Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, the Hon. Fred Mitchell responded to comments made by former Member of Parliament, Frederick McAlpine on the ongoing dispute between the Government of The Bahamas and the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA).
At a press conference on Monday McAlpine addressed government’s demand of a $357 million payment from the GBPA. He said, “when will this PLP regime, past and present, recognize that this kind of behaviour is not good for international business.”
Mitchell responded saying, “it’s a legal question. It’s founded in the treaty, in the agreement, the Hawksbill Creek Agreement which is a matter of law. And they have thirty days to respond and if they don’t respond the matter goes to arbitration. So all the horse dead and cow fat and who said what and who didn’t say what, they don’t want the government to run the city. Nobody’s talking about any of that, right now it’s a simple matter. Do you owe the money? Are you going to pay?”
McAlpine also mentioned in his presentation that the city of Freeport contributes some $200 million in taxes and questioned how much of that amount the government invests in the city.
Minister Mitchell stated that the matter at hand is, “The Bahamas government has been carrying the city because the Grand Bahama Port Authority has walked away from its obligations to the city. And don’t come and start spinning prejudicial about The Bahamas government, The Bahamas government has saved Grand Bahama time and time again.”
