TRANSPORT AND ENERGY MINISTER JOBETH COLEBY-DAVIS.
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
TRANSPORT and Energy Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis suggested that a businessman who presented a proposal to the government for the Road Traffic Department did not demonstrate that he could fulfil certain requirements for the project.
“Many persons send in proposals. There has to be land and then there has to be approval for the project, and then there has to be funding incorporated, so nothing was taken to Cabinet because none of those processes I could see in the future happening,” she told the press yesterday.
Franklyn Robinson, the former CEO of the now defunct Bahamas Automobile Safety and Inspection Centre, told The Tribune that years of work were wasted when the government rejected his proposal.
Mrs Coleby-Davis, however, said yesterday that his project was not rejected “because nothing went to the Cabinet”.
Mr Robinson accused the Davis administration of “cronyism” for housing the department headquarters in Leslie Miller’s Summerwinds Plaza.
He sought for 20 years to create a “one-stop” Road Traffic Department project, but successive administrations declined to accept his offer.
He said the $30m project would have been funded by his company, PTI Bahamas, in a 20-year partnership with the government.
Mrs Coleby-Davis could not explain why Mr Miller’s plaza was chosen to house the department, referring reporters to Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle.
Ms Coleby-Davis said: “The Ministry of Works is assisting with the design and planning and structuring of” the Road Traffic Department’s future home.
“And because they are also guiding the process of the stadium and there is an urgent need for us to move out of the stadium, I assume they are managing the timeline with the timeline the stadium has given them to have us off of property for them to really do the overall of renovations that are required.
“And so, it’s because it’s urgent I would assume it’s coming up soon.”
Comments
ThisIsOurs 6 months, 1 week ago
So here's what Mrs Coleby Davis is guilty of, and she repeats this over and over, she's not listening and she's not addressing the complaint.
Every Bahamian who has submitted a proposal to a govt department, been told to wait, and wait, and wait, then saw another initiative announced that looks eerily similar to what they submitted, is fully aware their proposal either didnt reach cabinet or wasnt approved. The assumption is it stopped on someone's desk. The "talk on the street", for decades, about proposals submitted to the old BAIC was just this.
What Bahamians are asking for IP protection with teeth. If you deem that an individual doesnt have the resources to implement what you've assessed as a great idea, what better way to support Bahamian innovation than creating an ecosystem around them to see their idea get done. In general, taking someone's idea under the rationale they couldn't they do it anyway or they wouldnt have come to us, amounts to IP theft
IslandWarrior 6 months, 1 week ago
Allow me to provide some clarification regarding the financing of our project. A local commercial bank has expressed interest in financing our initiative, subject to their customary due diligence process, which typically takes between six to eight weeks. Their approval is contingent upon our company securing the necessary endorsement from the Bahamian Government, which is a standard prerequisite for project financing.
Assuming that the government adheres to its reputed consistency, I must apprise the Minister that we submitted the project to the Cabinet under the Minnis Administration and have copies of the correspondence. The Minister should be aware that we cannot pursue funding until the government accords its approval. However, we have yet to receive a response from the Cabinet regarding the status of our proposal.
We wish to avoid any public disputes concerning this matter. However, if the government encounters any complications as a result of their decision to locate the department at the Summer Winds Plaza, we remain open to considering our proposal. "We firmly believe that the citizens of the Bahamas merit better than the present situation".
ThisIsOurs 6 months, 1 week ago
The alternative solution is to pay someone for the hours they put into their great idea at the going consultancy rate, which is about 80 per hour or more, not "you een nobody so you cant expect too much"
BONEFISH 6 months, 1 week ago
That proposal was presented to previous PLP and FNM administrations. This is how this country operates. Business ideas and proposals are passed on and funneled to a favored few. That is why this country is not developing with sense and is stagnant.
ThisIsOurs 6 months, 1 week ago
Exactly. You know it baffles me when people say anyone could come up with an idea. If that were true why do they feel the need to steal so many?? And then completely fluffle them up.
On Shark Tank the people with resources dont try to hide the innovator in the background then tell the world, look how smart I is I come up with this idea. They realize the person whose idea it is, is the best person to implement the idea. In cases where they deem the individual truly isnt capable but the idea is great, they pay handsomely to buy the business. The problem here is we have artificially appointed leaders. They have nothing to recommend them but a relationship with the PM. They can't think, they cant plan, so when an innovator comes along, they feel the need to show how smart they is by claiming someone else idea. All the Sharks care about is making money off a good idea
JokeyJack 6 months, 1 week ago
We all know what the "financing requirements" are in the Bahamas.
M0J0 6 months, 1 week ago
Why stop when one door closes, keep pushing, don't blame any party, fine tune make changes as necessary and keep submitting. All won't say no and at any time changes can happen.
IslandWarrior 6 months, 1 week ago
Beyond the facade of cronyism, a darker truth permeates Bahamian Politics: the deeply ingrained culture of victimization. Long after the enthusiasm of election cycles fades, the spectre of political conflict looms large. Participants once urged to engage in the democratic process with vigour and responsibility find themselves entangled in a relentless struggle that extends far beyond the ballot box. The outcomes of these battles and the victorious few seep into the inner sanctums of government, where an atmosphere of vindictiveness takes hold.
In this unforgiving environment, erstwhile opposition supporters become targets, their loyalty repaid with persecution. The winners of the political skirmishes, encouraged by their triumphs, methodically dismantle any remaining vestiges of opposition, leaving no stone unturned and no supporter unscathed. The cycle of victimization perpetuates itself, poisoning the very core of the democratic ideal.
Thus, the aftermath of Bahamian democratic processes paints a grim picture: a landscape marred by the ruthless pursuit of power, where the vanquished are not merely defeated but systematically dismantled, and the spirit of democracy is left bruised and battered.
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