The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

DNA Leader Branville McCartney criticised the government over recent hotel job losses and said that the PLP’s promised “grandiose employment strategy” has “failed to come to fruition”. Mr McCartney said yesterday that the “highly touted” job creation promised by the Progressive Liberal Party during its campaign ahead of the 2012 general election has turned out to be “nothing more than another empty campaign promise”.

His comments came after 190 employees of the Crystal Palace resort were made redundant last Friday. He also raised concerns about feared “imminent redundancies” at several local banks. He pointed to these factors as the “latest in a series of economic blows” to the Bahamian economy.

The former Bamboo Town representative claimed that the PLP’s strategy has not delivered jobs.

However, figures released by the Department of Statistics in July show that unemployment fell to 14.3 per cent in May from 15.4 per cent in November, 2013.

The statistics also showed that 8,390 net jobs were added to the economy since May 2012, which was the month of the last general election.

“This past two years of PLP governance has seen thousands of Bahamians, particularly in the banking and tourism industries lose their jobs,” Mr McCartney said.

The DNA leader stated: “These latest round of job cuts represent yet another group of Bahamians with families to provide for; children to feed, homes to maintain and mortgages to pay.”

Mr McCartney continued: “They represent yet another group of Bahamians who trusted this administration when they claimed to ‘Believe in Bahamians’ and promised mortgage relief – a plan which in itself was also a dismal failure.”

He added: “Now, with the implementation of VAT less than 60 days away, these individuals will be forced into even more difficult circumstances.”

Mr McCartney labelled the country’s present leadership as “oblivious”.

He explained: “Clearly, the PLP government must be dreaming or living in an alternate reality, a reality where this government is fulfilling its mandate to the people, a reality where Bahamians are prosperous and the economy thrives. Unfortunately for the rest of us, no such reality exists.”