Mr Hayward, your recent open letter is a masterclass in deflection, wrapped in the soft velvet of family legacy and birth certificates. You speak of tears and birthplaces as if a PMH delivery room provides immunity from the shifting tides of national sovereignty. But let’s be clear: the outcry from the Davis administration isn’t about where you were born; it’s about how you govern.
The Prime Minister’s comments about changing the structure of the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) are not a challenge to your heritage, but rather a call to re-examine an institution with significant historical roots. You state you are not a “paper Bahamian,” and maintain a connection to the GBPA through the Hawksbill Creek Agreement—a legacy contract that has long influenced public partnerships.
The Birth Certificate vs The Social Contract
You invoked your father’s first breath and your daughter’s tears to humanise a corporate entity. It is a touching narrative, but it conveniently ignores the reality of the thousands of Bahamians in Freeport who have spent decades living under the “quasi-government” of two families.
The Sovereignty Gap: While being a “multigenerational Bahamian” is meaningful, it does not necessarily entitle one to continue private governance indefinitely.
You invoked your father’s first breath and your daughter’s tears to humanise a corporate entity. It is a touching narrative, but it conveniently ignores the reality of the thousands of Bahamians in Freeport who have spent decades living under the “quasi-government” of two families.
The Sovereignty Gap: While being a “multigenerational Bahamian” is meaningful, it does not necessarily entitle one to continue private governance indefinitely.
The Accountability Deficit: While you point to birth certificates, the government points to crumbling infrastructure, stagnant growth, and a Port Authority that enjoys the perks of governance without the democratic accountability required of it.
Your letter suggests that, because you stayed through hurricanes, you are entitled to the status quo. Persistence is not a substitute for performance. The Bahamian people have also stayed through every storm, but they did so without the safety net of the St. George and Hayward millions.
The Myth of “Working Together”
You stated that “The Grand Bahama Port Authority is not going anywhere.” That is not an invitation to collaborate; it is a threat of stagnation. For years, the GBPA has used its legal framework as a shield against progress. When the Prime Minister speaks of Bahamian sovereignty being “real” in Freeport, he is speaking to the fact that, for too long, the GBPA has acted as a state-within-a-state.
You stated that “The Grand Bahama Port Authority is not going anywhere.” That is not an invitation to collaborate; it is a threat of stagnation. For years, the GBPA has used its legal framework as a shield against progress. When the Prime Minister speaks of Bahamian sovereignty being “real” in Freeport, he is speaking to the fact that, for too long, the GBPA has acted as a state-within-a-state.
”Two families will not decide the fate of Bahamians.”
This isn’t “populist rhetoric,” Mr Hayward. It is the fundamental principle of a post-colonial democracy. You seem to believe that the “shared commitment” you mention is a partnership of equals. It is not. The Government of The Bahamas represents the collective will of the people; the GBPA represents the private interests of its shareholders. When those interests collide, the people must win.
The “Outsider” Complex
You expressed pain at being characterised as an “outsider.” If you feel like an outsider, perhaps it is because the GBPA has functioned as an island unto itself for seventy years.
You expressed pain at being characterised as an “outsider.” If you feel like an outsider, perhaps it is because the GBPA has functioned as an island unto itself for seventy years.
You cannot claim the mantle of a “proud Bahamian” while simultaneously fighting to keep the second city of The Bahamas under a governance model that bypasses the Cabinet and the people’s representatives. You cannot wrap yourself in the flag while clutching a private agreement that limits the flag’s authority.
A Final Reality Check
Mr Hayward, your daughter’s tears are a private matter, but the economic tears of Grand Bahamians—who have watched their city fall behind while the “two families” bicker over shares and legacies—are a public grievance.
Mr Hayward, your daughter’s tears are a private matter, but the economic tears of Grand Bahamians—who have watched their city fall behind while the “two families” bicker over shares and legacies—are a public grievance.
The Prime Minister has finally heard the message the GBPA has ignored for years: the era of the “Magic City” as a private club is over. Sovereignty isn’t something you negotiate with a Port Authority; it is something a nation asserts.
You are a Bahamian, yes. But you are also the co-owner of a system that has outlived its usefulness. If you truly love this country as much as your letter suggests, you would stop fighting to preserve the GBPA in its current form and start facilitating its evolution into a truly public entity.
The “message” you claim the Prime Minister is sending is actually a message from the Bahamian people: We are no longer content to be guests in our own city.
The “message” you claim the Prime Minister is sending is actually a message from the Bahamian people: We are no longer content to be guests in our own city.
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