Fred Mitchell, Chairman of the New Day Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), would have the Bahamian people believe that economic success is now so obvious it merely requires us to “look around.” According to Mr. Mitchell, despite the cost-of-living crisis, “people have money in their pockets,” tourists are “in town,” and economic activity is supposedly humming along nicely. On that basis alone, the PLP is asking for a second term — not to fix failures, but to “complete” projects that remain perpetually “in mid-flight.”

This argument, however, depends heavily on one convenient trick: resetting the baseline to the absolute economic bottom of the COVID-19 pandemic. Any first-year economics student understands that an economy forcibly shut down by a global pandemic has nowhere to go but up. Calling that rebound “progress” is like congratulating oneself for standing up after being knocked unconscious. Recovery was inevitable; prosperity was not.

Nowhere is this sleight of hand more insulting than in Grand Bahama.

While the PLP touts tourism growth, the reality on the ground tells a very different story. The opening of Celebration Key has not translated into meaningful economic spillover for Freeport. Cruise passengers are being efficiently diverted away from the city, spending their money in a controlled, private enclave rather than in local businesses that actually need the traffic. The government counts arrivals; Grand Bahamians count empty storefronts.

And the evidence is not anecdotal — it is documented.

According to The Tribune, nearly 90 percent of Port Lucaya Marketplace merchants are struggling to survive. Businesses are closing, others are “hanging for dear life,” and foot traffic has collapsed. Longstanding tenants cite the continued closure of the Grand Lucayan Resort — shuttered since Hurricane Matthew in 2016 — as a primary reason for the economic decline. That same Grand Lucayan which successive PLP administrations have promised, re-promised, announced, re-announced, and still failed to meaningfully revive.

Merchants are now begging for temporary rent relief while waiting months for basic communication from ownership. Sound familiar? It should — because that same culture of silence and opacity defines the PLP government’s handling of both the Our Lucaya/Grand Lucayan sale and the Grand Bahama International Airport. Grand Bahamians are repeatedly told that “talks are ongoing,” that “things are in progress,” and that they should simply trust the process — without timelines, details, or accountability.

So while Mr. Mitchell assures the nation that “things are in the works,” nearly an entire commercial hub in Freeport is barely surviving. While the PLP claims economic momentum, Grand Bahamians are watching money bypass their city altogether. And while the government asks for blind faith and a second term, it has yet to explain — clearly and honestly — what exactly has been delivered in the first.

The question, therefore, is not whether the country has improved since the depths of COVID. The question is whether the New Day Progressive Liberal Party has failed the people of Grand Bahama by confusing inevitability with achievement and rhetoric with results.

Grand Bahama deserves more than recycled talking points.
The Bahamas deserve better.

END