I recall my first year in Queens College and getting caught by Mr. Andrews riding a bicycle in the Quadrangle, this was against the schools rules. As he was writing a demerit, I tried to explain to him that I was unaware that what I was doing was against the rules/laws of the school; he replied that it was my responsibility to learn and know the rules of the institution and that ignorance of them was no excuse.
“Some Mp’s ‘not aware’ they had to file disclosure – Some ‘just finding out about legal requirement” – The Nassau Guardian
Excerpt from this article; “Some first time MP’s were unaware that there was a legal requirement for them to file financial disclosures under the Public Disclosure Act, Commission Chairman Bishop Victor Cooper told The Nassau Guardian.
The deadline for parliamentarians to file their disclosure was March 1.
The act empowers the commission to extend the time for the filing of declarations ‘for a further period not exceeding 30 days.’
‘……There are persons who are new members of Parliament who aren’t aware and so as a result of some person just finding out and so they’ve been advised that they need to get the information in and they’ve been advised to do that ASAP,’ Cooper said.
It’s just a matter of helping those, giving a simple grace period for those who haven’t been through the process before.”
Giving persons a “grace period” when they claim that they are unaware of the law is simple incompetence and my first question is this; governments have argued about this for decades; so how does one now come and claim to “not be aware”?
Have you been living in a cave in Mayaguana?!
Let us establish a few facts; one, new candidates must undergo a candidates training program during which they are advised of the process and laws that they would have to follow as members of parliament and two, that the chairman of the commission that oversaw this process was Myles Laroda, PLP member of parliament for Pinewood, when the PLP was in opposition; with these two facts being established the question now is exactly what is the PLP, as an organization and government asking the people of The Bahamas to believe?
The entire situation just reeks of either incompetence or an air of abhorrent arrogance, maybe both, but either way it is totally unacceptable and very shameful if junior members the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) actually did not know and worst if they knew and are claiming not to know.
It would appear that the PLP members of parliament, well some of them, really believe that the people that elected them to office are willing to “eat” anything that they are “fed” and have already begun to take advantage of their ignorance by claiming ignorance and the sad part about it all is that there will be people fully willing to support and defend this level of ineptitude, incompetence and laziness.
The Progressive Liberal fails for one reason, it is their nature.
“Call it something other than rape” – The Nassau Guardian March 2022
Excerpt from this article; If the goal of criminalizing marital rape is to get convictions, then the government ‘better call it something other than rape.’ Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe, said yesterday”. From the very moment that the Minister of National Security made this comment, I knew that he was going to be someone to watch and a potential problem to our national security, and just for the record I have asked on numerous occasions but never got an answer back from Mr. Munroe on, “something else” like what?
With this in mind let us begin at this point. A fire storm was set off earlier this week when the acting Director of Public Prosecution, Frankly Williams, handed down the sentence of four years imprisonment in the matter concerning a 40-year-old man who had sexual intercourse with a 14 year old female and eventually got her pregnant.
“Williams must resign over risky comments” – The Tribune, March 2022
Excerpt from this article; “The acting director of public prosecutions has come under fire after telling a reporter the country has a ‘generation of highly sexualized young people’ who engage in risky behaviors’.
Franklyn Williams made the remarks yesterday when he was asked to comment about a man’s plea deal for unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl. After his comments circulated on Twitter, there were calls for him to resign from activist Alicia Wallace. His remarks we also condemned by Free national Movement Senator Michaela Barnett Ellis.
According to a report from a local daily, a 40-year-old man who impregnated a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to four years in prison as part of a plea deal. After he serves his time, he will be on probation for three years.
The man’s sentence promoted public criticism, with many observers thinking that it was too lenient.
When contacted after the case, Mr. Williams told a reporter yesterday, ‘We have a generation of highly sexualized young people, whether through media or association, who because of parental inaction, lack of parental oversight and in some cases, tacit encouragement and acquiescence, engage in risky behavior. The facts of this case dictated the course taken.”
While I feel his ruling was somehow based in opinion and pinned in emotion, I do not believe that it was “victim blaming” and I figured that it would and should have sparked a more serious dialogue that I feel that we should be having and that is parents acting talking to their children about these matters, boys and girls. I remember there was a time when the old people use to tell young girls that “Old man does give ya worms”, this was an attempt to address this delicate issue back then and I felt that we as a nation; a people had progressed to a point wherein we would/should be able to successfully have these conversations with our children – I guess I was wrong. I ask the people that say; “Well she was only 14”, did she realize that at the time? Maybe if she had had a conversation she would have realized this.
But just as emotions begun to settle down and rational thought begun to be applied once again, we had the Minister of National Security, Wayne Munroe add his opinion of the matter. Now if it was in an attempt to help Mr. Franklyn Williams, one can only wonder.
“Bahamian Minister of National Security says 40-year-old man who had sex with 14-year-old girl got too harsh a sentence” – Caribbean National Weekly March 2022
Excerpt from this article; “Bahamian Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe has been receiving heavy criticism following his statement that the four-year prison sentence imposed on a 40-year-old man who impregnated a 14-year-old school girl was too long because the victim was willing to have sex with the man.
‘If I were advising the accused and someone gets seven years for raping someone, I wouldn’t be advising my client to agree to four years for unlawful intercourse, because I would say that if we go to court, you would say to the judge, ‘He didn’t rape her. She consented.’ He said when asked on the issue.
A 40-year –old Bahamian man was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 14-yerar-old girl, the result of the plea deal.
Munroe when commenting on the ruling said, ‘if you were to rape a virgin and if you were to rape a prostitute, both are rape, but you’re likely to be awarded a higher sentence for raping a nun than raping a prostitute. ‘That’s just what the case was.’
Munroe further argued that having sex with a person under the age of consent ‘is not rape’ and said he does not understand the controversy over the issue. He considers its just being punished because as a big man you shouldn’t be having sex with anyone under 16.” Mr. Munroe then goes on to, make other statements that to me are shameful and extremely reckless as he seems to think like a defense attorney and not a person that has been elected to set legislation to actually protect the citizenry.
“Sex with a person under the age of consent is not rape?” Really?!
The comments made by the Minister of National Security on this matter, besides being very disturbing, can also be labelled as the very definition of “victim blaming”, yet it would appear that a lot of his colleagues agree with him, as they remain silent on the matter and allow him to keep talking.
“Munroe: Sex With Girl 14, ‘Not rape’: Minister Says Teens Victim in Court Case Consented Despite being Too Young” – The Tribune, 2022
Excerpt from this article; “NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe suggested yesterday that a 40-year-old man convicted of having unlawful sex with a 14-year-old girl received a sentence that was too severe, saying had he defended the case he would have argued it was not rape and that the girl consented.”
Legally, can a minor consent to having sex with an older person? According to Prime Minister Davis in statement released today, No; as it is Davis’ contention that “the law is designed to protect children, who cannot meaningfully offer consent, and it should be enforced to the fullest.”
So it would appear that the April Fool of the Day is the Minister of National Security and all that support and tried to justify the dangerous precedent that he was attempting to make seem as normal.
He should be fired and if the prime minister wishes his party to be viewed as NEW and PROGRESSIVE and wants to be the government that actually moves the country forward, he will be fire IMMEDIATELY.
It would now appear that each and every person that criticizes the New Day Brave led Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government is being labeled a “house ni**a” or just plain “salty”. That is either you are a “house ni**a” for defending the previous Free National Movement (FNM) administration, which the New Day Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has labeled as the FNM/UBP or “lovers of the plantations owners”, i.e. the “white man”, which in itself could be seen as very amusing if it were not for the severe racist undertones which are totally outdated and should be extremely insulting to each and every Bahamian citizen, be they black or white. I often wonder how persons like Ryan Pinder, Clay Sweeting and John Pinder II feel in the midst of such a steeped racist environment, that suggests that each and every white Bahamian is a descendent of the United Bahamian Party (PLP) and therefore a descent of the ‘white oppressors’, but I digress.
I am here to address the term of ‘salty’ as used by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and its supporters.
First, allow me to add some context.
On May 15th 2017, Fred Mitchell; Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Member of Parliament of Fox Hill and Cabinet Minister for the office of Public Service and Foreign Affairs wrote the following; “I have read a lot of rubbish over the past few days since the election from the FNM leadership and it supporters.
My take on this is this. The FNM and its supporters should not believe their own propaganda.
The objective reality is that they simply have a mandate to govern for five years.
There is nothing revolutionary about their victory or far reaching. They were able to manipulate a population suffering from the ill effects of the economic recessions which was never overcome and turn around and turn the clever phrases plus the money of foreign interest to accomplish what they have and the failure of the PLP to correct the problem.
Michael Manely said in Jamaica when he was at this darkness hour: we routed them before; we can do it again.
I say that to the PLPs. Let us not get caught up in silly sentimentality, and believe the FNM’s propaganda about ourselves.
It is simply rubbish. This is not the second coming but a simple election victory which can be reversed in five years. Emphasis on ‘can’ we have got to move quickly though and push this behind us.”
If there ever was a definition of “salty” this statement by Fred Mitchell, Chairman of the New Day Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is the perfect example and his “saltiness” continues to this day; even after an election victory – PLP’s need take heed of this moving forward.
There are a few interesting points made in Fred Mitchell’s ‘salty’ rant from May 2017.The main one being this, “They were able to manipulate a population suffering from the ill effects of the economic recession which was never overcome…” Didn’t the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) just manipulate the population suffering from the ill effects of the economic repercussions of a global pandemic and those of a category five hurricane to spin a tale in order to win an election?
The hypocrisy here is rank.
Then there is the issue of the statement; “The FNM and its supporters should not believe their own propaganda”, he says this while admitting in this very same statement that the PLP had failed the country, so was it really propaganda?
Today he endorses the slogan’ “It’s a New Day”, but in my humble opinion you simply cannot have a “New Day” with some of the same old players that failed the country in the last PLP government; Davis and Mitchell being two prime examples.
No one and I mean no one can ever match the pettiness and ‘saltiness’ of the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and in my very humble opinion will ever be able to.
The Progressive Liberal fails for one reason, it is their nature.
“Davis: Press Protocols avoid ‘Gotcha Moment” – The Tribune
Excerpt from this article; “PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave Davis said yesterday he doesn’t view the change in protocol for press seeking Cabinet interviews as the media being shut out, rather it was an attempt to add structure and avoid a ‘gotcha moment’.
Last Tuesday, the press was denied direct access to Cabinet ministers as they arrived for the weekly Cabinet meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister. Press secretary Clint Watson said the move was in direct response to the logistical and security issues created by reporters and cameras gathering in an attempt to speak with senior government officials. Moving forward, Mr. Watson said the media would be facilitated in the press room at the OPM.
Asked about it on the sidelines of a passing out ceremony at the Royal Bahamas Defense Force base at Coral Harbour on Friday, Mr. Davis was quoted by ZNS as saying: ’I don’t know that it was a shut out per say.’
‘Unfortunately, that was a security issue I think more than anything else and I’ve asked them to address it.’
‘You know it’s always very difficult to be focusing on going to a meeting, of a Cabinet meeting where weighty matters are being discussed to be interrupted on the way to answer questions that sometimes you don’t even know the answer to and we’re just trying to bring some structure so that whenever you speak to us that there will be an informed discussion as opposed to what I call a “gotcha moment”.
Mr. Davis suggested his administration’s weekly press briefings provided sufficient time for reporters to field burning questions.”
There is a quote by Pluto where he suggests what one must do to live an honorable life; “The man who is conscious of no wrong doing is filled with cheerfulness and with comfort of old age” It would appear that the prime minister does not seem to be to ‘cheerful’ as he feels that the press is attempting to catch him or one of his Cabinet colleagues in a “gotcha” moment; because if he were “conscious of no wrong doing”, then what should he fear or what would it really matter?
In the above except, it goes from Press Secretary, Clint Watson, going trying to rationalize the “caging” of the media by first suggesting that it’s due to “security issues”, to Prime Minister Davis then intimating that it distracts his Cabinet ministers from what they have PREPARED to discuss at the Cabinet meetings. The latter I am more inclined to believe because it would appear that this New Day government cannot walk and chew gum at the same time.
The weekly press briefings are fine but coupled with the barricading of the press and this seems to be nothing more than a way to control the information coming out of Cabinet as it passes though the press. It seems nothing more than an elaborate attempt to control and even manipulate the Fourth Estate; because you really cannot buy, I mean hire them all, now can you?
Only the ones that seem quite willing to give up their “souls” by going against what they once believed in; if they really believed in anything at all.
The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason; it is their nature.
It would appear that the New Day Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government has been delighted for the distraction caused by the Dubai Trip, because it moves focus away from the rapidly increasing Covid-19 numbers in the country and the failure of the present government t mitigates its spread.
“Over 900 new COVID cases reported” – The Nassau Guardian
Excerpt from this article; While 942 new COVID cases were confirmed in The Bahamas between Thursday and Saturday, Minister of Health, Dr. Michael Darville said there has been positive signs that the fourth wave is peaking and additional measures may not be needed.
However, Darville said health officials are watching what happens over the next few days closely before making a decision.
Last week, Acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Philip Swann said he was hopeful that the numbers will begin declining soon.
“We’ve been watching the numbers from …December moving into today ad looking at the numbers there are some positive indications,” Darville said in an interview with The Nassau Guardian.
I think the CMO was absolutely correct along with the deputy CMO that the indication is pointing in the direction but we still need a little more epidemiological evidence before I can conclusively say that.
“While I’m sort of optimistic about the numbers, we are on standby to implement additional measures if we have to.”
Exactly which “positive indications” is Dr. Darville talking about?
There is a saying that goes; “Hope springs eternal:, which basically means when you continue to hope that something will happen; although it seems unlikely to happen, and it seems to be several things that this government is hoping will happen here.
One thing that they hope with happen is that as this virus continue to mutate, it will become weaker and eventually “just go away”; but if they liken it to the flu virus, isn’t the flu virus still around and killing people and the only way to prevent unnecessary death is through prevention.
So until such time as it ‘weakens an d just goes away’, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government has implemented its COVID-19 strategy; which is basically the same as the original protocols that have been in place but only now they have added”free” mass testing as a way of slowing the spread of the virus but let’s looks at the science behind “free” mass testing.
There is none.
Let us ask this question; when you mass test four hundred people and let’s say twenty five percent, one hundred were to test positive, then what do you do?
I have been told that these people would be sent home to “self quarantine”, and therein lies another problem, how do you get them to do this? If one were to remember the “72 Hour” policy under the Minnis administration; persons were allowed a 72 hour window to travel abroad without testing but required to self quarantine for two weeks upon return. This turned out to be a disaster for the Minnis administration and the PLP, while in opposition labeled the Minnis efforts to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus a failure just because of this, but here they are doing the very same thing; telling persons who have tested positive to go home and self quarantine –does this prime minister actually believe that his advice will be adhered to?
But the people have voted for a Davis led Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government to give them their ‘freedom’ – the ability to do as they want, whenever they want it is this very ‘freedom’ which has the New Day government’s strategy to control this virus seeing rapidly spreading numbers of a very contagious variant of the COVID-10 virus. My opinion, is this, now would be the time to get control of the spread of this virus by first lowering numbers in a logical and sensible manner and putting protocol s in place to keep them low and easy to manage but this New Day Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government thinks it best to work in reverse; as they seek to fully open the country and now the schools and then deal with the ‘fallout’.
The Progressive Liberal fails for one reason, it is their nature.
“1,500 NEW COVID cases in four days – Test positivity soar” – The Nassau Guardian
Excerpt from this article; “The new years weekend brought with it record numbers of new COVID cases in The Bahamas as the fourth wave continued sweeping the country.
Between Thursday and Sunday, 1,535 cases were confirmed.
On Thursday alone, 520 were recorded – a new single day record that replaced the one set only a few days before.
On Friday, 289 cases were confirmed, and on Saturday, the first day of the year, 249 cases were recorded. On Sunday, another 477 cases were confirmed.
Of the new cases, 1,320 were on New Providence, 82 on Grand Bahama, 18 on Abaco, 18 on Andros, 10 in Exuma, eight on Eleuthera, five on the Berry Islands, two on Acklins, one on Bimini, one on Cat Island, one on Crooked Island, one on Inagua, one on Long Island, and 67 had locations pending.
Seventeen of the Andros cases were confirmed Saturday in a notable jump for the island after health officials said last week that things had been relatively quiet there in terms of cases. Another was confirmed on Sunday.
On all four days, the positivity rates were far above the five percent maximum recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Thursday’s rate was 39.9 percent; Friday’s was 27.1 percent; Saturday’s was 55.3 percent and Sunday’s was 48 percent.
The figures indicate that testing is likely not capturing a significant number of actual cases.
As of Sunday, 43 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in The Bahamas.
The number is significantly lower than the record 195 hospitalized in early September 2012.
However; hospitalized over the weekend were notably higher than they were last week Wednesday when 23 people were hospitalized.”
Going into the last election the New Day Davis led Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), while in opposition, consistently criticized the Free National Movement (FNM) government for the spread of the COVID-19 virus in The Bahamas. The Davis led PLP opposition even put together a taskforce and claimed to have made ‘suggestions’ to the Minnis led FNM government on how to control and mitigate the spread of the virus. They claimed that the Minnis administration did not pay attention to their taskforce and it’s ‘suggestions’, claiming this to be a part of the reason why the Minnis administration had no control over the spread and mitigation of the virus.
We are not at the dawn of a New Day with a new variant of the Covid-19 virus, this one not as deadly as the one that the Minnis administration dealt with but much more contagious and the numbers of the infected has began to hit record numbers but oddly enough we have not heard a word from the PLP’s COVID-19 Taskforce – it’s as if they were just campaign material – were they? The main point being silently pushed by the PLP through its avid social media campaigners is this…” well at least no one is dying”, so my next question is this; is it alright for the new variant to spread unchecked and should not one really pay any attention as long as it does not kill anyone?
The very suggestion is asinine but this is exactly what is being suggested.
Is this the New Day’s PLP government plan when dealing with COVD-19 in The Bahamas?
If the Minnis administration “failed” in the control and the mitigation of the COVID-19 virus, didn’t the Davis opposition learn from these ‘mistakes’ and if they did, do we really have to being going through this tremendous fourth wave at this very moment?
Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason, it is their nature.
It would appear that in between trips abroad, the prime minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas seems to be able to slip in a few remarks to the people that elected him to higher office; the only problem seems to be that these comments only make sense to his most rabid supporters, who would accept his claims of feces not stinking.
“Davis: Minnis was considering 15% VAT hike” The Nassau Guardian
Excerpt from this article; “As he defended his government’s decision to decrease value-added tax (VAT) to 10 percent and impose tax on breadbasket items, Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended to the previous government that if it did not change its VAT structure, the tax would need to be raised to 15 percent.”
IN his inability to actually govern, Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis continues to make unsubstantiated allegations accusing the former Free National Movement (FNM) administration of going to do this or that; while not clearly articulating what he is going to do or is actually doing – beside travelling.
Davis is using this statement as fact, that the Minnis administration was planning on increasing the rate of Value-Added Tax (VAT), when this is not fact but only speculation out of the “Rabbit Hole” of Gambier House; and for him to state this as fact is to mislead the people of The Bahamas.
I now have two questions; does the reduction in the VAT rate to 10 percent and the imposition of VAT on breadbasket items achieve the recommendations of changing the tax structure to avoid having to rise the VAT tax rate; AND with these recommendations before him [Davis]; is he really trying to make a case as to why he is going to increase the VAT rate?
If this is to indeed be a New Day, then the present government must, when presenting an argument such as this provide fact – without fact these statements are nothing more than political propaganda, one of the main tactics of the Davis campaign to win the government. It would appear that the Davis administration is continuing on with that which they did in opposition; create a ‘problem’ to foment fear and distrust amongst the people and then come in with the ‘solution’ BUT there cannot be a true ‘solution’ if there is no true ‘problem’ – it’s all a cheap Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) illusion. They do it so it can appear that they are actually doing something, when in fact to date they have done little to nothing to better the lives of the average Bahamian – as promised.
This now leads many to ask one simple question; if it is indeed a New day; is it a Better Day.
The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason, it is their nature.
After a month in office, all that we have gotten from “The New Day “ government’s Minister of Health and Wellness; Dr. Michael Darville are excuses as it pertains to why the “New Day” government has been so slow on its roll out of its COVID-19 plan.
Former govt ‘forgot’ to order more vaccines – Health minister explains delay in arrival of vaccines” – The Nassau Guardian 20th October 2012
Excerpt from this article; “The arrival of additional COVID-19 vaccines was delayed because someone under the previous administration forgot to apply for them, according to Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Michael Darville, who yesterday added that more doses of the Pfizer vaccine are en route to The Bahamas.
‘The vaccines are on track, Darville said yesterday outside Cabinet.
‘We have a supply of Pfizer that is en route. I was fortunate enough to have good news that the vaccines donated by the United States government, the Pfizer vaccines are right behind.’
He said the Davis administration is doing ‘extremely well’ at securing vaccines for The Bahamas, which is still grappling with its third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘I’d like to say this – I didn’t want to, but when I came to office, we realized that the reason why we experienced the delay in Pfizer from the COVAX Facility. Darville said.
‘[It] was because under the former administration someone forgot to apply. As a result of that, it pushed us to the back. So now with negotiations, it will be here the first week of November.
Thank God.”
So, only when it has become a “problem” and the country may be running low on vaccines does this New Day government and Dr. Michael Darville offer a reason for the situation that may be leading to delays in the vaccination plan – but wouldn’t a responsible government do an audit of its “assets” in terms of the fight on the COVID-19 pandemic upon taking office? I mean its only one of our top priorities at this time – something about the entire situation does not smell right.
The situation about the vaccinations and who ordered what and when can be argued and if logic and commonsense is applied then we realize that maybe someone is lying, the problem that I am having is with the very slow roll out of the New Day’s government COVID-19 plan, while numbers are increasing and the death rate related to the pandemic continues to climb .
If memory serves me correctly, Prime Minister, Philip “Brave” Davis, while in opposition spent a lot of his time criticizing former prime minister, the Hon. Hubert Minnis for what Davis claimed at the time was the “mishandling “ of the pandemic.
‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH: Davis bashes govt’s response to coronia virus surge; says public safety efforts must improve” – Eyewitness News – July 30th 2021.
Excerpt from this article; “Davis: Govt. underutilizing critical tools in pandemic fight – The Minnis government never seemed to have a plan”
Nassau, Bahamas – The official Opposition again criticized the Minnis administration’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, with its leader Philip Brave Davis asserting yesterday that improving the nation’s pandemic response is a ‘matter of life of death.
One must wonder with this present government’s response to the very same crisis, is it still a ‘matter of life and earth’? We must ask the New Day prime minister where is his government’s response to this crisis’ in light of the increasing numbers of cases and the increasing numbers of deaths?
Where is the COVID-19 Taskforce that he paraded before the country while in opposition that claimed to have the answers?
Mr. New Day government prime minister, why has your government been SOO SLOW on its roll-out of your much anticipated initiative.
Does your New Day government even have one?
The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) fails for one reason; it is their nature.
“No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realties” – Christian Nestell Bovee
“WE WILL CUT VAT AND SAVE ECONOMY” – The Tribune – October 7th 2021
Excerpt from this article; “THE DAVIS administration has pleaded to ‘rescue’ the economy, stabilize public finances, decrease value added-tax, as well as ensure anti-corruption and government transparency.
In line with his campaign promise to bring relief to taxpayers, the Progressive Liberal Party government assured Bahamians that the 12 percent value added tax rate would be lowered to ten percent across the board.
In The Speech from The Throne read yesterday during the opening the Parliament at Baha Mar, the Davis administration also reiterated its plans to increase the country’s minimum wage and included a plead to ‘phase in’ a livable wage.
Other notable pledges include introducing a framework for a cannabis industry.
In regards to its VAT tax decrease plead, the Davis administration said this would be delivered despite of the ‘bleak outlook’ of public finances.
The present economic crisis has left a trail of unprecedented misery among the Bahamian people and our public finances in a dismal state,’ Governor General Sir. Cornelius A. Smith and as the speech read.
‘Despite this bleak outlook, my government will introduce measures that will bring immediate relief to the Bahamian people and to businesses. My government will amend the VAT Act to lower the rate across the board. to 10 percent.”
My initial question is save the economy from what exactly? But I see what’s going on here and it’s laughable but first let us see what another person is saying about the economy. “Rolle: Foreign currency inflows in 2021 already outpace 2020 – The Nassau Guardian October 7th, 2012. Excerpt from this article; “Foreign exchange inflows so far this year have surpassed that of the entire of 2020, Central Bank Governor John Rolle said yesterday. At just over $2.7 billion the Central Bank has said in its most recent monthly economic report that external reserve balances are anticipated to end the year at a higher level than in 2020. Although buoyed primarily by the proceeds of government borrowing, Rolle said the steady footing of tourism has shown promising signs for the economy.” So right here the Governor of the Central Bank points out two very important things; the explanation for a lot of the borrowing done under the last Free National Movement (FNM) government and where this money was going when the Davis led PLP opposition told they people; “All that borrowing and nothing to show for it”, how about keeping the economy afloat until tourism picked back up? But as for what the New Day Davis led government is attempting to do, and it’s quite simple; they are attempting to downplay an economy already in recovery so that they can set themselves as the “saviors’ of the economy – “WE WILL CUT VAT AND SAVE THE ECONOMY” – their very own words. We have seen the manner in which the previous Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government handled the economy even after introducing Value Added-Tax and bragging that it was exceeding all expectations at that time; four economic downgrades in five years in much better economic times. Now they say that they will, as a government, reduce the VAT rate and “save the economy”; this is now something left to be see. But if we were to go by their past economic performance as a government a lot of people are not quite sure that they are capable of achieving these goals – especially saving an economy that n=really does not need saving. So we watch and wait and they cut the VAT rate to 10 percent, increase the country’s minimum wage and phase in a livable wage. I am not by any means saying that these things are not needed or looked forward to but just remember that it was not until the first Free National Movement (FNM) government in 1992 that a minimum wage was even established. We watch and wait The Progressive Liberal Party continues to fail for one reason, it is within their nature. END
“Cooper: The public is sick of Minnis” – The Nassau Guardian
Excerpt from this article; “While declaring that the Free National Movement (FNM) ‘is the crisis’, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Deputy Leader Chester Cooper said last night that Bahamian people cannot trust Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control.
‘This is a man who runs an administration that has done almost nothing it promised to do,’ Copper said during a virtual rally.
‘Where is the office of the ombudsman? Where is local government for New Providence? Where is the fixed date for election? They’re nowhere because he never intended to do any of that.
He was selling dreams, then.
Just like he is selling dreams now,
‘We cannot trust him to get the pandemic under control. Look at the hospitals. The doctors and nurses are exhausted and he acts like everything is fine.
Today, I have two words for my Bahamian people; let’s move on.”
From the very moment that I. Chester Cooper made the remarks that it breaks his heart to travel to Grand Bahama and to see the state of Grand Bahama after two years, since Hurricane Dorian while remaining silent on the state of Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador; I knew one of two things about him – either he has never been to the consistency that the leader of the opposition Philip ‘Brave Davis represents and has represented for the past 20 years OR he has been affected by the same disingenuous disorder of this leader and party at large and only wishes to mislead the people.
Watch what this hand is doing and not the other hand.
But finally the Chester Copper, deputy leader of the Progressive Liberal party (PLP) has admitted to their entire campaign strategy from they lost the last general election and this was to make the people “hate” Dr. Minnis but these would be the very same people that cry foul or call for “fair play” when the leader of the PLP is attacked.
There is a saying from the movie “The Equalizer” with Denzel Washington, “When you pray for rain, then you have to deal with the mud, that’s just a part of it” and as the PLP has prayed for the “rain” as seen by their constants attacks, it would appear that they were not prepared for the ‘mud’ as is apparent by their attempt to now play victim and continuing to cry foul.
There is nothing in the statement by I. Chester Cooper that can be substantiated. They cannot prove the allegations of broken promises in light of what the country has been though, read that twice – but they will argue this point and try, as they bring back the very same people who have had the opportunity to actually make these ‘promises;’ come to pass under ‘normal’ circumstances – nothing has changed for the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).
They are neither “new” nor do they represent a “New Day”, especially with Philip ‘Brave’ Davis as leader
The entire Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) campaign since becoming the official opposition has been to evoke a sense of ‘hatred’ but as they foment this “hatred” of the prime minister, they must deal with the ‘mud’ in the fact that the people do not trust a Philip ‘Brave’ Davis led Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)’
The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason, it is their nature.