The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday suggested all his Cabinet ministers were “happy” as he insisted that Bahamians could trust the solidity of his administration one day after it was revealed that Minister of State for Legal Affairs Damian Gomez tendered his resignation from his Cabinet post.

The Central and South Eleuthera MP reportedly made the decision for financial reasons.

Mr Gomez confirmed his resignation yesterday, but told reporters that he was asked by Mr Christie not to speak on the matter until the conclusion of today’s Cabinet meeting.

Mr Gomez added that he still supported the prime minister and plans to seek a nomination to run on the PLP’s ticket in the 2017 election.

He is the second Cabinet minister to resign this term, following the departure of former Minister of Financial Services Ryan Pinder who quit his post last December to take up a senior executive job at Deltec Bank & Trust.

While Mr Gomez’s resignation has yet to be formally accepted, Mr Christie suggested that the move was understandable. He said for 30 years MPs have not received a pay increase despite making “incredible sacrifices” to carry out their state responsibilities.

Mr Christie said he believed MPs were deserving of pay increases but added that officials were hesitant to face the issue for fear voters would not accept it.

Mr Gomez was paid $60,000 per year for his Cabinet post, with an additional $28,000 for being a member of Parliament.

Asked if Bahamians should be concerned about the solidity of the government due to Mr Gomez’s resignation, Mr Christie replied: “Do I look unhappy?”

“Do they look unhappy,” he asked, referring to the Cabinet ministers flanking him, during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister.

A decision has not yet been made on who will take on Mr Gomez’s portfolio, Mr Christie said.

In response to questions from The Tribune he said: “He and I have an agreement that I’m not going to talk before he meets with me.

“Ministers have not had a pay increase for 30 years in this country. There are some ministers who are doing it with incredible sacrifice. Ryan Pinder went for economic reasons. Damian Gomez has gone for economic reasons and they have obligations. If you would research it properly you would see what those obligations are.”

He added: “I am saying for 30 years they have not gotten a pay increase. Do I think they deserve a pay increase? Yes. I mean we have always thought so but for political reasons we have hesitated to do anything about it. So nothing has been done about it and so challenges have come about on some ministers and they have to surrender to those challenges.

“Damian has given notice of resignation. It has to be accepted (and) we have to move on. That is how it is right now.”

Rumours of Mr Gomez’s impending resignation from Cabinet have been brewing for months following his continued criticism of the government.

Last week, the MP slammed the government over its National Health Insurance public relations campaign, telling the Nassau Guardian that he was in the dark about the specifics of the health plan.

In August, he said the government was not serious about battling outright corruption by serving politicians.

Mr Gomez has maintained that as a result of political corruption, the public perception is that the government does not take the matter seriously.

In January, it was reported that Mr Gomez considered leaving Cabinet because he felt progress was not happening quickly in his constituency.

According to a well-placed source in the Progressive Liberal Party, Mr Gomez was not happy as a junior minister and reportedly expected to be appointed as attorney general. The source added that Mr Gomez left a lucrative private practice to become a junior Cabinet minister but has several financial obligations to meet.