Christie: Baha Mar developer should get same treatment as Atlantis boss
tribune242
OPPOSITION LEADER Perry Christie called on Hubert Ingraham to treat Baha Mar developer Sarkis Ismirlian as well as he treats Atlantis Boss Sol Kerzner.
Speaking at the presentation of the PLP's position-paper on Baha Mar, Mr Christie said the two men are deserving of the same level of respect.
He said: "I do not know what Sarkis Ismirlian ever did to the prime minister to deserve the kind of humiliating treatment that has been meted out to him in public, time and time again, by Prime Minister Ingraham. It is wrong.
"Mr Ismirlian is deserving of respect, even when we have to disagree with him. It is high time, then, that the prime minister starts talking to Sarkis Ismirlian the same way he always talks to Sol Kerzner."
Mr Christie went on to say that the Bahamas doesn't have "a hope in hell" of being taken seriously by investors, especially in very difficult times, if Mr Ingraham continues to change the "rules of engagement" with investors and continues to believes in "negotiation-by-press-conference".
He said: "You cannot be calling press conferences to tell investors what they must do in order to win your favour. You cannot be telling them one thing in private and then call a press conference to lay down a whole new set of conditions they have to meet, and then when they meet those conditions, you then call yet another press conference to lay down a whole new set of pre-conditions yet again. That is harmful our country's reputation. It is not a wise way to conduct diplomacy. Besides it is a fundamentally unfair way to treat those who are attempting in good faith to make a major investment in our country."
Mr Christie added that there is no use in Prime Minister Ingraham, who left for China on Friday, trying to negotiate a new deal with the Chinese government, which through the China Export-Import Bank is funding the Baha Mar deal, unless Mr Ismirlian and his group are at the same negotiating table.
"There needs to be a tripartite approach to this. Simple logic and plain, good sense demand it. Suppose the PM negotiates a new deal that the Ismirlians cannot or will not live with. What then? What would he have accomplished then? In that case, one foot forward would have been taken followed by two steps backward. That makes no kind of sense.
"I therefore call upon the PM to invite representatives of the Baha Mar Group to join his meeting with the Chinese in China. It is, after all, Baha Mar's project. It seems only sensible and logical and appropriate to have the project owners at the table too so that everything can be settled all at the same time.
Mr Christie went on to say that the Baha Mar project cannot be evaluated in isolation from the "extremely difficult economic circumstances" in which the country finds itself at the moment.
"This is the worst it has been in decades. The level of human suffering is intolerable and threatens the social stability of our country. Unemployment, in particular, is at a painfully high level. Capital inflows have been extremely sparse and spare in recent times, especially in the tourism sector.
"As a result, new employment opportunities for displaced workers, recent secondary school-leavers and college graduates are few and far between. These conditions of acute distress in our country oblige us to embrace the Baha Mar Project. It is, in a very real sense, the only new substantial ray of sunshine that has presented itself."
October 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.
Showing posts with label Baha Mar group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baha Mar group. Show all posts
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supports the $2.6 billion Baha Mar project
PLP SUPPORTS BAHA MAR
By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE
Guardian Senior Reporter
kdl@nasguard.com
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)Leader Perry Christie last night threw his party's support behind the $2.6 billion Baha Mar project, while accusing Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham of seeking to negotiate a new Cable Beach deal on his upcoming trip to China.
At an hour-and-a-half news conference held at the PLP's Farrington Road headquarters, Christie stressed that the current economic conditions in the country call for the project to be embraced.
"It is in a very real sense, the only new substantial ray of sunshine that has presented itself. Nothing else holds out the kind of promise that Baha Mar does,"said Christie.
"It is not so much that it is the best big project that is available right now, the reality is that it is the only big project that is available to us right now. We do not have a choice. We do not have the luxury of choosing between the Baha Mar project and some other big project. Baha Mar is the only one that has the capacity right now to inject some desperately needed adrenaline into this anemic economy that is ailing us now."
Christie said it would be useless for Ingraham to negotiate a new deal with the Chinese without project developer Sarkis Izmirlian and his group at the same negotiating table.
"There needs to be a tripartite approach to this. Simple logic and plain, good sense demand it,"said the PLP leader.
"Suppose the prime minister negotiates a new deal that the Izmirlians cannot or will not live with? What then? What would he have accomplished then?" Christie asked." In that case, one foot forward would have been taken followed by two steps backward. That makes no kind of sense."
Ingraham is scheduled to leave for China today. He said earlier this week he would be meeting with China State Construction Engineering Corporation and the China Export-Import Bank to discuss the project the proposed contractor and financier of the project.
"I therefore call upon the prime minister to invite representatives of the Baha Mar group to join his meeting with the Chinese in China. It is, after all, Baha Mar's project. It seems only sensible and logical and appropriate to have the project owners at the table too so that everything can be settled all at the same time,"Christie said.
The opposition leader also criticized Ingraham for, what he described as, changing the requirements the developers must satisfy before the deal reaches Parliament.
"We don't have a hope in hell of being taken seriously by investors, especially in these very difficult times, if we continue to have a prime minister who keeps on changing the rules of engagement with investors, and who on top of that, believes in negotiation by press conferences,"Christie said.
"You cannot be calling press conferences to tell investors what they must do in order to win your favor. You cannot be telling them one thing in private and then call a press conference to lay down a whole new set of conditions."
Baha Mar's vision is to create a world-class resort destination, which represents the largest single-phase resort in the Caribbean.
Baha Mar has requested 8,150 work permits for the project. It is expected that the majority of the foreign workers helping to construct the project will be Chinese. The current deal requires that the core of the project be exclusively built by foreign labor.
The PLP's official 38-page position on Baha Mar was delivered by Bain and Grants Town MP Dr. Bernard Nottage.
While stating that the PLP supports the project, Dr. Nottage said they expect any deal would:
- Maximize the participation of Bahamian construction and related labor content, including both skilled and unskilled workers.
- Minimize the foreign construction labor content to that which is required for the successful completion and implementation of the project.
- Ensure training and skills transfer for Bahamian construction workers during the course of the entire project.
- Ensure that Bahamians are trained and available for permanent jobs in the operation of the resort.
- Ensure that there will be a myriad of opportunities for Bahamian entrepreneurs to benefit from in the resort when completed.
"The size and scope of this project represent the magnitude of what is needed to provide jobs for the vast number of Bahamian citizens who emerge onto the job market on an annual basis,"said Dr. Nottage.
10/22/2010
thenassauguardian
By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE
Guardian Senior Reporter
kdl@nasguard.com
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)Leader Perry Christie last night threw his party's support behind the $2.6 billion Baha Mar project, while accusing Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham of seeking to negotiate a new Cable Beach deal on his upcoming trip to China.
At an hour-and-a-half news conference held at the PLP's Farrington Road headquarters, Christie stressed that the current economic conditions in the country call for the project to be embraced.
"It is in a very real sense, the only new substantial ray of sunshine that has presented itself. Nothing else holds out the kind of promise that Baha Mar does,"said Christie.
"It is not so much that it is the best big project that is available right now, the reality is that it is the only big project that is available to us right now. We do not have a choice. We do not have the luxury of choosing between the Baha Mar project and some other big project. Baha Mar is the only one that has the capacity right now to inject some desperately needed adrenaline into this anemic economy that is ailing us now."
Christie said it would be useless for Ingraham to negotiate a new deal with the Chinese without project developer Sarkis Izmirlian and his group at the same negotiating table.
"There needs to be a tripartite approach to this. Simple logic and plain, good sense demand it,"said the PLP leader.
"Suppose the prime minister negotiates a new deal that the Izmirlians cannot or will not live with? What then? What would he have accomplished then?" Christie asked." In that case, one foot forward would have been taken followed by two steps backward. That makes no kind of sense."
Ingraham is scheduled to leave for China today. He said earlier this week he would be meeting with China State Construction Engineering Corporation and the China Export-Import Bank to discuss the project the proposed contractor and financier of the project.
"I therefore call upon the prime minister to invite representatives of the Baha Mar group to join his meeting with the Chinese in China. It is, after all, Baha Mar's project. It seems only sensible and logical and appropriate to have the project owners at the table too so that everything can be settled all at the same time,"Christie said.
The opposition leader also criticized Ingraham for, what he described as, changing the requirements the developers must satisfy before the deal reaches Parliament.
"We don't have a hope in hell of being taken seriously by investors, especially in these very difficult times, if we continue to have a prime minister who keeps on changing the rules of engagement with investors, and who on top of that, believes in negotiation by press conferences,"Christie said.
"You cannot be calling press conferences to tell investors what they must do in order to win your favor. You cannot be telling them one thing in private and then call a press conference to lay down a whole new set of conditions."
Baha Mar's vision is to create a world-class resort destination, which represents the largest single-phase resort in the Caribbean.
Baha Mar has requested 8,150 work permits for the project. It is expected that the majority of the foreign workers helping to construct the project will be Chinese. The current deal requires that the core of the project be exclusively built by foreign labor.
The PLP's official 38-page position on Baha Mar was delivered by Bain and Grants Town MP Dr. Bernard Nottage.
While stating that the PLP supports the project, Dr. Nottage said they expect any deal would:
- Maximize the participation of Bahamian construction and related labor content, including both skilled and unskilled workers.
- Minimize the foreign construction labor content to that which is required for the successful completion and implementation of the project.
- Ensure training and skills transfer for Bahamian construction workers during the course of the entire project.
- Ensure that Bahamians are trained and available for permanent jobs in the operation of the resort.
- Ensure that there will be a myriad of opportunities for Bahamian entrepreneurs to benefit from in the resort when completed.
"The size and scope of this project represent the magnitude of what is needed to provide jobs for the vast number of Bahamian citizens who emerge onto the job market on an annual basis,"said Dr. Nottage.
10/22/2010
thenassauguardian
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