My question of the day; what does one do when you have been caught being far less than honest and it seems that each and every time that you attempt to ‘explain’ yourself, you only seem to dig a deeper hole for yourself?  Well you deflect of course.

“Gibson brings resolution to probe BTC sale” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Golden Gates MP Shane Gibson yesterday moved for the appointment of a select committee to ‘investigate, examine and enquire into the circumstances ‘of the 2011 sale of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC).

‘Mr. Speaker, it is said that decisions made, whether bad or good, follows you forever and affect everyone in their path one way or another,’ Gibson said.

‘One such damaging decision was that of the previous administration Free National Movement (FNM) to sell 51 percent of that strategic asset, we call BTYC, to a foreign entity.”

Just as Prime Minister, Perry Christie, finally answers Opposition Leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis, as to whether he supported the proposed $2.1 billion agri-fishies venture with Chinese investors; minister Shane Gibson moves to appoint a select committee to ‘investigate, examine and enquire’ into the BTC sale; so what if it is five years after the deal?

To be totally honest, everyone thought that this probe would be the first order of business when the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) came into office in 2012 but as usual this promise was never fulfilled, as numerous other promises; as many man hours and tax dollars have been spent in an effort to regain 2 percent of BTC and thereby ownership, which the Prime Minister suggested that he has already achieved; so why this investigation?

It is interesting to note that as per the $2.1 bn China-Bahamas agri-fisheries project, the prime minister has finally found his voice, saying ‘that if such a plan came before Cabinet, it would be ‘rejected outright’, but didn’t the governments very own ‘propaganda machine’ suggest that it did make it before Cabinet, as it tried to make the case that the deal was not secret and that the Opposition had full knowledge of it; this is beginning to sound like the “Blue Water” deal that the Progressive Liberal Party attempted to ‘cut’ for the sale of BTC during Perry Christie’s first stint as Prime Minister; another deal that he seems to have known nothing about and if it had come before him he would not have gone through with.

Now we have Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller stating; that “[the] Chinese approached Gomez about fishing interest”, when documentation has already proven that it was V Alfred Gray who gave Ambassador to China, Gomez the approval to approach the Chinese with the proposal; this is also documented.

While the situation is spinning out of control with half truths, outward lies and retraction of statements, there now is this resolution to form a committee to look into the BTC sale that took place in 2011, which to my recollection was an open process’ so open that the details of the deal drove the people to the Parliament Square to protest it.

There is some much back and forth concerning this ‘secret deal’ in Andros with the Chinese and the attempts to deflect away from it that I am beginning to develop motion sickness, maybe I just need a doctor.

Yes, the Progressive Liberal Party has made some ‘tough decisions’, but unfortunately most have seemed to have not been in the nest interest of the people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

While many make the argument against the sale of BTC, some with legitimate and valid points, one cannot argue against the fact that BTC has become more profitable than when it was government owned; as more stores are opening with the opportunity for employment for more Bahamians.

One final point of interest, while Shane Gibson and the progressive Liberal Party now seeks to make an issue of the BTC sale to foreigners, it makes one wonder exactly who was behind “Blue Water”.

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

END