It would appear that former Prime Minister Perry Christie, after breaking his long held silence, still does not seem to get the ‘big picture’.

While he defends his himself and his  government’s actions on certain issues, he seems not to realize that the Bahamian people took a look at the big picture as it relates to our fiscal position, the manner in which we were being taxed and judged him and his administration accordingly.

“Christie defends claims on spending

• Former PM is ‘disappointed by FNM’s allegations
• Says govt. did nothing wrong over $8m payout
• Calls for review of documents” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “FORMER Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday condemned efforts by the Minnis administration to portray his government in a negative light, as he challenged the nation’s leader to carry out a ‘dispassionate examination of the records’.

During a lengthy interview at his Cable Beach home on Thursday, Mr. Christie defended his administration from accusations of irresponsible spending, malfeasance and cronyism.

He also said he was ‘disappointed’ by the allegations being tossed around by the new government concerning matters that transpired during his term as prime minister.

Hitting back at accusations from members of the Minnis administration concerning the controversial pay out of more than $8m to one vendor for hurricane clean up and the write off of $1.2m to an airport tenant who was in arrears, Mr. Christie described recent moves by the government as a ‘misstep’ by a party pandering to its base.”

Mr. Christie maintained that a review of documents relating to these two controversies would absolve his administration of any wrongdoing and prove the FNM’s rhetoric is nothing more than ‘political slogans.”

I say that it does not absolve the previous Christie administration of any wrongdoing, as these allegations all detail a pattern of wanton, blatant and careless economic wastage by the Christie administration, especially at a time when we were lest able to afford it and also due to the fact that the former prime minister’s explanation of the controversies that he choose to focus on makes absolutely no sense.

It is my opinion that as the former prime minister defends his administration against allegations of fiscal malfeasances, he misses the big picture by which his administration was judged and which he nor anyone his the former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) ministers has been able to adequately explain; why after collecting over a billion dollars in value-added tax (VAT) and other taxes, why was our economy downgraded four times in the five years of the Christie administration with both the fiscal deficit and national debt increasing at an alarming rate?

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

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“Clarke: Cooper should have made remarks in private” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate Dr. Charles Clarke said he agrees with much of Exuma and Ragged Island Member of Parliament (MP) Chester Cooper’s observations of why the PLP lost the last general election, but says Cooper may have been attempting to score ‘brownie points’ by doing so in such a public forum.”

My most obvious question would be, score ‘brownie points’ for what and with whom?  Is there a power struggle going here?

Indeed, the Progressive Liberal Party is a party of secrets and maybe Mr. Cooper should have made his observations ‘in house’ where they could have been left to die a lonely death but wasn’t he addressing the National Progressive Institute; I am not getting the impression that this ‘private club’ is not as ‘private’ as I once thought, as I posed the question to persons “Exactly what is the National Progressive Institute? And by the very same token, the point being made that Mr. Cooper is attempting to score ‘brownie points’, what exactly is Dr. Clarke’s motivation by openly admonishing minister Chester Cooper for this observations?

I must say that some of these people within the Progressive Liberal Party confuse me.

Then there is the analogy drawn by Dr. Clarke to explain why he does not agree with Chester Cooper’s call for the PLP to ‘apologize’ to the Bahamian people; “It is like a vehicle,’ Clarke told the Guardian yesterday.

‘When you have a car and it has an accident or knocks someone down, the car doesn’t apologize to the person.

It is certainly not the passenger or the car, but it is the driver who comes out to apologize, or should apologize.

‘There are people in the party who should apologize to the party and the council of the party for taking the party and its vision away from the core values of the party, and it is now causing the Bahamian people to now be skeptical about the party.”

Wow, who is this man because his thought process is really scary and I really mean, who is he? Because before the election I had never heard of him before.

When he says “There are people in the party who should apologize for taking the party and its vision away from its core values of the party “, does he not realize that that one; this is basically what Chester Cooper is saying and two; doesn’t he feel ‘these people’, of which he is a part, owe an apology to the Bahamian people?

Does he really believe that they only owe an apology only to the party and council of the party? 

This is sad and borders on the delusional and seems to be what member of parliament Chester Cooper is saying when he says; “…the party lost the 2012 general election because it ‘protected he interest of the party over the interest of the nation, and urged party members to make a ‘sincere and humble apology and repentance’ to its supporters and the country.”

While, there are many in the Progressive Liberal Party that feel that they have NOTHING to ‘repent’ for, I am thinking that Dr. Charles Clarke may think he has nothing to apologize for because ‘he just reach’.

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

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“Sears backs Cooper on PLP views” – The Tribune

Except from this article; “FORMER Attorney General Alfred Sears applauded Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper’s recent frank reflections on the Progressive Liberal Party’s loss yesterday while former State Minister for National Security Keith Bell said he disagreed with those remarks.

‘Those represent his personal views to which he is entitled to make but they don’t represent my view and I disagree with his view,’ Bell said.  ‘A combination of reasons (caused the PLP’s loss) but I reserve my views for the moment.  No need to add to the confusion.”

What ‘moment’ would that be Mr. Bell?

As some attempt to distance themselves from former Prime Minister and former leader of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Perry Christie, there are still those that seek to hold in place his legacy.

“Mitchell won’t ‘pile on’ Christie criticism” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Senator Fred Mitchell said yesterday that former Prime Minister has accepted responsibility for the party’s 2017 defeat and he won’t ‘join in on the parade’ to ‘trample’ his name.

It is indeed good that the former prime minister has accepted responsibly for the party’s election defeat but has he had that ‘come to Jesus’ moment on exactly what it was he did wrong and are others that seem to want to hold onto Christie name and legacy aware of exactly what brought about this crushing defeat because it would appear that some like Senator Fred Mitchell would do the same thing all over again, in the very same way if they were able to; even knowing the outcome – this is simply amazing.

Indeed, there is a divide in the Progressive Liberal Party about the future direction of the party and it seems that the only person from the ‘old guard’ to express their desire to stay the course is Senator Fred Mitchell; others either could not be reached for comment or just refused to comment.

The Progressive Liberal Party continues to fail for one reason, it is their nature.

END

If it were coming from me, then it would be classified as biased political talk but when it comes from one in your own camp, then what do you call it?

“PLP MP calls on party to repent – Cooper claims he knew Christie was a tough sell” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; In a frank and scathing speech before the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) National Progressive Institute last night, Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Copper charged that the party lost the 2017 general election because it ‘protected the interest of the party over the interest of the nation’, and urged party members to makes a ‘sincere and humble apology and repentance’ to its supporters and the country.

‘I don’t expect this suggestion to be warmly embraced, but the Anglicans and Catholics would be familiar with the act of penitence: If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,’ he said.

Cooper also acknowledged that during the recent election campaign, then Prime Minister Perry Christie was a hard sell.

He said as he campaigned voters told him more than once that, ‘Chester, I like you.  You are the best candidate by far, with the best plan.  I want to support you, but I can’t vote for you because I cannot support Perry Christie or what the PLP has become, and a vote for you is a vote for Christie.

Cooper said the party was ‘out of touch’ and not ‘transparent and accountable’ enough in the lead up to the election.”

Right now this young man is saying all the right things but is it too little too late for him to remove himself from the shadow of the Christie legacy? Most may claim that his success at the polls is a sign of this but he only managed to garner 51.57% of the votes cast that day and also the question should be asked, when exactly did he have these revelations about the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and its former leader?

When Mr. Cooper speaks about having ‘no sin’ and deceiving oneself’, he must be mindful that the very persons that he may have been addressing as he made this “frank and scathing speech” are the very ones that are full of ‘sin’ and have been judged accordingly by the people and by this very same token if the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is to pick itself up, it must rid itself of the image/legacy of ‘party first’, which exists heavily in the ‘old guard’ of the party and even within Mr. Cooper himself; who saw no reason to sound the alarm when he saw things going wrong leading into the 2017 general election

The Progressive Liberal Party seems to just not get it.

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

END

Knowing the duplicitous and hypocritical nature of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the highly ineffective and non-professional fashion that they approached the Baha Mar situation after the original developer, Sarkis Izmirlian filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a United States court; it would be unwise and dare I say just plain stupid of anyone to trust a word out of their mouth as it pertains to the Baha Mar deal and anything else for that matter.

What is unfortunate is that they [the Progressive Liberal Party] allowed another nation, the Chinese, to come subvert our national sovereignty by encouraging them into applying to the courts to seal the contents of this deal; claiming ‘sensitive matters’, when it would actually appear that there MAY have been nothing to hide in the first place.

“Davis says FNM ‘climb down’ shows deceit in campaign” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “OFFICIAL Opposition Leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis has accused the Minnis administration of a ‘breath taking climb down’ over its seemingly reversed position on Baha mar, which he said was part of the Free National Movement’s election campaign ‘deceit’.

The statement from the Progressive Liberal Party leader came days after Attorney General Carl Bethel told The Tribune there is nothing ‘unusual’ in the documents relating to Baha Mar’s sale to Chow Tai Fook Enterprises.

Mr. Davis said the FNM acted in desperation when in opposition by suggesting there was something illegal or unethical in the documents relating to the mega resort’s sale and remobilization.

He questioned what the FNM ‘promised’ original developer Sarkis Izmirlian for this support.”

Why the ‘cloak and dagger’?

Why all the secrecy?

In my opinion, if the Free National Movement (FNM) or any incoming government had it to do all over again, I would recommend the very same course of action, all under the principles of open and transparent governance – something the Progressive Liberal Party seems to know nothing about .

As it would appear that the Progressive Liberal Party seems to be deceitful and insincere, even when situation do not warrant this type of behavior and as we have seen it is usually to their very own detriment.

Now they must face the harsh reality, as they call others ‘deceitful’, that most people voted against them simply because the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), as a government, refused to be open and honest to the public whom they served.

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

END

 This past week was very disappointing one for many, as the budget debate came to a close – blue print of bad governance and for fiscal mismanagement by the former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government being laid out leaving many in total amazement and others physically nauseous; with all being left up to the office of the Attorney General to prosecute who needed to be prosecuted, wherever criminality could be proven but with the Attorney General saying that he had not yet received any files on misconduct on which to bring anyone before the courts as they should be.

“Bethel; No file received on misconduct” – The Tribune 23^rd June 2017

Excerpt from this article; “Attorney General Carl Bethel said his office had not received any files in relation to complaints of misconduct of former government officials.

He said whatever information that is sent to the Office of the Attorney General in the future will be dealt with under due process.  However, he added the many allegations against the former administration that have emerged from the House of Assembly warranting criminal prosecution have other avenues of redress.”

This then would suggest that the door is still open to holding the former administration to account for it many cases of alleged malfeasances, as audits and investigations are still ongoing and also shows clearly why there is URGENT need for anti-corruption legislation.

“Carl Bethel: Public justifiably horrified – AG says Christie administration appears to have abandoned good governance.” – The Nassau Guardian 24 June 2017

Excerpt from this article; “Attorney General Carl Bethel yesterday said there is something ‘rotten in the state’ as he reference a number of reported cases of alleged misfeasance by the Christie administration highlighted in the House of Assembly.

He said while his office will take a balanced approach when looking at such matters, he noted Bahamians are ‘justifiably horrified’ by some of the allegations of wastage and are calling for action.

The budget debate in the House of Assembly….has began to reveal the excessive spending that the PLP indulged in Bethel said as he contributed to the 2017/2018 budget debate in the Senate.”

This brought the response from some members of the PLP and some of it supporters; claiming that the people get ‘swing’ because look at all the wrong that we did and what will you all do about it?  

It is as if the former administration is admitting to the wrongdoing and also making the claim that if you were not going to do anything about it, the country might as well have left them in government to finish the ‘job’ that they started.

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Senator Dr. Michael Darville in lying out his case went on to say, “………the people are tired of political talk.  He encouraged the government to ‘get to work’.

If you have something on some ministers that you believe is criminal carry then to the police’, he said

Darville added that so far; all of the claims made by the current government have been ‘just talk’.

So the former minister calls the allegations of mismanagement of the public purse “just talk” but the question is, are they true?

Senator Mitchell then went on to say, “………..he is unaware of any act of malfeasance on his part or on the part of Senator Dr. Darville, who is also a former minister.

He objected to Bethel’s’ implicit threats’.

Mitchell added: ‘Don’t come in here being fast and loose, quick and clever.  If you have something…..say so.’

The former minister’s comments came after Bethel pointed to the 2011 Caribbean Court of Justice that gave the go ahead for the attorney-general of Belize to take legal action against two of it ministers for monetary losses suffered by the state as a result of malfeasance.

Bethel said he was merely making a note of the case.”

So clearly the Attorney General, Carl Bethel knows of this ongoing issue, as does Senator Fred Mitchell but it seems that Senator Michael Darville is still unaware of what is going on, as he was during the past five years and someone needs to sit him down and clue him in.

Indeed, Senator Mitchell needs to get Senator Darville up to speed and very quickly as to what he is “justifiably horrified” of when Attorney-General Carl Bethel mentions the recent legal action that Belize recently took against two of its ministers and the possible ramifications that it could have on the members of the former administration because if it was up to me Senator Darville would be one of those name at the top of the list to be investigated for ‘monetary losses suffered by the state as the results of malfeasances.

The Progressive Liberal Party continues to fail for one reason, it is their nature.

END

“Isaacs threatens to strike PM- Says he was disgusted by Minnis’ statements in House” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Progressive Liberal Party (PLP Chairman Emeritus Errington ‘Minky’ Isaacs yesterday challenged Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis to say outside of Parliament what he said about him receiving a nearly $2 million per year contract from Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) to clean up oil, so he could strike him in his mouth.’

Asked his thinking about the prime minister making the revelations during the budget debate on Tuesday night, Isaacs told The Nassau Guardian, ‘I was disgusted.  I wish he would make it (the statement) in public in front of me.  I would strike him right in his mouth.”

Now exactly what is PLP Chairman Emeritus Errington ‘Minky’ Isaacs so disgusted about and also does whether the prime minister’s statement was made in the House of Assembly really matter, because I do not think that parliamentary privilege would exempt the prime minister from an ass whooping so go for it but just to be sure you may want to check in with Fred Mitchell and/or Jerome Fitzgerald, our resident experts on parliamentary privilege.

“Minnis revealed that the commencement date of the contract was March 27, 201, while the expiration date for the contract was March 27, 2017.

The amount for the contract was $1,852,829.56 per year.

‘The contract was for the provision of labor and cleaning service for the BEC premises located at Blue Hills power station and Clifton power station,’ Minnis said.

‘Remedial work of this kind requires specialized knowledge.

I was told that oil cleaning was also a part f the contract.

‘Now, from what I know from this individual, he knows nothing of cleaning oil.”

But Mr. Isaacs claims that he does know actually does know something about oil clean up and if h did not know about it he would hire people that did,

“Responding to the prime minister, Isaacs said, ‘The ‘fellas’ who own baseball teams and basketball teams, they don’t know a hoot about playing baseball and basket ball.’

He says they hire people who know how to do these things, suggesting that that is what he did.

However Isaacs also stressed that he is qualified for the work.

I know about clean ups because I was in the aircraft maintenance business and we use to do clean up,’ said Isaacs, who is a pilot.”

Now you see he should have quitted while he was ahead and had the ‘story’ sorted out that he hired someone to do the work. 

Is Mr. Isaacs suggesting that any qualified mechanic was qualified to carry out the works as required?

In this case, when the job went out to tender, did it go out to each and every certified car mechanic and all other mechanics?

Can I have my car mechanic put in a bid at the time of anther oil clean up?

Surely, I jest but is this is how Mr. Isaacs is attempting to rationalize the payments recently revealed during the budget debate, is this why he wants to ‘meet the prime minister in the parking lot’?

The Progressive Liberal Party continues to fail for one reason, it is their nature.

END

 

“Ex-ministers to face courts? – Attorney General role in holding top PLP’s to account over ‘waste” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “FORMER ministers in the Christie administration are ‘guilty of ‘malfeasance’ and Attorney General Carl Bethel will have to determine if they should be held liable for the ‘millions’ in taxpayer dollars that were awarded in questionable contracts, in some cases to ‘inexperienced’ contractors, Minister of Works Desmond Bannister told the House of Assembly last night.

The Carmichael MP made the suggestion as he outlined several cases of government waste on public contracts, noting he had to stop work on a $22m public private partnership for a building in Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama because it was not in the best interest of the Bahamian people.

He also noted the worrisome $6.5m construction contract for the Lowe Sound Primary School.  He said the job was given to three ‘inexperienced’ men, despite warnings from the officials in the Ministry of Works that the present structure put the project in jeopardy.”

As the debate rages on in the United States of America over whether or not President Donald Trump can be indicted for obstruction of justice, we have our very own debate of whether or not anyone will be charged for the instances of ‘malfeasances’ that have been outlined during the Budget Debate, here by the Minister of Public Works and those outlined by others in the Minnis administration to date.

Will we allow these person’s political ‘reputations’ save them from paying their debt to society for their roles in these cases of ‘political malfeasances’?

It is obvious that ‘side opposite’ will seek to label it a ‘with hunt’; a claim already being made by Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis but what the leader of the opposition needs to do is explain to the people why in his opinion the Minnis administration has ‘erred’ and turned the revelations of the mismanagement of the public purse by the Christie administration into nothing more than a ‘witch hunt’.

In his attempts to justify the wrong-doings of the previous administration the leader of the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) can only dig deeper the ‘grave’ that he already stands in,  each and every time he or one of his colleagues attempts to justify their political malfeasance; sometimes it is truly better to remain silent and weather the storm.

The situation that we now face is what will be the consequences of such gross negligence, ineptitude and incompetence on behalf of the former government?

We now await the Attorney General’s decision on these matters which brings me to another point that I have advocated for politically and that is the office of an ‘independent’ Attorney General; one elected by the people, just to lessen the view of bias in cases where politicians are being charged for crimes against the people and other political malfeasances.

END

 

“Tenant ‘owed airport’ $3m – Tourism Minister alleges intervention by pervious government” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “A TENANT who operated five stores at the Lynden Pindling Airport racked up a rental debt of more than $3m under the Christie administration and was allowed to remain delinquent due to ‘direct intervention by political directorate,’ Tourism and Aviation Minister Dionisio D’Augilar revealed in the House of Assembly last night.”

This is just one of the many instances where it has been revealed that the Christie administration was actually ‘pissing away’ public funds; and I have no doubt as the budget debate gets set to end for this week and then moves into week two this coming Monday, there will be more revelations showing where the last government were the worst fiscal managers of the people’s money that this country has ever seen but with these revelations comes consequences; one being that the people now want their ‘pound of flesh’.

The people are furious at what is being revealed and while they appreciate finally being told the truth by the new government they also want to know what is the new government going to do about it?

The people want to know how they will get their money back.

The people want to know who is going to made to pay and/or jailed?

The new government must be very careful as it proceeds down this necessary road to cleaning up our country and making elected officials actually accountable to the people that elected them; as there has to be consequences for such malfeasance and this new government must show that it is serious about ‘letting the chips fall where they may’, because without this then it is all talk.

END

“PM it is very easy to ‘piss away funds´- The Tribune, April 4 2017

Excerpt from this article; “WHILE observers continue to criticize the Christie administration over the way it handles government revenue, Prime Minister Perry Christie admitted yesterday that it could be easy to ‘piss away’ public funds.

Speaking to scores of people gathered at the University of The Bahamas using what he referred to as ‘rich’ language, Mr. Christie used the ‘very graphic expression of annoyance’ as he insisted that his government is not wasting tax dollars.”

These were words of former prime minister Perry Christie as he expressed annoyance with the public as they continued to question the reasoning for the rise in the national debt and deficit despite the ‘exceeding successes’ of value-added tax (VAT), which had collected over a billion dollars in tax revenue.

Shouldn’t the deficit and debt at least slowed in growth but it seems this was one of the times that you were able to take the former prime minister at his word; ‘it is easy to piss away funds’, because it would seems this is exactly what he and his administration did.

A glimpse into this wastage was revealed by Minister of Health, Dr. Duane Sands during his contribution to the budget debate yesterday.

“A picture of waste – ‘distressing’ discoveries on use of public funds” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “The Christie administration executed over $90 million worth of medical-related contracts – one of which was for the cleaning of an Abaco clinic that was closed – just two weeks before the 2017 general election, Minister of Heath Dr. Duane Sand revealed yesterday.

Sand said the contracts were executed despite a $16.4 million shortfall that prevented the Public Hospital Authority (PHA) from purchasing much-needed medication, vaccines and completing renovations at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).

Additionally, he said the former government left millions of dollars in unpaid debt, including about $2 million in National Health Insurance (HNI) related costs.”

Indeed, the Christie administration’s handling of the country’s finances seem to be the ‘blue-print’ on how to ‘piss away public funds’, as we are continuing to find out each and every day, but the former administration seemed to be able to find funds for what they deemed as being important.

“In addition to funding carnival, incredibly, they made the time and found the money to award…..$90 million in lucrative contracts to people, who some would call party faithful.  The reason given was that the clinics had to be upgraded.

‘So the Cabinet directed that $9,778,304.86 be paid as a down payment for new contracts throughout The Bahamas.

This was conveyed by the Permanent Secretary of the OPM) (Office of the Prime Minister) Creswell Strurrup to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of health on April 27, 2017.” the month before the general election.

While the former Christie administration laid out a blue-print on how to “piss away public funds”, it is now incumbent on the Minnis administration to not only expose the ‘dark dealings’ of the former government but to actually prove to the people that they are better administrators of the peoples finances.

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

END