pharoah
06-21-07, - 05:01 PM
PLP Inaction Has Hurt Tourism
This country is in trouble. Crime is on the increase, drugs will soon challenge legitimate business, guns are available at the snap of a finger backed up with some cash, tourism - this country's number one industry - is in decline while Opposition politicians squabble over the loss of an election.
Bahamians are worried about their jobs, their businesses and their futures. They are not concerned, nor have most of them any sympathy with the fallout from an election that the Opposition claimed went wrong, especially when much of the election confusion can be laid at the feet of the former prime minister who failed to allow enough time for officials to properly organise the various polling stations. Quite frankly, considering the lack of time and planning, it is a miracle that the May election went off as smoothly as it did.
In the end there had to be a winner and there had to be a loser. The PLP, then the government, was the loser. Its leaders have now decided to challenge three constituencies to try to win back the government. Instead of all Bahamians joining forces to meet the challenges that this country now faces, it appears that election courts and the Opposition are to become a most unwelcome distraction.
As Senator Tanya Wright, whose appointment the Opposition also promises to challenge on constitutional grounds, told fellow Senators yesterday: "We are not here to become spectacles and we are not here to please the crowd. So, we have to pull up our bootstraps and move on rather quickly to the order of the day, which is actually doing the work of the government and the governance of this country."
Much time has already been lost and the former government, now in opposition, has no right to try to turn the clock back, especially as much of the slippage in tourism can be attributed to their failure to respond to the industry's distress signals. Indecision on how to move forward was the greatest cross that this country had to bear for the past five years.
There is anguished wringing of hands over Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' announcement that it will pull three of its vessels from the Bahamas this summer and redeploy them to other destinations. This pull-out, based on 2005 tourism figures, represents an annual loss of some 166,756 tourists and $9.338 million in visitor spending. This could be the final blow to a Bay Street already in decline.
But why did this have to happen? And why wasn't there more warning.
The tragedy is that there was plenty of warning, but a government that had promised to keep nothing back from the Bahamian people, failed to share the bad news.
The former prime minister went so far as to assure Bahamians during the election campaign that the tourist industry was healthy and tourists were still coming. In fact, quite the contrary.
Tourism figures that his government was withholding until after the election, told another story - tourism was in trouble, and visitor arrivals were down.
According to a release last night from the Ministry of Tourism, Royal Caribbean warned as early as 2004 of its fleet upgrades and the need for larger docks in Nassau and throughout the Bahamas. (See story on today's front page).
"Not only were no changes made to Nassau and Freeport harbours," said the Ministry, "but further, according to Royal Caribbean, they were given no assurances by the Government of the time frame in which the suggested and necessary infrastructural changes might in fact be made.
"Royal Caribbean had no choice but to plan alternate destinations for their vessels." The Freedom class ships "require more inner harbour space to permit safe manoeuvring. Bahamian ports are regrettably unable to accommodate such large ships at this time."
In other words the world was not going to stand still and wait for the Bahamas to catch up. And so we lost the business. Warned of the enlarging of the ships and the anticipated problems, it appears that the Christie government did nothing.
Shipping agents complain that they held a meeting on April 18, 2005 with then Minister Glenys Hanna Martin warning of serious loss of business if nothing were done to upgrade and enlarge the deteriorating Prince George dock. Suggestions were made, even going as far as to recommend the possibility of reclaiming 30 to 35 feet along Woodes Rodgers Wharf, stretching from Charlotte Street to the British Colonial Hilton to locate the straw market. The Minister listened, but nothing was done. As a result three large ships are leaving because no move was made to accommodate their plans to replace their present vessels with the larger, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, which, if accommodated would have brought even more visitors to our shores.
After these disclosures what would make the PLP believe that they would be welcomed back in the halls of decision making? Really their arrogance has inflated them far from the realm of reality. As the young folk say: It's time for them to come back to earth and "get a grip."
Editorial from The Tribune
Nassau, Bahamas
June 21 2007
This country is in trouble. Crime is on the increase, drugs will soon challenge legitimate business, guns are available at the snap of a finger backed up with some cash, tourism - this country's number one industry - is in decline while Opposition politicians squabble over the loss of an election.
Bahamians are worried about their jobs, their businesses and their futures. They are not concerned, nor have most of them any sympathy with the fallout from an election that the Opposition claimed went wrong, especially when much of the election confusion can be laid at the feet of the former prime minister who failed to allow enough time for officials to properly organise the various polling stations. Quite frankly, considering the lack of time and planning, it is a miracle that the May election went off as smoothly as it did.
In the end there had to be a winner and there had to be a loser. The PLP, then the government, was the loser. Its leaders have now decided to challenge three constituencies to try to win back the government. Instead of all Bahamians joining forces to meet the challenges that this country now faces, it appears that election courts and the Opposition are to become a most unwelcome distraction.
As Senator Tanya Wright, whose appointment the Opposition also promises to challenge on constitutional grounds, told fellow Senators yesterday: "We are not here to become spectacles and we are not here to please the crowd. So, we have to pull up our bootstraps and move on rather quickly to the order of the day, which is actually doing the work of the government and the governance of this country."
Much time has already been lost and the former government, now in opposition, has no right to try to turn the clock back, especially as much of the slippage in tourism can be attributed to their failure to respond to the industry's distress signals. Indecision on how to move forward was the greatest cross that this country had to bear for the past five years.
There is anguished wringing of hands over Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' announcement that it will pull three of its vessels from the Bahamas this summer and redeploy them to other destinations. This pull-out, based on 2005 tourism figures, represents an annual loss of some 166,756 tourists and $9.338 million in visitor spending. This could be the final blow to a Bay Street already in decline.
But why did this have to happen? And why wasn't there more warning.
The tragedy is that there was plenty of warning, but a government that had promised to keep nothing back from the Bahamian people, failed to share the bad news.
The former prime minister went so far as to assure Bahamians during the election campaign that the tourist industry was healthy and tourists were still coming. In fact, quite the contrary.
Tourism figures that his government was withholding until after the election, told another story - tourism was in trouble, and visitor arrivals were down.
According to a release last night from the Ministry of Tourism, Royal Caribbean warned as early as 2004 of its fleet upgrades and the need for larger docks in Nassau and throughout the Bahamas. (See story on today's front page).
"Not only were no changes made to Nassau and Freeport harbours," said the Ministry, "but further, according to Royal Caribbean, they were given no assurances by the Government of the time frame in which the suggested and necessary infrastructural changes might in fact be made.
"Royal Caribbean had no choice but to plan alternate destinations for their vessels." The Freedom class ships "require more inner harbour space to permit safe manoeuvring. Bahamian ports are regrettably unable to accommodate such large ships at this time."
In other words the world was not going to stand still and wait for the Bahamas to catch up. And so we lost the business. Warned of the enlarging of the ships and the anticipated problems, it appears that the Christie government did nothing.
Shipping agents complain that they held a meeting on April 18, 2005 with then Minister Glenys Hanna Martin warning of serious loss of business if nothing were done to upgrade and enlarge the deteriorating Prince George dock. Suggestions were made, even going as far as to recommend the possibility of reclaiming 30 to 35 feet along Woodes Rodgers Wharf, stretching from Charlotte Street to the British Colonial Hilton to locate the straw market. The Minister listened, but nothing was done. As a result three large ships are leaving because no move was made to accommodate their plans to replace their present vessels with the larger, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, which, if accommodated would have brought even more visitors to our shores.
After these disclosures what would make the PLP believe that they would be welcomed back in the halls of decision making? Really their arrogance has inflated them far from the realm of reality. As the young folk say: It's time for them to come back to earth and "get a grip."
Editorial from The Tribune
Nassau, Bahamas
June 21 2007