A few days ago Prime Minister Perry Christie promised to detail how monies collected from Value-Added Tax (VAT) was spent and yesterday he shocked the nation by actually following through on a promise in a timely manner but it was quickly realized that his explanation has invoked even more questions than it answered and actually lays out how the implementation of VAT was intended to service the economy thereby showing how the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government has failed at this objective – what else is new?

“PM: Not a dollar of VAT wasted – Christie says $1.14 bn in revenue fritted away” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “Amid lingering questions regarding Value-Added Tax (VAT) collections, Prime Minister Perry Christie was on the defensive yesterday as he explained how his administration handled $1.14bn in VAT revenue accumulated during 2015 and 2016, insisting that not one dollar of the money has been ‘frittered away’ or spent ‘surreptitiously’.

Finally giving an extensive explanation of VAT revenue since the matter was reignited following the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) convention in January, the Prime Minister told Parliamentarians it was a ‘worrisome’ and ‘nonsensical’ misconception that his administration mishandled VAT money.  The issue, he said needed to be put to rest once and for all.”

What the Prime Minister must understand, in this age of a more enlightened populace and in an age of modern technology, matters such as these will never be ‘put to rest’ as long as the people have questions; these questions must be satisfied.

Prime Minister Perry Christie states; “…it is was ‘worrisome’ and nonsensical’ misconception’ that his administration mishandled VAT money’; so it is the Prime Minister’s position that in light of the government has collecting more monies from its citizens through tax reform, it is ‘worrisome’ and ‘nonsensical’ for those citizens to then enquire as to how this money is being spent especially when the national debt and the deficit have increased at an alarming rate and the country’s sovereign credit rating has been downgraded four times; is he really serious?

So how was the money collected from Value-Added Tax (VAT) spent?

“He [the Prime Minister/Minister of Finance] told the House of Assembly, 40 percent of VAT revenue went towards reducing the deficit, 30 percent replaced revenue forgone from tax reductions and the remaining 30 percent went towards general expenditures.”, but yet there are reports that the government’s fiscal deficit for the six months to end – December 2016 had more than doubled year-over-year, increasing to 112 percent, now up to $314.2 million and the total government expenditure rising by $121.9 million up 11.7 percent to $1.66 billion; so when the Prime Minister makes statements such as the following; then I am totally confused – “Put further in layman’s term, if I reduce the amount by which my expenditures exceeds my revenue, the less money I borrow.  This is a slowing of debt accumulation” .  This how we thought that things should have worked but the present state of the economy does not bear this out.

The Prime Minister/Minister of Finance goes on to say; “As my revenues start to exceed my expenses, which are projected to take place [by the] fiscal year 2018/2019, there would be an actual reduction in debt”, Mr. Prime Minister/Minister of Finance, most of us actually realize this economic fact, which you had suggested had already began in a statement earlier in your communication, and this gives us even more reason to question how tax revenue is being spent and for you to now even suggest that by 2018/2019 there would be a reduction in debt, given the current economic path that we are on is asking us to take a giant leap of faith with you and given the ‘dark paths’ that you have already led us down; we do not trust you enough anymore to take such a risk – simple risk management.

Indeed, Mr. Prime Minster/Minister of Finance”‘……if the government has been able to repay debt without having to borrow as much, we are on the right fiscal path”, but this has taken place yet but yet the implementation of VAT is deemed a great success and the explanation which you have given is considered viable by you and your government – despite four downgrades.   I can only surmise that you await the moment when our economy is on the brink to come and ‘save’ it, as you claimed to have done with the Baha Mar project, but sir, we are at junk status now; so when will you wake up?

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

END

I know that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) had been tabled and debated in the House of Assembly but I have no knowledge of it being made law; with that being said, I find it quite interesting that the Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Mr. Bradley Roberts was able to freely reveal the personal financial information of Rickey Mackey, Free National Movement (FNM) candidate for North Eleuthera without repercussion or fear of any.  My main question being how did he [Mr. Roberts] come across the information and why would he feel ‘obligated’ to divulge such information at a political event in an attempt to question Mr. Mackey’s ‘suitability to hold public office’.

Let me first say that it I believe that if you are in debt to the government or anyone for that matter, you should be responsible enough to settle ones debts, circumstances permitting, especially if you are vying for public office.  So having Mr. Mackey settle his long overdue bill with customs is something that I feel that the Free National Movement (FNM) should have done their diligence in when vetting him as a candidate and made sure it was settled; but now we have reached a point where his private information has been made public by Mr. Roberts at a political event and we would like to know which ‘political garbage can’ he looked in for it or has the FOIA been made law when everyone was asleep to allow him access to these documents.

For me the warning signs began with Minister of Education, Jerome Fitzgerald making public the private correspondence of the Save the Bays organization without having to account for where he got the information from.  “My political garbage can”, is not an acceptable answer, well not to me, as it suggests that the “political garbage can” is the “waste land” that he calls his mind, but even with all these questions concerning the willful and unlawful dissemination of another person’s private information and the entire controversy surrounding the proposed “Spy Bill”, the Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party still sees fit to issue threats to further violate the constitutional right to privacy of a Bahamian citizen.

“Roberts: More to come for Mackey” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Following confirmation that Free National Movement (FNM) candidate for  North Eleuthera Rickey Mackey paid the $9,591 debt he owed to the Bahamas Customs Department in taxes dating back t 2002, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts warned that there was ‘more to come’ for Mackey.

‘There is more to come’ Roberts told The Guardian.

‘When I start something that’s only the opening shot.’

‘There is more to come for Mr. Mackey’.

‘Tell him to tighten his seatbelt because it is coming.’

Roberts revealed the information at a rally in Eleuthera Friday night, calling into question Mackey’s suitability to hold public office.

Roberts released a letter written to comptroller of customs on April 18^th, 2013, stating. ‘I Rickey Mackey, of Harbour Island, Eleuthera, owe the Bahamas Customs Department $12,789.20 for Eleuthera Petroleum’.

Mackey then confirmed on Sunday that the difference was ‘some $9,000’.

Roberts said, ‘He should also pay interest for all those years he owes the government money as well.

‘When someone owe someone debt, they should pay it.”

It is remarkable that Mr. Roberts actually got a letter written to the comptroller, be it four years old, of Mr. Mackey acknowledging his debt and is now stating that there is more to come.  What  I do give Mr. Mackey wrong for here is not following up on the debt and seeing that it was settled.

I wonder is Mr. Roberts really wants to open this ‘pandora box’ as he seeks to apply for the job of official government tax collector and I actually encourage him to because there are many of us that would like to know the people that were bailed out by Resolve Bahamas and I personally really do not care which political organization that they are affiliated with.

I wonder if Mr. Big bad Brad is brave enough to reveal all the names of all persons that owes the government taxes at this very point in time?

Yes, go on ‘Big Bad Brad’, expose ALL the persons that owe the government taxes and make sure that they bring their bills current, because like you say “When someone owe someone debt, they should pay it.”  Or are you trying to convince the people of the Bahamas that everyone in the Progressive Liberal Party is debt free as it concerns the government to date?

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

END

“Christie pledges to meet promises” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Prime Minister Perry Christie pledges to keep all promises he made in respect to Parliament, including the full reporting on value-added tax (VAT) revenue, and suggested this would be done before Parliament dissolves.

On the floor of the House of Assembly, Christie said the government has promised to indicate where the economy stands fiscally, and ‘I will meet all the promises that I made with respect to Parliament.”

Prime Minister Perry Christie, this all sound fine and well but I have two questions;

1. Does these new promises to fulfill old promises cover those made on the 2012 campaign trail and that were laid out in the Progressive Liberal Party’s ‘A Charter for Governance’ and;
2. If you plan to make good on all of these promises, will Parliament ever be dissolved?!

With only months before the next general election, the Prime Minister is now promising to fulfill the following promises along with quite a few others;

1. To give clarification on matters related to value-added tax and the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), which I assume is appoint a select committee to probe the ‘controversial’ 2011 sale of BTC to CWC under the Ingraham administration.
2. To provide a report on Resolve Bahamas, wholly government owned special vehicle created in 2014 to take $100 million of the books of Bank of The Bahamas.
3. Provide an accounting on monies spent on various trips that were questioned by the public; a trip to Sri Lanka and one to the Vatican to meet the Pope.
4. Give answers on questions raised by Richard Lightbourne; MP for Montagu, concerning the government’s issuance of contracts for works so close to a general election.

Looking at these new list of promises a few are quite laughable; such as three and four but how long as the government been promising to form this select committee to probe the BTC sale and what has promoted him to finally want to offer a report on Resolve Bahamas?

As it concerns the particulars concerning the BTC sale; I ask is the Prime Minister promising to begin this ‘witch hunt’ and no matter who wins the government, if it is called before the conclusion of this farce; as it should be or is he hoping that if he calls it now and knowing that it will not conclude before next general election, it would then convince the people to keep him in office so that he can finish to build the ‘house of straw’ that he began?

Then there is the promise of a report on Resolve Bahamas, which was formed n 2014; why is it that only now some three years later we are being promised a report on the performance of this ‘wholly owned special vehicle’, which by my understanding was set up to collect the $100 million of debt from the Bank of The Bahamas, which by the way is still hemorrhaging money; will he be explaining this also?

Prime Minister Perry Christie still continues in the ways of the old politician, ‘promise a lot, deliver a little and ask for more time to deliver on what you failed to deliver on, even after you have had the opportunity to have delivered on them; just sad, out dated and a reason as to why we need a person of action and not a ‘sweet talker’.

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

END

 “Ingraham complaints dismissed by Deputy PM” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “IN DEFENCE of the government’s fiscal performance this term, Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis yesterday dismissed criticism leveled by former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham as complaints from an ‘alternative universe’.

Mr. Davis claimed that Mr. Ingraham was ‘missing the spot light’, suggesting that the former leader’s comments were motivated by the pain of watching his successor – Dr. Hubert Minnis –‘wander around in a fog of incoherence’.

Latching on onto Mr. Ingraham’s admission that the country was still grappling with the effects of the Great Recession when his party left office, Mr. Davis questioned how the former Free National Movement (FNM) leader could find ‘the nerve to complain about how it was rescued?’

‘The reality is quite simple,’ Mr. Davis said, ‘the FNM left the economy on an unsustainable path.  In 2012, the government was spending $500m more than it was collecting.

Without the implementation of VAT, billions would have been added to the national debt – an unmanageable amount, which would have left our country unstable and vulnerable to requiring IMF bailouts and restructuring like Jamaica.”

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) continues to speak to having to clean up the ‘mess’ left by the Free National Movement (FNM) administration and now Deputy Prime Minister Davis is talking about having rescued the country and I look around to see exactly what ‘mess’ was left without a plan in place and exactly how has the Christie led administration has rescued the country and from what exactly?

What did former Prime Minister Ingraham say that has Mr. Davis talking spewing just irrational nonsense?

“Ingraham hits out at lack of transparency’ on economy” – The Tribune 03.21.2017

Excerpt from this article; “Mr. Ingraham said: ‘The reality though is that there is a feeling in this society that the Value-Added Tax was a tax that was going to be used to pay down the government debt.  Well, that was how it was sold to the public but the truth is that it was a revenue raising measure.

‘The national debt in and of itself was not a challenge in a society if people could see where the money is going and what the money is being used for.  When you continue to increase the debt and you’re able to touch, feel and see what the money is being spent on.

‘The government does have answers to give as to why the debt has increased to such an extent over the last four and a half to five years.  They blame us for many things but the reality is, if you take the amount of money they borrowed over the last four and half years and compare it to what the FNM borrowed in the five years it was in office – even while the Great Recession took place in 2007 and government revenue just dropped out – expenditure just skyrocketed.”

The question is why has government expenditure outpaced that of the previous administration; especially with the introduction of VAT?

When it came to the issue of the increasing national debt Deputy Prime Minister Davis responds; “…..that the government plan reduced the deficit by 80 per cent by the 2016/2017 fiscal year and attributed the current setback ‘mainly to expenses associated with two devastating hurricanes, Joaquin and Matthew.’  The expenses associated with these two storms have been noted but when was our first credit rating downgrade?  This is where things get a bit ‘tricky’.

If we were to ‘forgive’ the government for their fiscal irresponsibility before the 2016/2017 period, and only focus on that period, which would be ridiculous, but exactly what is DPM Davis suggesting that we should do; then we must note that during that period when he claims that the ‘that the government plan reduced the deficit by 80 per cent’, then it is safe to assume that the current deficit and additional debt has been incurred since this time and would it be safe to assume that the two named storms are the sole reasons as to why the national debt has increased by over a billion dollars and why the country’s sovereign credit rating has been downgraded at least twice during this period; once on August 22^nd 2016 by Moody’s and then again in December 2016 by Standards and Poor’s?

It s indeed laughable that Deputy Prime Minister Davis would suggest that another person’s criticism of his government’s fiscal practice as being from an ‘alternate universe’; while the entire Progressive Liberal Party’s governance to date has been an exercise in nothing more than alternative facts and theories.

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

END

“PM hits out at We March Bahamas over plan to stop by his office” – The Tribune

Except from this article; “WITH We March Bahamas now finalizing plans for its third protest march, one that will see the group make stops at his home and office, Prime Minister Perry Christie has warned that the organization’s ‘poor judgment’ could ‘ignite something that they least expect to happen’.

Mr. Christie said yesterday that the personalized style of protest employed by We March Bahamas was inviting a section of the public, unhappy with his administration and policies, to speak of him and members of his family in a way that would cause large scale confrontation between them and his supporters.”

Why shouldn’t the Prime Minister be targeted for a protest as the people demand accountability and transparency from the government that he heads and cannot seem to get any answers?

After all the successes and failures of the government are ultimately his to bear and explain.

It is sad the way that Prime Minister Christie warns the protest group that their possible actions of marching by his home and by his office could “cause large scale confrontation between them and his supporters.”  Is the Prime Minister actually attempting to foment social discord between the supporters of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the We March Bahamas organization by making this statement?

Is the Prime Minister further attempting to suggest that anyone that questions him and his government are nothing more than social dissidents?

It is indeed odd that Prime Minister Perry Christie can speak to the issue of not getting personal after getting real personal with one that he described as a “lunatic” and flipping him the bird at a public gathering; how much more personal can one get?

My advice to the We March Bahamas organization, hold your protest and drop the threat of endorsing another party unless your demands are met because first t makes your organization seem political when you have claimed that is not and secondly, the political organization that you may make your bed with today, just may be the political organization that you may have to hold accountable tomorrow.

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

END

It is quite evident now that the Prime Minister is a very desperate man, willing to say and/or do anything in order to deflect from his failings and the failings of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP); no matter how silly it may sound or how silly it would appear to be.

“PM suggests Dr. Minnis can’t articulate, grasp complex issues” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “The perceived inability of Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis to represent Bahamians on the international stage with distinction has emerged as a central theme of Prime Minister Perry Christie’s election campaign message, with Christie saying yesterday that a prime minister needs to be able to articulate the way he is able to understand global issues.

Christie and Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald both submitted Minnis is not that man.

‘You can’t camouflage a leader who can’t come here and talk this way,’ said Christie at a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) town hall at the University of the Bahamas (UB).’

Speak in which way?

In the fashion of a ‘Candy Mouth’ speaker, all sweet talk but really just full of air and without substance?

Is this what the Bahamian people want to continue to present to the world?

Is this the perception that The Bahamas would want the world to have of us?

Prime Minister Christie speaks of Dr. Minnis’ ‘perceived inability…..to represent Bahamians on the international stage with distinction’, and this is exactly what it is a ‘perceived inability’, because as the prime minister would suggest, ‘…a prime minister needs to be able to articulate the way he is able to understand global issues’, in which case, he [Prime Minister Christie] must then admit that he has not done a good job at his himself; with his talks with Moody’s, Standard and Poor’s  and his negotiations in the Baha Mar situations being prime examples of him not being able to ‘articulate the way he is able to understand global issues’.

It is indeed a shame that our prime minister has not realized that most of the people that he speaks to have caught on to his ‘game’.  They have come to realize that his ostentatious colloquy lacks one basic element; substance.

So we have placed a man on the international stages who is able to speak very well but really says nothing and the Progressive Liberal Party would like to highlight his shortcoming, dust it off and count it as a reason as to why the people of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas should return him to office.

Only in an alternative/parallel universe does this reasoning make sense.

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

END

“Christie vows to save the country from Minnis – voters should be frightened at thought of FNM leader as PM” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article;”With the election season intensifying, Prime Minister Perry Christie is pushing his message – an apparent core theme of his campaign – that Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis is unfit to lead the country, telling reporters yesterday, he is trying to work ’10 times as hard to ensure Minnis does not get into office.

Christie suggested Bahamians should be frightened by the prospect of a Minnis-led government.

‘….If you as a Bahamian have to look to [the] leadership of Dr. Minnis you ought to be frightened of the potential for him to be elected now, because he has not demonstrated any degree of capacity to govern really, in effect, and it is for me to say that, and to say it as someone obviously who is a protagonist and someone whose job he’s trying to take..whoever wins will be prime minister for the country.

‘And I am trying to see how I must work 10 times as hard as I ordinarily would work just to prevent him from being there, because I shouldn’t do that to the country.

Now Prime Minister, Perry Christie is willing to work 10 times as hard because he sees the possibility of the Free National Movement (FNM) winning under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Minnis; so now we have the message of the potential ‘doom and gloom’.  If only the prime minister had worked 10 times as hard when he was elected on May 7^th 2010, when he claimed to have met the country is a desperate state and over the past five years, then maybe our credit rating would not have been downgraded four times, the crime rate would have been under control and Baha Mar would be open, then we would not be having this conversation right now; as he would actually have had a record to stand on – he did not and does not.

The very first question for many as they read this article this morning was if Prime Minister Christie is going to save us from Dr. Minnis, then who will save us from him?  At this point the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie shows signs of suffering from what is called ‘hero syndrome’, this is a phenomenon affecting people who seek heroism or recognition, usually by creating a desperate situation which they can resolve, such as fires.  The only problem here is that the desperate situations that the Prime Minister and his government has created have not been intentional but rather through sheer ineptitude, incompetence and laziness and they are unable to resolve them.

Prime Minister Perry Christie has been from pillar to post speaking the same political rhetoric and spewing the very same nonsensical propaganda and it is extremely shameful to see that he is unable to finds anything substance to use to convince the country that he and his government is the most viable option in the upcoming elections.

He and his government have made their most confident and bold move and have already seen it counter-acted and defeated.  They played the ‘card’ of ‘If Minnis cannot govern [rule] his party how can he be expected to govern a country, a ‘card’ that the PLP’lite’ aka the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) had picked up on and as these two ran the streets preaching this message; in the main time Dr. Minnis has put together an impressive TEAM of candidates to from the next government, while his detractors within the party have all faded into the background, probably having tea with the Prime Minister ‘spilling the beans’, it is laughable.

No, Mr. Prime Minister, there is no one that you can save us from beside yourself and your government that has none next to nothing to empower the people of the country and improve their quality of life. So save us from yourself and retire in the best interest of the country.

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

END

The vitriolic responses to the remarks made by Dr. Hubert Minnis, Leader of the Free National Movement (FNM), in regards to the latest developments at the Baha Mar resort as it relates to its sale have been very interesting indeed.

I sit and wonder how many people actually realize that a question has been asked; but are either turning a blind eye to it all or are just too bitter to comprehend or maybe just wishing to deflect from the point being made by the question asked.

“Fitzgerald: Minnis needs more maturity on Baha Mar” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Amid ongoing criticism from Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis on the opening and sale of Baha Mar, Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald called Minnis’ statements ‘irresponsible’ and urged him to put aside his ‘ridiculous position’ on the Cable Beach resort for the April 21 opening.

Last week, Minnis pledged that should the FNM win the general election, it would execute a ‘real sale’ of Baha Mar to a purchaser that has the Bahamian people’s interest at heart.

As Minster Fitzgerald again opens his mouth to spew his normal nonsense, I again ask who authorized pump 10 and shouldn’t he be the last person to speak about what is ‘irresponsible’ and what is not?

Getting bad to serious matters; is Dr. Minnis implying for one second that the sale of the Baha Mar as confirmed by Prime Minister Perry Christie in December to Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE) is not ‘real’ and therefore the resort has no owner?

Is Dr. Minnis suggesting that the prime minister and the Progressive Liberal Party has lied to the Bahamian people yet again?

Of course there is a very simple way to clear this all up as FNM candidate for St. Anne’s, Brent Symonette says, “Tell Mr. Christie to come clean and clear all this up for us, then we can be sure on who owns what, if the property has been sold, if there is just an agreement; whatever is going on there.  Because until that is done everything that is mentioned is pure speculation.” – The Tribune

And speculation is what the Progressive Liberal Party are masters at, as their entire 2012 election campaign was nothing more that speculation; as the people have now come to see.  At this time they seem to be unable to be transparent and accountable to the people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and tell them if the property has indeed been sold.  There is a rumor that the sale has been put on hold pending the outcome of the upcoming election but as I have said this is a rumor but the Progressive Liberal Party government has the facts and should be able to clear all of this up.

So the question Minister Fitzgerald is a very simple one, has the property been sold?

 Will we ever get an answer?

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

END

One thing I can give the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) credit for is that they are consistent; now they may be one of the most bastardized political organizations worldwide and one that shields itself and its supporters from the truth but to be fair to them, they are consistent about it.

I wrote the following on Sunday 12^th March 12017; “As the PLP fumbles its way through the Baha Mar fiasco; the number ONE LIE that they will have to share with the people is that the Free National Movement is praying for the resort not to open and so therefore they do not care about the people…this is pile of sh*t and stinks like the people telling it….what the FNM and the rest of the country would like to know are the details behind this new ‘deal’…..

I, personally, am sympathetic  to the fact that the people that the government consorted with have turned on them now have them bent over a barrel without no vaseline but we would like to know how we the people ended up on same said barrel……”

 Now the Progressive Liberal Party has proven that it is willing to do just that, spin a tale of lies and deceit, in order to deflect from their poor handling, bordering on illegal,  and mismanagement of the Baha Mar situation to date.

“Davis: Minnis betting against Bahamians” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “The declaration by Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis that an FNM government would execute a ‘real sale’ on Baha Mar, demonstrates that he is unfit to lead and is more interested in his own personal ambitions than the interests of the Bahamian people, Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said in a statement last night.

‘It is unfortunate that we have come to a place in our country where some would bet against the interest of their fellow Bahamians to better their own political lot,’ Davis said.

He added that Minnis appears to be crossing his fingers and praying that Baha Mar does not open, for his own political benefit, never mind the thousands of Bahamians who would suffer.

‘I understand he thinks his only way to succeed is to tear down any progress we make – to distract from the utter turmoil and startling accusations about  Minnis from his colleagues – but what about the thousands of Bahamians who are training right now for their jobs at Baha Mar?’

‘Bahamians deserve better than someone rooting against their employment to try to score a political point.”

Brave Davis needs to explain himself, because at no time have I heard Dr. Hubert Minnis, or anyone in the Free National Movement, for that matter, wish for the Baha Mar resort not to open; what has been heavily criticized is the Progressive Liberal Party’s ability to open the resort, as the PLP has proven themselves unfit to carry out this task – it is public record.

While the Deputy Prime Minister attempts to spin his new tale for the benefit of his followers, he needs to explain to the people of the Bahamas why he was so quiet when the Progressive Liberal Party voted against the well-being of the persons in the Marathon constituency, keeping them in the dark as to the health risks that that they were exposed, which his government hid from them. 

The Deputy Prime Minister really needs to address matters such as these since he finds it “…….unfortunate that we have come to a place in our country where some would bet against the interest of their fellow Bahamians to better their own political lot.”, because he and his colleagues have clearly shown that they are fully willing to actively work against the best interest of the people.

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

END

“PLP branch wants PM to back Smith for Free Town” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “The Progressive Liberal Party Montagu Branch has written to Prime Minister Perry Christie asking for a meeting with the party’s National General Council in a last ditch attempt to have Senator Frank Smith ratified as the Free Town candidate instead of Wayne Munroe.

The National General Council (NGC) is scheduled to meet tonight. Last week, sources told The Tribune that it is expected that Mr. Munroe QC will be ratified as the areas standard bearer.”

As the ‘war’ for Free Town rages on within the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP); with the National General Council (NGC) of the party backing new comer and former DNA candidate, Wayne Munroe and the Free Town (formerly Montagu) constituency association backing former member of parliament for the PLP, Frank Smith, a new ‘war’ is being laid out between the Executive branch of the government and the Judiciary.

“AG concerned at people undermining Judiciary in calling for Baha Mar detail” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “Following Dame Joan Sawyer’s suggestion that there were no grounds present to seal in court the new deal to open Baha Mar, Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson said she is ‘deeply concerned’ about people ‘who know better’ undermining the integrity of the judiciary and called on right thinking people to ‘cease and desist’ these public pronouncements.

When asked to what people should expect once the deal is made public. Ms. Maynard Gibson shied away from revealing any intimate details and instead pointed to ‘revered gentlemen’ and women who have reminded her that there are detractors who try to distract those doing the work of the people.”

Who are these “revered gentlemen’ and women”?

Is the Attorney General for one moment suggesting that former Count of Appeals President Dame Joan Sawyer is a ‘detractor’ and is undermining the Judiciary?

Is the Attorney General suggesting that anyone that questions the Executive, is thereby a detractor of the Executive and should know better?

Is the Attorney General attempting to send a ‘subtle’ message/warning Dame Sawyer, as her government did to Justice Indra Charles?

Last week Dame Joan Sawyer issued a statement, which I saw as her position of the Baha Mar deal as based on the laws of The Bahamas from her years of experience.  In the statement she said; “…there is much confusion over how the judgment of a publicly heard civil case can be sealed so that no one, outside of the judge who heard the case, Mrs. Maynard-Gibson and lawyers for the parties involved, would know the contents.

She said clearly where there was no matter of defense, public safety or public order in effect to cause the decision not to be made public.”

Justice Dame Sawyer intimates that she sees no grounds present to seal in court the deal to open Baha Mar’, I totally agree with her, as I would like to point out that it was a foreign entity, in this instances, that requested that a Bahamian court do so with our courts acquiescing to their request; I ask whatever happened to us being a sovereign nation?  Remember this is one of the main reasons as to why the Attorney General’s office and the Progressive Liberal Party government was so ‘offended’ by the filing of Chapter 11 in a US court by the developer, Sarkis Izmirlian?

But as we move past the issue of the deal being sealed to protect all parties involved until the deal was completed, the question now becomes why is it still sealed?  A myriad of questions stand before the Attorney General and her government as it relates to the Baha Mar resort, the handling or mishandling of the developer filing for bankruptcy protection which forced the resort into receivership and ultimately closing it for over a year with the lost of over 1,500 jobs but yet the Attorney General now wishes to attempt to berate Justice Dame Sawyer and others for expressing their legal opinion on the matter; is the Attorney general aware that the Pindling era is over?

What is even more interesting is that all of this comes in the wake of a human rights report released last week by the United States, wherein the Bahamas government was accused of the ‘intimidation of nongovernmentmental organizations’, an accusation which Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration labeled as being ‘inaccurate’ and in some cases [having] incomplete information.”, but yet here they are once again seeming to be up to ‘it’ again

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

END