Flipping Grand Bahama

Advocating a more structured form of government, Flipping Grand Bahama is very much in favour of the recent initiative being introduced by the Government to put in place a 25 year plan for the country. The country has been left at the will of men making statements whether for progress of their agenda or their party but not at all in the interest of the people, for years. It is good to have more stability that envisions growth. This week members of the National Development Plan committee were in Grand Bahama to listen to the people of this island about their thoughts for the next 25 years. Unfortunately not enough people were aware and so it is most important the persons write in to the committee to give their thoughts. The committee was launched in November of last year by the Prime Minister Perry Christie to students as public phase of the process for designing the plan: Vision 2040 with the intention of the plan to be completed by June 2015. Interesting that the plan arrive

Grand Bahama is positioned geographically in a very good position to prosper. It has the right amount of sunshine each year, as well as beautiful beaches. It has a lot to offer and has offered a lot in the past, but not so much in the recent past. This blog which began July 5, 2013 has but one aim, and that is to change the thinking of the people on the island which could be whats needed to change the island itself. As the years have gone by, especially the past thirty, the feeling and mindset of despair has been over taking a lot of the residents. What is worst is that the people have been speaking negatively about the economy for a long time and some may not have felt the effects of the things they speak but without being mindful of the fact that the tongue carries a lot of weight, they say the negative things anyway. This negativity has permeated many areas of the island and is the downfall of many businesses. There is still a thought that the economy needs a large influx

I came across this great writing last evening while thinking of what my next post would be about. As usual the words of wisdom displayed by Bahamian Educator Dr. Donald McCartney really impresses me. It is a full explanation of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement as he sees it and I really do concur. Here it is in its entirety as it was written: This is another excerpt from my manuscript. it features the Hawksbill Creek Agreement in layman's terms. The Hawksbill Creek Agreement The Hawksbill Creek Agreement is a contract between the Bahamas government [at the time] acting on behalf of the British Crown and the Grand Bahama Port Authority. The principal concessions contained in the Agreement relates to taxation and customs duties within the area designated as the ‘Port Area.’ This Agreement was signed on the 4th August, 1955, by the Honourable A. G. N. Gardner-Brown, Acting Governor of the Bahamas, and Mr. Wallace Groves, President of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Limited. F

Becoming rather vocal on what it will take to make the necessary changes in Grand Bahama, the President of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Ian Rolle reiterated a call for change in immigration policy. Speaking with the local television station recently, Rolle said what they are looking for is to create more Permanent Residence of persons who would move their families and business ideas to Freeport. He said he feels this can be done if the Government assists. Looking at the present situation in terms of the who gets and what is allowed via Permanent Residency, he called for the Government to allow those business persons who come investing more than $500,000 in homes, etc, to have the status bestowed on their family members as well so that everyone can benefit. He also wants there to be expediency on the part of the Government in getting back to these persons applying for residency. "We need a defined process ... that is what investors enjoy ... certainty" he stated.

Just five months away, the taxation part of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement is expected to drop away if the Government of The Bahamas and the principals of the Grand Bahama Port Authority do not come to another agreement. The Prime Minister Mr. Perry Christie said he is setting up a committee to deal with this and expects that the committee this has not be established yet, will come to a conclusion in more than enough time to be signed before August 5, 2015. With talks still waiting with the public, the Grand Bahama Port Authority stated their feelings during the recent Grand Bahama Business Outlook. Sarah St. George, Vice Chairman stated now is the time to unleash the economic potential Freeport and to do so by extending the concessions under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement. "Extending the concessions will boost investor confidence within and without Grand Bahama. It will attract new investors and last but not least it will significantly increase Freeport's direct and ind