“Turnquest, Cooper offer opposing views on Moody’s unchanged rating” – The Nassau Guardian, Business

Excerpt from this article; “Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said in a statement on Tuesday that credit rating agency Moody’s unchanged rating for The Bahamas at Baa3 with a negative outlook, reflects stabilization in the country’s credit profile.

However, Exuma and Ragged Island Member of Parliament Chester Cooper, who is the opposition shadow minister for finance, said the unchanged rating indicates Moody’s lack of confidence in the government’s efforts to improve the economy in any significant way.

In a credit opinion issued on Tuesday, Moody’s held its existing credit rating, citing the country’s weak economic strength and increased debt and interest burdens as factors for its decision.

The credit opinion warned that the country could face a downgrade in the next year to year-and-a-half if the government’s fiscal consolidation efforts do not ‘reduce deficits to levels that  would reverse the trend of rising debt ratios and lead to a stabilization in the government’s debt ratio.”

So we have one report and two different opinions; of course we all would expect Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; the Hon. Peter Turnquest to see the “glass as half full’, as he defends the efforts of the governing Free National Movement (FNM) to bring the country’s finances under control and yes, we would expect the Hon. Chester Cooper, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) member of parliament for Exuma and Ragged Island and the opposition’s shadow minister of finance to see the glass as “half empty”, as he attempts to discredit the government’s efforts but Mr. Cooper needs to be very careful as in doing so he is possibly exposing the former Progressive Liberal Party government for the inept, incompetent and lazy government that led to their crushing defeat at the polls in the last general election.

Indeed, Mr. Cooper needs to be very careful and first enquire as to why the glass was “half empty” and in need of ‘repair’ (stabilization) in the first place.  I suggest he looks at the country’s finances during the period the 2012 – 2017 where the country went through four downgrades, a period of time that Mr. Cooper seems to be unaware of, to help him get a better understanding of what is actually is going on today.

While both views may be technically correct about the glasses capacity and present state, the fact is  that it is now stabilized at half its capacity and not set to lose anymore of its content if the present government does not stray away from its current path of fiscal responsibility; so while, Mr. Copper may technically be correct in saying “Rating indicates Moody’s lack of confidence in govt’s effort to improve economy”, he must also admit that ‘something’ right has been done to keep the credit rating stabilized and only time can speak to whether his assessment of Moody’s rating opinion holds any merit.

END

It appears that Attorney Fred Smith QC and the group “Rights Bahamas” is “hell bent” on creating more problems within the Bahamian society than they seek to solve and the question is, to what end?  What exactly is their ‘end game’?  Because right now their agenda does not seem to be to the betterment of those whom they claim to defend.

“RIGHTS BAHAMAS PLANS TO TAKE SHANTY TOWN CASE INTERNATIONAL”

Excerpt from press statement; “Human rights group Rights Bahamas is planning to take its shanty town case to the International community, attorney Fred Smith QC, told The Tribune on Friday.

Speaking outside the swearing-in-ceremony of Chief Justice Stephen Isaacs, Mr. Smith described the government’s actions against shanty towns as an attempt to ‘ethnically cleanse’ the country of these villages.

On August 5, the Supreme Court ordered the government and utility providers to halt any planned service disconnections or evictions in shanty towns pending a judicial review of the Minnis administration’s policy to eradicate those communities.

Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson granted the interlocutory injunction blocking evictions and service disconnections just days ahead of the government’s August 10 deadline during a telephone conference with human  right attorney Fred Smith QC, and Attorney General Carl Bethel on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Mr. Bethel told the Senate the government has hired a team of high-powered lawyers headed by Harvey Tynes, QC, to take on Mr. Smith and his team in the matter.

The next day, Rights Bahamas, of which Mr. Smith is the former president, released a statement criticizing the government’s intention to pay lawyers outside the Office of the Attorney General, calling it a ‘waste’ of money.

When asked what the next steps are regarding this legal action, Mr. Smith said: ‘Rights Bahamas is going to the United nations Humans Rights Council and also to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to also present to the international world this terrible attempt to ethnically cleanse the Bahamas of villages composed mainly of people whose heritage is Haitian.”

So now Rights Bahamas has to lay out its case; which is that The Bahamas government is seeking to ethnically cleanse the country of these villages which it just may be doing, as Mr. Smith plays his words game with the term “ethnically cleanse”, seeking to suggest that the government is attempting to rid the country of an entire sector of actually persons, while the government merely seeks to regulate these shanty towns and bring them up to standard worthy of human habitation, why is Mr. Smith distracting from this fact?  Is it because it simply does not serve his narrative what is his narrative?

Mr. Smith must realize that ALL residents of these shanty towns are being ‘targeted’ so for him to say “…..this government is targeting an ethnic community and it is an international crime to do this”, is misleading as it would suggest that only persons of Haitian heritage live in these shanty towns and are being unfairly targeted.

Mr. Smith and Human Rights speaks to the basic human rights and due process which must be afforded to any illegal migrant or anyone building illegally in these shanty towns but refuses to speak to any laws being broken by these persons and also glosses over the fact the nowhere has it been suggested that these persons would not be afforded their due process.

They have been given over eight months to prepare their cases, Mr. Smith is quite aware of this and is being extremely disingenuous as he wishes to present a case to save the way of life for people which he must even see and being substandard and even inhumane; even if most of them see this as a step up from where they have migrated. 

I ask Mr. Smith, why doesn’t Right Bahamas attempt to give those in these communities a hand up instead of fighting for them to continue to live a way of life which you would fight against if they were forced to live under these conditions?

As I have mentioned before, Mr. Smith seems to be going about bringing out wars without compromise, which only serves to further foment discord between Bahamians and Haitians, this is being seen in the case of the valedictorian of Doris Johnson High School who has been accepted by a number of colleges and has received partial scholarships and while we all wish to reward his excellence in academics the reality is that he may not get the chance because of his citizenship status.  At one time many Bahamians would have come to his aid and some still have, while others now take the unfortunate stance of “Why help a foreigner, when our own need help?”

END

 

“Long road ahead for Sir Lynden Pindling Estates residents” – The Nassau Guardian 5^th August 2014

Excerpt from this article; “Janet Munroe, a mother of five, has been living in Sir Lynden Pindling Estates for nearly 10 years.

Munroe, like hundreds of other residents in the area, is living on land that the Privy Council has ruled is owned by Arawak Homes.

The court last Tuesday upheld a Court of Appeal judgment, which affirmed Arawak Homes’ ownership of the property.

Last Wednesday, Arawak Homes President Franon Wilson said the company is giving the residents in the area 12 months to sort out their property titles.”

If I remember correctly these persons were native Bahamian citizens who seemed to have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous real estate agents who led them to legally build, to code on, land which the real estate agents had no rights to; did not own, so eventually the homeowners ended up losing their entire investments.  This was after a court battle to save their homes and after having lived in their homes for up to 10 years.

With this fresh in our mind, we will now come to the present; “INJUNCTED – Judge orders govt. to halt all shanty town clearances” – The Tribune

Excerpt from this article; “THE SUPREME Court has ordered the government and utility providers to halt and planned service disconnections or evictions in shanty towns pending a judicial review of the Minnis administration’s policy to eradicate those communities.

Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson granted the interlocutory[1] injunction blocking evictions and service disconnections just days ahead of the government’s August 10 deadline during a telephone conference with attorney Fred Smith, QC and Attorney General Carl Bethel on Saturday.

Leave for judicial review – file on behalf of 177 shanty town residents from both New Providence and Abaco, and non-profit group Respect Our Homes Ltd (ROHL) – was granted on Friday.

Shanty town residents are seeking to ventilate concerns the government’s eradication policy’ and subsequent evictions are unlawful, unconstitutional and motivated by ethnic discrimination without clear title to land ownership.”

So do Bahamian citizens have to form a non-profit group called Respect Our Country Ltd (ROCL) to bring about law and order in these matters and what exactly does “……ethnic discrimination to without clear title to land ownership” actually mean and how are these eviction being seen as unlawful and unconstitutional?

Does this mean that the government has failed to prove that these persons have illegally built on land that is not theirs?  Or that the persons who have built there are being ‘rewarded’ by not adhering to the laws of The Bahamas has it pertains to land ownership? 

Let me say that it is my opinion that if you are an illegal migrant you then no right to any land in The Bahamas, whether ownership is in question or not and also if you are a squatter, whose ownership is in question as is suggested here, just how long can you be allowed to go on because as in the case of Ms. Janet Munroe vs. Arawak Homes, ten years and an established life does not even give one ‘rights’.

So if you assume that these persons, be they Bahamians, legal migrants or illegal migrants, have built on private land as is being suggested by Fred Smith, then these persons must have gotten permission from the land owners to built illegal structures and if they have built on Crown Land without the permission of The Crown, doesn’t The Crown then have the right to bulldoze these homes if it sees fit?

END

[1] adjective

1.

LAW

(of a decree or judgment) given provisionally during the course of a legal action.

“an interlocutory injunction”

2.

rare

relating to dialogue.

 

“Davis Says Over-The Hill Bill Will Only Help Rich” – The Tribune Friday 27 July 2018

Excerpt from this article; “OFFICIAL Opposition Leader Philip Brave Davis yesterday branded the government’s touted Economic Zone Bill 2018 as ‘flawed’, adding the legislation in its current form will only boost the rich at the expense of the poor.

Instead of doing what its title suggests, Mr. Davis said the bill would create special ‘exploitation’ zones.

Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, the Progressive Liberal Party leader said the legislation fell ‘dangerously short’ of addressing the structural deficiencies of Over-the-Hill communities and did not do enough to tend to the lack of education, with which many there are challenged.

Before Davis’s critique, Tall Pines MP Donald Saunders blasted the opposition claiming their criticisms of the legislation were because the PLP felt its base being threatened.

He said for an organization that constantly spoke about the love for the poor and disenfranchised, the party had not done enough to help those in this category.

However, when Mr. Davis spoke he questioned several aspects of the Economic Empowerment Zone Bill.  He said it was more likely that wealthy investors would take advantage of its many concessions, which will ultimately adversely affect the very people who need assistance.

‘I recognize, Mr. Speaker, the urgent need to respond to the challenges of these communities,’ Mr. Davis said yesterday during his contribution to the debate.

‘We need a durable long-term solution to this situation.  However the prime minister’s highly touted concept of special economic zones is flawed, this Bill is flawed.’

‘Its chief flaw is that it offers further enrichment to the rich at the expense of the poor.  This initiative is what I call the cart before the horse.  It dangerously falls short of addressing the structural challenges plaguing the Over-the-Hill communities,’ Mr. Davis said.”

So while the Member of Parliament for Englerston is spreading misinformation that the constituency that she represents has been left out of the initial zone suggesting that she has been discriminated against, Mr. Davis is attempting to make a case for why he feels the entire initiative is a bad idea and at the same time admitting that these areas that were once considered Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) strong-holds for decades are failing and that they [the ] Progressive Liberal Party] have failed them even after promising to invest in them.

It is amazing the manner in which Mr. Davis addresses the issue of the Economic Empowerment Bill, while attempting to “stand strong” for the people that actually live in an improvised state because he and his party have basically said there is nothing much that they could do or should do to help these people better their standard of living, this is evident in the statement; “The Over-the-Hill community and economic woes are long-standing and have been exacerbated by education and economic woes”, when exactly did Mr. Davis notice these problems?

I would suggest that he questions the viability of the Urban Renewal and Urban Renewal 2.0 programs to find the answers to the questions to find these answers.

While Mr. Davis looks for the answer to these simple questions, I would like to say of the Over-the-Hill Empowerment Bill, which Mr. Davis sees as the sky falling, here is an  opportunity for the persons in these areas who have moved out and left properties abandoned, to now come back and become owners of the economy by investing in generation properties. 

Now is the time for Bahamian citizens too band together and take full advantage of this opportunity, to improve their lives and the well-being and environments of the Over-the-Hill communities.

END                                                                                     

“NO role of DPP on social media war” – The Tribune 07.24.2018

Excerpt from this article; “PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell yesterday expressed shock over the government’s decision to refer a ‘simple social media, political war’ to the director of public prosecutions.

In a statement, Mr. Mitchell questioned the use of the state apparatus to investigate ‘some phantom alleged criminal behavior’, and suggested there was an agenda to intimidate PLP supporters.

He condemned the act as shameful and ‘nakedly political’, adding the party expected to see the specific directions given by the Attorney General Carl Bethel gazetted as required by law.

‘We think the real story here is the prosecution that were unleashed on PLP MPs; this is now victors justice again’, Mr. Mitchell said.

‘This reference to the DPP is designed to intimidate PLP partisan in their social media warfare against FNM trolls who continue to defame the PLP leaders.”

As Mr. Mitchell rambles on with, “we think the real story is the prosecutions that were unleashed on PLP MP; this is victors justice again.”, maybe he would like to explain to the rest of us exactly what he is referring to because I would like to just to note for the record that over 80 percent of the population is completely lost by the tenuous connection that he is attempting to make because as far as many of us are concerned he [Chairman Mitchell] has already showed his ‘cards’ with the comment suggesting that this is an “agenda to intimidate PLP supporters”, surely something else must be going on that most of us are unaware of or maybe this is all in Chairman Mitchell’s mind.

It is interesting that Chairman Mitchell would even get himself involved in such a ‘non-issue’ in the first place, as he labeled what is going on as nothing but “a simple social media war.”

The Chairman’s stance is that this issue should not have been forwarded to the director of public prosecutions; stating that “the [PLP] party expected to see the specific directions given by the Attorney General …..” suggesting at this point he is basing his entire opinion of the matter on two things; one, the theory that this is merely something orchestrated to ‘embarrass’ the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and two, pure speculation; as he does not give any plausible explanation as to why the matter should not have been referred to the DPP’s office.

Stripped back, there are allegations of numerous illegal activities, including murder which would be investigated in any other civilized society, is the Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party then suggesting that we have not come far along in civility to investigate such matters just because his government decided not to carry out the necessary investigations in the Save The Bays matter?

From what I am understanding, the Attorney General has the right to refer a case to the office of the DPP and after a review the DDP can then refer the matter to the police for proper investigation if he deems it necessary but in this case certain recordings from social media were simply forward to the office of the DPP for him to do with as he pleased; no directive has been given to anyone at this point, so why I is the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party getting ‘his drawers in a bunch’ over this ‘simple social media war’?  If it is as he says, it will run its course but to suggest that is should not be investigated shows a total lack of civility on the part of Chairman Mitchell and all of whom he speaks for.

Mr. Mitchell’s assertions that this is only attempt to intimidate PLP supporters is asinine, at best because while I may understand that he as chairman feel that he must make a comment on the matter I only ask that at the very least the statement makes a little bit of sense.

There is actually a simple solution to this issue and the chairman needs to think about simply solving the problem within his party while allowing the law to run its course.

END

 

“Miller could seek $70mi. – Lawyer for former MP warns govt. entity” – The Nassau Guardian; July 18^th, 2018

Excerpt from this article; “Former Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller could seek as much as $0 million in damages in his lawsuit against Bank of The Bahamas and the government, his attorney Damian Gomez said yesterday.

Miller is suing Bank of The Bahamas for $9, 642, 500.28 plus damages for alleged breach of contract with regard to seven companies financed by the bank, whose assets were transferred to Bahamas Resolve Limited, and since have been put on the market for sale.

Miller and his companies are also suing the attorney general and the treasurer of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas for $9,846,639.40 plus interest for failure to pay rent money he claims was due under five leases with the government signed December 1, 2016.

When asked about the issue of damages yesterday, Gomez said, ‘There is a claim against the government the Bank of The Bahamas for over $9 million and there is a separate claim against the government for rents that are due, and that’s just under $10 million.  He is also claiming in addition to those sums, damages, and those damages could amount to tens of millions, depending on what Bahamas Resolve does.”

‘It is now threatening to sell the properties.”

To tell the God’s honest truth, I am totally perplexed by this lawsuit and the grounds on which is based.

Here is what I know.

“Miller claims he financed the Summerwinds Complex through a mortgage at Bank of The Bahamas on August 4 1999.

He claims that he further added to that mortgage eight times over the next seven years until 2011 though loans to Summerwinds (Two Thousands) Investment Company Ltd (SICL).

He [Miller], was allowed by resolution of the House of Assembly on January 15, 2013 to lease his property to the government.

The government entered into two leases with SICL on May 7 2013 and July 19, 2013.

These leases required significant upgrades to the properties.

Miller claims the bank agreed to lend him $2.5 million through Summerwinds 2000 Investment Company for the upgrades of which $185,000 was advanced between February and October 2013.

Miller claims that during the first week of October, the bank stopped the payment of funds needed for the reminder of renovations, effectively breaching their contract and leading to the government cancelling the rental contracts because it could not occupy the premises.”

“….Miller claims and in February 2017, the treasurer failed to pay rent money agreed to in his leases, causing him and the company losses of $8,475,837.40 in rent and $1,370,802 in money ‘expended/committed’ for renovations – a total of $9,846,639.40.”

So If I understand what is going on here’ Mr. Leslie Miller, while being the Member of Parliament for Tall Pines for the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) financed the Summerwinds Complex in August of 1999 through the Bank of The Bahamas and proceeded to enter into two lease agreements with the government in 2013, which included a $2.5 million loan to renovate the building to be occupied by the government but the government at the time did not honor the agreement, a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) of which he was a member of parliament but rather than sue that government for not being one of honor he has decided to sue the present government which has chosen to not be a part of the mess and rather go after the people’s money that was loan to Mr. Miller to renovate buildings to lease to the government – didn’t he and his government raise all eternal ‘hell’ about this with Dr. Minnis and his Stat Care building, something about ‘conflict of interest’ but here Mr. Miller seems all to willing “conflict interest”, borrow from the government, rent to the government in order to pay the government back and make a profit of course.

Is he [Mr. Miller] really suing for monies that he is says is owed to him due to the rent that he could have collected if his own ‘boys’ had not ‘screwed him over’?

But to move beyond the arrogance and politics of it, we find this culture prevalent wherein a person can actually take advantage of the system in this manner because of who they may be, while the average citizen must provide a “lung/kidney” donation and even a first born to be considered for a loan at half the amount and much less the risk, this is inherently wrong and this must be corrected for The Bahamas to advance.

We should all have a sense of true privilege in the country that we call home, not only the select few.

END

 

Pushed back on page eleven (11) of the Tribune, the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Senator Fred Mitchell makes a strange admission while attempting to ‘dress down’ the chairman of the Free National Movement (FNM) Carl Culmer.

“Mitchell: Culmer is an Uncle Tom” – The Tribune

Excerpt form this article; “PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell labeled his counterpart in the Free National Movement an ‘Uncle Tom’, condemning Mr. Culmer for accusing the PLP of oppressing generations of black Bahamians through its political ploys and practices.

In a statement, Mr. Mitchell asserted that Mr. Culmer continues to say ‘dumb and dumber things’.

Last week, Mr. Culmer said the PLP made the United Bahamian Party ‘look like monsters’.

‘This is a classic example of what is known as Uncle Tomism’, Mr. Mitchell said.

‘That means you blame the slave for being in their condition and you get one of their own to say so.”

What the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party fails to understand or appreciate is that words matter and there are some listening to the language and words being used within this discourse, that is meant to embarrass the chairman of the Free National Movement and seeing a the quiet/subtle admission/concession that The Bahamas is not a free nation/society.  In this discourse is also the concession/admission by the chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, the first black Bahamian government and who ushered in majority rule, that they have failed the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, even after twenty-five (25) of consecutive of governance.

Word Matter; “This means you blame the slaves for being in their condition and you get one of their own to say so”, this in context, in July 2018, exactly, after celebrating forty-five (45) years of Independence, exactly who are the ‘slaves’?  And if there are ‘slaves’ there must be ‘slave masters’; who are these people?

Mr. Mitchell is simply showing his ignorance in this ‘row’ as “He continued: How can a modern Bahamian, presumably educated in our country as a result of the policies of the PLP, whose island elected representatives of the PLP to take the country into independence, who benefitted from a senior job in  a public corporation as a result if PLP policies, who lives in a free nation because of what the PLP did, whose very own FNM leaders were once PLP, speak such total and complete nonsense?”

Well, Senator Mitchell I ask how could just an “educated” man such as yourself that benefitted from all that you claim that Culmer benefitted from, say that that The Bahamas is a “free nation” but still imply that there are ‘slaves’ and by extension ‘slave masters’?

“That means that you blame the slave for being in their condition and you get one of their own to say so”

Words Matter.

Indeed, the chairman’s statements here are nonsensical, as usual I guess, as he cannot seem to expose the ‘ignorance’ of others without exposing his own.  Maybe he time would be better spent bring democracy to the party that he chairs, as there are suggestions that the Progressive Liberal Party’s constitution needs to be amended to bring democracy to that party.

END

 

“Deputy GG slams heroes selection – Smith says it is a ‘narrow view’ to forget country’s racist past” – The Nassau Guardian 4^th July 2018

Excerpt from this article; “Deputy to the Governor General C. A. Smith yesterday criticized the selection process of the four named national heroes and said based on his criteria of the honor, only former Prime Minister the late Sir Lynden Pindling and former Governor General the late Sir Milo Butler met the standard.

Along with Sir Lynden and Sir Milo Butler, former leader of the United Bahamian Party and Premier of The Bahamas the late Sir Roland Symonette, and former Free National Movement Leader, the late Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield were awarded the honor of national hero.

Yesterday, referring to Sir Roland, Smith explained that it is difficult for a majority black country to accept the head of a ‘racist; repressive, government’ being named a national hero.  He recalled the times of segregation and prejudicial treatment where black people could not work in banks or attend the theater on bay Street.

‘Of the four who were named as national heroes, I think two meet the standard, that’s Sir Lynden and Sir Milo Butler.  The other two, I think, do not meet the standard that I believe national heroes ought to be.

‘It does not negate the fact the other two did some good things.’

‘The slave master sometimes treated the slave well, but he was still a slave.”

Anyone who knows C. A Smith and had followed him during the last election cycle world have been totally baffled by these comments attributed to him, some of us just waited for the next shoe to fall and this came in the order of a retraction and apology by The Guardian’s Managing Editor Candia Dames, wherein she stated that the comments being attributed to C. A Smith were actually made by George Smith, former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) member of parliament but how could such an egregious error be made by such a ‘seasoned ‘professional’?

The article is written by Royston Jones Jr, but each article before they go to press should approved by the editor especially front page stores of this magnitude; so what went wrong?  There is a saying, “Before you embark on a jouney of revenge, first dig two graves” claimed to have been said by Confucious, but literay scholars cannot seem to agree on this.

It would seems that in Ms. Dames’ fight to reveal the truth she has at times over stepped her bounds especially as it pertains to this prime minister and this administration; could she have been so blinded by ‘rage’ to have missed such a glearing ‘error’ or did she actually approve it in an attempt to create news.  Mind you there was no need to rush to print on this story because there was nothing to be ‘scooped’, as all the salacious details had already been released on social media over the naming of Sir. Roland Symonette as a national hero, there was time to correct the story so why did she decide to press on?

Some now question, was it really an ‘error’?

 We will see if she will attempt to push the blame off to the writer of the article because at the end of the day we all know that the responsibility lies with her and if she is seems to have allowed emotion to control the way she conducts herself as a journalist, then maybe it is time that she either resigns or is fire.

END

This past week has seen the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) propaganda ‘machine’ go from the absolutely obscure, illogical and desperate to the outright cruel and morbid.
This all began with; Cabinet reshuffled – Minnis moves for ministers “– The Nassau Guardian, July 3rd 2018
Excerpt from this article; “Four Cabinet ministers of the Minnis administration will have their portfolios reassigned this week in a Cabinet reshuffle just a year after the Free National Movement was returned to power.
The Cabinet Office confirmed in a statement yesterday that, ‘The prime minister advised Her Excellency, the Governor General, to reallocate the portfolios of ministers Renward Ricardo Wells, Frankie Alfred Campbell, Michael Clifton Pintard and Lanisha Tamar Rolle.” This would have been and should have a simple exercise, one which has been seen before but what made it amusing was the instant response to it by the Leader of the Opposition; Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and others within this party; responses that amounted to nothing more than speculation and supposition; “In response to the Cabinet changes, Mr. Davis said: ‘The changes in portfolio allocations announced by the prime minster amount to nothing more than political musical chairs. It accomplishes nothing of substance and is merely shuffling the deck of bad cards.
‘One year into the government, the prime minister’s move condemns his own government for incompetence and ineffectiveness…. The PLP is not impressed by any of it.”

There are several reasons, in my opinion, as to why a prime minister may shuffle his cabinet; to give ministers a better overview of government, to move more effective Cabinet ministers or just to keep Cabinet ministers “on their toes”; whatever the reason it was in this case I will say that if the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) had done it once or twice during their last administration then maybe they would have been a more effective government and not been perceived of as being the epitome of corruption entering the 2017 general elections and is Mr. Davis suggesting that Perry Christie never shuffled his Cabinet due to their competence? Such a suggestion within itself it laughable but also gives one leave for serious concern.
In this statement, the Leader of the Opposition seems to have taken leave of all common sense and rationality by suggesting that the governing Free National Movement (FNM) is actually attempting to impress him and the few that actually believe that he [the Hon. Philip ‘Brave’ Davis] can actually lead that party to an election victory.
Then we enter in the realms of the morbid, cruel and usual, wherein it was suggested in a rumor that Phenton Neymour, former Free National Movement Member of Parliament for South Beach, had died. This rumor was nothing more than a shameless and cowardly attach by ‘certain persons’ which should be condemned to the fullest; as to even begin such a rumor indicates that one has no moral compass and has borderline sociopathic propensities.
Now we end the week with the announcement by ‘sources’ that the Junkanoo groups have been given a choice of whether to have a Boxing Day Parade and a News Day Parade because, according to ‘sources’ the government has informed the Junkanoo groups that the government does not have money for both. I feel while this lie has been thrown out in an attempt to not only discredit the Minnis administration but in a shameless attack on a particular minster; again a shameless and cowardly attack, unknown sources and without the requisite evidence to support it but then speculation and supposition does not require proof, right?
So, there we have it, the PLP’s propaganda machine in all of it glory and hard at work spewing out the ‘necessary; lies no matter the consequence, and as they sit back and watch their handy work I wonder if they realize that “NO LIE LASTS FOREVER”.
END

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” – Sir Winston Churchill
“Mitchell: VAT Increase Unconscionable” – The Bahama Journal
Excerpt from this article; “According to Senator Fred Mitchell, fifty percent of the people who make under $30,000 a year in The Bahamas cannot makes ends meet at the end of the month.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate made it clear that he supports the government’s spending, but part ways on its push to impose a 12 per cent Value Added Tax.
‘It just seems counter-intuitive and unconscionable’, he said.”

Since it has been announced that the rate of value-added tax (VAT) would be increased by 4.5 percent, to 12%, many persons have taken the current administration to task on imposing such a burden in the backs of the ‘poor man’ but very little have questioned as to how we got to this point and to forget our past history and not learn from it is one of the most serious mistake that we can make as a nation.
Senator Mitchell says supports the government’s spending but ‘part ways’ on its push to impose a 4.5 percent increase to the rate of VAT, so basically the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Senator and Chairman is saying that he and his party consents to continued borrowing; increased national debt and increased deficit without a plan to actually reduce them – indeed the man is ‘mad’ and anyone else that supports his position, as he wants to make an omelet without breaking a few eggs; pure insanity and how we got to this point in the first place.
Simply put, you CANNOT continue to borrow without a way/plan of actually paying it back.
In November of 2016 it was reported that the government had collected almost a billion dollars from value-added tax (VAT); if this was the case and the money was actually out into the consolidated fund, as the story goes, what happened? What eventually happened to it because during this time the country’s economy had been downgraded at least once maybe even twice?
We all know that they say that hind sight is 20/20, and looking back now Senator Mitchell sight will be 20/20 , because while we will all agree that the country was in dire need of another source of revenue to offset the country’s borrowing and to pay its bill some could make the argument that it was “unconscionable” to introduce in the first place, if you were to apply the senator’s standards at to what is “unconscionable” but the simple fact that the funds collected not seemingly to have been used for the purposes that they were collected is what is really “unconscionable”, in my opinion but will Senator Mitchell admit to this, in hindsight?
In the fiscal year 2016/2017 when the government was set to borrow just under $100 million to cover the projected budget deficit; $30 million more than the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) administration had actually projected at the beginning of the 2016/2016 fiscal year; didn’t bells go off that maybe, just maybe ‘something’ was wrong? And I ask the PLP administration at the time to not blame Hurricane for this “miscalculation”, because an additional $150 million was subsequently borrowed after this storm and by the way, wasn’t VAT supposed to have been waived in the event of a natural disaster?
The truth of the matter is that the former administration never actually met any of its financial targets but now seeks to label the present measures as “unconscionable”; what is actually “unconscionable” is anyone in the former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) administration criticizing anything to do with the present budget.
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