The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Your Editorial on September 7, 2018, was amazingly perceptive and insightful.

Make no mistake, the proposed Shell deal is good for The Bahamas and great for Bahamians. It will provide reliable, inexpensive power; something that we all yearn for.

You are to be congratulated for seeing through the charade co-ordinated by a group of rich, powerful, influential and well-connected individuals who, in my opinion, have used their influence and power to confuse the process and to publicly attack those who would safeguard the interests of the Bahamian people.

As I see it, the motive is simple: There is a huge amount of money involved, and from my point of view they seek to ensure that all of it goes into their coffers.

The letter writer W Thompson got it all wrong. Interestingly enough, his letter appears next to a letter by one Claude Hanna, who in his letter has closely scrutinised one of the powerful consortiums.

First, one needs only to look at the names that appear on the Chamber’s letter to appreciate the huge conflicts of interest that the group is promoting. The Chamber should come clean by revealing the names of their members who have been promoting adverse interests for the award of the BPL contract. After all, it is the right thing to do, and the Bahamian people have a right to know.

Secondly, the conflicts of interest within URCA are alarming. URCA can safeguard the fairness of the regulatory process by ensuring that former employees of BPL who may have an axe to grind against their former employer are not involved in monitoring or enforcing the compliance process. The saving grace is that the URCA Chairman means well. He must ensure that URCA acts within the law.

In the months to come, it will be important for Bahamians to be vigilant for the emergence of oligarchs who seek to control every aspect of business in The Bahamas to the detriment of the Bahamian people.

J BLACK

Nassau,

September 7, 2018