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TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2020
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PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. PHOTO: Yontalay Bowe/BIS
PM: ‘No timetable’ for phased re-open By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE prime minister yesterday declined to give timelines for re-opening the Bahamian economy as he unveiled a six-phase strategy for achieving this objective. Dr Hubert Minnis, in unveiling the staged approach recommended by the National COVID-19 co-ordinating committee, said The Bahamas’ progress through the six stages will be determined by “metrics and advice by the healthcare professionals”. His plan showed that The Bahamas has a long way to go to achieve the full re-opening of its economy as, based on the details unveiled by the prime minister, it remains firmly in Phase 1A - the first of the six phases, or curfew/lockdown mode. Reaching 1B, the next phase of the re-opening strategy, would permit businesses to offer pick-up and delivery services if they are able to do so. Home, hardware and auto parts stores will be able to open for five days per week via online and “curbside” services, while New Providence’s construction industry would also be allowed to re-open. Phase 2, involving “expanding operations”, would allow all businesses to open on Family Islands where COVID-19 is not present. Businesses that “can scale up” to offer delivery and pick-up services will also open, along with services, healthcare and manufacturing companies that can maintain social distancing. The third phase, described as “beginning the new normal”, would allow “non-essential” retail stores to open with critical staff only, and all necessary
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Spending ‘explosion’ with SOE losses squeeze govt By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net MOUNTING losses at troubled state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are squeezing the government amid “exploding” welfare demands, a Cabinet minister adding: “All arrows are pointing the wrong way.” Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribune Business that the COVID-19 lockdown had exacerbated the “cash haemorrhaging” at longstanding loss makers that are grounded without any revenue income - such as Bahamasair. Revealing that the government is facing an “increasingly negative cash flow” position at many SOEs, Mr D’Aguilar said it was seeking to maintain employment levels despite the growing drain they pose to an already over-burdened Public Treasury that is struggling to cope with the demands imposed by the pandemic. And, while the government has yet to develop a solution for its SOE headache, he argued it was “a dream” to believe it simply borrow $2bn to address all the country’s
• Would have placed increased burden on itself • By making non-profits ‘incapable’ of operating • Sector’s society services faced cut-back
DIONISIO D’AGUILAR woes given the debt this would load on future Bahamian generations. “The government has not decided at this time to alter the cost structure of these entities,” Mr D’Aguilar told this newspaper, “but in so doing your expenses are remaining virtually the same with no revenues coming in to offset those expenses. “Your losses are mounting, and you cash flow is growing more negative by
the minute. That’s forcing these entities to lean on what they deem their lender of last resort, which is the Government of The Bahamas. “We have a drastically reduced amount of tax revenues coming in, but the losses from these SOEs are mounting and it’s presenting a cash flow problem for the Ministry of Finance to have to address. Nobody wants to be in this situation. It’s an
THE Downtown Nassau Partnership’s (DNP) co-chair yesterday said the $250m cruise port developer’s decision to push ahead will provide a major confidence boost in “the darkest stages” of COVID-19. Charles Klonaris told Tribune Business that despite the “quite bleak” outlook, with Bay Street and the city of Nassau “completely shutdown” due to the government-imposed nationwide lockdown, it was “only a matter of time” before tourism and commerce returned. Arguing that it was critical to launch Prince George Wharf’s transformation before the cruise industry revives, Mr Klonaris said the departure of many international banks and trust companies to office
unfortunate situation, but in the business world you would characterise something like this as a situation where you are haemorrhaging cash.” The government collectively allocated almost $414m in subsidies to SOEs in the 2019-2020 budget. Although more than 50 percent, or $223.445m, was given to the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA), the likes of Bahamasair ($23.293m); Water & Sewerage ($25m); Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas ($7.578m) continue to bleed Bahamian taxpayers and the Public Treasury. Mr D’Aguilar said tourism-dependent SOEs such as Bahamasair and Nassau Flight Services, which itself was due a $1.8m subsidy, have shut down but still have their pre-COVID-19 cost structures given that no temporary lay-offs or other expense-cutting measures have occurred.
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Ramp-up COVID-19 testing to stop ‘economic damage’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas is in danger of “doing considerably more damage to the economy than it needs to” unless COVID-19 testing is massively ramped-up, a well-known businessman warned yesterday. Robert Myers told Tribune Business that the government was locking down the country for another month on the basis of insufficient data due to the fact not enough Bahamians and residents have been tested to see whether they are carrying the potentially deadly virus. Speaking before Dr Duane Sands, minister of health, confirmed to the House of Assembly that less than a quarter of one percent of the Bahamian population have been tested, Mr Myers argued that decisions were being taken using incomplete data that was “heavily skewed”
• Fears lock down based on insufficient data • ‘Won’t re-open any time soon’ if no testing • Investment less than ‘millions’ in losses
ROBERT MYERS because the sample size is so small. While The Bahamas’ COVID-19 death rate appeared “awfully high”, this is based on 11 fatalities out of the 80 cases detected so far. However, the businessman argued that COVID-19 was likely to be far more widespread
than these statistics indicated through asymptomatic carriers of the virus who show no signs of ill-health whatsoever. It was reported yesterday that almost 25 percent of New York residents have tested positive for COVID19 antibodies. While this suggests more than 2m of the city’s 8.4m population may have become infected by COVID-19 at some point, it also places the mortality rate at 0.5 percent (11,460 confirmed deaths), and Mr Myers said rampedup testing would likely produce similar results in The Bahamas. While praising the prime minister’s six-phase economy re-opening plan as “fine” and “looking good” (see other article on Page
Port’s confidence boost in COVID-19 ‘darkest stages’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
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• DNP co-chair looks to future amid ‘bleak’ present • ‘No quick turnaround’ for downtown post-virus • Hopes lower rental rates can aid diversifying
PROPOSED development of Nassau Cruise Port. locations in western New Providence had left downtown Nassau reliant on tourism as its sole economic engine. He suggested, though, that the area’s lower rental rates will help attract law firms and small businesses back to the city in the
pandemic’s aftermath due to the lower rental rates on offer compared to areas such as Albany, Lyford Cay and Old Fort Bay. “It’s really important we get this new port underway,” Mr Klonaris said, after Tribune Business revealed that Nassau Cruise
Port is planning to raise up to $150m next month via a bond issue to finance construction activities. “I think that should play a major role in the redevelopment of the city. “I feel they should be able to get the $150m they’re trying to raise. We’re in the darkest stages of this virus, and looking around it appears quite bleak, but I think we have to take the long-term perspective. I think bringing back confidence is key, and I think a shrewd investor will look at this long-term; not just for six months or a year. “It’s only a matter of time, I believe, before the
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1B), Mr Myers said its release had not done enough to instill hope and confidence into the private sector that better days lie ahead in the absence of increased testing to give a better idea of when this will happen. “I’m telling you right now that I don’t believe we’ve done enough to understand the reality of what’s happening,” Mr Myers told Tribune Business. “I don’t have enough hope that if we don’t start doing that, and don’t start testing more intensely, that we’re going to open up any time soon. “My biggest concern is by not doing that we continue to shut down the economy and do considerably more damage for a longer period
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$3.28 Heart doctor heads to Privy Council on RoyalFidelity claim By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A TOP Bahamian heart doctor has been given conditional leave to appeal to the Privy Council in his dispute with a local merchant bank over a margin loan. The Court of Appeal granted Dr Conville Brown permission to take his case to the highest court in the Bahamian judicial system provided he lodges a $2,861 security to cover costs and send the necessary legal papers to the UK. He is appealing a Court of Appeal ruling ordering him to pay almost $300,000 to RoyalFidelity Merchant Bank & Trust after losing his “negligent/fraudulent misrepresentation” claim against it. The Court of Appeal had found Dr Brown “was in breach” of a near two decade-old agreement he made to borrow money from the Bahamas-based investment bank. The loan, which was secured against the value of the stocks and securities in his brokerage account at RoyalFidelity, stipulated that the sum borrowed must never exceed 50 percent of these investments’ collective value otherwise it would fall into default. These securities were valued at $329,751 when the loan was agreed on February 17, 2000, and RoyalFidelity agreed to advance a margin facility of $164,875 that was worth 50 percent of the collateral pledged. However, the Bahamian stock market - and value of the securities in Dr Brown’s brokerage account - plummeted after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks and failed to recover. This placed the loan facility in default, and caused RoyalFidelity to make a “margin call” on October 4, 2002. It warned the well-known cardiologist that his securities investments “had so declined in value” that he was now only eligible for a $98,111 margin loan, and had accumulated a $179,773 overdraft. Offsetting the two sums, Royal Fidelity told Dr Brown he either had to increase the amount of securities in the brokerage account or pay the $81,662 difference to bring the margin loan back into compliance with the 50 percent threshold. While some of this sum was paid, RoyalFidelity initiated legal proceedings
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