“PM ‘purging’ police of PLPs” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Progressive Liberal Party PLP) Leader Philip Brave Davis charged yesterday that Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis is purging the police force of PLP’s”

He was referring to the recent shakeup in the force.  Eight senior officers are expected to retire at the end of their leave.

Davis described the forced vacation leaves for officers as ‘shocking’.

‘There’s no obvious need for vacation to be taken at the time without understanding the exigencies of the service of the police and how taking vacation for such a long period of time for so many senior officers will impact the effectiveness of the organization,’ Davis said.

‘I think all of these things ought to be addressed,’

Davis added: ‘It just shows the ineptness.’

The opposition leader claimed that Minnis is ‘purging the force of PLPs”       

I would like to first point out that the entire statement; “There is no obvious need for a vacation to be taken at the time without the understanding the exigencies of the service of the police and how taking vacation for such a long period of time for so many senior officers will impact the effectiveness of the organization, Davis added”, exactly what “exigencies” does Mr. Davis speak to and exactly what effects will be felt by these officers taking such long vacation leave? 

They are being given their just due and asked to retire, hopefully to make room for the upward movement of younger officers – is this really a bad thing or just to the Progressive Liberal Party?

So while Mr. Davis makes these wild and reckless accusations without a scintilla of proof to back them, something which he seems to have become very common for, he must realize that he is asking reasonable thinking Bahamians to take his word for it and they will not.  He must also answer two questions in case even consider these claims; first, how does he know that these senior officers being asked to retire are Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supporters and two, is he conceding the fact that he the former administration promoted many officers to their senior position based solely on their political allegiance to the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)?

When the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Senator Fred Mitchell was elected to said position, his first communication directed at the chairman of the Free National Movement (FNM), Carl Culmer, was an appeal to not engage in ‘gutter politics’; but with these latest statements this is exactly what the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is engaging in – it seems that they know no better way.

What is sad is that many PLP supporters will stand resolute in thinking that Mr. Davis will prove his accusations in time, but given the leader of the opposition’s track record, I would not bet the donkey on it

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

END

 

“Tynes: Govt. wrong not to hold mid-year budget debate” – The Tribune 18.03.2019

Excerpt from this article; “FORMER chief parliamentary clerk Maurice Tynes has criticized the handling of the decision not to hold a debate in the House of Assembly on the mid-term budget statement, telling The Tribune the government does not own parliament.

Mr. Tynes was asked to comment on the government’s decision to not hold a debate – an unprecedented departure from previous administrations that has drawn ire of the Official Opposition, as well as FNM party insiders.

‘You don’t do it arbitrarily like it was done this year,’ Mr. Tynes said, ‘it has to be done with discussion with the opposition.  The government party does not own the Parliament, they may control it but then all civil democracies have a discussion between the government and the opposition, and if you’re going to change the rule it has to be done in discussion, not done arbitrarily.’

For his part, however, Mr. Tynes said he always felt it was ‘stupid’ to hold two debates within a three-month cycle, as no other country had this policy.”

First observation is that if Mr. Tynes finds “it stupid to hold two debates within a three-moth cycle”, then eliminating one is not so arbitrary but that is a totally different story, as it would appear that the opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has ceased upon this opportunity to accuse the government of some more wrong-doing; implying that the Free National Movement (FNM) has something to hide despite the facts that the mid-term report has been tabled for the opposition to review, despite the fact that the government released six-month reports on the country’s finances for all to see; outlining borrowing, debt payment and government liability but even with this being put into the public domain there seems to be other problems as the opposition objects to this move.

First, the debate of the mid-year budget statement is not mandated by any parliamentary rule or law unless there “were supplementary appropriate bills or borrowing”, in this case there was not but there was the issue of a contingency line of credit in the amount one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) to be used for disaster relief, the point being that this money does not really affect our finances in a negative or positive way unless this line of credit is accessed for disaster relief, so at this point this money does not ‘exist’ as far as the mid-term budget or the budget to be tabled in the few months is concerned.

What is simply amazing about what the opposition Progressive Liberal Party and others protest at this time is a Free National Movement (FM) government deviating from a precedent sent in place by the Hon. Hubert Ingraham during the 2007/2008 budget cycle, it is odd that before 1992, when the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) governed for twenty-five (25) consecutive years, they never saw fit to inform the people to this extent about the country’s finances but now seek to call the removal of this step a move of non-transparency and lack of accountability; this is simply laughable.

So it would appear that the opposition stormed out of Parliament to protest a contingency fund for disaster relief and it is astounding that it would also appear the this Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) opposition party does not seem to understand the country’s finances; which leaves a lot to be questioned and desired  but answers a lot of questions as to the dismal state of the economy under the Progressive Liberal Party government and Philip ‘Brave Davis.

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

END

 

“Majority of Bahamians believe in the PLP” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “OPPOSITION leader Philip Brave’ Davis said yesterday he thinks the majority of the country believes in the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) brand and that the party is for the people.

When asked if he feels the opposition party has shaken the negative perception which led to the Christie administration’s chorusing defeat at the polls in 2017, Mr. Davis said ‘yes’.

At the PLP’s monthly press conference, he also said the PLP is now on its way to reshaping, retooling and lifting up the Progressive Liberal Parry Brand.

He said: ‘I’m satisfied that majority of the Bahamian people still believe that we are the party of the people.’

In the 2017 general election, nearly all of the PLP’s Cabinet ministers and senior members lost their parliamentary seats following a landslide victory for the Free National Movement (FNM).”

It Is clear that Philip “Brave” Davis is clearly delusional or just plain out of touch with reality if he actually believes that the opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has shaken the negative perception which led to the Christie administration’s ‘crushing defeat at the polls in 2017’. 

As he attempts to thrown the former leader of the PLP and former prime minister, the Hon. Perry Christie ‘under the bus’; essentiality blaming him and his brand for the defeat, what he [Davis] fails to realize is that the current leader and current chairman, Senator Fred Mitchell are also seen as being as a part of that “Christie brand” which he now wishes to attempt to distance himself from and until both are gone the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) will always been seen as that which  the Hon. ‘Brave’ Davis suggests it was seen as under Perry Christie.

My advice to Philip ‘Brave’ Davis is to not take the public’s discontent with the Free National Movement (FNM) government as a belief in the Progressive Liberal Party’s ‘brand’; this is a very dangerous and egregious assumption to make but making dangerous and egregious assumptions seems to be the PLP way; that and walking out of the House of Assembly when they can’t get their way.

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

END