“$12 mil. Mini-hospital opened in Abaco” – the Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “There were many tears and wide smiles in Marsh Harbour, Abaco yesterday as Prime Minister Perry Christie cut the ribbon tied around the main entrance of the new Marsh Harbour Health Care Centre.

While speaking to an emotional crowd in Abaco, Christie said the renovations at the facility, which are valued at $12 million, were part of the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) plan to prepare the country for the full roll out of National Health Insurance (NHI) by creating and renovating infrastructure and providing more resources.”

I really do not know how to ask this question; anyway let me give it a try, if the Free National Movement (FNM) government broke ground for this $12m healthcare facility in April of 2012, how is now that it is fully opened in 2017 after being renovated?

This does not even make sense.

There are many questions surrounding this healthcare facility; the major one being, exactly why did it take so long to complete this facility?  I would have thought that a caring and loving government would have completed it and opened the facility immediately given the dire need for modern healthcare facilities in the country, especially in the Northern Bahamas, somehow I get the impression that this government really does not care about its citizens.

I find it troubling that the government of the day would openly tell such blatant lies without the expectation of being found out.  A major lie being exposed at this time is that the Free National Movement (FNM) is against the National Health Insurance (NHI) program; when it was the FNM that picked up where the Progressive Liberal Party failed at when they were voted out in 2007 and began immediately preparing the country for the phased implementation of NHI, which began with the introduction of the prescription drug program and the updating of the country’s health care infrastructure, which included the building of the mini-hospital in Abaco which is now being used by this caring and loving government as a political campaign tool to gain votes, nothing short of shameless.

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

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“PM: PLP platform not yet agreed” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “The revelation that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) administration will provide free electricity for certain customers created a stir, but Prime Minister Perry Christie declared yesterday that the party’s platform has not yet been formally agreed upon, although it has been made public.

Christie suggested that ‘someone put that out’ but he did not explain exactly what that meant.

The party announced last week in its action plan on myplp.org, that should it be re-elected it would introduce policies under which the government would ‘cover the cost of electricity to residential customers who limit their monthly use to below specified limits’.

“This means that the use of electricity will be free to those customers,’ the plan said, though it did not detail the consumption limits.

Asked yesterday to explain his party’s free electricity pleadge, the prime minister told The Guardian. “I am going to speak later on my platform.’

‘There is major process that I am now engaged in, in my office, that will have an amazing impact on electricity out and beyond what the pledge [says]because the platform has not been formally agreed and settled and someone put that out.”

Beside the fact of the prime minister is saying only if his government if re-elected he will then provide free electricity to certain persons, there is also the issue of who ‘leaked’ the plan before he [the prime minister] and his government had the opportunity to sort through things and make it seem more plausible.

“The PLP released a press release on Wednesday night announcing the release on the plan”, so it was the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) themselves who ‘leaked’ the plan; how devious, but yet the prime minister still insists that the plan was ‘prematurely released’, yes, by the PLP themselves.

I am under the impression that they [the Progressive Liberal Party] thought that most people would not get past the words ‘free electricity’ and therefore fall on their knees at the feet of the government in praise but wait, some of us actually think.

I predicted that by the end of the day, when this new plan was released, that it would be refuted by management of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL).

“Last Thursday Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) denied knowledge of the PLP’s free initiative.” But it is the Progressive Liberal Party’s Member of Parliament for Tall Pines, Leslie Miller that seems most outspoken on the issue.

“Miller: Free electricity plan makes no sense.” except from this article; “Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller, the former executive chairman of the Bahamas Electrical Cooperation (BEC) said yesterday ‘it makes no sense’ to exempt customers from paying their bills based on power consumption.

Miller said the former BEC Board explored supplementing bills of approximately 3,000 customers, including non-profit organizations which looked after the less fortunate and the elderly.

He said this would be made possible by the projected savings from the long term contract for fuel and additional power from Clifton Pier ‘which was going to save anywhere from $100 million to $150 million a year on fuel alone.’

‘We were going to be very specific’, he said.

We were not [targeting] the general public.

‘That was for specific people who were really unable to pay their bills.’

Miller continued, ‘The government cannot afford to give across-the-board, free electricity based on consumption.  That makes no sense to me. I do not see how they can do it.”

“I do not see how they [the Progressive Liberal Party government] can do it”, but isn’t he, Miller, a part of same said government?  This will be addressed at a later time; the point now is how do you provide free electricity when it a known fact that the cooperation cannot afford it, even if it is subsidized by the government; because then the country cannot realistically afford it.

Indeed, the major problem/drawback with the plan is the cost of fuel and then there is the issue of off-setting the price of the ‘free electricity’, because as we all know nothing is free, there is always a price to be paid by ‘someone’ and when it comes to the government, that ‘someone’ is usually the taxpayer; you and I.  

The only feasible way that I can personally see the country providing ‘free electricity’ to anyone is to have free electricity provided in the first place and the best way to do this is through an intensive and aggressive alternative energy program, where the money that will be lost by this present proposal by the PLP be put into subsidizing home owners and others to investing in solar systems.  This would cut down on the demand on the grid and/or produce enough power to be fed back into the grid – FREE electricity- which then can be provided to others at a reduced rate, anything short of this is not economically feasible at all.

It is amusing that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) would actually make a promises such as this and when questioned about it make the claim that the details have not yet be formalized; this sounds like most of their promises to date but yet the Prime Minister asks us to re-elect his government and wait to see what they have planned because, as the prime minister would put it, this proposal will have “an amazing impact on electricity out and beyond what the pledge [says]” although nothing has been formalized yet; sounds like the great things that were supposed to happen at Baha Mar.

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

END

I have found that Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) strategy to being voted into governance somewhat curious and haphazardly applied; as there seems to be little to no logic behind it; no real plan.

The DNA has taken the position going into the upcoming election that owing to the fact that they were able to garner about thirteen percent (13%) of the overall votes in the 2012 election that this makes them a force to be reckoned with and this shows that that people are indeed looking for a chance.

Yes, indeed, people are looking for a chance but are they willing to follow a political organization that cannot seem to put itself in a position to not just to win a general election but actually win a seat in a general election; because we know it is fact that until they were to win at least one seat and be able to be represented on the national stage, that is in the House of Assembly, then they will not be able to convince persons on a large enough scale to actually make them the government someday.

So they continue their trek to hold off on their plans to become the government of The Bahamas and attempt to become the Official Opposition by unseating the Free National Movement (FNM), for the next five years during which time they will ‘show their worth’ – the only problem with this plan is that while they plan to sit on side opposite ‘Rome will continue to burn’, under the leadership of the Progressive Liberal Party with Perry Christie as Prime Minister.

So as the general election draws near, many are becoming quite annoyed with the ineffective strategy of the DNA as the ‘end game’ is not appealing and conducive to the forward growth of the country, some of these persons being within the rank and file of the DNA itself, who have already come to the realization that if they [the DNA] were to become the Official Opposition; the country will continue to face the very same problems that is has faced for the past five years – this is pure lunacy.

Now I encourage you to ask yourself the following questions; if McCartney was so passionate about making a difference why did he then turn down the advice given to him as he left the Free National Movement (FNM) to begin the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) which was to run as an independent candidate in 2012, win the seat then form the party, this way the party would have already had a voice in the House of Assembly and why does his platform mainly bash the Free National Movement (FNM) if he truly is hoping to win the next general election, as very little of his rhetoric especially as of late, has been geared toward the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) which has done the entire country an tremendous disservice?

Take this how you would like, it is your choice.

END

“Free electricity pledge by the PLP – Offer to residents who stick to specified limit” – The Tribune

Except from this article; “IF elected to office for another term, the Progressive Liberal Party said it plans to ‘make the cost of electricity free to residential customers who limit their monthly use to below specified limits,’ continue the implementation of National Health Insurance and stimulate job creation.

The party also pleaded to create a Ministry of Communication and Information to foster greater ‘transparency and accountability,’ annual business planning and reporting for each government ministry as well as training programs for older citizens who want to learn new skills.

The promises are contained in the PLP’s ‘Action Plan for Moving Forward Together’ which the party said would be published on its re-launched website, ww.myplp.org”

Yes indeed, we have officially entered “silly season” which has the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), if re-elected, not just saying that they will make electricity affordable for all but rather make it “free to residential customers who limit their monthly use to below specified limits”; what are these ‘specified limits’ and why do I get the feeling that these ‘specified limits’ may just be enough for a person to keep their refrigerator running without incurring any expense; God be with you if you like to take baths in hot water and let us not forget that when this, or anything similar, has been attempted in the past, the financial quagmire that Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) formerly The Bahamas Electrical Cooperation (BEC) was left in.

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) took the Free National Movement (FNM) to task over the proposal of removing value-added tax (VAT) from certain bread-basket items and prescription medication but now stand before us and tell us that they can give us free electricity if we stay within specified monthly limits; I really want to hear the rest of this story because we all know that there is no such thing as free, especially with this Progressive Liberal Party; one way or the other ‘someone’ will pay.

But hold on as things get even more strange; the Progressive Liberal Party also promises; if returned to power of course, to ‘create a Ministry of Communication and Information to foster greater ‘transparency and accountability’; first I would like to say that this is what Bahamas Information Services (BIS) was intended for and secondly; is the PLP finally conceding to the fact they have failed the country when it comes to transparency and accountability?  As MANY questions still have gone unanswered, some dating back to the very moment that they took office in May of 2012.  I tend to reflect on the formation of Resolve Bahamas back in 2014, whose purpose was to remove over $100m in bad debt from The Bank of The Bahamas and he more recent promise by the Prime Minister to give an accounting for this entity before Parliament was dissolved but yet they come with a weak apology and the fabulous promises that they will actually do better.

I patiently await Pamela Hill, CEO of BPL, to now come back and inform us that she knows not of what the Prime Minister speaks.

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

END

“Davis: PLP will win 30 seats – Deputy PM predicts current government will increase majority” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “DEPUTY Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis predicted yesterday that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) will win 30 seats in the upcoming general election and the Free National Movement (FNM) will win nine.

In an interview on ‘Darold Miller Live’, Mr. Davis told radio show’s host the Bahamian people know it is too ‘risky’ to put the country in the hands of the FNM and its leader Dr. Hubert Minnis – who he described as being incompetent.

Mr. Davis also questioned whether Dr. Minnis would remain leader of the FNM if he were to become successful in becoming the nation’s leader.”

First we have Prime Minister Perry Christie saying that despite the numerous failings of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government, the people will still vote them back in and now we have Deputy Prime Minister, Philip Davis saying that they are assured to win 30 seats out of a possible 39 seats.  It is alright to make bold statements in order to garner confidence in your party and to rally your troops but there is a point where such bold statements can only be seen for what they are; statements of delusional, tired and confused men.

Deputy Prime Minister goes on to say in his delusional diatribe; “When you wake a sleeping giant called the PLP and this machinery and when we get our message out, I think the Bahamian people will listen to us and see what we have to done and appreciate it is too risky to interrupt where we are headed as a country and put it in the hands of who?”

Exactly where are we headed as a country Mr. Deputy Prime Minister; exactly what you done or are doing that cannot be interrupted?  The economy is on the decline, unemployment is at an unprecedented high, crime is a problem that not only plagues us nationally but also internationally and the government of the day has the country living in a shadow; so the best thing right now is for someone to come along and break this downward spiral that we are on; interrupt it and save this country from a government that has done little to nothing to better the lives of its citizens.

The Deputy Prime Minister makes the statement of ‘when you wake the sleeping giant’……it is a pity that someone did not wake the PLP up over the past five years, as they have been in a deep slumber for the past five years, while the country that they were elected to govern has being going to ‘hell in a hand basket’.

So indeed, slumber on, as soon and very soon you will have no more responsibilities and be able to sleep the rest of your days away.

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

END

“PM: PLP govt. is not perfect – ‘Voters will look past high crime and unemployment” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “MAKING it clear that his administration ‘never claimed to be perfect’ Prime Minister Perry Christie is confident that voters across the country will look past unflagging issues of high unemployment and crime and return the Progressive Liberal Party to office.

Mr. Christie told crowds of supporters at a mini-rally in Marathon on Saturday that notwithstanding challenges, his government never stopped providing opportunities for Bahamians and remained the ‘best investment’ in the country’s future.

His comments come as parliamentarians prepare for the dissolution of Parliament on Tuesday, April 11^th, and the end of government’s legislative agenda.

‘We know that there are those who are looking for jobs,’ he said, ‘who are looking for security, and who feel that more could have been done.  We have never claimed to be perfect but I tell you this, we have never stopped working and providing opportunities for the people of the country.

‘And I have no doubt whatsoever that in the quietude of your homes when you think about it, you know if you are going to make an investment in your future, the best investment you can make is in the PLP.”

Sometimes I am left to wonder as to the mental state of the present Prime Minister; with all due respect, but there is no way that you can stand before a crowd of people and admit to failing them, failing the country, citing high crime and high unemployment as issues that you have failed to effectively address; which would mean that the economy is also failing and you lied about this fact, and still ask the people to ignore these failures and vote for you because you are their best hope.

Who is that blatant?

The people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas invested in the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in 2012 and got nothing in return; a dead investment. So exactly what will the people vote for if they were to vote for the PLP in the upcoming general elections?

“So when people have to make a choice when they ask themselves who they should vote for, look at our  record”; but Mr. Prime Minister you have just admitted that your record is a record of failure, so what is there to look at or even consider? 

The Prime Minister and his party are beyond delusional as Fred Mitchell gets up and does a bit of fear mongering, and I ask do we really want these men with this mentality to continue on as leaders of the country. 

Can we afford this type of mentality?

Indeed Mr. Prime Minister, no one is perfect and no one expected you to be.  What was expected of you was to fulfill your promises to the people to an extent wherein you made their quality of life somewhat better than you met it or at the very least helped them maintain their quality of life if you were unable to improve it, but you have even failed at the standards that you had held the former administration to; not even achieving the bare minimum during your tenure in office and yet you are back asking for another chance.

Another chance at what?

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

END

“Toggie and Bobo at PLP event” – The Tribune

Bradley Roberts has repeatedly attempted to implicate Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis, as being connected with “Toggie” and “Bobo’, the two men at the heart of an alleged murder-for-hire plot against billionaire Louis Bacon and lawyer Fred Smith, QC – the self proclaimed ‘gang members’ were seen among governing party supporters on Tuesday night, The Tribune can confirm.

Wisler ‘Bobo’ Davilma and Livingston ‘Toggie’ Bullard, the two men who were allegedly hired by Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard to engage in criminal activities, attended the PLP’s joint constituency meeting at T G Glover Primary School.

Earlier this year, Mr. Roberts castigated Dr. Minnis over his ‘silence’ regarding FNM candidate for Marco City Michael Pintard, who resigned as chairman of the FNM and from the Senate over his involvement in the lawsuit against Mr. Nygard on March 21, 2016.  His resignation, he insisted, was not an admission of guilt.

On the same day that Mr. Pintard stepped down from the posts, Dr. Minnis admitted to The Tribune that he had met Bullard at his home.

Dr. Minnis said Bullard, his constituent in Killarney whom he said he met three times, contacted him to pass on a warning to Mr. Pintard that he was about to be allegedly ‘set up’ by a high ranking member of the government and others.”

First I would like to say to Mr. Bradley Roberts; as for his attempts to implicate Dr. Minnis or even Mr. Pintard in this ‘murder-for-hire’ plot; any question but forth at this time have already been asked and answered – period.

Mr. Pintard’s resignation was not an admission of guilt, as there was nothing for him to be guilty of and as for Dr. Minnis; he met with a man to hear a ‘tale’ and no matter how ‘fishy’ the tale may have been in and of itself, as it was regarding Mr. Pintard being set up by a ‘high-ranking government member’ or others; who exactly would these people be, if you are actually looking to investigate a criminal act here and with this question in mind, let us go back to this picture of at least one of these men, who have for some reason since received government contracts, taking the stage with National Security Minister Dr. Bernard Nottage on Tuesday night and also reflect on the fact that these men are on tape; audio and visual, with Peter Nygard reassuring him of the fact that Deputy Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis had instructed them to ‘watch his back’. 

Yet, now they are seen taking the stage with the National Security minister but when they met with Dr. Minnis and Mr. Pintard with their tale of murder-for-hire, Minnis and Pintard were accused of being concerned with others in mastering minding this plot; you just can’t write a better script than this, or maybe you can and maybe it was well written, because the men did warn that someone was about to be set up.

It is indeed interesting how the Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Mr. Bradley Roberts, who knows all other business now denies knowing these men, “………Mr. Roberts suggested he did not know the men were at the event and said despite Davilma being outfitted in a PLP shirt and pictured alongside National Security Minister Dr,. Bernard Nottage, it did not mean that he had ties to the governing party”, indeed Mr. Roberts it does not mean that the man has ties to the PLP but have you proven that he does not have ties to the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)?

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

END

“Gray not sure why people are upset over carnival delay” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Amid ongoing international and local outrage over the change of dates for Bahamas Junkanoo-Carnival, MICAL MP V Alfred Gray yesterday said the fallout from the delay will be a wait-and-see game ad insisted ‘reasonable people act reasonably’.

In a statement to the press, the Bahamas National Festival Commission advised that carnival dates have been changed from its previous dates May 4-6 to May 18-20.

‘The 2017 event will also be consolidated to one island on one weekend,’ the BNFC said. ‘The Music Masters Semi-final will take place in Nassau instead of Grand Bahamas.”

As usual the Christie administration in its implementation of a potentially major initiative, have failed and are now attempting to work backward to order to have the future of this particular initiative actually survive the light of day.  We have seen the Christie administration begin in grand fashion only to have to scale the event back each and every year because of the massive lost of revenue, instead of beginning on a smaller scale, growing a product that is actually marketable and able to be privatized in a more systematic manner.

What I find remarkable is just how out of touch Minister V Alfred Gray seems to be over the entire matter; I am shocked, I know I should not be but I am.

“Many local and international people have expressed outraged on social media over the late postponement.

The Bahamas Carnival Cruise, which was booked to bring over 150 visitors, has said the company is set to lose over $25,000 and its visitors may lose well over $150,000 in total.

When asked his thoughts on the outrage expressed on social media, Gray said. ‘I don’t know the basis upon which people are upset, but I think I indicated reasonable people act reasonably.”  Is Minister Gray actually intimating that those that had booked visits to the island or made other investments based on the previously announced dates for this event and are set to lose money based on these reservations and investment are being unreasonable? 

This reminds me of the attitude that the Christie administration took to the many delays of the opening of the Baha Mar project, with people losing money in anticipation of these openings and the government moving right along with business as usual.

I really should not be shocked at the attitude and cluelessness of Minister Gray, because he is the very same member of parliament that saw nothing wrong with him calling an island administrator on behalf of a constituent’s son who was locked up and suggesting to this local island administrator the ‘options’ that he had.

The seemingly abject cluelessness of Minister Gray in matters such as these; a veteran politician and purported attorney is absolutely amazing and only shows that he along with many of his parliamentary colleagues are totally unfit to continue to serve in elected office in any capacity.

I still wait for Minister Gray to break the tension that hangs over this situation by him telling us that he is only joking.

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

END

“Christie: It’s easy to piss away money” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this story; “WHILE speaking at the renaming ceremony of a portion of Thompson Boulevard to University Drive, Prime Minister Perry Christie urged University of The Bahamas executives and students to ensure they have leaders who are knowledgeable and ‘accountable’ for the state of the economy, insisting that; it is so important to recognize how easy it is to piss away money’.

Do we have a confession here?

Indeed, Mr. Prime Minister, it is easy to ‘piss away money’, as your administration has proven time and time again’, with the main issue being the manner in which you detailed the accounting how over a billion dollars in value-added tax revenue collected since its implementation has been used; in light of the realities of our current economic position, that being our credit rating being at ‘junk status’.

Most Bahamians are getting over the insulting explanation by the prime minister and sometimes minister of finance on the accounting of the revenue collected from VAT:

• 40 percent went to reducing the deficit
• 30 percent went to general expenditures while,
• 30 percent went to replace revenue ‘lost’ from tax reductions

With the numbers presented; approximately $56 million has been allocated to reducing the defect but yet the deficit has continued to grow; unabated and with no explanation.

No reasonable person expected value-added tax to be the ‘magic spell’ and take away all of our national debt while lowering the county’s deficit over night, nut when one opens the dailies or turns on the news and hears and sees that the debt had incurred another billion dollars and the deficit has risen at an alarming rate, despite the recent tax reform exercise; one would be irresponsible not to question the government as to what is really going on.

So, I am left to buy the Prime Ministers unsolicited explanation as to what has happened to the money collected from VAT; it has been poorly managed and basically ‘pissed away’.

One positive piece of advice that Prime Minister Perry Christie passed on to the young people in attendance was to “ensure they have leaders who are knowledgeable and ‘accountable’; basically advising they not to vote for him and his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) organization.

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

END

“PLP: Minnis ‘unprincipled and ill-prepared’ to lead” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) continued to promote its message that the Christie administration is the ‘only government’ that can take the country into the 21^st century at the weekend, while accusing the Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis of being ‘unprincipled and ill-prepared.’

While addressing scores of supporters at a joint Abaco branch meeting at the Central Abaco Primary School on Saturday night, Prime Minister Perry Christie said he has the ‘intellect, eloquence and energy to run the country while Dr. Minnis, on the other hand, is afraid to stand on the same stage with him and debate the issues.”

First, I would just like to say that from word ‘on the ground’ and pictures of the PLP’s event in Abaco, to say that ‘scores of supporters’ were present in being extremely generous but to bring that to light is just simply being petty, like the Prime Minister presenting himself as intelligent, eloquent and energetic compared to Dr. Hubert Minnis or anyone else for that matter.

The Progressive Liberal Party government has failed.

They have now sat down, re-evaluated the situation and have come to the determination that if they were to attempt to run on their record and achievements, they have a very serious problem; because they have failed the people miserably, so the best that they can do is to channel all of their efforts into discrediting the Leader of the Free National Movement on a more personal level, and they are even failing at this – they are failures.

The Prime Minister speaks to who is least principled and prepared and I ask him who is less principled then himself; to have a Cabinet riddled with scandals without any repercussions; surely he is not serious and I would dare say that the only thing that he seems prepared for is to give an eloquent and superfluous speech and the accompanying photo-op; as the actual principles of governance still seems to elude him and his government.

Indeed, Prime Minister Perry Christie has attempted to make the campaign narrative about Dr. Minnis and himself, while Dr. Minnis has made it about his team and the people but I cannot blame Prime Minister Christie about making it about him and not his party; because beside having no record to run on it would be best to focus on himself because it would appear that over fifty percent (50 %) of the PLP’s ratified candidates are ‘repeat offenders’ from his first administration; whom he has recycled in hopes of reviving into a third term, God forbid if he were able to win the upcoming general election.

I wonder what principles would Prime Minister Perry Christie be talking about though, when he is the one losing his cool over the words of a person he describes as a “lunatic’ and openly flipping him ‘the bird’.

The Prime Minister either has turned into a comedian or has taken leave of his sense.

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

END