Leader of the Opposition, Michael Pintard shared his concerns about several announcements made by the government on Tuesday in Grand Bahama.
At a press conference following a cabinet meeting held on the island Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis announced a memorandum of understanding with Emera that will lead to the government controlling the electricity company on Grand Bahama.
Pintard told reporters outside of the House Of Assembly on Wednesday, “I can tell you there’s very little interest, I believe, or confidence that they’re going do any better than the power company, which in our view is not doing good.”
The Prime Minister also announced phase one of the redevelopment project at the Grand Bahama International Airport. The airport has remained in a state of disrepair since sustaining extensive damage during the passage of Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
Pintard said, ” he still has not told us whether he has a design for the airport. He has not told us exactly where the location is going to be, whether or not he’s gonna keep the same footprint and we heard nothing about any serious climate mitigation plans that he has for any new airport he may put in place.”
The opposition leader also criticized the government for its handling of the Grand Lucayan Resort. A $120 million heads of agreement was signed between the government and Concord Wilshire for the redevelopment of the property in 2025. “You had a celebration for a long time even after the signing of the heads of agreement, now you tell the public it’s such a complex deal. No, your story is complex and we don’t believe you,” Pintard said
Prime Minister Davis fielded questions about the Grand Lucayan deal at the press conference. He told reporters, “we will ignore the noise. We’ll keep doing what serious governments do, protect workers, protect the public interest, move the project forward step by step in a way that is credible and sustainable.”
As for the deal with MSC Cruises for the development of a new cruise complex Pintard said he supports any project with the potential to create employment.
