By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party (PLP) chairman Fred Mitchell rejected claims that immigration controls in Freeport have stifled economic growth, saying the issue is “irrelevant” to the city’s economic challenges, which he attributed to the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s (GBPA) current leadership.

His comment came after GBPA (GBPA) executive director Rupert Hayward said at the Grand Bahama Business Outlook last week that excessive red tape, strict immigration policies, and regulatory changes have hindered Freeport’s investment growth while also expressing frustration with the slow pace of government approvals for projects in the pipeline.

Mr Mitchell, responding to questions from The Tribune, suggested Mr Hayward’s comments were inapprorpiate.

“There is presently an arbitration on issues between the government and the Grand Bahama Port Authority,” he said. “Our understanding was that neither side would seek to poison the well. Once again, the GBPA is not respecting the process by Mr Hayward’s public comments.”

“The PLP’s position mirrors that of the prime minister. The GBPA, in its present incarnation, appears not to have the ideas or the money to carry out the functions of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement. The question of immigration controls in Freeport is irrelevant to that issue. Those issues were settled by agreement and constitutional amendments in 1969. The Immigration Act was subsequently amended to reflect that new reality.”

Mr Hayward had expressed frustration with the slow pace of government approvals for major development projects, despite the GBPA’s efforts to facilitate access to key agencies like the Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA), the National Economic Council (NEC), and the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP).

However, he emphasised that while public disagreements exist, the GBPA maintains a cooperative relationship with the Davis administration behind the scenes.

Mr Mitchell dismissed immigration concerns as the root cause of Freeport’s stagnation, pointing instead to the GBPA’s management following the deaths of former chairmen Edward St George and Sir Jack Hayward.

“The city flourished post that period until the death of Edward St George and Jack Hayward,” he said. “There was a public fight between the successor shareholders about who owned what. The results crippled the city’s development, and it has not recovered from that time to now.”

“The present incarnation of shareholders appears either unwilling or unable to provide what is required to carry out the basic functions of supporting and promoting the city. What you see here today, as there is an upward trajectory in the city’s fortunes, is entirely due to the work and money of the government.”

“The GBPA has developed a reputation in the city and island of extracting profits, liquidating assets, and enjoying the fruits of these profits along with expert public relations. The GPBA, for example, is unable to complete the bridge to Taino Beach in Freeport that has had limited use for months. They paid no attention to its maintenance. They dumped the hotel Grand Lucayan on the government of The Bahamas. They offloaded the airport on The Bahamas government for one dollar, but it will take $250 million by one estimate to rebuild. That will be taxpayer’s money. The hotel is being subsidised by taxpayers as well.”

Mr Mitchell maintained that immigration controls are consistent across the country, noting that other islands are experiencing growth under the same policies.

While Mr Hayward had also asserted that the GBPA’s relationship with the Davis administration is better and more cooperative behind the scenes than public statements suggest, Mr Mitchell pushed back.

“I would like to assure the Bahamian and Grand Bahama public that contrary to the insinuations of Mr Hayward, whether he is a friend of the prime minister’s wife or he likes the prime minister, there is no private arrangement behind the scenes to deal with this straightforward public policy issue,” he said. “His comments in that regard are again irrelevant and offensive.”

“The government remains committed to continued sustainable growth in Grand Bahama.”