The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

THE Free National Movement has been accused of misrepresenting the record of the opposition in an effort to distract from its own shortcomings.

In a statement released to the press, the PLP also criticised Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, saying he hired foreign contractors to build roads in the middle of a recession.

It said: "The road works 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 PLP said the FNM has failed on crime and has not put Bahamians first.

"With short-sighted policies and epic mismanagement leading to international downgrades of the Bahamian economy, they have made the recession much worse," the party said.

The PLP also highlighted its own successes, noting that in addition to creating "22,000 jobs for Bahamians" during its last term in office, it initiated award-winning programmes to fight crime, built more than 1,200 homes, built reverse-osmosis plans in the Family Islands, constructed a record number of classrooms, invested $25 million in Bahamian entrepreneurs, introduced new programmes to help first-time home buyers, "and so much more".

The statement said: "They're kicking sand in the eyes of Bahamian voters, hoping they won't notice the truth right in front of them."