The Tribune

IT is up to the Bahamian public, not the FNM, to decide if PLP Golden Gates candidate Shane Gibson will once again sit in the House of Assembly, according to FNM Chairman Carl Bethel. Mr Bethel's statement follows one from the DNA that claimed last week the main reasons why the PLP lost in 2007 was because of corruption, scandals and Mr Gibson's "issue" concerning Anna Nicole Smith. The DNA said it pulled this information from a Greenberg Quinlan Rosner report conducted by the PLP's foreign consultant to determine what caused their loss. When asked if he thought the PLP was making the right decision in running Mr Gibson again, Mr Bethel stated: "That's not for someone outside of the PLP to judge, that's for the PLP to judge. I'm not getting into these personality-based issues." He said Mr Gibson's win is for "voters in Golden Gates to determine." "You have to remember that Mr Gibson was re-elected (in 2007), not withstanding his past." The statement from the DNA said: "The DNA now asks of Mr Christie, how do you expect to achieve success in this election when you have not addressed any of the issues that plagued your party in 2007?" According to the DNA, Mr Christie has yet to display the fortitude required to curb the scandal and corruption in his party. And, it said, Shane Gibson, after bringing international shame and humiliation on the Bahamas, has again been ratified as the PLP's candidate for Golden Gates. "If Mr Christie is serious about the advancement of the PLP and the Bahamas' progress, then he should resign as the weak, fledgling, indecisive leader that brought the party defeat and make way for innovative, vibrant leadership that is capable of restoring its reputation," the DNA said. Last month, Mr Gibson, former Housing Minister, dismissed the possibility of facing legal action over allegations of corruption in the Ministry of Housing. His comments came after an investigation into the mismanagement of the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation (BMC) was launched following a series of articles in The Tribune several years ago which questioned expenditure at the Ministry of Housing. Dr Duane Sands, chairman of the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation, has claimed the sinking fund at BMC was grossly mismanaged under Mr Gibson and could not perform its function - to make overdue bond payments.