Bahamas Leaders Appear Poised To Retry Exumas Mooring Plan
Bill Would Create 'The Unit,' Police Revenue Enforcers
“Not only can you see moorings put in place by the previous group (Bahamas Moorings), but there have been more put down since that deal was canceled.”—Adrian White, member of Parliament.
The ruling party of the Bahamas is seeking to establish a special police unit that whose job would be to manage mooring rentals and vessel waste pump-outs. The bill before Parliament would create something called the “Maritime Revenue Unit,” combining officers from police, the Bahamas Defence Force and other agencies.
“This unit will provide an integrated approach to management and law enforcement of maritime activities in the Bahamas,” wrote Tribune Business Editor Neil Hartnell, in the paper’s lead story Monday. “The Unit,” as it is referred to in the bill, will have the power to collect “spot fines and penalties,”
Yesterday’s Loose Cannon story was about the enormous financial incentive that could explain the Bahamian government’s recent sudden interest in establishing mooring fields in the Exumas. Today’s story discusses whether Bahamas leaders are now devising a new way to skin the same cat.
The opposition party, the Free National Movement, is voting against The Unit, arguing that it is a back-door attempt to revive the defunct Exumas mooring plan, only this time under government auspices rather than as private enterprise.
"This looked as if it was a bill to get around the public outcry over the controversial Bahamas Moorings lease deal and get it under government control and operations," Member of Parliament Adrian White was quoted as saying. The Bahamas Moorings Company was a private company with government approval to set moorings throughout the Exumas and anywhere else in the Bahamas.
White also objected to police doing work better suited to the private sector. “They will otherwise carry out services Bahamian businesses in the private sector, especially in the Family Islands, could be attracted to as commercial opportunities to participate in themselves,” he said.
The original scheme under the Bahamas Moorings was abandoned on February 23 after Loose Cannon and the Tribune exposed conflicts of interests and ties between the principals and high Bahamian officials, right up to Prime Minister Philip Davis. On February 23, Bahamas Moorings was ordered to remove the dozens of moorings that it had already begun setting in place up and down the Exumas.
The moorings are still in place, and White said more have been added.
“You can drive through the Exuma cays now. Not only can you see moorings put in place by the previous group (Bahamas Moorings), but there have been more put down since that deal was canceled,” White said. “There are two acres of land in Black Point, Exuma, being occupied by the entity whose lease was canceled. While that deal was canceled, all other aspects appear to be ongoing.”
PM Defends Bill
As reported in yesterday’s Loose Cannon, the public record suggests the Bahamas government is keen to establish mooring fields because, as the argument goes, moorings help preserve seagrass beds from damage from repeated anchoring. Thus preserved, the Bahamas can monetize its 150,000 square kilometers of seagrass beds as carbon credits.
One estimate puts the value of these credits at $50 billion.
Also opposing the bill is Peter Maury, President of the Association of Bahamas Marinas. Among other things, Maury questioned why the Unit was being placed under the Ministry of Finance. “The Ministry of Finance should have no say over anything maritime unless it comes from the Port Department because it is good at collaborating with the private sector,” he said.
Maury said he believes the ruling party has the votes to push the measure through Parliament.
Read the Bill
And stand by. More to come.
Scam all around. They need to clean up their country
I’m sure the local government can be trusted to administer this boondoggle. Sure