Christie: No deal done yet over BEC

As of Friday, August 16, 2013

Prime Minister Perry Christie

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday denied that the government’s move to privatise BEC was influenced by special interests.

He further insisted that his administration had not selected any entity to take over the financially struggling Corporation, as was asserted by FNM Chairman Darron Cash on Wednesday.

In fact, Mr Christie told reporters that the government was pushing to seal the BEC deal by the end of the year as major businesses in the country complained that the cost of electricity was problematic. According to the Prime Minister, those establishments had pleaded with the government to generate their own power supply. With such a move, Bahamians would experience a hike in electricity costs, Mr Christie said.

“I am told that they are even saying that we are doing it that way because we know who were are going to give it to. If that is the case then maybe he should tell me who we are going to give it to.”

“Some of the big corporations in the Bahamas have reached a point where they can no longer accept the cost of electricity.

“The people of the Bahamas through my government from time to time subsidises when hotels say we are going to lay off people. This summer period, we said, okay we will offset some costs for you by using government revenue to do so. We will not charge you certain fees on the taxation of the casino to offset. Please stay open and keep people employed.

“They have now come to us and said we want to come off of the electricity grid up to a certain point by generating electricity of their own. For the Bahamas, if it happens that way the Bahamian people have to pay more because these big companies who pay more will not be around. So we have been meeting with them and we have been giving them the assurances that we are moving as quickly as possible.”

At this stage in the process, Mr Christie said the government has now to make a decision from more than 60 applications which includes not only foreign entities but Bahamian groups. He said the government hopes to follow the Nassau Airport Development Company’s (NAD) model to manage BEC.

“What we have done is put out a request for proposals that defines what we want and we are inviting amongst others those 60 or 65 applicants to review what we are saying. We want them to bid on the management of BEC exclusively, similar to what NAD is where there are no shares. You simply come in and manage BEC or that a foreign company becomes responsible for the generation or a private company becomes responsible for the generation of electricity at BEC and the management and distribution of it,” Mr Christie said.

ThisIsOurs 10 years, 8 months ago

Hmm...sorry but that's ...not valid rationale...to rush something because someone is not happy. Rush it, make the wrong choices and you will make them unhappier. Better to thoroughly investigate/analyze the issue comprehensively so that you make the best decision. These guys really need to take 4yrs off and enroll in some management courses....sigh..

Seems impossible to complete such a move in what 3months if you have not been working on it previously...disingenuous at best...

concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago

Papa fixed it so they couldn,t get their hands on BTC ,so now the snake them are after BEC ,,,,,,,,,,we the taxpayer will be stuck paying the TD part ,,,is BEC that ineffiecent that 2 companies can supply power cheaper ?? how come goverments can have monopolies on services that everybody got to have and can,t even break even ,,ie ,,BEC ,,WSC etc ,,,privatize it and put it under URCA ,,

concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago

we basically pay hotels and airlines to bring people here b/c our cost are so high ,we do this b/c we have used the public service to absorb our rampant birth rate ,,everything we do only puts off the inevitable ,,,we will make more babies then gdp can handle and end up like Haiti and JAmaica ,,some politician needs to stand up and tell the people the truth ,,if not we will always be votes for people like the snake ,nygard ,PGC ,to promise milk ,honey and baby diapers to ..

TalRussell 10 years, 8 months ago

Favoritism toward foreigner corporate bums

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by TalRussell

concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago

remember TALS we compete against other tourist destinations in our region ,,WE ARE not the only place w/ sun ,sand and sea ,,,,since the recession DR,Jamaica ,Cuba ,w/ 400,000 U/S visitors through the cultural exchange program ,stopover visitors are all up ,our stopover numbers our down ,,despite our silly opinion that we are "more" special or "more" blessed by God ,,the numbers are not trending that way,,we have a better standard of living b/c we have less people to split the tourist dollar ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,thats all ,,,,,,,

nationbuilder 10 years, 8 months ago

ah boy, yet another corrupt scheme getting pushed down our throats

TalRussell 10 years, 8 months ago

Comrade Concerned Citizen I want the Chinese government to tell me how they intend to keep their Baha Mar hotel rooms occupancy at a profitable level once our next door neighbor Cuba accelerates returning to its grand old tourism days? One day minister of tourism Obie is promoting all the new revenue that would come from the legalization of the numbers rackets, and depending which way Nygard's wind is blowing his boss PM Christie is out there promoting stem cell as the new tourism savior. No business has ever seen growth results while under confused management. The tourism winds ain't be blowing the right way for local merchants for a long time. But some would say from the recent statements of, pay the Chinese whatever they demand for roads, Hubert appears to be ready to lobby for their demands of more and more money from our public treasury. not surprising coming from what many consider was the worst finance minister ever in the history of Bahamaland? The same "retired" Hubert who advised Haitian nationals to sue the hell out of his own peoples public treasury? Hubert would make a fantastic lobbyists, for foreigners interests.

concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago

Tals i,m not talkin bout HAI ,but i to wonder how Baha mar going fill those rooms ,,,to them they bought our vote in the UN for 3.5 billion ,,if Baha mar makes it or not doesn,t worry the chinese that much ...Cuba will open soon and the people are hungry for yankee dollars like we were before we got to thinking we is Gods special people ,,thats when the a## whipping begins ,,,,,,

ThisIsOurs 10 years, 8 months ago

They want them to come in and manage BEC...I wonder if even that aspect will work... when the sweetheart needs her lights turned back on, a cushy job or complains about her manager asking her to work 40hrs a week...hmmm. And what about election time when people need jobs? How much freedom will the govt give this firm to manage efficiently?

FACTSPOLICE 10 years, 8 months ago

CALLING NB12 AND ALL NEWS MEDIA IN THIS COUNTRY! Take your cameras to the Office of PGC, put that microphone right to his lying mouth, and then ask him "How much have you saved since you installed Solar Panels to your home! He was around the Island during elections, looking so sorry and sad that Bahamians were out of work, as though he was Jesus and could wave a magic wand and employ everybody! when he knew full well that the Entire World was under recession! Many Bahamians are still unemployed, and then he had a slogan "Bahamas for Bahamians" and what is he doing now...."Begging and hunting down Foreign Investors like Lions hunting their prey! Ignorant voters who vote on emotions and lies and deception by this party, got what they voted for, and now this country is the laughing stock of the world..pathetic and embarrassing, corrupt and dishonest, are the many words left to describe that country. If I was a Clean and decent Foreigner, I would never invest there, the former Gov't had a cleaner record of performance and good governance, why you people voted them out is beyond many. But ungratefulness best describes our people! All the voters wanted was a handout, they never looked at the 90 out of 100pct good the former Govt. did. I still think the former Govt under HAI deserved far more praise! especially under the recession circumstances.

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