It is time to stop the GBPA operatives from daring to question the authority of the Bahamas Government… and CUT THE GBPA STRINGS!
Dear Bahamas Press.
The ongoing public spat between the Government of The Bahamas and an out-of-control Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) is a cautionary tale of what can happen when an entitled group of investors genuinely believe that they, not the elected Members of Parliament, are the government.
This conflict is rooted in the Hawksbill Creek Agreement signed in 1955, a pivotal deal between the government of The Bahamas and Wallace Groves, aimed to spur economic development on Grand Bahama Island by establishing a city and free trade zone. Wallace Groves was granted 50,000 acres of land, with an option for an additional 50,000 acres to develop the area.
This led to the creation of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, which was responsible for developing and administering the land, resulting in the cit of Freeport. The agreement included significant tax exemptions for the Port Authority, such as no taxes on income, capital gains, real estate, and private property until 1985, which has since been extended to 2054. Under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, the GBPA was tasked with several key responsibilities to develop the area:
1. Infrastructure Development: They were to build roads, utilities, and other essential infrastructure to support the new city.
2. Economic Growth: The GBPA was to attract businesses and industries to the area by offering tax incentives and other benefits.
3. Urban Planning: They were responsible for planning and developing the city of Freeport, including residential, commercial, and industrial zones.
4. Port Operations: Establishing and managing a free port to facilitat trade and commerce.
5. Tourism Promotion: Developing tourism facilities and promoting Grand Bahama Island as a tourist destination.
These efforts were aimed to transform Grand Bahama Island into a thriving economic hub, and they worked incredibly well—that is, until the advent of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Government. Of course, by then the GBPA, instead of behaving like a leaseholder, appeared to believe that Grand Bahama was their private fiefdom to be managed as they saw fit but exclusively for their shareholders and the subservient black elites that they established and groomed.
So, imagine the shock and dismay of these supposedly entitled people when Prime Minister Lynden O. Pindling told them that this was not so Imagine their horror to be spoken to with authority by a Nassauvian whom the Grand Bahamians insulted and derisively called “seaweed” and “driftwood.”
The newspapers of the time reported, “Lynden O. Pindling delivered his famous “Bend or Break” speech on July 26, 1969, at the opening of the BORCO refinery in Freeport, Grand Bahama. This speech was a significant moment in Bahamian history, reflecting the government’s commitment to ensuring economic opportunities and benefits were more equitably distributed among Bahamians.
In this speech, Prime Minister Pindling made it clear that the government would not tolerate the GBPA’s overreach and would ensure that the benefits of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement were shared among all Bahamians, not just a select few.
Overall, the “Bend or Break” speech was a catalyst for significant social and economic changes in The Bahamas, reinforcing the government’s dedication to creating a more equitable society.
This speech must have been music to the ears of Grand Bahamians outside of Freeport, who were discriminated against and denied the licenses required by the GBPA to operate in Freeport. However, the Freeport elites saw it as the death knell for their plans to continuously extract and repatriate the wealth and riches of Grand Bahama.
These disgruntled elites have displayed their displeasure over the years by frustrating PLP overtures and engaging in political activities aimed at keeping “outsiders” sidelined while they carry on their role of mindlessly catering to the whims and fantasies of their GBPA overlords.
Having lived on Grand Bahama in the 1970s and having observed the disdain with which Bahamian citizens were treated, especially by foreign licensees, I am amazed that the Bahamas Government, especially th PLP, would even bother to expend funds on keeping Freeport functioning because Grand Bahamians generally have never supported the PLP.
When the GBPA threatened to fire the Freeport Air Traffic Controllers, effectively closing the Grand Bahama International Airport, the PLP government reengaged them, some under substantially better employment terms than they previously had. Indeed, despite the Free National Movement holding most seats in Grand Bahama, no one can honestly point out any benefits derived from it.
The GBPA has breached the Hawksbill agreement. Evidence of this is readily apparent. Closed hotels, lack of tourism promotion, the International Bazaar, and all the thriving businesses that once operated
there are all gone. The infrastructure would be in shambles if the central government did not intervene.
The GBPA’s actions have led to a significant decline in the local economy, with many businesses closing and infrastructure deteriorating, while the FNM politicians, all past or presen GBPA licensees, complain and spin conspiracy theories as they continue t thrive on their connections with the Port while ordinary Grand Bahamians suffer.
It is time to call an immediate and comprehensive halt to this nonsense.
It is time to stop the GBPA operatives from daring to question the authority of the Bahamas Government.
It is time to cut the purse strings and give the GBPA a reasonable time to perform their duties and responsibilities under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement or get out of our lives.
It is time to make L.O. Pindling’s dream for Freeport and Grand Bahama a reality.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Brown
