The Tribune

FREE National Movement (FNM) Chairman Sidney Collie has again hit out at Prime Minister Perry Christie’s silence over controversies ensnaring several of his Cabinet ministers, specifically the drama surrounding Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald.

Mr Collie urged people to sign the FNM’s online petition calling on Mr Christie to fire scandal ridden government ministers.

Last week, The Tribune revealed that Mr Fitzgerald solicited lucrative contracts from Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian from as early as 2013, while he sat in Cabinet, for his family’s businesses.

On Monday, The Tribune revealed that Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard sent thousands of dollars per month to a Bank of America account belonging to Mr Gibson, Minister of Labour and National Insurance, between August, 2011, and January, 2013.

Documents obtained by The Tribune show that the payments totalled $94,131.10.

In 2015, Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson revealed that her husband Maxwell Gibson owns the retail jewellery store chain that had been granted storefront leases in Baha Mar. At the time, she denied accusations that she has a conflict of interest due to her role as government negotiator for the stalled resort.

Her revelation came in a statement released four days after she initially said her two daughters, 28 and 30, had leases to operate stores in Baha Mar while a guest on the More 94 FM talk show Real Talk Live.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson and Mr Fitzgerald were part of the government’s negotiating team to get Baha Mar remobilised.

Mr Christie has remained silent over the recent controversies.

Yesterday, Mr Collie questioned how the nation’s leader can “ignore the abuse of power and position from his high command while Bahamians struggle to compete for business against the politically connected.”

“Even PLP candidate Dr Charles Clarke has said that in any other first world society, Jerome Fitzgerald would have already resigned,” Mr Collie noted in a statement.

“But how has the prime minister responded? He embraces tyranny, digging his heels deeper into the mud of corruption that that leaves a dark mark on our entire country. Standing on stage last night (Wednesday), the prime minister praised Jerome Fitzgerald and commended his performance, taking Bahamians for fools by claiming accusations to be ‘fake news’. While the prime minister’s ineptitude and neglect of responsibility comes to no surprise, Bahamians will not stand silently.

“The FNM is working with them to have their voices heard, circulating a petition calling on the prime minister and the PLP to fire their unethical Cabinet ministers immediately. No more delays, no more silence, no more distractions. Act now and show the world we are not some lawless country. We encourage all Bahamians to weigh in and sign on.”

The petition is available at www.firedem.com and had nearly 2,000 signatures up to press time.