The Tribune

COMPLAINTS from the opposition about the government’s failure to appoint statutory boards has been dismissed as empty “attention seeking” by PLP chairman Bradley Roberts.

In a statement issued yesterday, Mr Roberts, pictured above, pointed out that after winning the 2007 election, the FNM did not appoint boards until July 8 of that year.

He accused FNM chairman Charles Maynard of “transparent political posturing, grandstanding and bluster,” over the issues.

Mr Roberts went on to ask if Mr Maynard and his colleagues “ever saw their way to ask the Bahamian people for forgiveness after all the widespread suffering” he claims they caused.

“Much of the mess this country is in today is the direct result of the so-called decisiveness of the FNM administration and the PLP will aggressively exploit any and all opportunities to remind Charles Maynard of his government’s follies,” he said.

“For one, the failed policies of the FNM made the recession worse and needlessly protracted resulting in the misery index falling off the charts.”

Mr Roberts claimed policy directives and mandates given to the FNM-appointed BEC board of directors almost drove the corporation into bankruptcy.

“What with technical and non-technical losses at that corporation exceeding 20 per cent, no preventative maintenance and crippling amounts of blackouts under the FNM, Maynard now has the temerity to lecture the PLP on decision making?

“He must first apologise to and seek forgiveness from the staff of BEC for failing to support and lead them and the thousands of consumers whose lives were turned upside down because of his government’s terrible policy decisions,” Mr Roberts said.

He said the plan left in place by the last PLP government to construct a power plant on Snake Cay, Abaco was a “colossal failure” because of poor decisions by the FNM Cabinet.

The project was well over budget and the power plant never provided reliable power to the consumers of Abaco, the PLP chairman said.

Perhaps Mr Maynard wishes to explain to the people of Abaco what went so horribly wrong under his government’s watch.

“All of these institutional failures were the direct result of decisions made by the FNM Cabinet and Charles Maynard is simply culpable,” he said.