Dear Editor,

The comments in The Senate debate of Budget 2006-2007 by Senator Philip Galanis were certainly a blatant intrusion into the private affairs of a private business that is totally supported and mandated by a specific law: The Hawksbill Agreement, 1955.

There is nowhere in this progressive legislation – which established Freeport, the brainchild of Wallace Groves – where Government could determine or create policy. In fact, there has been reversed intrusion where Government has deliberately intruded in the affairs of the Grand Bahama Port Authority. Do we really have to remind ourselves of the Pindling "Bend or Break" speech?

It is ironic and many are questioning why immediately after the recent resignation of the most brilliant Central Banker The Bahamas ever had, Julian Francis, suddenly projects are approved? Is this simply coincidence or was Central Government, especially the Minister of Financial Services and Investments, holding the Port Authority to ransom by holding back on approvals which under Hawksbill basically is supposed to be just a rubber stamp once the Port has completed their due diligence and given approval.

For Senator Galanis to attack the choice of the two partners in the Port Authority simply shows his naive political positioning and a total misunderstanding of precisely who is in charge and is processing all applications to the Port. If the Senator did not hear the words roll off the lips of Sir Albert Miller, he said that as CEO of the Port the buck stops at his desk when it comes to applications and licensing.

One can see that the partners were annoyed and possibly dissatisfied with the leadership at the CEO level, so Francis was asked to resign. I would certainly suggest that this occurs very often in the business world and as a chartered accountant the senator should have recognized it.

If the Freeport zone of Freeport is going to work, there cannot be any intrusion into any term of that granted franchise, and central Government must remove itself from meddling into the terms and clauses of The Hawksbill Creek Agreement.

It is going to be far easier to attract projects, resorts or alternative employment opportunity to Freeport if the Port Authority is left with the contractual terms as clearly set out in Hawksbill.

I would be the first to admit that there have been short-comings of the Port over the past five to six years. The untimely death of Edward St. George certainly left a serious vacuum and it was certainly difficult for anyone to fill his shoes as Edward St. George had the total authority of his partner, Sir Jack Hayward, and could act on his own, something which Mr. Francis did not have the luxury of.

This high level of intrusion and comment must have sent chills down the I-Group of Boston, whose Mayaguana project is just breaking ground, as in that corporate structure Government and the private developer are equal partners.

Editor, it is always better not to throw stones in a glass house for fear you might cause serious repercussions and damage to an already weak entity just re-positioning itself and tenderly taking positive steps to remedy the past.

Yours truly,

G. Martin