Whenever projects come on stream, which provide jobs for Bahamians; money in their pockets; and ﾑsmiles for milesﾴ on their faces, everybody is happy. This ﾑeverybodyﾴ includes ﾖand at the top of the list- the Rt. Hon. Perry Gladstone Christie. It would also include, as we now know, Senator Tommy Turnquest, and the High Command of the Free National Movement.
The prime ministerﾴs ecstasy is grounded in his life-long commitment to the health and well-being of the tourism industry. Like many of his peers, the nationﾴs leader knows from personal and family history, the extent to which a thriving tourism industry can provide jobs; put money in the pocket; educate children, and otherwise make for the achievement of a more commodious life. This explains, in part, the current leaderﾴs near obsession with this industry. It is also quite clear that his stint as a Minister of Tourism played a major role in his maturation as a Bahamian leader, conscious and cognizant of the large role the tourism plays in the political economy of the Bahamas.
In the case of Senator Turnquest, while tourism does not seem to have as large a visceral impact, the evidence is impressive that he, too, has been directly impacted, at he family level, by the tourism industry. So, when he weighed in with his response to the good news from Atlantis, it was merely to note that this saga began with his party, when it had the foresight to do business with the Kerzner moguls. The rest, as they say, is history. Atlantis has been good for the Kerzners; good for the shareholders in their companies; good for employees; and good for The Bahamas.
Like most Bahamians we recognize ﾑgoodﾴ when we see it, and say so now that the Atlantis Project is one, which all Bahamians should be proud of. It really should be as simple as that.
But let there be no mistake about the matter, the Kerzners are in The Bahamas because of their determination that this is a good place for them, as far as business is concerned. By the same token, Bahamians have an obligation to see to it that their interests are always protected, and that they get the highest possible returns for their investment. As in any successful venture, the Atlantis miracle has been birthed, and brought to maturity by all parties concerned. Kerzner is as successful as he is in The Bahamas because of the kinds of people who have attracted to the Atlantis Project, in all its phases.
This rosy scenario brings with it a number of issues, which might morph into problems down the road, so to speak. Highest on the list would be the concern that the Government never become so enamoured or enraptured with Atlantis-sized success that it concede too much, and too quickly, for what the Bahamas is being promised at any given time. A collateral issue involves the problem of labour. More specifically, we have a fore boding that trained labour will be drained from some important areas, and thence sucked into Atlantis. The Kerzners win; and so do their employees. But, then, who is to care about the areas, which suffer? And, whoﾖif anyone- has in place contingency plans to deal with this eventuality?
Quite evidently, the someone who has to have the answers is the government. And be reminded, that when we speak of ﾑgovernmentﾴ, our reference is also to those who imagine, like Senator Tommy Turnquest, that they could do the job, if only the people would call them forward. In terms of urgency, the questions are ﾖand evidently- directly addressed to those who now hold the reins. This means prime minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie and the PLPﾴs High Command.
Simply put: the attentive public wants to know from the current administration whether it has done its own social impact assessment vis-�-vis the Atlantis Project, in all its manifestations and phases. And, as a side issue that same public wants to know whether the administration has thought through the impact on community, of having such a mega-project in a system, which is still relatively small. If present trends continue, what �the attentive public asks- is to stop the Kerzners triumphant march through the tourism industry. In this regard, there seems to be a dynamic at work, pushing in the direction of re-branding Nassau-Paradise Island, as Atlantis.
So, even as we join the choir in congratulating all concerned in bringing Atlantis to where
Editor, The Bahama Journal
