The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE US State Department’s report on the government’s failure to fulfil election promises has validated long standing opposition criticisms, FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday.

Pointing to concerns outlined in the report over the lack of transparency in the awarding of government contracts, Dr Minnis renewed calls for access to information on several public contracts. 

Dr Minnis said the Bahamian people must demand greater accountability or risk a continuation of the “status quo”.

“If (Prime Minister Perry Christie) gets away with these things today, in terms of the victimisation,” Dr Minnis said, “these are what you call wrong. Today once you get away with a wrong, it will fester and become bigger wrongs. If (Christie) was able to get away with reversing or overturning the vote of the people on gaming, in his mind that would be right

because the people said nothing or did nothing about it.”

He added: “He said he has five years, that’s five years to do what? Continue to do wrong?”

In it’s 2014 Investment Climate Statement on the Bahamas, the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs concluded that the country’s competitive edge as an investment destination had deteriorated. The report pointed to diminished foreign direct investment and downslides in international rankings.

In its comprehensive review, the report raised significant concerns over the “structural weakness” of the regulatory system, which it said lacked the framework for governing competition policy, anti-trust policy and government procurement.

The report read: “Government procurement has been particularly problematic in the Bahamas. Successive administrations have reneged on or renegotiated contracts executed by previous administrations. Over the last year, the Embassy has received several complaints from US companies alleging a lack of transparency and undue government interference with bidding and procurement processes.

“Other areas of concern include the discretionary issuance of approvals and licences from various government agencies, the National Economic Council and other related authorities. In most instances, there is a general lack of transparency with an extremely limited to no possibility for review or appeal of a decision.”

The report added that the government will “face continued internal and external obstacles” to successful entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Yesterday, East Grand Bahama MP Peter Turnquest said the report was not surprising, but ill-timed as the country fights to maintain investor confidence for economic recovery.

Mr Turnquest, the FNM’s Shadow Minister for Finance, said: “It’s a shameful indictment on the current government and supports the position that the opposition has continuously repeated, that the government lacks transparency. There are too many questionable contracts that have been issued without transparency, no bid for contracts or closed tender contracts.

“The government,” he said, “has yet to share the details with the Bahamian people. Details with respect to the building project on JFK, the National Health Insurance contracts, the cost of the South African consultants on gaming. The government has been very unwilling to share the details.”