The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis’s revelation that wealthy Dubai investors are reluctant to invest in Grand Bahama must be greatly demoralising to Grand Bahamians, especially those in the Freeport area.

It only confirms what Grand Bahamians have suspected for years, as the economy in Freeport has dried up, while foreign investors continue to bombard New Providence and to a certain extent, Family Islands such as Abaco, Bimini, Exuma and Eleuthera.

Grand Bahamians find it odd that these investors would prefer to dump their money in underdeveloped Family Islands rather than in Freeport, with its modern amenities, impressive network of roads and the second-best hospital facility in the country.

Moreover, it is also puzzling that these investors would prefer the island of New Providence, which is already crammed with people and is running out of space for further development.

With Grand Bahama, there are thousands of acres of undeveloped land, in addition to the island not being anywhere near as violent as New Providence, which is averaging about 100 homicides per year.

Grand Bahamians couldn’t help but notice the perceived slight towards Freeport and the Grand Lucayan Resort by Royal Caribbean and the ITM Group, after it was revealed in the press that Royal Caribbean is engaged in legal wrangling over a plot of land on Paradise Island it is eager to develop.

Compounding matters was Hutchinson Whampoa offloading the unprofitable, derelict Grand Bahama International Airport buildings on Bahamian taxpayers, after it reportedly collected the insurance payouts after Hurricane Dorian.

There’s the well documented perception among Grand Bahamians that the central government is typically Nassau-centric, while Grand Bahama is treated like a bastard; the illegitimate child of a government based in Nassau, the legitimate child.

With the current economic crisis gripping Freeport, hundreds of Grand Bahamians; possibly thousands, have fled the island as economic refugees to New Providence, Abaco, Exuma, Bimini and the United States and Canada, as I’ve noted in this space on previous occasions.

With the exception of the industrial industry, the only businesses that are flourishing are grocery stores, liquor stores, pharmacies, gas stations, bar rooms, numbers houses, restaurants, mechanic shops, banks and brothels.

Expatriate workers, who are being wooed to the island by a large industrial firm, and are faring way better than many Freeport residents, are having a field day with Grand Bahamian prostitutes.

Struggling Grand Bahamians, who have no reasonable options other than to remain on the island, have resorted to begging the Red Cross, Salvation Army, churches and Social Services for financial and food assistance. Many of them are backed up on their rent, mortgage and utility bills, which will become much more of an issue now that the Grand Bahama Power Company has been given the greenlight to increase its rates to its consumers in April.

That the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and its minister for Grand Bahama, a former Grand Bahama Port Authority executive, were both unable to block this rate increase, further adds to the perception that the central government is useless in Freeport.

Years after its creation by the former Christie administration, the Ministry for Grand Bahama now seems to be a pork barrel initiative with no useful purpose for its existence, other than political tokenism.

The downtown Freeport area is teeming with vagrants, many of whom are suffering from mental illness.

I would like to invite the Nassau-based media houses to visit Grand Bahama and conduct a survey among Grand Bahamians as to why their island continues to wallow in the economic Dark Ages.

I believe that the PLP and the Free National Movement are well aware of the reason investors are scared stiff of investing in Freeport.

But they both seem afraid to publicly state the obvious reason.

The elephant is right in the room. If the duly elected government is afraid to permanently address the main issue impacting Grand Bahama, then what’s the point in begging Grand Bahamians for their votes every five years?

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport,

Grand Bahama.

February 2, 2022.