With the high rate of unemployment; a failing economy, the country now facing another possible credit ratings downgrade that would put the country’s credit rating at junk status, the increasing high instances of crime and a major resort issue still unresolved as the taxpayers pay the incurring bills at the resort, minister of Tourism Mr. Obie Wilchombe’s opinion is that the Progressive Liberal Party is in the best position to win the next general election.

“PLP ‘best ever’ position to win – Wilchcombe rejects Baha Mar effects” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe yesterday said he expects the Progressive Liberal Party to win the next election, asserting that the party is in ‘the best position we’re been in.’

His comments to the Tribune came as he down played fears from Tall Pines M.P. Leslie Miller that a failure to jump start Baha Mar could hurt the Christie administration’s chances at the polls next year.

However, the West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP conceded that the Christie administration must ‘continue to work’ and do more to ‘connect with our base’ and the wider voting public.

On the issue of Baha Mar, Mr. Wilchcombe shot down the line of thinking that failure to open the beleaguered Cable Beach resort would automatically translate to ‘condemnation’ of the Christie administration as he submitted that there are ‘many issues that will determine whether you win or you’ll lose”.

Indeed, there are many issues that will determine whether this Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government will lose or win the next election but Baha Mar sits as a reminder of the failure by this government to live up to and/or deliver on all the hopes, dreams and promises that they sold to the people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

One of the major issues that will determine if this PLP government will win or lose the next election will be the actions of the official Opposition Free National Movement, as people look to them and question why can’t these people just get it together.

Indeed the people are looking for new governance as they have lost all confidence in the present government which they showed clearly through the results of the referendum on Gender Equality, even if most feel it was to their own detriment.  The people have had enough of a ‘talk a lot, do little government’, long on talk and very short on ideas and action as has become evident with the possible credit rating downgrade. 

The governing Progressive Liberal Party has been nothing but an embarrassing failure to the people to whom they promised the world and then some but yet would still seek to come to these people with the excuse, I mean explanation for their failures to date as they now try to convince them that they need a little bit more time so that their plans can come to fruition; seriously?

So, indeed the member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama and Bimini is correct when he says that the PLP is in the best ever position to win but it would not be because of any of his governments accomplishments or achievements but only due to the failure of the Free national Movement’s inability to unite and deliver the country from a failed government.

The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason, it is within their nature.

END

 

As the international ratings agency, Moody’s, prepares to place the country under review for a potential downgrade,  the prime minister and his government prepares themselves to do what they do best when faced with a complete mess, most of the time of their own making, and this is to talk about it.

“Bid to hold talks over downgrade – Govt. confident over prospects for country.” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “Michael Halkitis, State Minister for Finance, said yesterday the government will meet with representatives from ratings agencies Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s starting next week in order to ‘convince’ the firms not to downgrade the country’s credit rating.

In an interview with the Tribune, Mr. Halkitis said while Moody’s seems to be ‘leaning on one direction’ the government will ‘plead its case’ in hope the Walls Street ratings agency will see the governments future prospects for the economy.”

“The government will ‘plead its case’ in hope the Walls Street ratings agency will see the government’s future prospects for the economy.”?

Really?

I was under the impression that this is what the government had done earlier this year and/or late last year with the rating agencies and that things were looking better? 

What happened?

“Downgraded – Standard and Poor’s lowers Bahamas credit rating” – The Nassau Guardian, August 26, 2015.

Excerpt from this article; “International credit rating agency Standards and Poor’s (S&P) yesterday downgraded the Bahamas’ credit rating and placed the country’s economy on a negative outlook.

The action was taken due to the short-term ‘economic shock’ brought on by Baha Mars’s bankruptcy filing and in increasing ‘remote’ chance of a quick settlement in the resort’s legal battles.”

“Gov’T Plans S&P meeting to ward off downgrade” – The Tribune, February 01. 2016

Excerpt from this article; “The Government will meet with Standards and Poor’s (S&P) immediately after next month’s mid-year Budget in a bid to stave off a further credit downgrade to ‘junk’ status.”

It would seem that the government has had this conversation before.  If I can recall after the downgrade by S&P, Moody’s actually held its credit rating at the time pending the outcome of the Baha Mar matter and due to the introduction of Value-Added Tax (VAT) which they saw as a step in the right direction, now over a year after VAT has been introduced and with claims of it exceeding its initial expectations by the government, we have Moody’s contemplating a downgrade of our credit rating to a level right above ‘junk status’ while S&P contemplates placing the country’s credit rating at ‘junk status’ but yet the Prime Minister is set to be on his way again to ‘plead our case’ and I ask should not our actions have proven that further downgrades were not necessary or has the Prime Minister and his government’s incompetence reared its ugly head yet again as they have failed at the task of protecting our credit rating as they seek to engage in more ’talks’ to ‘save us’? 

The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason, it is within their nature.

END

“I have done what I thought was my purview and what I could have done under the circumstances.” the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald as he attempts to justify his actions in the Rubis gasoline leak matter.

“No regrets over Rubis” – ‘Fitzgerald insists govt. acted properly over delayed report” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald said yesterday he has no regrets over the government’s handling of the matter involving the delayed released of a report into a Rubis fuel leak, which warned people of the potential health risks to Marathon residents and people who worked in the area.

Asked if he has any regrets about the way in which the situation was dealt with, or wished to apologize, Fitzgerald said ‘No.  Not from the governments stand point.’

He added, ‘From the government’s standpoint, I think it was handled properly.  I think from the evidence, everything the government did, it did in an expeditious manner.”

It is indeed sad that the member of parliament for the constituency of Marathon would feel that he has ‘no regrets’ over the handling of the Rubis matter; seeming to have no regrets about the well being of the constituents of the area, as he states “From the government’s standpoint I think it was handled properly”, but what about from the standpoint of the people who elected him to represent them and look out for their best interest?

It has always been my opinion that the Member of Parliament for Marathon bears the full responsibility for the manner in which this situation was handled or mishandled but now we begin to see the full extent of this situation as the minister attempts to clear his ‘good name’.

“Cabinet reviewed the report, agreed to release the report and sent it to the attorney general’s office’ the MP said.

‘The attorney general’s office sat on the report and from what I understand the attorney general has asked Justice [Joseph] Strachan to review to see where the breakdown was in the attorney general’s office as to why the report was not released.” It now seems that the full Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Cabinet along with the attorney general was complicate in the gross negligence toward people whom they claimed to have cared so fervently about.

Minister Fitzgerald comments of having ‘no regrets’ and that he believes that the government acted properly seem extremely cold and callous as he goes on to then admit that the report was delayed, we now know that it was delayed for over a year, so this begs the question does Minister Fitzgerald feel that it is proper to conceal this type of information from his constituents or any other Bahamian citizen, for that matter, in the interest of himself or any other reason.

“The question was asked why I wouldn’t take something out of Cabinet or why I did not take this and say something out of Cabinet.

“I said I would have been fired. I take my job as a Member of Parliament seriously.

‘I take my responsibility seriously as a Cabinet minister.”

As the minister says, he takes his job and responsibility seriously and it would seem that he takes it more seriously than the health and welfare of the people that live and work in the Marathon area.  The government would now have us believe that the report was merely delayed through ‘poor coordination and administration, this is believable because this has become the standard at which this government seems to ‘work, but the facts tells us that Minister Fitzgerald had read the report in 2014 and kept silent about it was not until it was leaked to the media that he was forced into admitting that the report existed; if his hand were not forced no one knows just how long him and his government would have remained silent on the matter.

This is akin to the Flint, Michigan water crisis but at least persons were held accountable in this situation but the minister wishes us to dismiss the role that he played in this incident as he was only doing his job.

SHAME!

The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason, it is within their nature.

END