The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

PLP leaders have hit out at Labour and Social Development Minister Dion Foulkes, calling him a "seasoned loser" who failed to fight for Bahamian jobs.

Both deputy leader Philip Brave Davis and chairman Bradley Roberts spoke on Monday at the opening of the PLP's Yamacraw constituency headquarters. They claimed that as the minister responsible, Mr Foulkes must answer for the high unemployment rate and other social ills.

Mr Davis told constituents the FNM sent "their most seasoned loser of a candidate" to run in the constituency.

"After getting sacked by the people of Blue Hills in 2002, and rejected by MICAL in the last election, Dion Foulkes got plenty nerve to come up against a five-star general like Melanie," he said, referring to the PLP incumbent Melanie Griffin.

Mr Roberts said: "While thousands of young people could not find a job, (Prime Minister) Hubert Ingraham, Dion Foulkes and the FNM were all over the country planting foreigners at URCA, Baha Mar, at the commercial banks, on the roads project, at the airport, and the list goes on and on."

While FNM deputy leader Brent Symonette was busy granting "permit after permit" to foreign workers, Mr Foulkes sat "like a church mouse inhaling incense while Bahamians suffered and were told they need not apply", he said.

According to Mr Davis, during its five years in office the FNM delivered nothing but a failed student loan programme, high taxes, a large budget deficit, a lack of new investments, and unemployment.

"That is the record of Dion Foulkes, the man who was supposed to protect Bahamian jobs, but was seen shipping them out of the back door," Mr Davis said.

"Dion Foulkes sat right in the Cabinet and supported the contracts to a foreign company to build this poorly managed road construction. He knew full well Bahamians could build roads. But he did nothing," he said.