They need to start by slapping you for making such an ignorant statement

Don't let Marlon Johnson mess things up at Finance and leave it like he did BTC! He was the one that introduced the minimal profit margins that put so many Top Up Vendors and small businesses, yes in the same area he is addressing now...out of business Glad to see Marlon Johnson is able to view some of the damage he caused. First hand! Most businesses start off with a profit margin of 20 - 35 percent and end up with net profits of 5 to 10 percent Marlon tried to get retailers to operate on a 5-6 percent gross profit which is totally impossible. So most retailers are selling Top Up at a 15-25 percent LOSS! It was convenience items like phone cards and top up that kept little mom and pop stores in the over the hill area open they could make a little something when the big stores are closed. But Marlon Johnson change that He made these stores go from making a profit to virtually paying BTC for selling its products. And Aliv came and joined the game Johnson knows little or nothing about Finance or Economics. How can the businesses pay all the relevant fees and be legitimate if they are operating on 5 cents on the dollar? Pure dumbness

And the thing about it is some people in Bain and Grants Town and Centerville and Englerston and The Grove are living no better off than the people in the shantytowns. They have no electricity, no running water outside toilets no cable or internet. The roofs leak and the house is barely standing . And yes the ‘over-the// hill ‘ initiative is a great idea as long as it does not sell persons pipe dreams or false reality. Government can help you get a job and get a roof over your head but they are not prepared to get you a home in Stapleton or Cable Beach. They will help get you on your feet but you have to help yourself to keep standing. The reality for some is Bain or Grants Town or Centerville will always be the only home they ever know. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Many of our leaders came out of those areas. What’s wrong though is allowing these areas to become run down and delapidated. Crime and drug infested. A community effort can eliminate the outside toilet and keep the lights on and the water running. Shared internal on the parks is a great idea. And the spirit of sharing and community mindedness is what makes so many people able to survive in the shantytowns.

The solution to the shanty town problem begins with easing the housing shortages in the affested areas, and make housing more affordable and more accessible. Many that live in the shanty towns are otherwise homeless.

URCA needs to regulate the price of phone cards and Top Up. Local merchants and street vendors are only making 25 cents on a 5.00 phone card or top up and this is driving lots of them out of business. For most of them top up or phone cards account for more tan 50 percent of their sales. So after a long day they go home with less than 5.00 gross profit on 100.00 sales.

One time ago the public service was labeled as a place where ‘they don’t pay much, but you don’t have ta work hard. And once you get a job dere you ain’t gatta worry about getting fire. You could stay rite there till time fer dey ya give ya one lil pension. You cud even move through out the system without losing seniority.’ But today civil servants want to earn the same pay as they do in the private sector. They want the same benefits and the same recognition. So, of course, they have to be held to the dames standards: Work or be fired!

And it appears Izmirlian is willing to take the short end of the stick and walk away. He could have asked to get Bah Mar back. But that would complicate things because it would then entangle both China Bank and the construction company and possibly even the Bahamas Government. Then the question would also arise as to the value of Bah Mar at the time it was seized as well as the cost to complete it. And to involve the government in the lawsuit would not only complicate things but it would put Izmirlian in a bad position with his status here. But to hit out at one party and with a specific amount makes the case less complicated and easier to prove. And the court may award compensation on top of the relief ($2.5 Billion) that may cause Izmirlian to come out with the whole hog . ($3.5. - $4 Billion).

You cannot necessarily say the The Bahamas sold its soul to the Chinese and some crookedness went on. Even though China ExIm Bank and CCA were so tied in the contract with Izmirlian and Bah Mar they appeared to be the one and the same entity. In fact China bank explicitly wrote out Izmirlian’s and Bah Mar’s powers to terminate CCA ‘for any reason.’ But when the matter came before the courts, China Bank asked the courts to rule on Izmirilian’s breech with the bank and basically nothing else. If you have a loan with a bank and you default you can go in and give a ton of reasons. The fact is you still breached the terms of the loan and it is now up to the bank to determine how they deal with you. It was obvious the Chinese wanted Bah Mar and so they seized the opportunity to get rid of Izmirlian. So now Izmirlian must use the same precedent and ask the courts to deal specifically with the agreement between CCA and Bah Mar. To determine CCA breeches this agreement to the point it caused Izmirlian to default. Well the entire Bahamas knows the answer to that question as they sat and waited, patiently then impatiently for Bah Mar to open and only to have the opening date pushed back and back again for some two years as the resort was not complete. Then there were the screaming headlines and news reports of Sarkis Izmirlian crying out to the prime minister for help as he felt the Chinese were taking him to the cleaners (no, not New Oriental) and even trying to sabotage his project. And of course there’s PM’s Chridtie’s Infamous response that ‘the man gone crazy’ and was losing ‘he head.’ And of course there is evidence on the site with major floodings causing millions in damage to parts of the hote that were already completed, furnished and waiting to open. And there were reports of the ghost crews that went in at the dark of night and did lots of corrective work whilst Bah Mar was supposed to be sitting idle waiting for the disputes between China Bank, CCA andI Izmirlian to be resolved. $2.5 Billion is fair compensation considering how comfortable The Chinese have settled in at Bah Mar and made little or no adjustments to Izmirlian’s original plans. And one they have enjoyed a very lucrative first five months and have previewed the future potential of the property, they should offer to settle. Remember the pockets of CCA and China EXIM bank are still connected.

This is where the case gets interesting and where American law or even international will prove differently from what was done in the Bahamian courts with Bah Mar. in the first instance it was China ExIm bank that brought the proceedings against Izmirlian and in a nutshell the claim was that ‘hey we loaned you money and you are in breech of the loan agreement and we are taking Bah Mar.’. In this instance it is Izmirlian bringing a claim against China Construction America. He is saying basically, ‘ You guys did not perform according to the terms of our agreement. Not only were you late and behind schedule, but some of your work was shoddy and caused cost overruns. This made it impossible for me to meet my obligations with the bank and consequently I lost the property. It was your fault and so you must compensate me and put me back in the financial position I was in before this all happened. The amount is $2.25 Billion. Pay up.’ And CCA’s response that this was all dealt with in the winding up procedures in The Bahamas court is weak and definitely not sufficient to dismiss the claim. Basically they are trying to hide behind the legal actions taken by the China Bank and the relief given to the bank by the courts. But this action is addresses activity before the court action taken by China bank. And so CCA must now it was not st fault, that it did not breech the terms of the construction agreement and that it did not cause Izmirlian to lose ownership of Bah Mar.

Is this article about The Bahamas or the KKK?