FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – The city of Freeport may be uniquely structured for a positive standing in the face of ongoing Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations, according to Mr. Carey G. Leonard, Deputy General Counsel for the Grand Bahama Port Authority Group of Companies and member of the Grand Bahama FTAA Advisory Committee.
“I think that Freeport is very well set up to compete,” Mr. Leonard told the Journal Thursday. “Questions on how Freeport will survive should customs duties be eliminated have been raised, however, the customs incentives do not represent the biggest attraction for Freeport. The more potent attractions are its proximity to the United States and its infrastructure. The city of Freeport is extremely well laid out and can accommodate a considerable amount of growth in a very short period of time.”
The Lucayan Harbor and the Grand Bahama International Airport in their proximity to each other, as well as the further development of an international trade center in Leonard’s view, could make Freeport more viable as globalization becomes a more pressing reality and as talk of customs duties and alternative means of taxation continues.
“People will want to travel in and out of the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America through these ports, and will want to do business through our trade center. We can do quite a bit of work here and add the value to items of business while still remaining within the parameters of the Free Trade Agreement,” he said.
Mr. Leonard, who also serves as second vice president of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce hastened to reiterate that many questions regarding the Agreement and its potential impact remain unanswerable, since through CARICOM, countries in the region are still in the process of negotiations regarding their needs and conditions.
Grand Bahamian residents in previous town meetings however, have pushed to have their questions answered on what the outcome would be if the Bahamas chooses not to sign onto the FTAA agreement.
“It will not be an issue of proposing that if we do not like the agreement, we simply will not sign on to it. The issue is in the strength of our negotiations,” he said. “We can negotiate for protection of certain aspects of our economy for certain periods of time. So it is not about choosing parts of the agreement we like and discarding parts that we do not like. It is about ensuring that we adequately negotiate.
“We will not get everything we want in these negotiations, but we will not have to give up on or lose all assets important to us as a country either.”
With many questions pending definitive response being posed to FTAA advisory committee members on Grand Bahama, there has been one strong message pushed that has served as a mantra in ongoing town meetings.
That message is education.
“In preparation for globalization, we as a people must acquire professional certification that is internationally recognized, so that when you have to compete against anyone else, you will have the right piece of paper,” Mr. Leonard told the Journal. “If you fix air conditioning systems, you need to acquire your certification.
“What will matter is not your level of experience. What will matter is that piece of paper that says you are qualified to do what you do.”
The Grand Bahama FTAA advisory committee is now in the process of reviewing its presentation methods for future town meetings.
According to Mr. Leonard, additional town meetings may take on a broader scope, so as to give residents a better understanding of the historical backdrop to the Free Trade Area of the Americas, with the aim of helping individuals to better conceptualize both the importance and the relevance of ongoing negotiations.
By Sharon Williams, The Bahama Journal
