While after seeming to concede to the fact that he has failed at his role as Minister of  Education, Science and Technology, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) member of Parliament, Jerome Fitzgerald now sees it fit to defend Golden Isles member of Parliament and Minister of State for Finance; Michael Halkitis on his alternate factual accounting of how the revenue collected from Value-Added Tax (VAT) has been spent.

“Fitzgerald: We’ve done all we can to end school violence’ – The Tribune 31^st January 2017

Excerpt from this article; “Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald yesterday said the onus for recent violent incidents at school campuses must fall on the wider society, further lamenting that officials have done all that can to end school violence.

Mr. Fitzgerald in his first public comments on violent crimes at school campuses since the stabbing incident at the Government High School campus earlier this month which left one teen in critical condition and two others with injuries, said the presence of police and heightened security forces have dramatically ‘cut down’ incidents but the core issue spurring these matter had to be addressed in the community.”

First, the good minister has to quantify just how he has determined that the presence of police and security forces have dramatically ‘cut down; [these] incident and is he really saying that the problem is much bigger that we realize and knowing how serious it really is and has as in the Rubis matter, decided to sit back and do nothing?

  While it would seem that minister Fitzgerald is conceding that the programs that his government have implemented after the Progressive Liberal Party promised to have the answers because the Free National Movement (FNM) was unable to protect our ‘little darlin’s’; he now seeks to step away from this confession of his very own failing and thrown his body in front of Michael Halkitis, to protect him from the stones that have been directed his way after the semi-factual but highly entertaining accounting for the revenue collected from VAT.

“Fitzgerald defends Halkitis” – The Nassau Guardian 2^nd February 2017

Excerpt from this article’ “Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald and members of the Opposition clashed in Parliament yesterday as Fitzgerald defended Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis over the recent explanation of the governments use of value-added tax revenue.

Fitzgerald says he felt compelled to address what he called misinformation about VAT spending and the ‘intellectual dishonesty’ of the opposition and the media on the matter, which he stress was simple.

First off, let be point out my amazement, Minister Fitzgerald, at your stealth to defend Michael Halkitis but your lack of stealth to protect the people in your very own community, simply shameful.  And while throwing in the towel over the growing incidents of school violence, you see nothing wrong with you stepping in to defend the defenseless; my brother you have your own problems.

So Minister if it were so simple why couldn’t Minister Halkitis break it down and explain it to the public; he has the requisite skill set to do so, unless….so since the Minister of State for Finance was unable to explain where the VAT money was going we will allow the failed Minister of Education, Science and Technology take a crack at it; “He noted that last June, the government laid out its budget. Indicating that VAT revenue accounted for 25 percent of the government revenue: “$625 million, 25 percent”

“That ain’t rocket science,” he said.”

“It is laid out in the debate.”

“Twenty five cents out of every dollar the government spends come from BAT.

“I mean, what’s so hard about that?

“A grade one student could understand it.”

So since it was pointed out that Minister Fitzgerald does not include finance matter maybe we can also allow another person without a financial background explain it the way that they understand it, since the Minister of State for Finance failed at explaining it.

“The reality is if his [Fitzgerald] numbers are correct, that mean the treasury is collecting at least $2.4 billion a year. Which means we should be operating a surplus and not a deficit, which means then, the budget what we came here to debate, which says they expect to collect $1.9 billion, if off by some $500 million, according to his poor math,” Rollins said”

Hold on 25 percent of government revenue is $652 million, so the total revenue is four times this amount which is $6.08 billion; so hold on Fitzgerald came to the rescue of his parliamentary colleague and seems to have failed even at this and now it seems that he and his government look even more suspect after claiming that they money collected went to pay for initiatives that it has been proven that the government borrowed money for?   

These kinds of friends you really do not need.

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

END

Today one of the elder statesmen within the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) made a statement which took a lot of us aback and left us in amazement.  We were/are amazed at the very thought itself and were left wondering if his thoughts reflected the general consensus of the party that he has dedicated his life and efforts to and who have, of course, retuned the favor.

“Sir Franklyn says VAT speech just ‘entertainment” – The Tribune Business

Excerpt from this article; “Sir Franklyn Wilson urged Bahamians not to take Michael Halkitis’s infamous “Where the VAT money gone’ speech too seriously because political conventions are for ‘entertainment’, rather than a serious discussion of national affairs.”

Indeed, we would like to know if these are just his thoughts or those of the governing Progressive Liberal Party, as they have seemed to reduced the act of governance to mere “Mother Goosery”; as their actions over the past four plus years would suggest that they have taken this stance to the governance of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas – that it is nothing to be taken seriously and nothing more than mere entertainment for themselves and their supporters.

While, Sir Wilson makes this statement in defense of the Minister of State for Finance, Michael Halkitis, he must realize that a lot of persons go to political conventions to hear their party’s achievement but more importantly; their plans moving forward, they do not look to be ‘entertained’ by members of the party especially when answering serious questions as to where over a billion dollars in tax revenue had gone but it would now seem that Sir. Wilson is suggesting that we cannot and should not take anything said seriously. 

This then brings the question of when can we actually take any member of the governing Progressive Liberal Party seriously?

It would be very interesting to now hear the Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party’s Chairman, Bradley Roberts, response to Sir. Wilson.  I actually doubt that there would be any rebuttal but I await one.

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

END

It is totally beyond my comprehension, the manner in which Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald continues to disregard of the law and the constitution of The Bahamas; while continuing to attempt to justify the tabling of private emails in the House of Assembly –  his explanation of how he came into possession of said emails even suggests that he should have known better.

“Fitzgerald: Political trash can was a sealed envelope” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald has revealed that the Save the Bay’s emails he read and tabled in Parliament were printed out and delivered to him in a ‘sealed envelope’, adding that he did not know how the documents were accessed.”  In this statement the member of Parliament for Marathon suggests that he tabled unsolicited, and unverified information pertaining to the private lives of other citizens of The Bahamas; something that the minister has no explanation for but yet later goes on to say “he was at all times acting in the public interest”.

Is it indeed in the public’s interest to violate the constitution of The Bahamas by violating a citizen’s right to privacy in an attempt to prove a point that to date has yet to be proven and if Mr. Fitzgerald feels that he was acting in the public’s best interest by violating a person’s constitutional rights then I ask; can I acting in the public’s interest believing that the Progressive Liberal Party as a government is not good for the Bahamas then divulge personal information about any of the members of same said government that is sent to me privately without verifying if the information is truthful or not i.e. what I find in my ‘garbage can’?  Would this type of action be considered; right, responsible and even legal?  With that thought in mind, is it responsible for a person working out of the Attorney General’s office to act in such a reckless manner or would this be something that we would expect of someone with limited education?

I stand with Supreme Court Justice Indra Charles with her findings of wrong-doing on his [Minister Fitzgerald] behalf and can only marvel in the manner in which this government now seeks to allow her to be intimidated by the Member of Parliament of Marathon, along with others.

“Mr. Fitzgerald, with Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson listed as the second applicant, is seeking to establish that Supreme Court Justice Indra Charles was ‘wrong and erred’ in fact and in law when she ruled that he infringed on constitutional rights when he tabled the private emails of the environmental action group in Parliament, and therefore could not be protected by parliamentary privilege”. 

As a matter of law Justice Charles found that parliamentary privilege cannot usurp the constitutional right to privacy of a private citizen because to allow this would end these privileges afforded to the ordinary citizen against a Member of Parliament, what is so difficult about this to comprehend, Mr. Education Minister?

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

END

“Roberts: Pintard unfit for office” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “The ratification of former Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Michael Pintard for the Marco City constituency is another demonstration of FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis’ ‘poor leadership and judgment’, said Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts yesterday.

Pintard resigned his position as chairman and senator 10 months ago for his involvement in reportedly uncovering an alleged murder plot.

He resigned a week after he declared he will not allow the government to make him a scapegoat in the controversy surrounding a feud between Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard and his billionaire neighbor, Louis Bacon, which dominated the mid-year budget debate in Parliament last year.

In making his announcement last march, Pintard said it was not an admission of guilt about anything.

In a statement to the press, Roberts said yesterday, Pintard is ‘unfit for the high office and honorable office he aspires to.’

Simply put, Michael Pintard is a bad choice, and the good people of Marco City do not deserve this albatross around their necks.”

It is interesting that Mr. Roberts cannot give any evidence of any wrong-doing on Mr. Pintard’s behalf as he attempts to convince the people of Marco City and of the Bahamas that Mr. Pintard is actually guilty of anything and so therefore Dr. Minnis and The Free National Movement are guilty of ‘poor judgment’ by ratifying Mr. Pintard.

Shall I go on?

When the story on the Rubis gasoline spill was finally exposed by the media, it was brought to light that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government had done testing in this area and were aware of the dangers to the people in that area but kept quiet about the fact that people we being poisoned for over a year. 

It was also brought to light that the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald member of parliament for the Marathon Consistency along with the Attorney General, Allyson Maynard-Gibson, were the principles in receiving a report from Black & Veatch International (BVI) that they [the Progressive Liberal Party government] commissioned, that outlined the dangers to the persons that lived and worked in that area and it has now become fact that they decided to do nothing for over a year and only became vocal about the dangers when their deeds were exposed by the press.

Now the Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, Bradley Roberts sit on his high horse and attempts to accuse Mr. Pintard of wrong-doing when there is actually no wrong-doing for him to be accused of but is willing to be very silent about the grand malfeasances of his party and his colleagues in the Marathon Rubis matter; which by the way, they have since admitted to and have asked to be forgiven for.

I say they should not forgiven for just a cruel and unusual act against the people of the Marathon area and against the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and for the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party to even suggest that Mr. Pintard is “unfit for office”.   I also believe, well know that I have proven why Mr. Fitzgerald, Ms. Allyson Maynard-Gibson and Prime Minister, through this ‘poor leadership and judgment’ in not even reprimanding either of these individuals, is also unfit for office

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

END

“Gibson blasts We March – Minister says group is ‘100 percent political’” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Minister of Labor Shane Gibson said yesterday he is 100 percent convinced that the We March group and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which called for industrial action last week, are driven purely by politics, and he called on We March to show the Bahamian people where it is getting its funding from.

Gibson said the group’s and the union’s call for an occupation of Bay Street last week was designed to steal the momentum from the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) convention, but they failed in their efforts to do so.”

I find it amazing that each and every time that someone asks for accountability and transparency from this government, this government then turns around and accuses them of trying to destabilize the Progressive Liberal Party government. Is it that if this government knows that if it were to actually be truthful with the Bahamian people then the façade that they have took soon long to build and have put forth to the people will actually be seen for what it really is; fill of cracks and flaws?  Is Mr. Gibson implying that his Progressive Liberal Party government cannot and dare not afford themselves the luxury of actually being open and transparent?

Now, I ask Minister Gibson, not where his party is getting funding from but it is question worth asking another time but rather exactly where is the money collected from value-added tax (VAT) going or being spent?  Because the explanation given by the Minister of State for Finance seemed to be nothing more than an extensive exercise in ‘alterative facts’ and these ‘facts’ are being revealed each and every day for what they are, nothing but falsehoods.

Minister Shane Gibson goes out of his way to attempt to discredit the We March organization,  and he makes the statement that ‘he is 100 percent convinced that the We March group and he Trade Union Congress (TUC) ……are driven purely by politics’ but we must bear in mind that this very man is one in a group that are convinced that Perry Christie is the ‘right man for the job’ as the leader of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and as Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, when he [the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie] has proven time and time again that he is void of ideas of moving the country forward as Prime Minister and sadly it shows,

So I leave with this, if the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) as a political organization along with Shane Gibson feel that Perry Christie is the ‘right man for the job’ to lead the PLP and run it into the ground, this is fine but we the Bahamian people have been made painfully aware of his ineptitude and incompetence even if he is not aware of these attributes, through his many failures and wish no longer to be associated with him.

Indeed, we want nothing else to do with the man.

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

END

After the votes had come in at the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) leadership race, with Perry Chritie getting 1,264 votes and challenger Alfred Sears getting 196 votes for a total of 1,433 vote out a possible 4,000 plus votes, some of us wonder what happened to the other 64 per cent of votes while the rest of us listen intently to the ‘language’ of the two person taking part in the leadership race.

“Sears: I have no regrets” The Nassau Guardian 27 January 2017

Excerpt from this article; “After the results came in conforming his blistering defeat to Prime Minister Perry Christie in the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) leadership race yesterday, Attorney Alfred Sears told reporters he had no regrets.

Sears captures only 169 votes compared to Christie’s 1,264.

‘I stand on my conviction,’ said Sears at a press conference at SuperClub Breezes down the street from Melia Nassau Beach Resort where PLP’s were preparing for the final night of the election year convention.

‘I am proud to have done what I believe is right and not simply what was easy.  I believe that because of my candidacy, there is a move – no matter how small – in the right direction for the Bahamas and the Progressive Liberal Party.”

Mr. Sears, exactly what was the conviction that you stood on?  As you have intimated that the party that you would have us believe has been made stronger because of the obviously flawed and unfair leadership process is now somehow magically been made democratic – No, we still look at you with jaded eye because we feel; well actually know that nothing has changed and now wonder if you were ever serious about bringing about change but at the very end of the day this is a conversation for you to have with your god and while you converse with your god and try to figure out just where you may have gone wrong in partaking in what now seems to have only been an exercise in energizing your base, we now look at the rather strange utterances of the Prime Minister  wherein he wins the leadership race by a 9 to 1 advantage but yet pleas to the persons in attendance and those with the stomach strong enough to watch is farce to return him to power later this year.

“Emboldened PM makes pitch for another term”

Excerpt from this article; “A thankful Prime Minister Perry Christie told Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supporters last night that he was humbled by the overwhelming vote of confidence placed in him and thanked delegates for returning him as leader of the PLP.

On the final night of the party’s convention – the first since 2009 – Christie pledged to not let his supporters down, insisting that he will prove himself worthy each day of the support reposed in him ‘so generously today.”  I must point out to the Prime Minister that notwithstanding the outcome of the outcome of the Progressive Liberal Party’s convention he has already let the country down and whereas his supporters that chanted ‘Christie or nuttin’ may feel that he has succeeded due to the fact that he has won a general election as leader of that political organization in the past, we the public have sat back and watched him as he continuously fail as Prime Minister for the past four and a half years.

Indeed, Mr. Christie it is too late to prove yourself of support because you have already proven yourself worthy of being replaced – it is time to move on so that the country can heal and progress and it cannot do this with you as Prime Minister or with the Progressive Liberal Party as the government, as this political institution has only proven one thing over their three day convention and this is that they are resistant to change.

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

END

The results of the Progressive Liberal Party ‘s (PLP) leadership race at its recent national convention has proven one thing; that the organization and many of its supporters are not in the least interested in positive/progressive change for that political organization itself and for the country as a whole.  This, in my opinion, is a very sad indictment on the electorate that decided to be involved in the process who saw fit to return to power as leader, a man that has proven continuously that he is completely void of any progressive ideas to move the country forward and to bring about positive change to the lives of the many people that are suffering due to his ineptitude and incompetence.

“Slaughtered – Christie wins 88% of vote” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) delegates yesterday voted overwhelmingly to keep Prime Minister Perry Christie as their leader, crushing the hopes of his only challenger, Alfred Sears.

Minutes after 8 p.m., PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts took to the stage and confirmed to jubilant PLP supporters that Christie received 1,264 votes, while Sears got 169 votes.

Supporters inside the packed ballroom of the Melia Nassau Beach and those outside clad in Christie paraphernalia rejoiced.

Ecstatic at the announcement they had been waiting on for hours; many supporters waved signs of Christie that read: ‘Still the right man for the job’.

Others shouted, ‘One leader ‘, a refrain throughout the speeches made at the PLP’s final night of convention.

This is the first leadership race – and first convention for the party- in seven years.”

It is interesting and amusing the manner in which some things play out; because as soon as the term ‘alternative facts’ began to trend, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) held its first conventions in seven years but then that is another discussion for another day.  There can be little to no dispute that under the Progressive Liberal Party governance with Perry Christie as its leader and Prime Minister of the country, the country has been headed in the wrong direction and very rapidly. 

The Progressive Liberal Party boost of the creation of 31,000 jobs been created under this administration but yet we have never before seen this level of unemployment.

The Progressive Liberal Party boosts of it ‘war on crime’ but even though it is fact that under this current government the cumulative murder count has surpassed that on any previous administration, we have the Minister of National Security telling us that “the country was made safer for Bahamians.”

This government boost of doubling the investment in education and moving the College of The Bahamas to university status yet educators are still plagued with unsafe environments to educate our ‘little darlins’ and also of the lack of proper resources.

The government boosts of finally getting the finances of the country on ‘good footing’ but yet there have been little to no opportunities under this Progressive Liberal Party government to provide the opportunity for Bahamians to actually be owners of the economy.

I can go on but what it is the sense because the point has been made; the past three days of ‘jubilation’, now known as the Progressive Liberal Party’s convention can only be seen as an exercise in ‘alternative facts’.

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supports say that Prime Minister Perry Christie is “the right man for the job” and I wonder which job is that.  As is he is not fit to run the organization that has re-elected him as leader much less The Commonwealth of The Bahamas; indeed he has been a failure and needs to come to this realization.

It will be interesting to see what Alfred Sears next move will be; in light of the fact that he has already intimated that the Progressive Liberal Party as a government and party are corrupt.

On a side note: the vote was Christie: 1,264 and Sears: 169 for a total of 1,433……the total seems odd…….#justdsayin

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

END

“Sears file complaint – ‘Maneuvers put Christie at significant advantage” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Stating that the rules governing the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) elections today ‘lack the requisite fairness and transparency’, leadership contender Alfred Sears has filed a formal complaint to the party’s trustees, whom he said have had formal notice of his candidacy since August 7, 2016.

Sears confirmed in the letter that more than 300 stalwart councilors were ratified last week Thursday and suggested this and other developments have called into question the integrity of the elections.”

Okay, my very first question as I decide whether to laugh or cry over this situation is, is Mr. Alfred Sears really asking for and expecting accountability and transparency from the Progressive Liberal Party and its present leader Perry Christie?  Has Mr. Sears been paying attention to the manner in which this PLP government treats those that ask for accountability and transparency from them?

Has Mr. Sears been paying attention to the manner in which this Progressive Liberal Party government has treated members of the organization that put together the We March Bahamas protest asking for transparency and accountability from this government?

Then there is the democratic way is which they deal with certain issues that do not come out in the way that they anticipate.

There was the democratic, transparent and accountable manner in which this very same PLP government dealt with the outcome of the Gaming Referendum but then again it really was just an expensive opinion poll put on the government, right?  Costing taxpayers 350,000 in consulting fees and $1.2-$1.5 million for the actually exercise itself – “That’s where the VAT money gone!”

It has always been my contention that democracy only exists in the Progressive Liberal Party organization and government when it is convenient to them, but if it goes against either or both then democracy can be overlooked.

‘Democracy conveniently’ overlooked by this political organization is how this organization has managed to violate their very own party’s constitution and not hold a national convention in close to a decade but no outcry from its party members, including Mr. Sears himself.

In light of this, how can Mr. Sears now expect ‘fairness’ from this very same set of persons whom he himself has endorsed to run the affairs of the country for the next five years?

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

END

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) opened its national convention last night, the first since 2009; not too shabby for a democratic organization that governs the country but just cannot seem to follow its very own constitution which calls for a national convention every year.

What I found most impressive about the night is that the party chose this forum to finally explain to the country, to whom they are accountable, where the money collected from Value-Added Tax (VAT) has been going.

“That’s where the VAT money gone’ – Halkitis claims finances on good footing” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “In an attempt to silence repeated calls for the government to detail exactly how value-added tax (VAT) revenue has been spent since its implimentatin in 2015, Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis provided a breakdown of what he claimed was the government’s use of the money when he addressed the Porgressive Liberal Party (PLP) convention last night.

VAT was introduced in January 2015 at a rate of 7.5 percent nearly $1 billion has been collected to date.

Despite giving consideration to exempting VAT on utilities and certain other services, the government opted to tax ‘across the board’.

‘As a result of our reform program and despite a stubbornly difficult global environment, we have been able to get our finances on good footing, while at the same time doubling the investment in scholarships from $7.73million to $16.3 million” Halkitis told supporters.”

First I must commend the government on the great job that they have done with the economy, especially after introducing Value-Added Tax and only having the credit rating of the Bahamas downgraded four times.  It is amazing how the Free National Movement (FNM) administration before them, without the help of VAT only had the sovereign credit rating of the country downgraded……well never did, even at the worst times of the global recession.

The ‘report’ by Michael Halkitis, Minister of State for Finance is somewhat worrying due to the fact that as he claims of better economics times ahead and having the county’s ‘finances on good footing’, the unemployment rate continues to climb as more and more persons within the middle class area, the sector of the society that really drives the economy, shrinks at an alarming rate.

As the minister of state finance speaks to spending the funds collect from VAT on moving the College of the Bahamas to University status, rolling out the first stage of National Health Insurance, a new fleet of aircrafts for BahamasAir and hurricane rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Joaquin, when will really tell the Bahamian people that some of these initiatives required borrowing by the government; so just how much…..you  know what never mind…..

The Progressive

While Alfred Sears asks for the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) to be fair at its upcoming national convention, the leader of the party shows that he is unable to even face reality and/or be honest with the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas; so exactly why would/should Alfred Sears expect the Progressive Liberal Party that ‘worships’ Mr. Christie to be fair?

“PM: 32,000 new jobs in this term – Christie says economy on path to recovery.” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “The Christie administration has created 32,000 jobs this term, which demonstrates that the economy is on a path to recovery, Prime Minister Perry Christie declared yesterday.

‘No matter what they say about the Progressive Liberal Party, let the statistics put out by the statistics  department speak for us,’ said Christie while addressing the PLP prayer breakfast at the Melia Nassua Beach hotel, kicking off convention week.

‘We have created, since we came to power, not withstanding a challenging economy, over 31,000 jobs, near 32,000 jobs and counting.”

I must say that I commend the person that can stomach such complete and utter nonsense the very first thing in the morning, as for myself at that time of the morning my stomach is just too weak for it all.  First of all, as the Prime Minister now seeks to use the statistics from the Department of Statistics to prove that his administration has indeed spurred ‘tremendous’ job growth; 32,000 over the past 4 and half years; which is about 7,111 jobs per year, I would like to ask of him, is this the very same Department of Statistics that his administration seems to have had a problem with when they contradict their ‘numbers’ last year?  One day they are right and the next day they are dead wrong.

I must say that I am very interested to see the job statistics from which the Prime Minister pulled this figure of his administration creating 32,000 jobs because it would also be very interesting to compare these new jobs to the growing economy, wherein the middle class is indeed growing, creating job opportunities for other individuals, isn’t this what is happening Mr. Prime Minister?  Now if the Prime Minister wants to be completely honest he would have to admit that he is referring to jobs from Junkanoo-Carnival and those related to the last Hurricane because this government has neither created any new permanent jobs or even created the opportunity or atmosphere for them to be created, which takes us back to the failure of this administration to make Bahamian citizen owners of their own economy.

My main point now being of the number of jobs created by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government through its various initiatives as is suggested, just how many of them are sustainable jobs?

When I say sustainable, I mean just how many will last long term?  How many opportunities has the government created for willing entrepreneurs to actually start a business of their own, thereby contributing to the economy and also by helping reduce the unemployment rate by hiring people that will also in turn contribute to society?

It is time for a serious conversation and not one dominated by the Prime Minister and his false statistics because we have gone beyond this and the people are asking and wanting and needing more.

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

END