In a brief letter to the Port’s secretary, Sharon Wilson and Sean McWeeney wrote: “As we were not consulted in relation to any of the recent changes in the management of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, we resign as directors of [the Port Authority] with immediate effect.”
Mr. McWeeney and Mrs. Wilson, noted attorneys, served as director for about two years. Mrs. Wilson is also the president of the Senate.
The changes to which they were referring included a recent decision by the GBPA to make redundant the position of deputy chairman, which was held by Willie Moss.
Ms. Moss’s departure from the Port added to already widespread debate about managerial changes at the Port Authority, and concerns that Port officials were weeding out certain Bahamian executives from within their ranks.
The Port Authority also appointed Sir Albert Miller CEO and Hannes Babak chairman after former CEO and Co-chairman Julian Francis resigned amid speculation that there had been some degree of friction between himself and other executives of the GBPA.
The appointment of Mr. Babak, a foreigner with widespread business interests in Grand Bahama, raised concerns among some of the island’s businesspeople that he could be involved in a conflict of interest situation.
But Sir Albert and Mr. Babak moved quickly to assure that this would not be the case and there was no intention to axe Bahamians from the executive team.
On the heels of Mr. Francis’s resignation came an announcement from the Port Authority that Executive Vice President Barry Malcolm had resigned.
Up to Wednesday, however, the Port Authority still listed Ms. Moss as its deputy chairman on its official website, and Mr. Malcolm as its executive vice president, but it has not yet introduced Mr. Babak to the worldwide web community.
Just last week, the Port Authority announced that Dillon Knowles, former director of Building and Development Services, was promoted to vice president with responsibility for development in the Grand Bahama Development Company.
All of this apparently happened without consulting the two directors who tendered their resignation on Wednesday. Both Mr. McWeeney and Mrs. Wilson were outside directors and they are based in New Providence.
One official close to the Port Authority, who spoke to the Bahama Journal last night on the condition of anonymity, said that in a few short months, most of the leading Bahamians of the GBPA have all been disengaged.
The Port’s President Albert Gray remains with the company.
The official said that the termination of Ms. Moss was handled very crudely given that she had given many years of loyal and competent service to the Port Authority.
The Grand Bahama Port Authority, though a private company, is a unique entity in the sense that it has socio-economic responsibilities to the people of Freeport, many of whom look to the Port’s chairman for direction and leadership.
“They’re trying to treat this as a private company where the shareholders can do as they like,” said the source, “but the truth of the matter is the Port is responsible to the people of Freeport.”
So far, the Government of The Bahamas has apparently taken a hands-off approach to the house-cleaning measures being taken by the Port Authority.
But one government senator, Philip Galanis, has been outspoken in raising concerns about changes at the Port Authority.
“The government needs to watch this matter very, very carefully because I cannot understand why in the year 2006 the Grand Bahama Port Authority couldn’t find a suitably qualified Bahamian replacement for Mr. Francis,” Mr. Galanis said.
“Secondly, the concern that I have is that it didn’t appear to me or any reasonable person that any diligent effort was made to find a Bahamian replacement and this flies in the face of the Bahamianization policy of the government and of the PLP.”
Mr. Galanis added last night, “Mr. Babak’s appointment represents in my view a conflict of interest because he is both the regulator as well as a licensee which means that he has the ability in his capacity as a regulator to determine who obtains licences to operate within the Port and if persons apply who may be in competition with his business we can’t rely on him to be objective.”
When Mr. Francis retired as governor of the Central Bank last year, many people in Grand Bahama welcomed his appointment as CEO and Co-Chairman of the Port Authority and looked forward to the kind of development and renaissance he had projected for the city.
Mr. Francis, in fact, was pushing for the benefits of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement to be extended throughout Grand Bahama.
The Port is responsible for commercial and real estate development, utilities operations, and licensing and Sir Albert has promised a new day for the GBPA – the organization, he said, will be open to concerns and suggestions from licensees and other stakeholders.
By: Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
