FREE National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday questioned if the government of China had “snubbed” Prime Minister Perry Christie by not allowing him to lead a government delegation to China this weekend for talks on the stalled Baha Mar resort.
In a statement released on Saturday, the government said that Mr Christie did not have enough time to meet China’s diplomatic protocols to travel to that country as a head of state for the important discussions.
The government also said that representatives from China State Construction and EXIM Bank of China were not in a position to travel outside of that country at this time.
“Whatever the process, in today’s world, very few things are impossible if you truly want it done,” Dr Minnis said. “(Former US Present John F) Kennedy made the statement that soon man would be walking on the moon – it happened. If the Chinese wanted to engage the prime minister in discussion, then that could have been arranged. So therefore, do they feel, taking their culture of honesty, integrity and respect into consideration, do they feel like the Bahamian people? “The Bahamian people do not trust this government because it lacks integrity, so the question must be asked if they (the Chinese) are snubbing this government?”
However in its statement, the government stressed that even in Mr Christie’s absence, the prime minister will remain abreast of the discussions.
“Given this information, the prime minister has decided that this meeting is too important to delay,” the government said. “To ensure negotiations happen as soon as possible, the prime minister is sending a delegation from the government of the Bahamas, led by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Allyson Maynard Gibson, QC, to China to attend the meetings. The parties have requested the presence of the government at the negotiating table. The prime minister will remain fully engaged in this matter and available for consultation by the government of the Bahamas’ delegation or any other party.”
Last week, Mr Christie expressed renewed optimism in a resolution to the Baha Mar dispute and said he hoped the relevant parties, including himself, could meet at a neutral location over the weekend to discuss the issue.
Mr Christie has said he has acted as a mediator between the interested parties over the past few months.
The talks in China will begin today and end on Tuesday, the government’s statement said.
Baha Mar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US last month, blaming general contractor China Construction America for causing it to miss opening deadlines.
The resort is seven months past its December 2014 opening date.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 9 months ago
Will someone remind Minnis that he too was not invited to China as one would have expected given his position as leader of the opposition. Seems the Chinese have very little expectation of Minnis being the next PM of the Bahamas. Not the least bit surprising to most of the electorate who will be voting in the next general election!
Reality_Check 8 years, 9 months ago
The FNM had better replace Minnis and LBT soon as it is readily apparent in all quarters of our small country that there are very few voters who will will vote for an FNM candidate if either of these two clowns go into the next general election as the party leader. These two are so despised that many die-hard FNM supporters of yesterday are saying they will vote PLP tomorrow if only to ensure that neither Minnis nor LBT ever become Prime Minister!
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