The Tribune

THE government is spending too much time blaming the former FNM administration for every problem facing the country and not enough delivering on its promises, Democratic National Alliance leader Branville McCartney said.

The third party leader said PLP members spend most of their time in the House of Assembly talking about what the FNM did or did not do.

“Well, if the PLP has not realised it by now, they are the government and quite frankly I do not think the Bahamian people want to hear what the FNM did or did not do,” he said. “They want the PLP to govern.”

There is a great deal of despair, frustration and hopelessness in the Bahamas today, said Mr McCartney, who broke with the FNM to lead a challenge to both main parties in the May 2012 elections.

“Many persons are finding it extremely difficult to put food on the table. Bahamians are crying out for help. We need some type of relief,” he said.

“We do not need to hear about what the FNM did or did not do. We are tired of the blame game. We as Bahamians want what the PLP promised. They promised to be in a position to govern on day one.”

Mr McCartney said the governing party assured the public things would be better once they were in office, and that people were “enticed” to elect the PLP because it gave the impression of having all the answers and the necessary experience to solve the country’s many problems.

“It is most disheartening when I see young children on the road at 7am, in their school uniform, begging for money so they can get something to eat for breakfast. This is a common occurrence.

“It is painful when grown men come to my office genuinely looking for employment in order to feed their families.

“It is indeed a sign of desperation when you drive down a certain street in Nassau and the ladies of the night are out in full force. And they are on the streets not because this is their preferred choice of employment but they believe that they simply do not have a choice in the matter. They have mouths to feed.

“It is sad! Today, we live in a Bahamas that is far removed from what the Bahamas was when I was a little boy more than 40 years ago. We are hurting as a people and as a country,” he said.

Mr McCartney told the PLP administration that this is “no time for the foolish blame game”.

He said: “It is time to govern this country and to get our Commonwealth back on track. It is time for the country to know what your vision is for the future of this country.

“What is the plan PLP for the next 10, 20, 50 years for this country? We, the Bahamian people, want you to put into effect your so-called experience and lead this country into better days.

“We want you to carry out your promises that were made 10 months ago – the promise of a safer Bahamas, the promise of employment opportunities, the promise of better healthcare and the promise of education advancement to just name a few. We want you to Believe in Bahamians because the Bahamians ten months ago believed in the PLP.”