Holding Our Horses

The Pearl of China project in Little Bay has sent rumor mills in overdrive. It also has people concerned about the impact of this project on our infrastructure and of course on the environment.

At this moment there is not enough information for a solid judgment. It is as simple as that. There is a preparatory resolution for the development of the area and there is the announcement that there will be a 326-room hotel and 450 apartments.
Who is going to build this? Will foreign workers be brought in? Will local contractors get a piece of the action? Will “those Chinese” as some people refer to the investors contribute anything at all to our economy? Will they pay taxes? Get a generous tax holiday?

While these are all legitimate questions and concerns, at the moment there are no answers, but we have no doubt that, as the action unfolds, we will get more clarity. It seems a bit silly to oppose something without knowing the full scope of a project or the possible impact it may have on the local economy.

With cruise tourism suddenly the sick kid of our economy, we figure that the country is not in a luxury pick and choose position. It’s not like St. Maarten is the only place in the world where investors can go with their capital.

If readers conclude from this that we support this project they would be wrong. We are following the developments critically, as we do with all developments in our country, and we want to present to our readers the best information we can get our hands on.

For now, we hold our horses until we know more, though we do imagine that this construction project will give our local economy a boost it sorely needs.