By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
PLP CHAIRMAN Bradley Roberts said yesterday that the NIB Forensic Audit exposed another “FNM mess” the PLP is now forced to has to clean up.
In a statement, Mr Roberts said FNM leader Dr Minnis and chairman Darron Cash can “prance up and down” and deflect all they want, but the FNM is culpable and must accept responsibility and be held accountable for the NIB mess.
“There is no acceptance of responsibility, no public apology or gesture of atonement on the part of the FNM leadership, only distractions away from this major failure in their governance,” he said.
“It was none other than Hubert Ingraham who gloated to a Nassau Guardian reporter that the NIB scandal was the making of the PLP and washed his hands when he boasted: ‘I hired Cargill, I thought he did a wonderful job at NIB. We left the place in good shape.’ The jury is now in, Mr Ingraham and his Cabinet’s stewardship of the people’s monies were weighed in the balance and he and his cabinet were found to be woefully wanting.”
Mr Roberts said Dr Minnis should be embarrassed by his constant flip flopping and should also be held culpable. He also said the FNM cannot criticise the PLP for “wasting money” when former government wasted millions of the people’s money.
He said: “ The fact is Dr Minnis sat around the cabinet table when the National Insurance Act was violated . . . Dr Minnis is culpable and must account to the Bahamian people.
“As for Darron Cash, most Bahamians by now have dismissed him as lacking credibility. It is inexcusable and unbelievable that a purported professional accountant would see nothing wrong with the obvious lack of corporate governance and wanton disregard for standard accounting practices as reported in the NIB audit.
“The FNM and their apologists have no moral authority to criticise the PLP over costs because it was none other than Hubert Ingraham who in his infinite wisdom used the public treasury to finance not one but two commissions of inquiry where the FNM brought in foreign commissioners to the tune of millions of dollars.
“The PLP supports the Prime Minister’s decision to engage an independent auditor to review NIB accounts, as the process was transparent and free of political interference, giving the process and results greater credibility.”
Mr Roberts said the PLP remains confident that under the leadership of both Shane Gibson and Fr James Moultrie, the appropriate measures will be put in place to safeguard the assets of NIB and restore public trust and confidence in one of our most important institutions.”
Comments
B_I_D___ 11 years, 7 months ago
Restore the public trust...under the PLP the NIB was losing money...under the FNM and Cargill, they turned it around and into profit. Bonuses aside, Mr. Cargill did was he was hired to do, cleaned up shop in NIB, ran things by the book, and started putting money in the bank, which thw PLP was unable to do under their watch. By 2017, it will be losing money again and all the PLP pals will have pockets lined with NIB dollars.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 7 months ago
Mr Roberts is very slick and knows he is appealing to an undereducated highly emotive vvoteing block .....
PWGenesis 11 years, 7 months ago
Patriotic Nationalists Bahamas (PN) Bahamas Support (S&AED) (i.e) Shock & Awe Economic Development) for the Bahamas. " The Commonwealth of the Bahamas (known as the Bahamas); since the birth of independence July 10th 1973, is urged to established "Comprehensive public transportation" system (cpt) to benefit and safeguard the integrity of mass transportation for ALL the people." Ammadou (ImagineBahamasBeyond2013),© Copyright 2009. Micalvoice. All rights reserved.
PWGenesis 11 years, 7 months ago
Looking to track "quality of life crimes, namely in Nassau ever likely? micalvoice@gmail.com
Police Commissioner, has yet to pledge to get tough with quality of life offenders. Now, how could he hope for trust alongside the history of rising crimes of terror in part to the invasive drug incursions of the recent years in a number of localities namely New Providence and other urban cells in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. In what maybe a first crime initiative since May 07, 2012, Police Commissioner could began in the climate of post political electioneering, crack down on so called nuisance crimes as does the department with more serious local ordinance violations and infractions. micalvoice@gmail.com believes a map of quality of life hot spots around the islands could began to track trends of shootings, robberies, burglaries, car theft, crimes associated with gambling, vehicular homicides and domestic violence. Further to garner reasonable results, publicizing a crime hotline, available nationwide as a totally free telephone number, 24/7, could very well loan to community participation in tackling the menace. Crime has reached a level unacceptable to rational civil order in New Providence as District police Commanders has yet to be held accountable for how they deal with crime in the area(s). Community tolerance of crime in Blue Hill, Fox Hill, Yellow Elder, Bamboo town, Carmicheal could be lowered and a dramatic upsurge in residents' awareness levels increase while acceptance of sober social norms returning. Basically how members of the community began to deal with one another should be a strategy of great concern to the Commanders. No doubt aggressive street hookers, peddlers, panhandlers may be notorious throughout town, loud and excessive rowdiness,wilding-out and music, irate citizens have become less likely to seek police assistance, due in part to residents overall confidence in the police machinery has faded over the years. Police Commissioner has yet to pledge a tough and reasonably community based police approach to crime stoppage and prevention with legitimacy and resolution to bring down the high blitz-levels of quality of life crime and fear in the metro Nassau area. Murder, manslaughter, vehicular homicides, cargo theft, domestic violence and widen drug incursions throughout central Nassau is a known fact, statistics has been alarmingly high for 12 years, compared to cities with population of less than 200,000 people.
Police Commissioner and the Prime Minister have yet to repeatedly stress whether strict enforcement would be forthcoming.
micalvoice@gmail.com believes quality of life crimes should become more a targeted plan for crime reduction and public concern in 2012 - 2015
bismark 11 years, 7 months ago
Put a bridle on this wild horse.
smallbiz 11 years, 7 months ago
Other than referring to the "FNM mess", Roberts does not mention a specific problem. Has anyone been able to point out what the report has shown to be wrong doing on ANYONES behalf? I havent seen anything to that affect yet? Seems to be more smoke and BS on the PLP part
concernedcitizen 11 years, 7 months ago
despite the fact Roberts is in business w/ the baystreet boys ,he still knows how to talk pure ccrap for the UNDEREDUCATED masses ears
Tarzan 11 years, 7 months ago
When you waste a million dollars of precious pubic funds on a wild goose chase audit, you have to promise "shocking revelations" when there are none and refer to a "mess" when there was none.
Then you fire the only person who was demonstrably properly doing his job at NIB and turn this public trough over to the political hacks who can't wait to jump in with all four hooves.
What a joke!
proudloudandfnm 11 years, 7 months ago
In actuality the only one this audit has exposed is Greg Moss. So far he is the only looking like a theif at NIB.
TimeForChange 11 years, 7 months ago
Its people like Roberts why this country is still in the same spot as it was 40 years ago. When you can sit down and instead of finding a solution to a problem you cast blame on the government who was in office before you then you don't expect for a country to move anywhere. This man needs to stay out of the papers cause nothing that he says makes any sense. The PLP wasted money the whole time they were in office I haven't seen anything that they have done in all the 30 plus years they were running this country.
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