The Tribune

THE PLP has accused the governing party of running a "gutter campaign" against opposition leader Perry Christie. The party claims the FNM is resorting to low political tactics to distract Bahamians from record levels of violent crime and an economy failing to keep pace with that of regional neighbours. "A government confident in its own accomplishments would not be forced to turn to distortions and recycled lies to make their case for re-election, but, in fact, this FNM government is well aware of how often and how far they have fallen short," said the party in a statement. The PLP said that while FNMs "brag" about their infrastructure improvements in the middle of a recession, these were only accomplished by hiring foreign contractors and workers to build Bahamian roads. "The roadworks in New Providence, financed by heavy borrowing from abroad, have been plagued by poor planning, conflicts of interest, shoddy work, long delays, and cost overruns to the tune of tens of millions. Residents and small businesses have suffered terribly," the party said. The PLP also accused the party of failing to prevent crime, prosecute suspects and punish offenders. "They have failed to invest in at-risk youth. They have failed to keep schools safe. They have failed to protect witnesses. They have failed to stem the avalanche of illegal weapons. They have failed to adequately patrol our borders," the statement said. It claimed that during its last stint in office, the PLP created 22,000 jobs for Bahamians, pioneered award-winning programmes like Urban Renewal to fight crime, built more than 1,400 homes, constructed a record number of classrooms, built reverse-osmosis plants in the Family Islands, invested $25 million in Bahamian entrepreneurs and introduced new programmes to help first-time home-buyers. "The FNM has failed on crime. They have failed to put Bahamians first. And they have made the recession much worse, with short-sighted policies and epic mismanagement leading to international downgrades of the Bahamian economy. "Not only do they have their hands in the cookie jar, they have both feet, too. From start to finish, their campaign is a reflection of their contempt for Bahamians."