An aerial view of the crowd at the FNM rally in Golden Gates Assembly Park.
By SANCHESKA DORSETT
Tribune Staff Reporter
sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr Hubert Minnis last night labeled Prime Minister Perry Christie and his administration the “most corrupt, the most incompetent and the most victimising government since independence” pointing to several examples of why the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) should not be given another chance to “ruin the country”.
Addressing hundreds of supporters at the Golden Gates Assembly Park in Carmichael Road on Wednesday, Dr Minnis said if reelected Mr Christie would bring back the same “corrupt, tired, out of control, arrogant, disrespectful, all for me baby crew” and insisted the FNM will bring a new generation of leaders who “will not bow to foreigners” and always put Bahamians first.
Dr Minnis said it is disrespectful for Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald to “beg for contracts” for Baha Mar and “shameful” that the nation’s leader refuses to address the matter.
Mr Christie has refused, on many occasions, questions from reporters over whether he will fire Mr Fitzgerald or demand his resignation as the Marathon candidate despite Mr Fitzgerald’s admission that he sought contracts worth millions from Baha Mar for his family’s business.
“Jerome didn’t just want a little contract. He wanted to hog up the limousine business. He forget that everybody have to eat in this country and put bread on the table. His mindset was clear: I don’t care about the taxi and limousine drivers in this country and their families just like I don’t care about the health of the residents of Marathon,” Dr Minnis said.
“Jerome is just like many of them in that PLP Cabinet. They just want to: hog up, hog up. Don’t forget Allyson Maynard Gibson. She wanted her and her family to hog up business at Baha Mar. If you let them get back in, you can kiss our country goodbye. What is as disgraceful as Jerome begging for contracts is the reaction after he was found out. He didn’t apologise or express regret. He danced and pranced. The PLP have contempt for what you think. Even worse, Perry has said nothing. Nada - Not a word. His silence says it all. Jerome should have been fired. The PLP’s message is crystal clear - to hell with the Bahamian people. And you know what? If they win Christie will put Jerome right back in the Cabinet so he can beg someone else for contracts.”
Dr Minnis pointed to several members of the PLP who were embroiled in controversy, including Free Town candidate Wayne Munroe who suggested last week that his detractors can kiss his backside. The FNM leader said the reason PLP members are able to “do what they want” is because Mr Christie is asleep at the wheel.
“Christie pretended to be interested in good governance but allowed Alfred Gray to (allegedly) interfere in the court system. Christie pretended to respect the Bahamian people and the dignity of his office but he stuck up a vulgar middle finger at us. He used obscene language before students at the University of The Bahamas,” Dr Minnis said.
“Because of Christie’s poor behavior, Wayne Munroe, thought it was okay to tell people to kiss his you know. Well, we ain’t nasty like him. It is disgraceful that someone Christie advised to be appointed a Queen’s Counsel acted in such a vulgar manner. As usual Christie said nothing about this vulgarity. He should never have been appointed in the first place.
“I would never allow a Ryan Pinder as minister of financial services to negotiate a lucrative deal and job with the very industry people he is supposed to oversee and who will have business before the government. Christie had no problems that someone could walk into the office of one of his ministers and do such a thing. Christie even bragged about what a sweet deal Ryan was getting.
“...Jerome Fitzgerald knew that Christie’s Cabinet could do whatever they want. These people are bold in their bad ways. He blatantly went about begging for contracts at Baha Mar. What he did was in clear violation of Cabinet rules of conduct and standards. Of course, the PLP have little to no standards left. They are greedy and ‘grabalicious.’”
Dr Minnis said the FNM is offering a new direction and his goal is to bring together a team of Bahamians you can believe in.
“I will be a transformational leader in areas such as education reform, renewable energy, business opportunities for young people, urban development, promoting Bahamian culture and heritage, social intervention for at-risk youth, niche agriculture; and diversification within tourism and other economic sectors,” he said.
“This election is about removing a PLP government that has brought our country to its knees. This election is also about hope and opportunity. This election is about nurturing the dreams and unleashing the talents and energy of the Bahamian people, especially our young people.”
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 6 months ago
Yes, yes, yes ..... all yes. So why is Minnis refusing to make a firm commitment to hold a Royal Commission of Enquiry to determine the full extent of the corruption over the last five years and to ensure those found guilty of criminal offenses get prosecuted to the full extent of the law? Could it be that Minnis actually sees nothing truly wrong with the fleecing of the Bahamian people that has occurred and is himself looking forward to being able to do the same, perhaps on an even grander scale!!!!!!
Cobalt 7 years, 6 months ago
Your colors are showing again.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 6 months ago
You know not what you pray for my friend....but Minnis would assuredly give it to you in spades!!!!!
Rud 7 years, 6 months ago
We don't need a "Royal Commission of Enquiry." We need these fellas sent to jail!!
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 6 months ago
We need to return to being a country under the rule of law and let due process take its course. Don't worry though. Doing the right thing the right way only helps ensure the unjustly enriched corrupt politicians and their cronies get what's so deservedly coming to them!
alfalfa 7 years, 6 months ago
Rest assured. If the FNM wins the government, the Commission of Enquiry and prosecutions you refer to, will come post haste. No wonder those guilty of blatant corruption are shaking in their boots, and using all underhanded methods available to them to stay in power. They are afraid they will join Wilbert Moss in the history books as M/P's (or former M/P's) who have been incarcerated.
DDK 7 years, 6 months ago
I TELL MUDDA THIS REGULARLY BUT HE/SHE HAS BLINDERS ON WHEN IT COMES TO MINNIS.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 6 months ago
Forget me......get Minnis to give you the firm commitment to hold a Royal Commission of Enquiry with impartial sitting foreign commissioners of the highest standing. The failure of the last Royal Commission of Enquiry to result in the imprisonment of corrupt politicians was due to Bishop Gomez serving as the lead commissioner.
SP 7 years, 6 months ago
........ Mind-boggling Piracy, Yet No FNM Mention Of A Royal Commission of Inquiry? ........
The whole scenario doesn't pass the smell test!
One would think Dr. Minnis would have been beating the corruption, commission and prosecution drums as loudly as he possibly could.
John 7 years, 6 months ago
What would be the cost of holding a commission of inquiry versus the benefit? Most commissions are inconclusive as to whether a crime has been committed and will only recommend police action based on the preponderance of evidence. And by the time the commission is done sending for persons and papers and bring out dirty linen here and there millions of the people's money will have been spent with no tangible benefits. So someone must have the fortitude, yes testicular, to act on the commissions recommendations But in the alternative, many of them, like Perry Chrisite, Bernard Nottage, Allison Maynard-Gibson Alfred Gray will never seek to be elected to public office again, should they get kicked out on May 10, if only because of age constraints. Then you have the Shane Gibsons' and the Jerome Fitzgeralds' and others who will be too tainted to run again and win. At least in the interim. So they really get away with robbing the public purse and/or enriching themselves.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 6 months ago
Hopefully you read @SP below as he/she is 100% correct on the reasons why we so desperately need a Royal Commission of Enquiry into the rampant government corruption over the past five years involving Baha Mar, Bank of The Bahamas, the gaming web shops, Crown Land, etc. Without a Royal Commission of Enquiry the next government will be emboldened by the feeling of impunity to take the Bahamian people to the cleaners on an even more horrific scale than Christie and his elitist political friends and other cronies have done. For the Enquiry proceedings to be independent, thorough and free of government interference of any kind, three highly reputable and well qualified foreigners from our region should be appointed to conduct the Commission's investigations and report on its findings. At least one of the Commissioners should be a renowned litigator of the highest calibre with ties to a major law firm in our region. Another should have expert multi-jurisdictional banking knowledge in the field of wealth management to facilitate tracing funds that have been squirreled away by corrupt government officials in financial institutions and clients' accounts of law firms both here and abroad. The third Commissioner should have expertise in forensic financial investigations and civil law proceedings. The Commission should be mandated to submit a written progress report to the Bahamian people within 18 months followed by a final written report within 30 months. All of the proceedings should be videotaped for later scheduled unedited televising to the Bahamian public during evening hours. The Royal Commission of Enquiry, if given the broad powers and financial support needed to properly carry out a well defined mandate, would undoubtedly result in the recovery of mega millions of unjust riches effectively stolen from the Bahamian people. Every voter in the upcoming general election should have great pause for concern that neither Minnis nor McCartney is firmly and passionately committed to holding a Royal Commission of Enquiry for the purpose of eventually pressing formal charges against those corrupt politicians and other government officials where it could easily be proven they have committed serious major crimes through the abuse of their office.
birdiestrachan 7 years, 6 months ago
This is the same doc Minnis who beat up his mouth about Renyard Wells when he was a PLP then embraced him and shut his mouth when he welcomed him into his bosom as a FNM. And what about Toggie and Buggy, Pintard and the Fish,
SP 7 years, 6 months ago
Commission Of Inquiry" Cost" insignificant Compared To Value To National Importance
@ John...Being penny wise and pound foolish is one of the reasons Bahamas finds itself buried in corruption with no accountability and seemingly no way out.
Commissions of Inquiry are established by the Governor in Council (Cabinet) to fully and impartially investigate issues of national importance.
A Commission of Inquiry's findings and recommendations are not binding. However, many have a significant impact on public opinion and the shape of public policy.
A classic example is Turks & Caicos 08/09 Commission Of Inquiry which was instrumental in identifying political criminals, blatant piracy and removing smoke and mirrors by slick talking corrupt politicians to expose criminals in high places and destroy any chance of them ascending back to political office.
Firstly, not only did the TCI Commission Of Inquiry specifically identify political criminality from the office of Prime Minister down. More importantly, it laid bare to the electorate the means, mechanisms and workings of systemic corruption negatively affecting every citizen.
A review of the Turks Commissions findings reads eerily familiar with todays Bahamas political landscape of modern day piracy.
Abuses of Crown Land, under the table secret deals with foreigners and unparalleled nepotism as with Fitzpirate and Witch Maynard are clearly described exactly as now commonplace in Bahamas.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s…
It is absolutely imperative for Dr. Minnis, as Prime Minister, to immediately initiate a Commission Of Inquiry to include Baha Mar and missing VAT funds which represents $BILLIONS of the peoples money!!!
Nothing less will suffice!
birdiestrachan 7 years, 6 months ago
I trust for you all own sake that you all know better. No VAT money is missing. But it is funny to see the over weight woman with the remey hair asking for the VAT money.
Alex_Charles 7 years, 6 months ago
I can't call this election yet, but it seems as if the PLP still has the upper hand.
Reality_Check 7 years, 6 months ago
Red China and the numbers bosses are buying votes for the PLP to the tune of $2,000 or more per registered voter in certain constituencies with the understanding that half the amount gets paid now, and the other half gets paid after the election but only if the PLP wins a majority of the seats in the HOA.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 6 months ago
In the case of known gamblers and others with an account at the gaming web shops, the buying of a registered voter's vote simply takes place by the numbers bosses crediting the agreed amount(s) to their PLP supporting customer's account.
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