By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

An ex- Abaco MP yesterday slammed the “inexcusable” failure to fix Abaco’s “dangerous” roads while voicing alarm over whether a foreign hotel chain has gained permission to rename a Bahamian island.

Fred Gottlieb, a one-time Free National Movement (FNM) MP, told the Abaco Business Outlook conference that residents had been promised 62 miles of new road and “I’ve not seen a bit of it happen” while other islands that escaped Hurricane Dorian’s devastation - especially Eleuthera and Exuma - have seen millions pumped into improving their road infrastructure

And he also challenged Cabinet ministers as to whether the Montage hotel brand has been given official government permission to rename the former Matt Lowe’s Cay, just off Marsh Harbour, as Montage Cay for the $352m resort development being constructed there. The attorney added that he hoped “the Government is exacting a good fee” or royalties given the benefits that will accrue to the Montage project.

Pia Glover-Rolle, minister of labour and the public service, told Mr Gottlieb that she “appreciates the honesty and urgency” in his concerns and would “ensure your message is sent loud and clear” to Clay Sweeting, minster of works and Family Island affairs. She hinted that roadworks for Abaco are in the Government’s infrastructure works “pipeline”, but could not provide a timeline for when they will happen.

As for Montage Cay, Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, investments and aviation, said an island’s name could only be changed via approval from a Parliamentary resolution and he could not recall this occurring. However, he promised Mr Gottlieb that he would look into the matter.

The former MP, addressing Mrs Glover-Rolle immediately after she finished her contribution, said: “Minister, you touched upon construction of roads. There are lots of questions I have, but I am going to limit it. One of my concerns is that a major inhibition to the continued growth and development of Abaco is the state of infrastructure and, in particular, the current state of the roads.

“It’s now been six years since Abaco came out of Hurricane Dorian, was struck by Hurricane Dorian, and was only one of two islands affected. Since that time we have seen very little, and I stand to be corrected, in terms of infrastructure improvement as far as our roads are concerned.

“Particularly within the community here, the settlements of Marsh Harbour, Murphy Town and Dundas Town, and going south.. there was one road that has been built, Pelican Shores, which is good but only serves a very small percentage of the population,” Mr Gottlieb continued.

“The state of the roads going south to Sandy Point and going north up to Crown Haven are, from what I observed, in a terrible state, terrible condition. They are dangerous and not conducive to the growth of this island.”

Mr Gottlieb, who said he was forced to relocate to Nassau for two years after Dorian destroyed his office and left him with no staff, recalled how he returned in 2022 and attended a meeting staged by the island’s two MPs, John Pinder and Kirk Cornish.

“The member for South Abaco [Mr Pinder] informed us that within a year - and I stand to be corrected again - 62 miles of road would be built on Abaco. I haven’t seen it.” Explaining that he was not asking a question, but trying to convey “the urgent need for this to be done”, Mr Gottlieb contrasted the conditions of Abaco’s roads with the Bahamas Striping-led upgrades for Eleuthera and Exuma.

“I’m delighted to see the roads being built in Exuma, and we are happy for those people,” he added. “They did not suffer the consequences of Hurricane Dorian like we did, and I really think it’s somewhat inexcusable we’ve been neglected to this day.”

Emphasising that he was making a personal, and not a political, statement, Mr Gottlieb reiterated: “I’m very concerned about that and, having been told we are going to have roads, 62 miles of road built, and not seeing a bit of it happen. I’m very concerned.”

Mrs Glover-Rolle, in response, acknowledged that “infrastructure is fundamental to sustainable growth, and if we talk about expanding the economy we have to be able to traverse the roads. Capital works are critical, and the safety of our people”.

The minister said she was aware “timelines have shifted in some instances”, but the Government remained committed to effecting infrastructure improvements for all Bahamian islands. She, too, is advocating for road improvements in her Golden Gates constituency in Nassau.

“I understand the urgency, and we commit to that in ensuring equitable infrastructure is [available] on the island of Abaco, but I do know it is in the pipeline. I cannot stand here and give you a timeline, but I can commit to ensuring your message is sent loud and clear to our minister of works,” Mrs Glover-Rolle said.

Mr Gottlieb, meanwhile, also sought answers over Matt Lowe’s Cay’s ‘renaming’ to Montage Cay. “Is it official now that Montage, that is the name of the island, Montage Cay?” he asked. “That we are allowing a foreign company, a foreign hotel chain, to actually name an island in The Bahamas after its own brand?

“And, if that’s the case, I do hope the Government is exacting a good fee for that privilege, which is a tremendous promotional benefit for a company like Montage.” Mr Cooper, in reply, said he would check the island’s status but pointed that a resolution giving Parliament’s approval is required before an island’s name can be altered.

“The requirement of the law, and I don’t want to preach the law to Mr Gottlieb, but a resolution of Parliament is required to change the name. I don’t think that was done during our term, and it might be that the resort is going by the name Montage Cay Resort, but we’ll need to check,” Mr Cooper said.

“I’d let you know for sure, but Montage is a world-renowned premium brand and I believe their attempt is to leverage this brand and bring high-end clients to Abaco. In that regard, we applaud that move, but I need to check what the actual legal standing is on it. I believe it was Matt Lowe’s Cay before. A parliamentary resolution would be required to formally change the name of the cay, and I don’t know if that was done prior to my time.”

As for Mr Gottlieb’s call for the Government to charge a fee for the name change, Mr Cooper added: “We note the point on royalties. We’d be happy to get more always.” Several observers spoken to by this newspaper yesterday questioned why Mr Gottlieb was fixated on the name as opposed to the economic and employment benefits that Montage Cay is forecast to generate.

Tribune Business records show that Sterling Global Financial, the Montage Cay developer which has also transformed Paradise Island’s Hurricane Hole site into Paradise Landing, previously said Montage Cay features a deep water marina, 50-suite hotel and exclusive residences among other amenities.

David Kosoy, Sterling Global Financial’s chairman, previously said the project will have 200 rooms and the capacity for 500 guests to stay at the resort at any given time. “We have over 50 hotel keys and suites, and about 1,000 square feet for one room…. We will have seven beaches, and the beaches are amazing,” he added.