It is extremely amazing that Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Member of Parliament for Ragged Island and Exuma and shadow minister of finance, would label the Free National Movement government’s mid-year budget report as ‘voodoo economics’, especially when the economy has shown signs of stabilization and actual improvement; something that never occurred under the previous PLP administration.

“PLP: Mid-year budget is voodoo economics” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Labeling the government’s mid-year budget communication, which boasted increased GDP growth and decreased spending, as ‘voodoo economics’, the official opposition yesterday called on the Minnis administration to substantiate its fiscal claims about the Bahamas economy.

In the Minority Room of the House of Assembly, Shadow Minister of Finance and Deputy Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chester Cooper described Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest’s mid-term budget communication as ‘prettying up the books’ without providing the ‘underlying realities’.

The mid-year budget communication today by the honorable minister of finance demonstrates what we have been saying all along; this government has no vision and no strategy for managing and growing the economy.’ said Cooper alongside his parliamentary colleagues.

‘We heard nothing new.  We heard nothing that inspires confidence.’

‘Without fail, the minister of finance presents figures distorted by caveats and double speak to try

knit together something coherent that tries to make the government look good.

‘However, we see it for what it is – more voodoo economics from a government that promises much but delivers little.”

First, allow me to say that nobody ever promised as much as the Hon. Perry Christie and was unable to deliver now with that being said, if the facts are as presented with “….the country’s fiscal position has improved compared to the same midpoint last year, most notably the GSF deficit for the first six months of this fiscal year totaling $198 million, down from the $290.3 million deficit under the previous administration at the midpoint of the 2016/2017 fiscal year”, then either the shadow minister wishes the public to deny the facts (numbers) or he himself is lost in a mist of his party’s “Gold Voodoo Mist”, this is all be revealed during the actual debate.

Also to be noted here is that if these figures are indeed true and the economy is indeed improving , then the Progressive Liberal Party’s assertion that the Free National Movement has no plan is embarrassing, as they [the FNM] has been able to do without a plan that which the PLP could not do with a plan.

What is sad here is the shadow minister would actually state for the record; “…we have heard nothing new.  We heard nothing that inspires confidence”, the fact of the matter is that if what has been going on in the country, as it relates to the country’s economy, does not inspire confidence within Mr. Cooper and his team then it is as former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham once said, “What is good for the country is bad for the PLP”.

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

END

I find it beyond difficult to find the exact words to describe the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) under the leadership of the Hon. Philip ‘Brave’ Davis.  The idiocy of his statements makes one cringe in despair, as we see an “intelligent” individual display the intellect of a pure idiot.  This may seem a bit harsh but it is all that I can seem to muster at this point as I attempt to be as diplomatic as possible about his statements since becoming the leader of that ‘great’ political organization and if they [the PLP] are to be a force to reckon with or just an organization to make a valuable contribution to the progress of The Bahamas in the future, they simply cannot do it with the present party leader at the helm.

“Davis critical of labor initiative, but Foulkes says govt. won’t be distracted” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Opposition Leader Philip Brave Davis yesterday branded as a shameless public relations exercise a job registration event hosted by the Department of Labor in Grand Bahama on Saturday.

However, Minister of Labor Dion Foulkes said thousands of Bahamians remain jobless as a result of the PLP’s shameless mismanagement in government, and the Minnis administration is preparing Grand Bahama for many jobs that will become available.

Foulkes said the ‘Labor On the Blocks’ initiative has led to 800 jobs for Bahamians on New Providence and a ‘number’ of Grand Bahama residents were hired on the spot on Saturday.

The minister said that about 1,300 job seekers were added to the department’s labor database on Grand Bahama as a result of Saturday’s event.

‘The database is most important as significant number of job opportunities are set for Grand Bahama in the near future,’ Foulkes said.”

Now it would appear that job creation by the Free National Movement (FNM) government is nothing more than a “shameless public relations exercise”, even after 800 plus persons gained employment which, I guess, cannot compare to the party-type atmosphere of the Progressive Liberal Party’s version of job creation, also known as Junkanoo-Carnival; which took millions out of the country’s coffers only to produce several hundred short term jobs; if that, short terms jobs which produced a very minuscule or very limited boost to the economy, if any at all, this is the very definition of “shameless”.

It would appear that the opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) does not know what to say or do as the government seems to be actually delivering on its promises and the only thing that they [the PLP] an do at this point, to their own determent, is to pick at very little things and attempt to make them issues but as I have said before it seems as if no one is actually listening.

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

END

Normally a member of an organization is advised to praise in public but criticize in private, this is why Fredrick McAlpine, Member of Parliament for Pineridge, has been so heavily criticized by supporters of the Free National Movement(FNM) and being praised by members of the opposition but sometimes when the message is not getting through you have to say what you have to say publicly, even if your voice breaks and the opposition should not really praise what it being said as it exposes them for the duplicitous, hypocrites that they are.

The message that the Pineridge Member of Parliament delivered was simple and axiomatic but yet necessary; which was that the governing Free National Movement (FNM) will not succeed if it is perceived to be doing the very same things that the opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) did when it was the government, which actually got them thrown out of office and essentially this was forgetting their purpose of serving the people and thereby allowing power, arrogance and avarice to take hold of them.

“McAlpine chides FNM for House antics” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Pointing to House Speaker Halson Moultrie’s controversial speech in the House on February 7, Pineridge MP Fredrick McAlpine said yesterday that he was ‘frustrated’ and concerned that ‘honorable man and women’ in the House would ‘display such dishonorable conduct.’

During his speech, Moultrie attacked Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip Brave Davis, former Chief Clerk of the House Maurice Tynes, and PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell.

McAlpine was one of six government MP’s to contribute to debate on a motion of no confidence in the Speaker tabled by Davis.  That motion was later amended by Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells and put forth as a motion of confidence in the speaker.

While he agreed with the opposition’s plight, McAlpine said he could not support the no confidence vote.”

There are several things that can be taken from McAlpine’s contribution; one being that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) represents poor governance and is not an example to emulate, because to follow in their footsteps would be to your detriment and two; that persons within the party [PLP] who reference his comments as discord within the Free National Movement (FNM) government, seem willing to admit to their approval of the PLP as a government.

So now we have a desperate Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) party frantically attempting to get its message out and to be heard, so frantic that they do not seem to realize that the actual message given by the Pineridge member of parliament was/is not to be like the former government, who still has ‘key’ members in place who the country held responsible for bringing the country to its breaking point; surely you cannot or should not use these people to spread your ‘new’ message.

They, as the oldest political organization in the country, just do not seem to be too bright because even the ‘dumb’ among us would realize that as they launch the latest attack on the governing FNM, they are also attacking themselves.

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

END

It has become my most fervent belief that the current move by the opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in their attempt to bring a vote of no confidence against the Speaker of The House of Assembly, Halson Moultrie is to serve two purposes; one, to make it appear as if he opposition is holding the government’s feet to the fire and two; more importantly, to highlight and label the comments of the speaker as being misogynistic  and thereby label anyone that supports him, his parliamentary colleagues, as such if they do not support their motion, the only problem that they have is that no one is listening to them anymore.

“Davis seeks to remove Moultrie – PLP leader set to move no confidence motion; PLP Chairman calls for supporters to assemble at Parliament” – The Nassau Guardian – 12^th February 2018

Excerpt from this article; “Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip Brave Davis has written to House of Assembly Acting Clerk David Forbes indicating that he or another member of the opposition will seek to move a vote of no confidence in House Speaker Halson Moultrie because he is not fit to hold that office.

The letter is the latest in a battle between the speaker and the opposition after he suspended all four PLP MP’s.”

This move can only serve one of these two purposes because there is very little that the opposition can do, in way of bringing about the removal of Moultrie though a vote of no confidence if there are only four of them in the House of Assembly, while the government controls the other twenty eight (28) seats.

It is amusing, because at any other time a move like this would be seen as smart politics but at this time when nobody is listening to you, it makes no sense and is more like going into the wilderness and screaming out in hopes that someone would hear you; it makes no sense but seems to be exactly what the Progressive Liberal Party is prepared to do, as this is essentially what they have been about of late, actions and words that make no sense.

So we sit one day before the opposition wishes to make this ‘bold’ move, and maybe they are at this very moment attempting to convince members of the governing party to follow them down this path but I think they will have a long wait because as I have said, most of the country no longer listens to them anymore.

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

END

“Zero tolerance on domestic abuse” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “AS HE denounced MICAL MP, Miriam Emmanuel’s ‘ill-advised’ comments yesterday, Attorney General Carl Bethel said no form of domestic violence is tolerated by Bahamian law, adding the country is beyond the days of patrimonial control of the family.

Speaking in the Senate, Mr. Bethel said domestic violence is not to be joked about as was the case in Parliament on Wednesday.

‘As leader of government business in this place and the attorney general for this great country,’ Mr. Bethel said.”

When I first heard the comments made by MICAL Member of Parliament Miriam Emmanuel, my very first thoughts was even if you were thinking it, why would you articulate?

There are things better left unsaid, this being one of them and if indeed it is true, one is left to question just what was her father teaching her? 

While the statement by Attorney General Carl Bethel seemed to have softened the harshness of this reckless, insensitive and stupid statement, ‘unfortunate’ is too light a term to be used here, made by the member for MICAL, especially in light of our recent and ongoing conversations concerning violence toward women in this country; what I found profoundly disturbing and unfortunate was the deafening silence by her parliamentary colleagues, as no one seemed to have found it appropriate to stand on a point of order and have her retract the statement immediately or make clarification that they themselves did not agree with the member even if she was drawing a very poor analogy, it would seem that everyone just went along with what was being said in an effort to remain ‘faithful’ to party politics and this is very disturbing to the people to whom you really represent; at some point someone has to stand against such acts such as this even if it come with consequences – it is called standing on principle.

This is find to be an inherent problem with members of the House of Assembly, no matter which party that it may be, if one makes a statement which is inconsistent not only with one’s personal convictions but also with the party’s policies, they tend to sit back silent, some even applauding the member for making the statement just because ‘dey in my party’.

It is time to call wrong wrong and not condone it.

While I may feel that he calling for the resignation of the member may be extreme at this time, there must be other forms of discipline for members that want to treat the House of Assembly as if it is a ‘bar room’, where one utters any manner of nonsense.

END

I feel that Attorney Fred Smith, QC, has declared ‘war’ on the immigration system, moved to overrule the spirit if the constitution and enacted a coup against the ideals of the sovereignty of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

And at this hour one of two things is on the way, either the end of Fred Smith’s unrelenting crusade against matters that are, at this time, beyond his reach, or the end of The Bahamas as we know it because both cannot continue, because you simply cannot continue to attack and tear down the country which you call home and make home for others whom you are seeking a better life without consequence.

“Move to have ministers jailed – Jean-Charles’ attorneys file motion to imprison Bethel and Symonette” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Charging an ‘egregious abuse of executive power’, attorney for Bahamas-born Jean Rony Jean-Charles are seeking to have Attorney General Carl Bethel, Immigration Minister Brent Symonette, former Director of Immigration William Pratt, Officer in Charge of the Carmichael Road Detention Centre Peter Joseph and Royal Bahamas Defense Force Commodore Tellis Bethel found in contempt of court and imprisoned.

However, Bethel charged yesterday the government will not be ‘rolled over’ by some hastily filed and served action’ and pledged to defend the position that the government took in the controversial matter.

The motion comes at the height of the ongoing case involving Jean-Charles, 35, who was deported to Haiti in September, without being charged.”

In my opinion, the fact that Jean-Charles was expelled from the country without due process is the entire problem here and something that I feels that needs to be addressed, as I am sure that it may have happened in the past and it is something that  we do not want to happen again in the future, it simply was wrong but it seems that Jean-Charles Attorney Fred Smith smells blood in the water and seem to be on the ‘attack’ but to what end because I feel calling for these men to me fired does not serve to move us any closer to a resolution of this problem.

Fred Smith, keeps putting the entire blame for this situation on the government of The Bahamas but seems not to take any personal responsibility for not filing a writ of habeas corpus when his client went ‘missing’ last year, because in my opinion his client was not unlawfully arrested and detained,  and of course if his client had done what was required by law and filed for citizenship at the required time, then we may not be here at this point but I have not come to point fingers only to say that I feel that in light of what is presently going on regarding this case, on the governments part, that the clients lawyer is no overreaching and is on a very ‘weak’ branch.

Several things are going on right now which are very important, an appeal to the judge’s ruling has been filed, probably the reason for this latest action by Fred Smith to imprison certain persons and we have now come to see where our immigration laws are deficient and at this very time I would hope that the Attorney General’s ENTIRE staff is working to bring forth the necessary amendments to the law to address these deficiencies.

Just pardon my redundancy, as I address Fred Smiths latest attack on the three branches of the government, as this is exactly what he is doing at this time, you cannot attack and tear down the country that you wish to call home and make home for others seeking a better life..

END

Just as I saw a glimmer of hope within the Attorney General’s offices and within the Ministry of Immigration, as they seemed to have brought Rony Jean-Charles back to the country to first stand before the courts to answer for the crime the he had violated for over fourteen [14] years; it seems that they seek to let the Bahamian people down and have our very sovereignty called into question.

First allow me a moment to stand on a point of clarification; I have persons questioning my calling Jean-Charles an ‘illegal migrant’; because by their understanding he was born in The Bahamas and never migrated here so he should not be considered ‘illegal’ but by my understanding if his mother, whose status now becomes his, was an illegal migrant then so is he; I stand to be corrected.

“Detained

• Jean-Charles back in custody upon landing
• Judge grants emergency stay of ruling” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Jean Rony Jean-Chares, the man at the center of a controversial ruling that has attracted widespread national attention, landed back in The Bahamas from Haiti on Saturday afternoon but was quickly taken into custody by immigration authorities after the judge in the matter agreed to an emergency stay of his judgment handed down nearly a week ago.

Jean-Charles is now back at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, ad his fate is uncertain.

The emergency stay was granted until the judge hears an application today from the office of the Attorney General seeking an extended stay of execution of the ruling until the appeal of the judgment is heard by the Court of Appeal.”

We all know that since this time that Jean Rony Jena-Charles has been released from custody pending the full hearing of the government’s stay application and in my opinion the only legal argument that jean Rony Jean-Charles has to present is the fact that he was allegedly expelled from the country without due process and if we were to concede this and accept it as fact, how much more does the constitution afford him, bearing in mind that he has been residing here illegally for the past decade plus?

Does he and others in his situation not bear some responsibility for their current situations?

Would it then be considered as cruel and unusual to bring him back to the country, process him, and find him guilty of violating our immigration laws and then legally expelling him, would this even be considered legal?

The ultimate power grab, but something drastic seems to have to be done to prove a point that the country is willing to take drastic measures to protect its borders and its sovereignty and this will not be done by an attorney general who seems to be acquiescing to the demands of an attorney whom I feel is over-reaching his bounds in this case in a situation that I feels that he ‘masterminded’ to bring the country to this point.

Now this position as stated above may be impossible to bring about but I say consider it and I also suggest that if this is not deemed legal, then put Mr. Jean-Charles on a probationary work permit status.

I find it curious that he and his attorney can make ultimatums of the government and feel that they owe the nothing in this matter.

The Department of Immigration must also bear great responsibility in this matter and someone in that department should be made to pay for putting Jean-Charles and his attorney Fred Smith in a position that they are now owed the ‘keys to the country’.

END

 

 

 

 

 

“Govt. preparing travel document – But will appeal immigration ruling” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “The Office of the Attorney General intends to appeal Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hilton’s ruling ordering the government to immediately issue a travel document to Bahamas-born Jean Rony Jean-Charles to return from Haiti, and grant him status to permit him to remain in The Bahamas.

This was confirmed by Attorney General Carl Bethel, who declined to comment on the ruling.

But Minister of Immigration Brent Symonette said outside the House of Assembly that while he did not read the ruling, her was working with the Ministry if Foreign Affairs to issue the necessary documentation for Jean-Charles to come back to Nassau.

‘The government is making provisions at the moment for a travel letter or requisite documentation for Mr. Rony-Charles to come back to Nassau,’ he said.

‘Once he is back in Nassau and makes an application, the Department of Immigration will look at his application and consider the appropriate action after that.”

So there we have it, after it found by the courts of The Bahamas as per the constitution that Bahamian-born “…….Jean-Charles was deprived of his liberty, unlawfully arrested and detained, falsely imprisoned in breach of his rights guaranteed by the constitution, and unlawfully expelled from The Bahamas, again a breach of his fundamental rights.”, what is left is what amounts to a ‘power-play’ by Fred Smith QC; a naked power grab; where the only way I feel that he can bring this about is by the threat of something big; probably several hefty lawsuits if Mr. Jean-Charles was not returned and given certain rights and liberties  because I do not see as per the constitution how Mr. Jean-Charles was deprived of his liberty, unlawfully arrested and detained, falsely imprison now as for him being unlawfully expelled from The Country then we can have a conversation but just a conversation, as Jean-Charles was here in violation of our immigrations laws; but the question that I am asking now is this the only ‘power-play’ that Fred Smith plans to play or will he attempt to come back again to this ‘well’ is the very near future?

So as the sun rises on a new day there are reports of Fred Smith suggesting that this client will seek “substantial damages’ from the government but does he not realize that his client is not innocent in this entire ordeal, as he is an illegal migrant by all accounts, as he did not file for citizenship when he had reached age eighteen as require by the laws of The Bahamas and therefore must bear some of the responsibility for his ordeal,  at the very least if you wish to reside in a country abide by its laws.

It would seem that the client and his lawyer would like to put the entire blame on the government and it’s agencies and while there may have been a break down in the process, wherein Mr. Jean-Charles was denied due process; the other charges cannot be supported, in my opinion, by this one violation of his rights. 

There seems to be an attack on The Bahamas and its entire system of immigration, when actually the system worked the way that it was supposed to have worked barring the fact that Mr. Jean-Charles was not properly processed, so Mr. Fred Smith, you have won your case in terms of the violation of the your clients rights but as for these other charges that you wish to prop up your law suit; I say stand down as they are nonsensical, at best and I do not have to be a lawyer or Queen’s Council to see this.

 END

I am becoming more worried by the leader of the opposition, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), the Hon. Philip ‘Brave’ Davis’ thinking/thought process, as he attempts to do his endeavor best and keep the current Free National Movement (FNM) government’s ‘feet to the fire’ but with each attempts he only exposes even more how poorly the former PLP government, of which he was Deputy Prime Minister, governed the country.

“Davis blasts 2,500 job cuts in public sector as ‘shameful’” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis said he is not surprised by the latest unemployment figures, which highlights a ‘shameful’ public sector shrinkage of more than 2,500 jobs, adding he believes the number will double once the complete picture is revealed.

On Friday, Department of Statistics said the country’s unemployment numbers slightly increased from 9.9 percent to 10.1 percent.  This snapshot into the jobs situation included he government sector decreasing by 2,555 people from 40,990 to 38,435, or by 6.3 percent.

Despite an increase in the number of employed people in the Bahamas – by some 3,575 moving the labour force from 200,155 to 203, 730 – the 1.8 percent growth was not enough to significantly impact the unemployment situation as the number of high school graduates outweighed the net increase in available labour.”

First Mr. Davis, let me point out to you as you seek to chastise the current government for the increase in unemployment numbers, Mr. Peter Turnquest has already pointed this out and explained it in the papers at least two days ago, now the question that you, Mr. Davis, should ask yourself is how did we get to this point?

Mr. Davis, I am worried about you now because it would seem that you did not realize the horrendous situation that your government created in the country by continuously using the public sector as a job agency, to pay back your political favors that you made on the campaign trail; as did other governments before you, but yet you now wish to demonize a government that finally seems to have the intestinal fortitude to correct this practice which the government can no longer sustain.

Mr. Davis, you seem to have no problem with suggesting that if your government had won, then you would have gone about business as usual, bringing the economy; already on life support, to a most certain death as your government was not successful in job creation as you would now criticize the current government of, claiming that they do not have a plan. This point is interesting within itself, because even as your government claimed to have had all of the plans the only plan that you seem to have, as far as job creation, was to over staff an already over burdened public sector. 

As you ‘blast’ the current government, will you state for the record that you are proud of the accomplishment of your party in terms of job creation and if you are then you may want to point them out to the rest of the country.

You and your government created a horrible situation within the public sector that has resonated throughout or economy and as it is being corrected, as it should have been years ago, you cry shame on a government willing to take the necessary steps to clean up your mess, you sir, have no shame about you.

END