The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

ONE can’t help but speculate as to what really “the deal” is between Christie and the Chinese. Let’s examine it from the Chinese perspective. They would have been fully aware of a number of facts.

1) They were negotiating with a weak leader. I would say it is safe to say this present PLP government is the most unpopular to date and Christie the weakest of our three PMs. They would have been critically aware of the imminent election and the PLP’s desperate need for “any” good news in a sea of negativity which engulfs the PLP.

2) They know they are negotiating with a corrupt and buyable govt. The PLP have always been seduced by people with real power and money. That fact goes back to the Norman’s Cay/Pindling and Carlos Lehder era of rampant corruption/drug running and the ‘Nation for Sale’ scenario.

If anyone has ever seen the video of the PLP MPs with Nygard in Lyford Cay just after the last election they were fawning all over their benefactor.

So the Chinese knew they were holding all the aces; they have the money and the power to complete Baha Mar. They went into the negotiation with Christie and clearly had the upper hand. Christie also is no Hubert Ingraham; anyone who has had dealings with Ingraham can testify he is a tough, but fair man to negotiate with, Christie the exact opposite.

Whatever the deal is Christie has kept it very much to himself. I suspect history will prove it will be a lousy deal for the Bahamas and its people. It’s certainly a lousy deal for Mr Izmirlian, who had the PLP on one side and the Chinese on the other. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Izmirlian was doomed from day one. Beware of who you get into bed with I suppose.

What concessions have the Chinese eked out? I bet it will cost real money and real losses in revenue taxes, write offs and the likes for the Bahamas Treasury.

I bet we will have a lot of Chinese with residency/citizenship of The Bahamas in short order. I bet there will be 4,000 plus Chinese back working at Baha Mar with a few token Bahamians to assist. This when we have record unemployment and the dearth of construction here in the Bahamas. I wonder how a Bahamian mason or carpenter will feel when he can’t find a job.

Go look at 4,000 Chinese doing work they are perfectly capable of doing as well if not better than the Chinese! That itself is a disgrace but complacency is an unfortunate national characteristic.

Let’s see what if any details are divulged, but I feel the only winners will be 10,000 miles away in Beijing and having a good laugh at the cretins in the Bahamas who sold out their birthright so cheaply.

THE REALIST  

Nassau,

September 5, 2016.