DEAR EDITOR:

Please allow me, through you, to share some thoughts with my fellow citizens, because I believe this is an important moment for us as an island, and as a community that aspires to be a leader in terms of tourism and hospitality. I have sat and watched this drama play out between the prime minister and Sandals, and there are some questions that come to mind as I try to pick sense out of it.

First off, why has the prime minister chosen such a hostile and public forum to deal with this situation? The reason I ask this is that from his own statements it appears the PM has clearly not had any conversation or discussion with any of the senior people at Sandals.

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I am no expert, but from my layman’s view I do not think that is the way governments should conduct their affairs and treat with investors, remember, there are other leaders and other businesses, both local and foreign, who will be watching the way this plays out.

There is no reason a prime minister should not be assertive if he thinks it is warranted, but why the grandstanding, why the hostility and threats? After 2017, this is now the second time Mr Browne has found a reason to cancel agreements and concessions with the investor. That to me, sends a negative message because if he can say A, and then say B, then what guarantee is there that he will not do it again. And what guarantee that it won’t be some other investor who gets on his wrong side next.

And remember, the key here is where is the dialogue with the investor, especially since as the prime minister himself admitted, the matter is with the courts.

Secondly I ask myself this, what does it benefit a huge international company like Sandals to risk its reputation and expose its brand to this kind of attack over what, in the scheme of things, is not a huge sum of money. First off, the question is whether the investor owes any money at all, because that is what we are waiting to hear from the court. And if the court agrees that Sandals has indeed met its tax obligations, where does that leave the prime minister?

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In fact, it is the wrong thing to do to create such a public spectacle, without having dialogue with the other party, on a matter before the court. If we are to be rational, Sandals has more to lose than gain in such a situation, so how does this make sense?

Thirdly, this puts  Antigua on the map for all the wrong reasons. Antigua should be showing the world that we are able and ready to compete with the major tourism destinations, and that we have both the ability and capacity to do business in a professional manner, which allows both the island and the investor to be treated fairly.

Such an approach involves dialogue, and it involves due process, such as what is taking place with the court. It does not call for a leader calling an investor colonials and comparing them to slave traders. That type of rhetoric has no place in a modern, sophisticated society, and I can only imagine what the guests feel when they hear that, because let’s not pretend that when you throw that kind of mud, it does not stick on the guests as well. Think about who it is that travels to Antigua and how they look.

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I am happy to see that some voices have spoken up, and I commend your Antigua newsroom for allowing views to be heard to bring some balance to this discussion. I know people are looking for a response from Sandals but let’s be honest, what good does it do at this stage? If the matter is in court then the right thing to do is let the court come to a conclusion. It is also clear that the investor has no intention of conducting its business in public, unlike the government, and can you blame them for that. However as many as have spoken up, there is deafening silence from others. Where are the other hoteliers?

And I ask this to make an important point, because it is the entire sector that is being tainted. It is an attack on not just Sandals but its workers, despite that grandstanding on tips and so on. I havent’ heard the PM speak about the medical coverage Sandals has for its team members, or the thrift fund that allows them retirement benefits. This information is not hard to find if you try to get it. I wonder if the other hotel operators recognize this.

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Does Antigua have a hotel association? What are its views? I know people may be trying to be careful, because at this stage they too may very well feel the wrath of the prime minister if they speak up, but have they at least reached out to the government, the Minister of Tourism? Are they involved in trying to find a solution? At this stage, I have seen more wrongs than rights, and the only losers in the long term will be the Sandals workers, and the country as a whole.

Thank you.

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