Opposition MPs Lament State of GB Economy

Lucaya MP Neko Grant and High Rock MP Kenneth Russell – who have for months been pointing to what they term Grand Bahama’s economic troubles – scoffed at such a suggestion when they spoke with The Bahama Journal at the House of Assembly.

"I would be very surprised if the unemployment numbers dropped that low in Grand Bahama," Mr. Russell said.

He said, however, that many Grand Bahamians may have moved to other islands to seek unemployment and that may account for a drop in the numbers.

But he said, "The reports that unemployment in Grand Bahama has dropped dramatically have to be accompanied by reports telling us where these people are going because if those people are still in Grand Bahama then something is wrong with those unemployment figures."

There were reports that unemployment in Grand Bahama is just above 8 percent, and the figure is reportedly now just above 7 percent nationally, but the Department of Statistics has not yet made any announcements.

In 2005, unemployment in Grand Bahama increased to 11 percent over 9.3 percent in 2004, according to the Department, which also put the national rate in 2005 at 10.2 percent, unchanged over 2004.

Government officials have said that in 2005 the jobs generated from the reconstruction effort following two hurricanes offset the jobs lost due to the closure of the Royal Oasis Resort.

They also said the national figure was unchanged because of a reduction in unemployment in other parts of The Bahamas being offset by an increase in unemployment.

Mr. Russell said Wednesday the state of the northern island’s economy is "terrible" and he said many hotel workers are working two-day weeks.

But Anne Percentie, the MP for Pineridge, said unemployment in Grand Bahama is definitely dropping.

"I’ve done my own personal survey. I live in my constituents’ homes and you can’t find a home where there is no one not working and so it is expected that some people are working two days because of the season," said Ms. Percentie, one of the PLP MPs for Grand Bahama.

"The season does not pick up until after Thanksgiving and so it is untrue to say the unemployment is at its highest on Grand Bahama."

She also declared, "The economy is at its best."

Mr. Grant, meanwhile, said he would welcome confirmation that unemployment is dropping in Grand Bahama, but he said he would find it hard to believe that unemployment has dropped from 11 percent to 8 percent over the last year.

He said there just isn’t any evidence of that.

"For unemployment to go down there must be new businesses opening up where a considerable amount of people would have been employed," he said. "I know of none and those persons who are reporting those numbers need to say to the public where these persons have been unemployed to reduce the unemployment. We had about 1,500 [laid off] from Royal Oasis. Where have they gone?"

Mr. Grant said while there is no great publicity many small businesses in Grand Bahama are closing.

"So how unemployment can be down is beyond me," he said.

Government officials, meanwhile, remain highly optimistic about the future of Grand Bahama’s economy. They say the Ginn development at West End is creating jobs, and they are also banking on the closure of the sale deal for the Royal Oasis Resort.

The property has been closed ever since it took a beating in Hurricane Frances in the fall of 2004.

The buyers have promised to re-open the resort within months.

Unemployment figures, both on the national and local levels, have been highly anticipated for many months now, particularly as these will be the last such figures before the general election.

In Grand Bahama where the economic challenges have been so widely reported, the state of the economy is expected to be a hot-button issue on the campaign trail.

Government officials see lower unemployment numbers as a confirmation of what they have been saying all along and that is that anchor development projects throughout the islands are creating jobs.

Minister of Financial Services and Investments Vincent Peet said recently, "Anyone who wants employment can find it."