‘Prime minister is weak and cannot control his Cabinet’

Dr Hubert Minnis

As of Thursday, August 27, 2015

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday called Prime Minister Perry Christie a “weak, confused leader” who has no control over his Cabinet and is “not fit to run this country”.

In a statement, Dr Minnis said Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe’s recent comments on Baha Mar are “the latest in a litany of rogue statements and positions made or taken by members of the Christie Cabinet that appears to be at odds with the position of the government in which they are members”.

This came a day after FNM Chairman Michael Pintard praised Mr Wilchcombe for “breaking” Cabinet ranks on the issue. Mr Pintard said while Mr Wilchcombe may be “penalised” for his differing point of view, the remarks reflect “the most reasonable course of action that should be taken by a responsible government that is committed to the speedy opening of the resort.”

On Sunday, during an interview with The Tribune, Mr Wilchcombe called for the government to suspend its winding up petition against Baha Mar, insisting that the Christie administration “continues to waste time that should be spent fixing the problem”.

Mr Wilchcombe insisted that it was never too late to rebuild broken relationships and salvage goodwill if all sides made good on declarations that they were committed to opening the resort.

“In a move that has become all too familiar to the Bahamian public, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, in criticizing his government colleagues for fighting the Baha Mar battle in court, continues to demonstrate that Prime Minister Perry Christie has absolutely no control of his Cabinet,” Dr Minnis said.

“The tourism minister’s utterance is but the latest in a litany of rogue statements and positions made or taken by members of the Christie Cabinet that appear to be at odds with the position of the government in which they are members. To wit: the national security minister addressing the nation without the knowledge of the prime minister; Minister Wilchcombe advancing a position on the gaming laws in a surprise announcement in the House (of Assembly); Minister (Fred) Mitchell advancing a “personal position” in Trinidad on the LGBT issue while travelling as a minister (and) Minister (Alfred) Gray’s alleged interference with the judiciary.”

Dr Minnis also pointed to Minister of Immigration Fred Mitchell warning Baha Mar CEO Sarkis Izmirlian that his permanent residency status could be revoked due to his critiques about the government and Minister of Labour Shane Gibson suggesting that potential investors be screened with psychological evaluations as examples of dissonance.

“And, notoriously, Minister of State (Damian) Gomez suggesting that there are corrupt members of the government, and that the government is unwilling or unable to deal with them,” Dr Minnis added.

He said the Bahamian people should be concerned that the government under Mr Christie’s “weak leadership appears to be publicly and obviously confused and divided about its strategy of dealing with matters of national importance” such as Baha Mar.

“Perry Christie, faced with such disunity, indiscipline and breaches of the cardinal principle of collective responsibility, has nothing to say to the nation and dances his ridiculous ‘Perry Shuffle’, while the Bahamas suffers another damning downgrade by international ratings agencies,” Dr Minnis said.

“These instances of weak governance and loss of control all contribute towards the ‘institutional weaknesses’ in Christie’s Bahamas, mentioned by Standard & Poor’s in their downgrade report, specifically in reference to the Bahamian court proceedings, and which is beginning to attract the world’s attention.”

On Tuesday, the international credit rating agency downgraded the Bahamas’ credit rating and put the country’s economy on a negative outlook. This is due to expected “depressed growth” from the stalled Baha Mar resort and long-term structural weaknesses in the economy.

Hotelier 9 years, 3 months ago

Go get 'em Dr. Minnis and please don't let up.

birdiestrachan 9 years, 3 months ago

Lord listen who talking. Dr: Minnis has to say something, because MS; Loretta Butler calls a press conference every week, and Mr: Brent Symonette is on the FNM TV station, every evening. only their Papa is quiet. because Dr: Minnis told him it is over, you are done. The Doctor is feeling the pressure. He is afraid they are coming to get his things. Leader want to be PM.

birdiestrachan 9 years, 3 months ago

Obie Wilchombe is in bed with the FNM. Obie is keeping bad company

MonkeeDoo 9 years, 3 months ago

birdiestrachan: A lot more than Obie trying to get in the FNM bed now. PGC dem gat fleas an dey even scrathin where it don't itch !! What dis world coming to ?

MonkeeDoo 9 years, 3 months ago

birdiestrachan: If you want join da FNM ya gotta be able to tink strayt doe. I tink Comrade Tal coming over soon !

asiseeit 9 years, 3 months ago

The Bahamian people just will not learn. The P.M. proved himself to be WUTLESS from 2002-2007. What in the hell would make anyone think he all of a sudden was a changed man. Same with the corrupt organization called the PLP, how many times do you idiots need these people to rake you over the coals before you realize they are not working for you or even in your favor. The PLP PROVES itself to be an "all for me", corrupt, inept, bungling organization that hurts The Bahamas every time it is in power. Because Bahamians have been sold a bullshit line that the PLP works for the "poor black man" Bahamians with no knowledge of how hard they are getting screwed (birdie) think the PLP is their savior, meanwhile their country is being destroyed by the very organization they think is helping them. Stupid is as stupid does and supporting these people is like marrying the devil. One other thing for birdie's sake, no matter what this country is ruled by black people so what the fuck do you mean the PLP is the black man's party, it just does not make one iota of sense, fucking retards.

Emac 9 years, 3 months ago

I don't even know why you like to follow the bird shit. bird shit is the reason why the Bahamas is in the problems it is in today. Because of narrow minded, dishonest and ignoramuses like birdie, right thinking Bahamians have to suffer. Like I mentioned earlier, Bahamians have one last chance to get their act together come 2017. If they don't get rid of this bunch, bird shit and all, the Bahamas will be no more.

birdiestrachan 9 years, 3 months ago

I am hoping for all of you all sake you all do not believe the things you all write.. such as destroying the country. ,yellow shirts,,turkeys and hams. It is a delusion . Think rationally . The college of the Bahamas , NIB free High schools. .Pray tell what has the FNM done oh yes the roads and destroyed business, sell cable Bahamas to the Canadians and BTC to the English. The FNM's have no vision not to mention good old common sense. Who in the world would bring up conflict of interest , when your own hands are not clean.

banker 9 years, 3 months ago

Sigh, birdie you are blind. I feel sorry for you. Mr. Ingraham wanted to give constitutional equality to women and the PLP vigorously campaigned against him. The FNM were required to clean up the Bahamas after the kleptocracy and the intense damage that Pindling did to the Bahamas.

Perhaps you like hypocrisy. Perhaps you worship the criminal Pindling who sold your country to the cocaine cartels. Perhaps you like the philandering of Shame Gibson, and the money he stole from the ministry of Housing and his affair with Anna Nicole Smith. Perhaps you don't mind Bradley Roberts raping a woman and sending her off to Florida afterwards to hush up. Maybe you think that the Deputy PM should get some action with Jamaican ladies of the evening, as reported in the press. Perhaps you don't mind Leslie Miller giving you a smack once in awhile because you are a woman, or ripping out a toilet that he once gave you. I could go on and on. Maybe you adore corruption because you cannot bend your head around it. Maybe you profit by it. Who knows. All that I know, is that those with eyes that can see, and ears that can hear, and minds that can think, know that the PLP is a criminal organisation that has been raping this country since independence, and threw you a crumb or two, which causes your perpetual adoration.

It was Loftus Roker who destroyed the education system by sending the qualified teachers home. Perhaps you don't mind the hypocrisy of the sexual orientation of a significant portion of the PLP cabinet. Perhaps you don't mind that Swindling put away hundreds of millions of narco dollars in foreign banks.

Perhaps your moral compass and gone, and you are not capable of understanding right from wrong. You certainly do not know what patriotism and country-first is.

DonAnthony 9 years, 3 months ago

Oh Birdie you are so right. The FNM really screwed the bahamian public over cable Bahamas. They made it possible for cable to be 100% Bahamian owned with over 2700 shareholders. They made it possible for NIB to own 22% of cable and the treasury to own 7 %. They made it possible for me and thousands of bahamians to take part in the IPO and buy cable at $1 per share which today closed at a split adjusted $22.50 per share. That is only an increase of 2250% - How horrible! Cable has appreciated over 100% in the last year, allowed me to retire at 43. Do I sound bitter! Needless to say me and all the other bahamians feel screwed by FNM. How dare they empower and believe in bahamians. Now tell your beloved PLP to give the second cell license to cable so me and 2700 other bahamians can get shafted some more just like what the FNM did to us.

John 9 years, 3 months ago

So who is responsible for securing the Bah Mar property for the approaching storm?..not the political one

TruePeople 9 years, 3 months ago

Bey jokes if erika blow that thing over jhed

asiseeit 9 years, 3 months ago

it is for the sake of my children, grandchildren, and all that come after them that i SPEAK THE TRUTH! I want my children to have a future in the Bahamas. I want them to have a level playing field in which to work hard and be fair to others. I want them to believe that anything is possible with hard work, diligence, and honesty. I want a country that is looked upon as the best, safe, clean. and an inspiration to others. What do you aspire for our country? Look in the mirror and tell yourself you are good because you are the only one who will believe that lie.

birdiestrachan 9 years, 3 months ago

Lest we forget build a container port for rich people , free up their property on Bays street and made it more valuable. and gave them a twenty year monopoly They complain that only a few are owners of web shops, so that is to much for them. But they were sent to school with money from numbers. Don Cable Bahamas was only sold to Bahamians after the monopoly was over or very close, to being over. Now as for indoor bathrooms the PLP has a record of providing some. the FNM zero they were the government for 15 years. As for Bahamians in general. I disagree with the sweet heart way of life.. But if most people in the Bahamas were honest most of them have cheated on their mates and this goes for both men and women. There is no excuse for it , But you are not going to say Banker that the FNM's are not also guilty of these offences . The people of the Bahamas voted no to changes to the constitution. and they will vote NO again. .

asiseeit 9 years, 3 months ago

Lets just touch on the container port for "rich people", first that container port services the entire Bahamas, second many of the landowners depended on the rent the shipping company's paid them. Look at Union Warf which was seized by the bank because the family could not pay it's morgatge. The property was for sale at first for 25 million, when the bank finally unloaded it they say it went for 6-7 million. East of East st. is a ghost town those property's lay fallow. Every other Bahamian that drives a car though is happy, they do not have to deal with the trucks on Bay St. any longer. Oh yes and let us not forget that Mr. Ingrahm in his wisdom allowed 11 thousand Bahamians to invest in the port. Those shares went for around 8 dollars a share now the last trade on BISX was above 17 dollars a share. You need to stop talking fool, stop being an immature racist, and educate yourself. Stop pointing fingers, stop apologising for you corrupt party, stop being a victim, lift yourself up, you hateful creature.

TruePeople 9 years, 3 months ago

didn't someone just say stupid is a stupid does?

CatIslandBoy 9 years, 3 months ago

Wow! Birdie, do you really believe the nonsense that you write?

asiseeit 9 years, 3 months ago

YES she does, this is why an uneducated population is in the best interest of the politician. They can tell these idiots this drivel and they will eat it up, hook, line, and sinker. This is a grown adult who actually has said, "they did wrong so it is OK for the next one to do wrong", I kid you not this is the mentality of a child but this person spouts it constantly. People like Birdie are a major part of the decline of our country and a prime example of why we must educate our population.

TruePeople 9 years, 3 months ago

The bald faced way all of these politrickians (red, yellow, or whatever) lie on that daily makes me feel insulted because they say the most LIE thins like we actually gone believe them. They I realise that nuff people actually DO believe them, and instead of feeling insult i feel shame trusssssssss me

Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 3 months ago

Re-post: Until the FNM replaces Minnis with someone like Peter Turnquest, most Bahamians really can't blame Christie for not resigning in shame. The PLP will hands down win the next general election if Minnis remains the leader of the FNM. Minnis is nothing but a corrupt "all for me" politician who believes, in his small warped disingenuous and dishonest mind, that the laws of the land do not apply to him. Notice how you no longer hear him or any of the other FNM MPs speaking out loudly against the serious conflicts of interest that Christie and Maynard-Gibson have involving their immediate family members and Baha Mar. Minnis has not only permanently compromised himself as a result of his own blatant and illegally undisclosed conflict of interest involving the Public Hospital Authority, but he has also compromised all of the other sitting FNM MPs. Until Minnis is removed as leader of the FNM, no one in the opposition will have a leg to stand on when it comes to speaking out against or calling for a special commission of enquiry to investigate the many corrupt conflicts of interest that exist within our government from the parliamentarian level right on down! Bradley Roberts alone will see to that!!

banker 9 years, 3 months ago

The really interesting fact of the matter with PLP governance is watching its decline from decorum and quasi-civilised behaviour to a complete animalistic degeneration. For example Maynard Gibson pretended to get legal advice on the auditor general's report, and now she just filed the winding up by herself. Perry went from saying that he had dead good news to questioning the sanity of the developer, and revealing that he is not entirely compos mentis himself. Damian got his wings clipped so he is filing against the FNM on a personal basis. Brad Roberts knows no civilised tone and reverts to name calling. Fred is more and more evil, vengeful, racist and unenlightened every day. They have turned from governance to bullying, with no one in control, and a descent into mayhem.

No one is in charge. The gang of PLP thugs are way past the bounds of democratic action and decorum. The country is going to hell in a handcart and they are pushing it faster down the slope.

Perhaps they know that they are in the final days before the anarchy and collapse and are all feathering their nests to be able to weather the storms. They have the mentality of criminal looters,

MonkeeDoo 9 years, 3 months ago

They all been watching too much American TV ! Monkey See Monkey Do !

asiseeit 9 years, 3 months ago

But if it was up to Birdie we would still be stuck only having ZNS and watching Roots before every election. Cable Bahamas has not been a benefit to the Bahamian people in any way according to her. Never mind that many Bahamians Bought shares in the company for 1$ and have reaped dividends and a steady increase in share price over the last 20 odd years. Those same shares have now split so if you had one share now you have three shares each worth $7.52 as of today. I think she is mad because she was to stupid to invest and reap the rewards.

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