By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Calls to abolish the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) were yesterday rejected by a senior private sector executive who urged sceptics to “accept” it will exist for at least another 29 years.

James Carey, the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce’s president, in leading off the island’s Business Outlook conference also urged the business community not to be “distracted” by the Government’s $357m claim against Freeport’s quasi-governmental authority although he conceded this was the likely effect of the two sides’ dispute and ongoing arbitration proceedings.

And, pushing back against calls for the GBPA to be “done away with”, he argued that its current owners - the Hayward and St George families - should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they wish to exit rather than forced to sell their interests given that the Hawksbill Creek Agreement which led to Freeport’s founding does not expire until 2054.

Speaking later at the same conference, Rupert Hayward, a GBPA principal and director, conceded that “we need to get the public messaging right” and counter the impression that the differences between the Government and Freeport’s quasi-governmental authority have deepened to outright conflict that is impeding the city’s growth and progress.

Mr Carey, in his opening address, conceded that “we are far from realising our potential” as he again repeated his call for the Government and GBPA to set aside their differences and work together for the common good of both Freeport and the wider Bahamas.

Acknowledging the Government’s demand that the GBPA reimburse it for spending incurred in the Port area over and above the tax revenues generated by the latter, the GB Chamber chief asserted: “We shouldn’t be distracted by the Government’s claim on the Port Authority for in excess of $357m and the arbitration associated thereto.

“Most certainly this should not be an inhibitor to development and progress, although it probably is. Notwithstanding the difficulties, it’s imperative a way be found by the Government and the Grand Bahama Port Authority to work together.... for the good of Grand Bahama.”

And, in a nod to calls for the GBPA to either be abolished, or relinquish its quasi-governmental powers back to the Government in Nassau, Mr Carey argued that critics should get used to the fact it will likely still be around for almost another three decades.

Asserting that the GBPA’s managers and owners are continuing to promote Freeport to potential investors, he added: “There has been much talk in recent times that the GBPA should be done away with.... It perhaps goes without saying that the current owners of the Port Authority can be changed if they desire to relinquish their interest.

“That is for the owners to decide but, as it stands, the GBPA as an organisation, it is with us for the next 29 years. We should accept that fact; the fact that the Grand Bahama Port Authority is playing an important role in the well-being of Grand Bahama as it is.” The Government launched its $357m demand, and arbitration proceedings, after the GBPA’s owners declined its offer to purchase their interests.

Mr Hayward, meanwhile, sought to dispel the notion that the Government and GBPA are constantly fighting to Freeport’s detriment by suggesting that relations between the two sides in private are far more cordial than they appear in public.

“I think politics is always a lot of fanfare,” he argued. “I think behind the scenes there is a collective willingness to turn Freeport around. There are long-standing relationships between the management and principals of the Port Authority with many members of government.

“I count the Prime Minister’s wife as a friend and I like the Prime Minister enormously. He’s very accommodating when we sit down and talk about things behind closed doors. I think we need to get the public messaging right.

“It’s important that people see the stakeholders in Grand Bahama working together, not just behind the scenes but also in public. We have always said that we want partnership, we want to support the Government. We want to see our government thrive and succeed for the benefit of not just Grand Bahama but the benefit of the entire Bahamas. It’s a work in progress.”

Mr Hayward, in responding to attendee questions, reiterated the GBPA’s calls for Freeport’s bye-laws to be reformed so that it can demolish dilapidated buildings and address “urban blight” that scars the city’s physical environment.

Asked about street and cross-walk lights not being in service, he said: “The small things matter. That’s the reality. Big vision and dreams are important as a precursor to growth, but if we don’t get the small things right it actually means nothing.”

In a hint of financing and cash constraints, Mr Hayward said: “There is no magic money tree. Cleaning up after six storms is extremely expensive. It’s all privately funded. We are doing our best to make sure the city looks as good as it can. We do need our bye-laws updated.

“We are constrained by our existing bye-laws. It stops us being able to demolish the buildings we desperately want to demolish. That is a really important next hurdle to solving some of the urban blight.” 

And, in reply to concerns that Grand Bahama-based hospitality businesses are struggling to identify and recruit suitable, trained staff, Mr Hayward said: “That’s the problem when an economic model fails, which we’ve seen for the last 20 years with storms, economic shocks.

“There is a lost generation who have not had jobs here in Grand Bahama, who have not had the benefit of the approach to training them and giving them an experience they can bring to the workplace that they can even pass on to their children.”

Mr Hayward described education and training as “the cornerstone” for creating opportunities for Bahamians who serve international clients able to go anywhere in the world. He added that it was “clear we have to do more” on hospitality and tourism training.