. "The union's $11 million financial package would immediately add $8 million to the College's already overstretched budget and over $3 million annually thereafter," the College said.
The matter went to arbitration with both sides agreeing that they would accept the arbitrators' decision.
The arbitration committee, headed by St Matthew's Anglican Church rector Father James Palacious, said that neither side of the dispute would get exactly what they wanted.
However, when it came to UTEB's financial package, said the arbitrators, it would have been "very reasonable under normal circumstances," however in the end the committee had to adhere to the "economic reality." The committee referred to budget cuts and a still struggling economy. The teachers did not get what they wanted.
Despite this in today's Tribune UTEB president Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson has announced, unless the union gets a signed agreement, it is reserving its right to take a strike vote on Monday when COB is scheduled to open after the summer recess. Do they not have a signed agreement because the salary packet offered fails to show the respect they think their due? Have they rejected it?
Should they strike and create chaos for students on Monday, the College should be closed for a week with no pay for teachers during this time so that they can get a glimmer of what the arbitrators meant when they said they would have to adhere to "economic reality."
We do not think that many Bahamians -- other than some politicians, who appear to be looking for any unrest upon which to capitalise -- will have any sympathy for Mrs Dotson and her UTEB.
August 20, 2010
tribune242 editorial
tribune242 editorial
WITH desperate parents having to transfer their children from private schools to an overcrowded public school system where there is now no room for them, we get news that members of the College of the Bahamas' teachers union are still not comfortable with their salaries.
At a time like this when hard working Bahamians -- who do not have the luxury of long summer vacations as do teachers -- are struggling to make ends meet and are forced to adjust to the realities of a tight economy, we have teachers, who should be leading by example, bleating about dissatisfaction with their own salaries. Where is the College to get the funds -- raise the fees of struggling students? These teachers should be thankful that they have a job - many Bahamians today are jobless, while others are out on the highway flashing phone cards for sale -- anything to make a few dollars to keep body and soul together. In the meantime, these elite teachers with full job security have the nerve to complain that they do not have enough.
"We feel like the salary package they have offered us really doesn't show us any respect as professionals," one union source told a Tribune reporter yesterday.
"It doesn't respect the work we do. We are talking about the persons who are educating the people who are driving national development.
"We think it really insults us what they have offered us and that they should rethink their position."
We wonder who was disrespecting contractor Charles Nottage who in better times could afford to send his daughter to a private school. Today he is faced with the reality that he can no longer afford this luxury for his child. Mr Nottage told The Tribune that for the past four years his daughter was in a private school. He dreaded the thought of having to move her to a government school, "but it is a necessity right now," he said.
However, he still does not "know what to do" because government schools are so overcrowded that he can find no place for her even there.
How are hard working Bahamians, who at present cannot afford to send their children to private schools, going to find the funds to pay teachers for higher education? If the COB union says the College Board is disrespecting its teachers, then who is respecting Bahamians like Charles Nottage who cannot afford private education for his child?
To make this statement about disrespect shows that these teachers have no sensitivity to the times in which we all live. They must be on a planet of their own creation. And yet people, like Mr Nottage, are willing to face reality and step down until conditions in the country change to give them an opportunity to again start their upward climb.
These are the hard working Bahamians who adjust to hard times and will survive. Those with the attitude of some of these teachers will be left floundering in their own importance. Eventually they get nowhere.
Earlier in the year the College announced that it could not agree to the demands of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas (UTEB), which would amount to an average increase of $11,500 per faculty member.
The union had demanded a reduction in workload for its teaches with an increase in pay ranging from 16 per cent to more than 19 per cent, for a total salary increase of 17.5 per cent.
The union seems to have something backward here. Business people are accustomed to paying more for more work -- not more for less. These teachers had better be sent back to school to get their maths in the right order. "The union's $11 million financial package would immediately add $8 million to the College's already overstretched budget and over $3 million annually thereafter," the College said.
The matter went to arbitration with both sides agreeing that they would accept the arbitrators' decision.
The arbitration committee, headed by St Matthew's Anglican Church rector Father James Palacious, said that neither side of the dispute would get exactly what they wanted.
However, when it came to UTEB's financial package, said the arbitrators, it would have been "very reasonable under normal circumstances," however in the end the committee had to adhere to the "economic reality." The committee referred to budget cuts and a still struggling economy. The teachers did not get what they wanted.
Despite this in today's Tribune UTEB president Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson has announced, unless the union gets a signed agreement, it is reserving its right to take a strike vote on Monday when COB is scheduled to open after the summer recess. Do they not have a signed agreement because the salary packet offered fails to show the respect they think their due? Have they rejected it?
Should they strike and create chaos for students on Monday, the College should be closed for a week with no pay for teachers during this time so that they can get a glimmer of what the arbitrators meant when they said they would have to adhere to "economic reality."
We do not think that many Bahamians -- other than some politicians, who appear to be looking for any unrest upon which to capitalise -- will have any sympathy for Mrs Dotson and her UTEB.
August 20, 2010
tribune242 editorial
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Bishop Simeon Hall: Illegal immigrants would not be in The Bahamas in such high numbers without the "complicity of some corrupt persons in authority
Immigration appeal 'may become joke'
tribune242
THE government's appeal for all illegal immigrants to leave the country must be "substantive" or it will become a "joke", Bishop Simeon Hall warned yesterday.
Brent Symonette, acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, recently ordered all illegal immigrants residing in the Bahamas to voluntarily leave the country or face immediate deportation.
However, Bishop Hall, senior pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church, said the appeal must not only be given to Haitians and Jamaicans but also to Americans, Europeans and Chinese who he says have "corrupted the system by buying their stay here."
The bishop said: "All persons who compromise the immigration laws of the Bahamas must know that the majority of Bahamians are not prepared for them to have a free ride on the back of those who must work hard every day to build this country."
In the statement, Bishop Hall noted that "it is the government's responsibility to enforce all laws of the Bahamas, especially to protect our national sovereignty. Successive governments have promised during election time to deal with the overwhelming problem of illegal immigration in the country, yet it remains a vexing situation."
Bishop Hall also claimed that illegal immigrants would not be in the country in such high numbers without the "complicity of some corrupt persons in authority."
He added: "Illegal immigrants have corrupted many agencies in our Bahamas and this pronouncement by the Minister must have teeth or it becomes laughable."
August 21, 2010
tribune242
tribune242
THE government's appeal for all illegal immigrants to leave the country must be "substantive" or it will become a "joke", Bishop Simeon Hall warned yesterday.
Brent Symonette, acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, recently ordered all illegal immigrants residing in the Bahamas to voluntarily leave the country or face immediate deportation.
However, Bishop Hall, senior pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church, said the appeal must not only be given to Haitians and Jamaicans but also to Americans, Europeans and Chinese who he says have "corrupted the system by buying their stay here."
The bishop said: "All persons who compromise the immigration laws of the Bahamas must know that the majority of Bahamians are not prepared for them to have a free ride on the back of those who must work hard every day to build this country."
In the statement, Bishop Hall noted that "it is the government's responsibility to enforce all laws of the Bahamas, especially to protect our national sovereignty. Successive governments have promised during election time to deal with the overwhelming problem of illegal immigration in the country, yet it remains a vexing situation."
Bishop Hall also claimed that illegal immigrants would not be in the country in such high numbers without the "complicity of some corrupt persons in authority."
He added: "Illegal immigrants have corrupted many agencies in our Bahamas and this pronouncement by the Minister must have teeth or it becomes laughable."
August 21, 2010
tribune242
Friday, August 20, 2010
The majority of Branville McCartney support is on the outside of his party - the Free National Movement (FNM)
Branville 'lacking Cabinet support'
tribune242:
ALTHOUGH widely considered to be a "popular Member of Parliament" by the voting public, FNM MP Branville McCartney does not share that same level of support among his former cabinet colleagues, The Tribune has been informed.
Out of a cabinet of 17 persons, sources close to the Bamboo Town MP said Mr McCartney could have the backing of possibly only "three or four" ministers.
This support, however, is said to grow when one considers there are a few "disgruntled" backbenchers within the party who would like to see a change in the party's leadership.
A senior FNM told The Tribune: "For right now, the majority of Branville's support is on the outside of the party. So his allies, within the organisation, will have to be in a wait-and-see mode. You don't want to be the man to put up your hand in support of him and draw back a stump."
Another voting delegate within the FNM said Mr McCartney would be wise to implement a "wait and see" position at this time, as he should not allow "outside influences" to move him before "the right time."
"In politics, timing is everything. Having political capital, and knowing what to do with it, are two completely different things. It is also very hard to remove a leader who all you can say about him is that you don't like his style. So ambition, in this instance, must learn to pace itself," he said.
Currently, if Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham were to step aside as leader of the FNM by the end of the year, the governing party could see a six-way race for its leadership post.
Among the names being touted as persons interested in becoming the next possible leader of the organisation are: Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette, Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing, Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest, Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes, the chairman of the party Carl Bethel, and, of course, the former Minister of State for Immigration Branville McCartney.
August 19, 2010
tribune242
tribune242:
ALTHOUGH widely considered to be a "popular Member of Parliament" by the voting public, FNM MP Branville McCartney does not share that same level of support among his former cabinet colleagues, The Tribune has been informed.
Out of a cabinet of 17 persons, sources close to the Bamboo Town MP said Mr McCartney could have the backing of possibly only "three or four" ministers.
This support, however, is said to grow when one considers there are a few "disgruntled" backbenchers within the party who would like to see a change in the party's leadership.
A senior FNM told The Tribune: "For right now, the majority of Branville's support is on the outside of the party. So his allies, within the organisation, will have to be in a wait-and-see mode. You don't want to be the man to put up your hand in support of him and draw back a stump."
Another voting delegate within the FNM said Mr McCartney would be wise to implement a "wait and see" position at this time, as he should not allow "outside influences" to move him before "the right time."
"In politics, timing is everything. Having political capital, and knowing what to do with it, are two completely different things. It is also very hard to remove a leader who all you can say about him is that you don't like his style. So ambition, in this instance, must learn to pace itself," he said.
Currently, if Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham were to step aside as leader of the FNM by the end of the year, the governing party could see a six-way race for its leadership post.
Among the names being touted as persons interested in becoming the next possible leader of the organisation are: Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette, Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing, Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest, Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes, the chairman of the party Carl Bethel, and, of course, the former Minister of State for Immigration Branville McCartney.
August 19, 2010
tribune242
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Higher taxes for the business community may erode investor confidence says The Nassau Institute
'Taxes hitting investor confidence'
By INDERIA SAUNDERS
Guardian Business Reporter
inderia@nasguard.com:
The Nassau Institute is pressing government to accept investor confidence may be eroded because of recent changes to public policies that have resulted in higher taxes for the business community.
It's among the most recent commentaries put forth by the group that advocates a free market Bahamas.
While the institute agrees that the U.S. economic downturn has serious consequences for The Bahamas, it believes there are things that can be done to help inject some enthusiasm into the entrepreneurial class-and introducing new taxes is not one of them.
"A government should not be destabilizing the business community with excessive taxation nor blindsiding them with rule/regulation changes that do not seem to be well thought out,"said a statement from the group."Yet The Bahamas economy has certainly had an abundance of new taxation and regulation in recent months.
"The government, while finally realizing their profligate borrowing and spending must be brought under control. It should also accept that investor confidence is rattled when they are not sure what public policies to expect next. So there is a delicate balance between"reasonable"taxes and rules/regulations and over taxing and over burdensome rules/regulations."
According to the institute, the public sector is now beginning to experience the devastating effects of these very tough economic times that the private sector has been under for two years now, and there are no easy political answers. It points to a recent article written by Dr. Robert Higgs, an economist, who asserts genuine economic recovery requires a substantial reduction of government expenditure, taxes and regulations, along with a credible government commitment to stay this less burdensome course.
The columnist believes it would give private entrepreneurs the confidence and time to generate prosperity; however, he said that anemic private employment tempts politicians to intervene even more in the economy, which heightens the uncertainty and discouraging investors further in a vicious cycle.
It's something the Nassau Institute agrees with fully.
"Recovery depends on private sector growth,"it said,"and shrinking the size of a government(expenditure, borrowing, taxes, regulation)that is now beyond the capacity of the private sector to support."
8/16/2010
thenassauguardian
By INDERIA SAUNDERS
Guardian Business Reporter
inderia@nasguard.com:
The Nassau Institute is pressing government to accept investor confidence may be eroded because of recent changes to public policies that have resulted in higher taxes for the business community.
It's among the most recent commentaries put forth by the group that advocates a free market Bahamas.
While the institute agrees that the U.S. economic downturn has serious consequences for The Bahamas, it believes there are things that can be done to help inject some enthusiasm into the entrepreneurial class-and introducing new taxes is not one of them.
"A government should not be destabilizing the business community with excessive taxation nor blindsiding them with rule/regulation changes that do not seem to be well thought out,"said a statement from the group."Yet The Bahamas economy has certainly had an abundance of new taxation and regulation in recent months.
"The government, while finally realizing their profligate borrowing and spending must be brought under control. It should also accept that investor confidence is rattled when they are not sure what public policies to expect next. So there is a delicate balance between"reasonable"taxes and rules/regulations and over taxing and over burdensome rules/regulations."
According to the institute, the public sector is now beginning to experience the devastating effects of these very tough economic times that the private sector has been under for two years now, and there are no easy political answers. It points to a recent article written by Dr. Robert Higgs, an economist, who asserts genuine economic recovery requires a substantial reduction of government expenditure, taxes and regulations, along with a credible government commitment to stay this less burdensome course.
The columnist believes it would give private entrepreneurs the confidence and time to generate prosperity; however, he said that anemic private employment tempts politicians to intervene even more in the economy, which heightens the uncertainty and discouraging investors further in a vicious cycle.
It's something the Nassau Institute agrees with fully.
"Recovery depends on private sector growth,"it said,"and shrinking the size of a government(expenditure, borrowing, taxes, regulation)that is now beyond the capacity of the private sector to support."
8/16/2010
thenassauguardian
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Work permits for about 5,000 Chinese workers to help construct the $2.6 billion Baha Mar Cable Beach resort ... Yea or Nay Bahamians?
PLP MPs expected to represent their constituents
tribune242 editorial
IT IS agreed by both government and opposition that the Bahamas needs a major project at this time to revive the construction industry and get as many Bahamians back to work as possible.
However, an off-the-cuff remark by Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham that if the Baha Mar project were to go ahead, Atlantis' Phase Four would not, has been interpreted by PLP politicians to mean that if Mr Ingraham approved Baha Mar, he would not approve Atlantis Phase Four. It is strange how two groups of people can hear the same remark, yet come away with different interpretations. When we heard Mr Ingraham's short statement it was obvious to us that what he was saying was that the market could not successfully sustain two large tourist developments. It had nothing to do with any approval either given or withheld by him.
The remark pointed to the astute tourist entrepreneur Sol Kerzner. It was obvious that Mr Kerzner, considering his options against a depressed world market, would have second thoughts about gambling at this time with the large outlay required by his Phase Four plans for Atlantis if Baha Mar were to go ahead with essentially the same product. Cancellation, or postponement seemed obvious.
Mr Ingraham later clarified his remarks. He agreed that the country needed a major project, but pointed out that currently it only had the manpower and infrastructure to carry out one major project at a time, be it Baha Mar or Atlantis Phase Four. "At the same time we can't have both; not simultaneously," he said.
However, before anything can be decided Bahamians have to agree on whether work permits should be approved for about 5,000 Chinese workers to help construct the $2.6 billion Baha Mar Cable Beach resort. We all know in the past that Bahamians have always protested foreigners being brought in for various projects, and so government has quite rightly said that this time -- the numbers required being so overwhelming -- that Bahamians will have to make the final decision. Therefore, the matter will be taken to parliament. But the Opposition has backed off. This, they claim is an Ingraham problem. They blame him for the Baha Mar-Harrah deal not going through -- forgetting that at the time of that deal it was their government that dragged its feet so long that Harrah's was sold and the new owners turned down the Baha Mar contract that was yet to be finally approved by the Christie government. The Christie-led Opposition, which if it had been more decisive could have clinched the Harrah deal before the sale, now say that Chinese labourers were not a part of the original equation and so it will have no part in the decision making on the floor of parliament.
The Opposition has always criticised Mr Ingraham for not consulting them or the nation sufficiently. He is now consulting the nation through the people's representatives, who now tell him that it is not necessary to bring the issue to parliament. But it is necessary. At no time has the Bahamas been faced with an influx of 5,000 foreign workers. Do Bahamians agree or not? The only persons who can answer this question are those MPs who they elected to parliament to speak on their behalf. If the people's representatives fail to do so, they have failed in their duty to their constituents, and there should be consequences.
Arguing that the Bahamian economy "desperately needs" the Cable Beach development, a former Bahamas Chamber of Commerce president urged Bahamians to vote out of office any MP who opposed the work permits. The Bahamas Contractors Association, in an effort to protect the Bahamian workforce, is preparing a three-tiered initiative to prepare construction workers and companies to bid for jobs when the Baha Mar construction starts. Baha Mar says there will be about 7,000 permanent jobs at the end of the construction and 3,300 temporary jobs during construction. Of course, as National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest says, "It also has to be factored in that this is a period of high unemployment and that has to be taken into account." He quite rightly believes that "members of parliament who represent the people of the Bahamas ought to have a say in an unusual labour component."
At the end of the day we hope that the BahaMar developers will have sense enough to go after different clientele and explore a different market to the Kerzner brand. However, it they plan to poach on Atlantis' guest list, and copy the One and Only identity, not only will Atlantis suffer, but so will the Bahamas because instead of growing, the overall tourist market will remain static. At present Sol Kerzner, a proven success in the resort business, provides secure employment for at least 2,500 Bahamians. In fact it is his enterprise alone that put the Bahamas back on the tourist map. However, if one resort starts to cripple the other, and the presence of Baha Mar fails to increase the market, Atlantis could start to cut back, which would leave Bahamians where?
This too has to be factored into the debate. This is no time for the PLP to play politics. Bahamians are the ones carrying the burden of their salaries during these lean times and so we expect them to justify their seats in parliament.
August 17, 2010
tribune242 editorial
tribune242 editorial
IT IS agreed by both government and opposition that the Bahamas needs a major project at this time to revive the construction industry and get as many Bahamians back to work as possible.
However, an off-the-cuff remark by Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham that if the Baha Mar project were to go ahead, Atlantis' Phase Four would not, has been interpreted by PLP politicians to mean that if Mr Ingraham approved Baha Mar, he would not approve Atlantis Phase Four. It is strange how two groups of people can hear the same remark, yet come away with different interpretations. When we heard Mr Ingraham's short statement it was obvious to us that what he was saying was that the market could not successfully sustain two large tourist developments. It had nothing to do with any approval either given or withheld by him.
The remark pointed to the astute tourist entrepreneur Sol Kerzner. It was obvious that Mr Kerzner, considering his options against a depressed world market, would have second thoughts about gambling at this time with the large outlay required by his Phase Four plans for Atlantis if Baha Mar were to go ahead with essentially the same product. Cancellation, or postponement seemed obvious.
Mr Ingraham later clarified his remarks. He agreed that the country needed a major project, but pointed out that currently it only had the manpower and infrastructure to carry out one major project at a time, be it Baha Mar or Atlantis Phase Four. "At the same time we can't have both; not simultaneously," he said.
However, before anything can be decided Bahamians have to agree on whether work permits should be approved for about 5,000 Chinese workers to help construct the $2.6 billion Baha Mar Cable Beach resort. We all know in the past that Bahamians have always protested foreigners being brought in for various projects, and so government has quite rightly said that this time -- the numbers required being so overwhelming -- that Bahamians will have to make the final decision. Therefore, the matter will be taken to parliament. But the Opposition has backed off. This, they claim is an Ingraham problem. They blame him for the Baha Mar-Harrah deal not going through -- forgetting that at the time of that deal it was their government that dragged its feet so long that Harrah's was sold and the new owners turned down the Baha Mar contract that was yet to be finally approved by the Christie government. The Christie-led Opposition, which if it had been more decisive could have clinched the Harrah deal before the sale, now say that Chinese labourers were not a part of the original equation and so it will have no part in the decision making on the floor of parliament.
The Opposition has always criticised Mr Ingraham for not consulting them or the nation sufficiently. He is now consulting the nation through the people's representatives, who now tell him that it is not necessary to bring the issue to parliament. But it is necessary. At no time has the Bahamas been faced with an influx of 5,000 foreign workers. Do Bahamians agree or not? The only persons who can answer this question are those MPs who they elected to parliament to speak on their behalf. If the people's representatives fail to do so, they have failed in their duty to their constituents, and there should be consequences.
Arguing that the Bahamian economy "desperately needs" the Cable Beach development, a former Bahamas Chamber of Commerce president urged Bahamians to vote out of office any MP who opposed the work permits. The Bahamas Contractors Association, in an effort to protect the Bahamian workforce, is preparing a three-tiered initiative to prepare construction workers and companies to bid for jobs when the Baha Mar construction starts. Baha Mar says there will be about 7,000 permanent jobs at the end of the construction and 3,300 temporary jobs during construction. Of course, as National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest says, "It also has to be factored in that this is a period of high unemployment and that has to be taken into account." He quite rightly believes that "members of parliament who represent the people of the Bahamas ought to have a say in an unusual labour component."
At the end of the day we hope that the BahaMar developers will have sense enough to go after different clientele and explore a different market to the Kerzner brand. However, it they plan to poach on Atlantis' guest list, and copy the One and Only identity, not only will Atlantis suffer, but so will the Bahamas because instead of growing, the overall tourist market will remain static. At present Sol Kerzner, a proven success in the resort business, provides secure employment for at least 2,500 Bahamians. In fact it is his enterprise alone that put the Bahamas back on the tourist map. However, if one resort starts to cripple the other, and the presence of Baha Mar fails to increase the market, Atlantis could start to cut back, which would leave Bahamians where?
This too has to be factored into the debate. This is no time for the PLP to play politics. Bahamians are the ones carrying the burden of their salaries during these lean times and so we expect them to justify their seats in parliament.
August 17, 2010
tribune242 editorial
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