There was a groundbreaking this afternoon in Dangriga town for what the government believes is a very promising project, the Commerce Bight Port. It's a product of an investment group named the Southern Deep Port Development Limited which is a private and public sector partnership. Special legislation was taken to the house in May to give this group a raft of concessions to develop the port for cruise tourism and nautical tourism purposes. Now it's not your regular cruise tourist port, it's nothing like that. It's a 50 million Belize dollar investment in what is called pocket cruising and along with a luxury yacht docking facilities. It's a big event for Dangriga and promises hundreds of jobs in construction and service provision and that's why the prime minister was there to celebrate the opening of what he believes is a major part of plan Belize. For the area representative Louis Zabaneh today's groundbreaking was a major milestone. Townspeople have been hearing for many years about the rebirth of the long abandoned commerce bight port but, this time Zabaneh says the project is going to be delivered because it's his cousin leading the investment group. We are talking about Bascilio Zabaneh who is one of the leading tourism investors in the south and Louis Zabaneh makes no apologies about helping to push through legislation for a project where his first cousin is the principal investor.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"We have to look at things. Obviously, we have to take a hard look at what is being presented to us and ask the difficult questions. As I pointed out, this is not something that we approved overnight. It took a long time. They've been working on this project probably from before the elections, because they know that it was a promise that we have been making since 2006 that we're going to open the Commerce Bight."
"But despite the fact that we were totally committed to opening up the Commerce Bight, we had to make sure that we have the right investors and the right plan. Bascilio Zabaneh, as he pointed out, has already been in this type of business and the small, specialized cruise industry."
"Having done that before, we believe that it will be easier for him to replicate it once again, but in a larger scale whereby now he will be managing the port here, the pier, and then provide other facilities here on this piece of land."
"The expectation is that the whole road, the Commerce Bight road or the Jetty road or whatever you want to call it, that all of that land could also be developed into restaurants, artisan shops, areas of culture and hotels."
"Look at what's in front of you. It sells itself. It doesn't need a lot to sell. And this is the deepest natural port that Belize have. So to get the ships here would not be difficult. I think the difficulty is the actual investment."
"I'm told it's going to be around 50 million dollars to be able to uplift it. This place has been abandoned. So if you look at the, I'm sure you've walked the pier, it requires a lot of work for it to be able to be upgraded to international standards."
Jules Vasquez
"Your good friend Michael Finnegan. would say, he see Belize broke up bigger circus than this."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"That may be so, but we can't be, we have to live with a sense of optimism. And I think that, you know, like my son always tell me, Daniel in particular, he says Dad, I think you're the most optimistic person in Belize, probably the second most optimistic person."
"But you have to live with a sense of optimism. The media's job is to be skeptical and to ask the tough questions, and I understand that, but we have to be optimistic that we can. We can't start something by saying it's going to fail."
"We have to go in with the mind that, that it can succeed. And once we have passed over that hump, then we need to ask questions, okay, how can we make it succeed? The first thing is to be able to have the right partner. And by right partner, not necessarily, just in some instances, where people refer to as a party hack or a party supporter, but somebody that has the credibility, somebody that has worked in the tourism, in this instance in the tourism industry, not only the tourism industry, but even in the cruise industry. And Bascilio fits that. And you could ask anybody here in Dangriga and most people in the tourism industry that they recognize the work that he has done and that he has the credibility and probably, and I'm sure wherewithal to be able to bring in other investors and to be able to raise the capital to invest. So we are optimistic. And as I said, we want to work with him because then his success is going to be our success."
Jules Vasquez
"I saw the PPP agreement that you all drafted for him. The concessions are very lavish. How do you justify those?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"But it is nothing different than what other previous governments have done. Actually, we cut it down. And that is why it was sent back at least two times in cabinet because we felt it was way too much. So there's nothing different than what has been done before. We cut down what was being provided in that PPP."
"So if we want these investments to take place, then we have to provide the necessary support for it to be successful."
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Area Rep. Dangriga
"This is something that the constituents had demanded of me from the very beginning that this must be something that happens and I am grateful to everybody who have been a part of making this a reality."
Jules Vasquez
"Okay, now explain to me the PPP concept behind it, public -private partnership?"
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Area Rep. Dangriga
"Yes, yes, as you know in this modern era public -private partnership structures are used across the world because what it does it alleviates the public purse, but it also ensures that there's public interests in assets that are for the people and so it's a win-win situation."
"In this particular case there's a 20-80 split government having 20% and the private investors having 80% and it's for 30 years where they get benefits, duty exemptions etc during the construction phase of the project and so that has been necessary to attract the private investors to put down their resources and now government has the asset that now is in use realizing returns that comes back to the people of Belize in terms of taxes on those visitors that come in etc."
"From what is here now at the head of this pier which is 535 feet out a depth of 20 feet can accommodate easily these smaller vessels that might require only 10-15 feet. They will be floating docks as I have been informed another 500 feet out that takes you to depths of about 35 feet."
"That's where the small luxury boats or small cruise ships would be docking. On the head of this pier right now you will have immigration and customs services, so for the international yachts that come in, and for the small cruise ships and then they come onto land where you will now have facilities here for them on this, on the right side here, then you will have some hospitality services, restaurants, etc."
Jules Vasquez
"Okay, so now you will be criticized because they will say, well, this is a Zabaneh project, and this is a related party legislation, not transaction, legislation, because it was pushed by you, enabled by you, and it will serve to enrich and enhance the investment profile of your first cousin, your relatives, they say your father is involved as well. What do you respond to that?"
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Area Rep. Dangriga
"No, no, well, that one with my father is involved, that's not true. But no, I'm willing to take that criticism, because the benefits are so tremendous to the residents of the community, right?"
"Yes, Bascilio is my first cousin, but you ask anybody in the community there is high respect for Mr. Bascilio. He has been assisting the community. He's the largest employer here in Dangriga, over 300 persons that he employs in his four resorts and he started from the ground up."
"Everybody knows his integrity and so I am happy to be associated with anything that Bascilio does."
We will have the full story on Monday
