The Tribune

FORMER Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham should apologise to the Bahamian people rather than offer apologies to Baha Mar’s Chinese investors, DNA Leader Branville McCartney said in a press release yesterday.

The former Prime Minister recently criticised the present government for not settling payment for road works completed by Baha Mar.

Mr Ingraham called the current government’s actions tedious, vexatious and worrisome.

However, the DNA leader pointed out that there has been no request by the Baha Mar investors or the People’s Republic of China for an apology from the former Prime Minister or the present government.

“The DNA believes that if the former Prime Minister is issuing apologies, then he should first and foremost apologise to the Bahamian people.

“An apology is most necessary for the sale of BTC. We can see today that this was a mistake.

“In this regard, I would ask if the former Prime Minister would issue an apology to his former parliamentary colleagues when he said, referring to the BTC sale, that if they did not vote in favour of the sale, he would call a snap election,” Mr McCartney said.

The DNA leader said that he wondered if the former Prime Minister would apologise to the Bahamian people for causing many businesses to go out of business because of the road works and change in traffic direction, in particular in the inner city.

“Hundreds of families have not regrouped and are suffering financially as a result of these actions of the former Prime Minister. Is there an apology forthcoming by the former Prime Minister for having an overwhelming record breaking five year period of murders?”

Mr McCartney said that what is truly worrisome is the talk around town that the former Prime Minister still has a personal agenda and wants to return to lead the country.

“Moreover, there are “Ingrahamites” who are encouraging him to return to front line politics. These are the same persons who encouraged the former Prime Minister, prior to the last election, that he was the best thing for this country since sliced bread and that victory at the polls was a certainty,” Mr McCartney said.

The DNA leader said that the Bahamas hears the former Prime Minister’s voice quite regularly these days as it is echoed through a few female writers and columnists on Social Media.

“We in the DNA think that the former Prime Minister has had a good run; he has been Prime Minister of this country for 15 years. We believe that the time has come for him to put down his political sword and try to become a national statesman and utter statements for the benefit of the country and not for personal political gain,” Mr McCartney said.