“Bell: Terror-like threats make scrapping NIA a grave mistake” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “THE Christie administration created the National Intelligence Agency after considering a number of serious, terrorist-like threats that threatened the Bahamas, former State Minister of National Security Keith Bell claimed  yesterday, warning the Minnis administration that is making a ‘grave mistake’ disbanding the agency.

On Monday, National Security Minister Marvin Dames announced that the NIA has been disbanded, saying the unit was isolated from other law enforcement units and had not functioned like an intelligence agency.

But Mr. Dames, countered Mr. Bell, should have in his procession ‘unequivocal’ and ‘undisputable’ evidence showing that he NIA served a meaningful purpose.

Mr. Bell avoided discussing the threats he said The Bahamas faced or the evidence he said proves he NIA’s importance.”

The long and short it seems to be that the former government forms a private agency that is purported to protect the country from terrorist attacks but cannot seem to be able to sit down with the new government and provide the reasons why the agency was formed and why it should still exist and it does this in “the interest of national security”?

“We’ve had enough threats to cause us to move into action at times,’ he [Keith Bell] said.

‘I cannot disclose the threats in the interest of national security, but I am sure the minister and the prime minister have been briefed properly.  If not, then I am prepared in the interest of national security to brief them.”

These fellows can’t even form a ‘secret agency’ properly.

The former minister of state of national security seems to imply that it was someone’s responsibility to appraise the present minister of national security of the functions of the NIA but it seems as if it never happened but on the bright side he is willing to brief him, hopefully he will brief him on why the NIA seems to operate outside the scope of the law in a democratic and independent country.

Of course, the former minister of state will now get up and grand stand, it is easy being in opposition but if you have something to say then simply say it otherwise please sit down, as you have had five years to pull someone aside and let them know what you were doing on Nassau Street and explain to them why it never was legislated to operate as a part of the Ministry of National Security but yet you wish to now spout nonsense.

“When asked why the former administration failed to bring legislation governing the NIA if the agency was so important, Mr. Bell said the Christie-led administration wanted to get the legislation right and spent time benchmarking it against other ones in the region.

He also suggested that because of the criticism the former administration faced over the NIA, the previous government wanted to make sure it got the timing of the legislation right.

He insisted that the methods the NIA used to collect intelligence were legal, even as he refused to discuss the nature of those methods.”

This is funny because later in the very same interview Mr. Bell states; “….the NIA did not require legislation to function”; well sir which is it, you were awaiting the right time to table the legislation or your government simply felt that the agency did not need legislation to function and what was the nature of the information being collected and the method by which this information was collected, since you suddenly seem to be in a talkative mood?

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

END

“DPM defend decision to fund BAMSI, Urban Renewal” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said before the government considers cutting allocations for certain programs it criticized the Christie administration on, it must consider the human capital and fully review each program.

Turnquest was referring to Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) initiatives such as Urban Renewal and the Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), both of which are controversial.

The government has maintained the budget allocated for both programs.”

During one of his last campaign appearances as Prime Minister and as leader of the Progressive Liberal Party Perry Christie made the claim, that a change in government could put [the] national at risk, he went on to say, “I don’t want this country to enter a period of instability.’

I don’t want to see the country lose the progress we’ve worked so hard for.

‘……good things, big things are underway and the danger of the FNM is all that and more is at risk.  We know the FNM’s record of stop and cancel.”

As usual former Prime Minister Perry Christie was attempting to pander to the fears of the persons that supported the PLP party and he counted on this fear to seal his victory at the polls but the former Prime Minister did not count on persons remembering what he and his party had done over the five years that they claimed that they brought about “big things” as he still promised same said “big things” on the campaign trail, just how long were the people to wait for him to turn things around and deliver these ‘big things’?

It was most unfortunate, for the country, the manner in which the former administration was able to take initiatives such as Urban Renewal and BAMSI, whose objectives were noble and turn them into entities surrounded by questions and controversy, but it would seem to be the very same fashion in which they took the core principles of the Progressive Liberal Party itself and only used them at their convenience but never consistently to advance the lives of the people that they claimed to have cared about.

Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Peter Turnquest says, “…it [the Free National Movement government] must consider the human capital” when reviewing these programs and he is correct; peoples livelihoods must be considered which did not seem to be a consideration of the Progressive Liberal Party when it took office in 2012 and released over 80 workers from the Urban Renewal programs in New Providence and in Grand Bahama; telling these people that they had to renew their contracts while they [the PLP] government purportedly replaced who they considered to be Free National Movement [FNM] supporters with ‘loyal supporters’ of the Progressive Liberal Party [PLP].

The Free National Movement which former Prime Minister Perry Christie described has yet to materialize and send the country into to ‘instability’ and I doubt that it will be seen under Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, and yes the people of the country would know the difference because the country has been unstable since May of 2012. 

Now a new Free National Movement has emerged and has promised to consider everyone, whether you voted for them or not.

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

END

Sometimes you should stop and face up to reality; this often takes a re-evaluation of the way is which you have been doing things and should bring you to a point where you can then go ahead and formulate a new plan and thereby chart a new course; it is painfully obvious that some in the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) party are totally unable or just unwilling to do this.

“Hanna-Martian defends PLP’s record” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Defending the Christie administration against claims of mismanagement, Engerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martian insisted yesterday that the former government was good for the country.

‘We worked hard, but we were saddled with an opposition that sought to undermine our efforts every step along the way,’ said Hanna-Martian as she contributed to the budget debate in the House of Assembly.”

“…….Engerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martian insisted yesterday that the former government was good for the country”, she makes this claim after the former government increased the national debt and deficit which resulted in four economic downgrades in five years, in my humble opinion she should be ashamed to utter such words but clearly she is not.

There is an amusing contradiction in minister Hanna-Martian’s claim against the Free National Movement (FNM) while in opposition, “….but we were saddled with an opposition that sought to undermine our efforts every step along the way.”, I would like to question the minister if this is the very same opposition that she and her party constantly ridiculed and that her party Chairman labeled a ‘scrap gang’?

So, how do you allow a ‘scrap-gang’ derail your government’s plans?

Were they more powerful that you gave them credit for or was your government just that weak, incompetent, inept and lazy?

Ms. Hanna-Martian backs up her claims of the great works which the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government achievements that go back to the establishment of the National Insurance Board (NIB) to the ‘difficult task of tax reform through the imposition of value-added tax (VAT), it is indeed funny that she would bring up the subject of VAT and imply that it was one of the things that was good for the country while many are still attempting to figure out why if VAT was such a success and exceeded all expectations, why did he country experience the four downgrades and the government seemed unable to slow the growth of the deficit?

“Hanna-Martian added that the budget communication delivered by Finance Minister Peter Turnquest was ‘drenched in politically biased rhetoric in a way I do not ever recall.’

“I say that very seriously and in a way that has been calculated to skew the truth,’ she said’

‘She further described the communication as ‘venomous and vitriolic.”

In other words, containing too much truth, as it began to expose the gross mismanagement of the people’s money by the former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government.

Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin should be ashamed of herself but I am sure that she is not.

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

END

 

 

I am seeing certain propaganda sites pop up making outrageous and illogical claims. One such claim is that the Minnis administration ‘swing der people’ and lied to them on the campaign trail; of course these sites are pro-Progressive Liberal Party )PLP) sites and seem to have forgotten the 2012 campaign and ‘A Charter for Governance’; […]

via My Morning Paper – June 04, 2017 – Illogical Propaganda — My Morning Paper

I am seeing certain propaganda sites pop up making outrageous and illogical claims.

One such claim is that the Minnis administration ‘swing der people’ and lied to them on the campaign trail; of course these sites are pro-Progressive Liberal Party )PLP) sites and seem to have forgotten the 2012 campaign and ‘A Charter for Governance’; a book of ‘promises that the PLP abandoned before the ink ha dried on it.

They seem to be seeking to convince the people that they have been ‘swung’ by the budget line item of a 45% reduction on the duty on washers on dryers.  This they claim does not help the average man and is a ‘gift’ to D’ Aguilar, Minister of Tourism and owner of the Super Wash chain of laundry mats but I ask the question does this not also help the average person that wishes to import a washer and dryer or some washers and dryers to begin their own business?

My advice to the public moving forward, is that they should question everything which they do not understand and do not follow any party blindly.  This is your constitutional right, one that was discouraged under any Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government.

I really find it amusing that now since becoming the opposition, they [the PLP} would now wish to convince the people that they have been ‘tricked’, while for five years they did little to nothing to better the lives of same said people.

My final point is how can the word of any Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) politician or representative be trusted, while in opposition, if it has been proven to be untrustworthy as the government of the people?

I would call names but these people like to sue

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

END