There is absolutely nothing wrong with those who have reservations about the Pearl of China project peacefully voicing their opinion at Belair Beach during the ground-breaking in the presence of a group of businesspeople related to the multi-million-dollar project. The right to demonstrate is
internationally recognised and how else could they have gotten the developers’ attention?
That the Chinese delegation and their local representatives were not overly bothered is illustrated by their reportedly inviting the protest leaders to come and listen to the presentation and to express their concerns. Not that all questions have now been answered, but at least there seems to be an interest in dialogue and there is no need to talk about scaring away investors.
While the manner in which a venture of this magnitude was originally announced may have been far from ideal, the opportunity appears to be real enough. Saturday’s event, coupled with citizens being able to file objections against the adjustments made to the plans of the abandoned Barbaron project in the same location, indicates this is something to be taken seriously and not an election gimmick as some had suggested.
Of course, there are bad examples on other islands with Chinese investments, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing will happen here. Perhaps lessons have also been learned from mistakes in the past.
The fact is that the local hospitality industry could be doing better and there is little doubt that – if successful – such a huge seaside resort with convention and exhibition facilities would provide a major boost to the local economy in more ways than one. Therefore, until it is clear that potential problems for the island cannot be adequately addressed the focus from all sides should be on doing so to give the project a fair chance.
