FINANCIAL Services and Immigration Minister Brent Symonette.
By RICARDO WELLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
rwells@tribunemedia.net
AS fallout continues over that declaration to “execute a real sale” of Baha Mar by Free National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis, former Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette yesterday defended his leader, insisting that “fault” sits with the “untruths and half facts” produced by the Christie administration in recent months.
In an interview with The Tribune on Tuesday, the FNM’s newly ratified candidate for St Anne’s stressed that the lack of clarity over what role the government has played in the Baha Mar negotiations since the resort declared bankruptcy in 2015 has left far too many questions and even more assumptions.
Mr Symonette said that in the absence of tangible facts throughout this ordeal, the Christie administration has stood as “the major voice” in ongoing discussions.
“The prime minister and his team have not made it clear what the deal is with Baha Mar,” Mr Symonette told The Tribune. “The deal is sealed, correct? But everything we hear and see about that resort is through or at the behest of the government. What is their role?
“Tell Mr Christie to come clean and clear all of this up for us, then we can be sure on who owns what, if the property is sold, if there is just an agreement; whatever is going on there. Because until that is done everything mentioned is pure speculation.”
Mr Symonette said that Dr Minnis’ pledge to “execute a real sale” of the property if the FNM wins the next election was based more on the belief that the government can either cause the sale of Baha Mar or be prominently involved in the process.
He insisted that the government’s intimate involvement in the signing and sealing of the agreement to get the resort remobilised, shows that the government is “intimately involved at every level.”
“Look at it like this, who signed the heads of agreement? The Chinese company and the government. That means at some high level, the government is involved or intimately involved,” Mr Symonette said.
“That is what (Dr) Minnis was referring to. Sitting in that position, if you are there then you would have some high level of involvement.”
He said this is why the Baha Mar court documents need to be unsealed, so that the public can be more aware of what is going on.
“(Mr) Christie made a point when he was in opposition to demand that all heads of agreements be made public. I was a part of that government and whenever we did something we brought it to the public to avoid these kinds of situations,” he said.
On Sunday, in a statement posted to his Facebook page, Dr Minnis said his party would “engage and execute a real sale of Baha Mar to a qualified and respectable purchaser who believes in Bahamians; a purchaser who will utilise only Bahamian labour to complete the resort, and will put Bahamians back to work with real jobs as quickly as possible.”
The next day he added that if the Baha Mar deal does not stand up to public scrutiny, his party reserves the right “to not approve any sale that is not in the best interest of the Bahamian people.”
His words prompted criticism from members of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).
Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis accused Dr Minnis of plotting for the resort’s demise for political benefit while spouting untruths.
Mr Davis said it was unfortunate that the country has come to a point where some would “bet against the interests of their fellow Bahamians to better their own political lot.”
Mr Davis added that the Killarney MP “appears to be crossing his fingers and praying” the resort does not open for his own political benefit, despite the thousands of Bahamians who would suffer.
Last December, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced the official sale of Baha Mar to CTF BM Holdings, a subsidiary of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, at the time stating the resort was set for a phased opening beginning in April 2017, and a full completion by this fall. It has since been revealed that the sale has not been finalised and that the opening date for the Rosewood hotel brand, owned by the Baha Mar buyer, has been delayed to Spring 2018.
Comments
jackbnimble 7 years, 1 month ago
Translation: The white knights have to maintain a hold in the FNM (who may just be the next government) so let me do my part to get in so I could monitor this fool who wants to be our prime minister.
licks2 7 years, 1 month ago
Translation: I jealous of the good job doc is doing. . .and I wish I was smart enough like you Mr. S and did kept my hurt feeling in check. . .now the ship is gone with you on board. . .I get lee standing here! I did not believe that poor speaking man had the right stuff to pull this off. . . I am not big enough to just leave it be. . .without saying something "black-crab syndrome" like and join in or lee it alone!
C2B 7 years, 1 month ago
Please try another translation; in English this time. Let's try for grade 4. You can do it.
licks2 7 years, 1 month ago
That is minimum grade 4 level writing there fella. . .standard international written press report format. . .journalistic college programs train writers to 4 to 6 grade writing level! YOON KNOW THAT? Lol!
Publius 7 years, 1 month ago
How is this a defence of Minnis by Symonette?
TalRussell 7 years, 1 month ago
Comrades! Minnis and former DPM Brent, both having experienced controversy over contracts with the present PLP government and former red government, are just saying they want to read and review the pending sale agreements pertaining to the sale Baha Mar.
Only fair I guess that the two politicians and businessman's, would want to make sure that the PLP cabinet - exhibited the highest standards of conduct on behalf taxpayers.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 1 month ago
This man and the entire Symonette family have made a fortune off of the backs of poor Bahamians and yet he still keeps coming back for more. Brent Symonette through his various shipping & freight businesses and his strategic land and seabed holdings has for years been making exorbitant profits from goods imported by others to our shores. His insatiable greed continues to drive up the cost of living for many of us to this day.
SP 7 years, 1 month ago
.......... Former Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette Is Persona Non Grata ...........
Brent Symonette's SOLE interest is protecting his aragonite pirate partners mining operations!
What can anyone point to that Brent has done for Bahamians after DECADES in front line politics?
Brent enriched himself from the people Treasury with "blind trust" and aragonite mining which he, Holowesko, Bethel and their group of pirate compadres inherited from their UBP parents!
We Don't Need Or Want Brent Fooking Symonette back in our Parliament!!!!
banker 7 years, 1 month ago
There een a lot of money in aragonite.
SP 7 years, 1 month ago
Enough Money In It To Make Brent's Pirates $100's Of Million Over 50 Years
That's enough for me!
sealice 7 years, 1 month ago
LOVELY PURE RACIST JEALOUSY..... WHAT'S A MATTA PERRY WON'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING??
juju 7 years, 1 month ago
It is blatantly obvious that you (above) are jealous of Mr. Symonette no? Perhaps he is more hard working than you? Or better educated? Or more worldly? Like many of the same, he is probably genuinely concerned about the future of this country for his grand children and beyond.
Reality_Check 7 years, 1 month ago
Very few of us who know Brent Symonette well, i.e what he's really about and truly stands for, are jealous of his family background and wealth. We just won't vote for him, and with good reason.
SP 7 years, 1 month ago
.......................... Stop Talking STEAMING BULLSHIT ..........................
Whats' obvious is you are one of Brents ignorant, kissass, minion, worshipers!
Brent proved where his loyalties are with "blind trust" and sucking up ALL the work for himself and blocking every other road building contractor from getting a piece of a lucrative $400M infrastructure improvement pie that should have been split among all Bahamians capable of producing works to specified standards!
He was found "GUILTY" of the same thievery as FNM DPM with the airport improvements when Hubert Ingraham fired his ass.
He is a typical political thief among the PLP and FNM that only look out for himself and only himself.
Fook Brent Symonette!.....& Fook Y-O-U-2!
themessenger 7 years, 1 month ago
And just when did Brent Symonette acquire shares in Jose Cartellone Construcciones Civiles S.A., the FOREIGN company the Ingraham government awarded the roads contract too? And incidentally Ingraham didn't fire him, he did the honorable thing and resigned, honorable, a word that doesn't exist in the PLP vocabulary. SP you fulla shit ,you obviously don't know the man and you obviously don't do your homework before spouting your shit.
Reality_Check 7 years, 1 month ago
The Bahamian judge in the Baha Mar local legal proceedings should have long ago ordered that all of the transcripts, documents and reports filed with the court be unsealed, i.e made available for inspection by the public, in particular the news media. The judge's failure to recognize the public's right to have access to this information in the run up to a general election is frightening to say the least. It certainly appears the court is wrongfully interfering in the upcoming general election by concealing information the present government does not want to be made public. There have been many proper demands made for the information to be put in the public domain because there is no justifiable national security interest for not doing so. The court's continued willingness to wrongfully withhold this information from the public points to a lack of independence that is most harmful to our country's democratic processes. The fact that the Chief Justice has not weighed in or intervened by now in this matter is also of great concern to the public at large. These are all very serious matters!
birdiestrachan 7 years, 1 month ago
Mr: Symonett's defenses of Doc were poor. at best. But he has to say something. after Mr: turn coat, small things got the nod over Bethel. Doc need not worry. Symonette coming to get him
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