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Bran: PM should not mediate Baha Mar negotiations

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader yesterday said Prime Minister Perry Christie should not mediate the upcoming Baha Mar negotiations, as his impartiality would likely be questioned by the developer.

Branville McCartney told Tribune Business it would “not be a good thing” for Mr Christie to personally mediate the talks between Baha Mar, the Government and its Chinese partners, given the personal attack he launched earlier this week on Sarkis Izmirlian.

Mr Christie and the Government, responding to Baha Mar slamming them over the payment of its 2,400 staff, suggested that Mr Izmirlian was becoming mentally unhinged.

Realising that he and his administration may have gone too far, and overheated the temperature surrounding Baha Mar’s Chapter 11 filing, Mr Christie attempted to ‘row back’ on Tuesday night, calling for all sides “to put aside the antics of the past several days and meet with a clean slate and cool heads”.

Baha Mar, according to the Prime Minister, had as of Tuesday night yet to confirm its participation in the mediated talks scheduled for this weekend.

The resort developer, when contacted by Tribune Business yesterday, neither explicitly confirmed nor denied that it would attend. However, the odds seem to favour its presence.

“Baha Mar’s singular focus is to do all it realistically can to enable Baha Mar to be completed and opened successfully as soon as practicable,” the developer said in a statement.

“Therefore, we look forward to engaging in substantive discussions with the parties to try and reach a consensual resolution that will allow us to move forward.”

But, when asked by Tribune Business whether the ‘damage had been done’ as a result of recent public exchanges, Mr McCartney replied: “There’s no doubt about that.”

The DNA leader added that the heated public spat between the Government and Mr Christie on one side, and Baha Mar and Mr Izmirlian on the other, had already damaged the Bahamas’ reputation internationally.

He added that he personally received a call from some Atlanta-based Americans yesterday, asking him pointedly what was happening in the Bahamas, and expressing concern about a row that had resulted in the Prime Minister calling the Baha Mar developer “crazy”.

Mr McCartney said the fact Mr Christie had attempted to mediate a solution to the Baha Mar impasse before, only to confess to being ‘blindsided’ by the developer’s Chapter 11 filing, did not inspire confidence that his latest effort would be successful.

“I don’t think him being the mediator, him personally, would be a good thing,” Mr McCartney told Tribune Business. “He ought to have some independent person mediate in light of the personal attacks being launched by the Prime Minister against Sarkis Izmirlian and vice versa.”

And he recalled that the Prime Minister unsuccessfully acted as mediator “prior to the debacle of the bankruptcy filing”, and was negotiating with and speaking then to all parties in the Baha Mar dispute.

“For the person who was blindsided now to say he will mediate doesn’t invite a lot of confidence in the outcome of these negotiations,” the DNA leader told Tribune Business.

“Although we want to see negotiations back in the Board room rather than the court room, it ought to be done in the right way so that the right result - for this project to move forward for the benefit of the Bahamian people and the country.”

K P Turnquest, the FNM’s deputy leader, shied away from commenting on whether the Prime Minister should mediate the Baha Mar talks.

He suggested, though, that an international arbitrator should be brought in to lead the mediation.

“It would be very wise and useful to bring in an international arbitrator,” he told Tribune Business. “After all, this is a contract dispute, and someone with international exposure and who’s independent may be very helpful in resolving this in a timely and efficient manner.”

There is also plenty of experience available in the Bahamas. This nation has a Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ (CIArb) branch, while the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) is developing a domestic arbitration centre.

The ‘personal attacks’ between Baha Mar and the Government are not the only reason why Mr Izmirlian and his team may view the Prime Minister’s offer to mediate with some suspicion.

For the Government, via its actions and statements, has given every indication that it has sided more with Baha Mar’s partners, the China Export-Import Bank as debt financier, and China Construction America, the contractor, in the dispute.

Thus Baha Mar may well fear that if it attends the mediation, the Government may ‘gang up’ with the Chinese against it, subjecting it to an ‘ambush’ similar to the one it allegedly inflicted via the Chapter 11 filing.

Still, given that Baha Mar was the party pushing for a resumption of negotiations, and agreed to adjourn the Supreme Court proceedings until July 20, it appears likely that the developer will attend the mediation talks that are scheduled for this weekend.

Mr Christie confirmed that both Chinese entities will attend, and had asked him to mediate.

Mr McCartney, meanwhile, emphasised that the row between Mr Christie and Mr Izmirlian had also damaged the Bahamas’ reputation internationally.

“That does not bode well for the Prime Minister of the country and the developer himself, and it looks bad for the country internationally, no if’s, and’s and but’s about that,” he told Tribune Business.

“I just got a call from Atlanta, some Americans, asking: ‘What’s going on down there? I see some big argument between the Prime Minister and the developer, where the Prime Minister called the developer crazy’.

“That’s an example. It doesn’t bode well for the country, and we are all affected by it. Let’s stop the blame game, get down to business and resolve this matter.”

Mr McCartney expressed concern over what would happen to the next pay cheque for Baha Mar’s 2,400 employees, and who would pay it, should the dispute not be resolved and drag on through the courts.

He also warned that millions of dollars would need to be invested to bring the $3.5 billion project into compliance with the Bahamas’ Building Code, meaning the mega resort complex was unlikely to open this year.

Comments

JohnBuchanan 9 years, 2 months ago

It has become obvious that the Prime Minister is an incompetent buffoon, so since the Baha Mar saga is on the verge of becoming a tragicomedy, he might be perfect to lead the talks -- if total disaster is the goal. Its is very, very sad to see the gross incomptence and deceit of the Izmirlian "management team" (all of whom should be deported as soon as possible) combined with the cluelessness and delusion of the government. The real losers are the Bahamian people and especially those workers who took jobs at BM in good faith, only to end up on the creditors list in the bankruptcy filing.

newcitizen 9 years, 2 months ago

Enough with the deporting people. Most of the board and management team are Bahamian citizens. Stop being so damn xenophobic.

GrassRoot 9 years, 2 months ago

The Bahamian people have already lost with this corrupt incompetent Government. The previous Government was fortunately less corrupt but seems to have been incompetent as well in hindsight. So whats your point. If you make a fish swim outside the water, the fish is not a good swimmer. If a "management team" can get a colossus like Baha mar up in literally NO time they way they did, particularly in an political and economical environment like the Bahamas with close to zero local resources, is not incompetent - they are VERY MUCH capable. Are they perfect? No. Should a colossus like Baha Mar ever have been built? NO. the big mistake is not the execution (or partial lack thereof), it is that Baha Mar was allowed to happen in the first place.

banker 9 years, 2 months ago

I agree with Bran on this one. All one has to do, is show the judge the very undignified picture of Perry Christie dressed up as a Chinese Emperor at Junkanoo, and that should be cause for any sane person with ethics and dignity to recuse themselves. But our brain dead buffoon can't see that the emperor has no clothes.

GrassRoot 9 years, 2 months ago

yes, although I have to add, that I feel intellectually offended by the notion uttered by Bran, that the PMs impartiality may be compromised. There was never impartiality and the fact that the PM wants to "mediate" shows that the PM damn well knows that he is not impartial and by being the mediator, he thinks he can control the process. The only issue is that if you are a hen, you cant out"fox" the foxes around you. PM will have more egg in his face soon. CCA and Izzie, both are shrewd players.

proudloudandfnm 9 years, 2 months ago

But BP says the deal was made two days ago.... lol....

realfreethinker 9 years, 2 months ago

People still read that trash

Publius 9 years, 2 months ago

@real Pathetic isn't it?

Publius 9 years, 2 months ago

Now Brainless Bran has a new spin after saying the government should cut out Sarkis from his own project and work exclusively with the Chinese?

GrassRoot 9 years, 2 months ago

oh yes. Bran publicly shitted himself beyond embarrassment when he made that statement about Izzie. Seems he had either a stroke too before he said that, or is definitely brainless, welcome to the club: he qualifies now for higher office. Looks like another lap dog in the making here.

birdiestrachan 9 years, 2 months ago

Mr: Bran McCartney wants to be the one to mediate the Baha Mar negotiations. Bran who has no vision, and is full of himself. and does not or can not utter any thing resembling common sense. he is just one big empty barrel making noise.

GrassRoot 9 years, 2 months ago

wow, birdie, makes sense - for once. Although I am a little concerned that you have limited your options by shutting the DNA out, and having it made reasonably clear in the past that you are not FNM. Are you PLP now?

birdiestrachan 9 years, 2 months ago

Bran Atlanta Base Americans. . Add this to him He is a stranger to the TRUTH.

GrassRoot 9 years, 2 months ago

Yes the TRUTH lies only with the FORCE and the FORCE is with our SHINING GREAT LEADER OF THIS GREAT NATION. Hail to PGC, Hail to PGC, you DEAREST MOST BELOVED BENEFACTOR OF OUR beloved Nation, that CARES for us, like we were his OWN CHILDREN, and puts the WELLBEING OF THE NATION above his own humble needs. WE WILL BE ENDLESSLY SADDENED if you decided NOT TO CONTINUE TO BE OUR SHINING GREAT LEADER after 2017. WE FEEL LOVED, APPRECIATED, CARED for under YOUR REIGN. OUR KIDS will sing YOUR SONG, and our GRANDKIDS will praise YOU and YOUR KIN FOREVER.

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