The Tribune

By DANA SMITH dsmith@tribunemedia.net THE governing FNM's smear campaign against the opposition is nothing more than an effort to distract from the soaring crime level, PLP deputy leader Philip "Brave" Davis claimed last night. Speaking at the opening of the PLP's Fort Charlotte constituency office, he said the opposition's "category five hurricane" of a campaign has the FNM on the run. "They are ashamed of their record of running the country almost into the ground having held office for 15 of the last 20 years," Mr Davis said. He said Mr Ingraham spent much of his time last week rehashing old stories and taking the low road, "all in an attempt to distract you the Bahamian people away from the real issues that impact your lives today." Responding the prime minister's statement that in his private capacity as a lawyer, Mr Davis "spends a lot of time defending those on the offending side of crime," the PLP deputy leader said representing people charged with a criminal offence does not contribute to the crime rate. The state of the economy, on the other hand, is "directly linked" to the prevalence of crime, he said. "Only the PLP has presented ideas for reducing violence, for putting Bahamians first, and for expanding our economy," he said. Should the PLP win, they will "modernise and upgrade" classrooms, create jobs for architects, engineers, and "green energy experts," and start a Worker Retraining Initiative which will "dramatically expand access" to retraining programmes and work opportunities, he said. Mr Davis encouraged the constituents to vote for PLP candidate Andre Rollins who "believes in safe streets" and investing in Bahamians. He added: "Fort Charlotte, it is time to register. I need every one of you under the sound of my voice, whether by radio or at this rally tonight, who have not done so as yet, to do so now in order to get rid of the FNM."