The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

BAMBOO Town MP Renward Wells said during a House of Assembly session yesterday that the past few months have been “somewhat tumultuous” for him.

Mr Wells, who was fired as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Works last October for signing a $600m letter of intent with a waste-to-energy company without Cabinet authorisation, made the admission before denying claims that he is building a house in the Old Fort Bay area with “hush money” given to him upon his firing.

Mr Wells emphasised that his mandate to remain in public office is unshakeable, adding that his entrance into government was the “direct result of the will of the good Lord”.

He added: “The last few months have been somewhat tumultuous and though there are those who have pronounced my demise, as I’ve said to them before, check my career: like the proverbial Phoenix, I always rise from the ashes. I say that because I’ve seen some things out there in the public sphere as to me building a house out at Old Fort Bay. I look at the picture and say ‘my God, if I was in a position like that.’”

“They put up a picture (of an) unfinished (project) and they say it’s Renward Wells’ house that he’s building with hush money. I’d like to say to the members of the DNA and the ANA and whatever kind of other A... those people who would do anything to obtain power ought not to have it.

“What should happen is they should produce the white papers that have my name, my wife’s name, my children’s name, my ma name, my pa name, or my friend’s name, the people in the campaign name, they should produce that and then they should produce a permit that says Renward Wells put in for a house to be built in the Ministry of Works and they could take a picture to prove it.

“Any building in the country ought to have that permit. And I could guarantee that they can’t produce (a permit). You know why? Because it doesn’t exist.”

Mr Wells noted that he is the breadwinner for his family and that he rents the house in which he lives.

“Some say I shouldn’t be proud of this but I alone work in my house,” he said.

“My wife stays home and homeschools my six children. I rent a house in Stapledon. I ain’t own no property other than one place in this country. You know where that is? In South Andros, given to me by my grandmother.”

Following months of questions regarding why Mr Wells controversially signed a letter of intent with Stellar Waste to Energy Management, Mr Wells broke his silence on the matter last month, saying he wanted the company “to carry out studies” free of charge to present to Cabinet.

Mr Wells explained that he signed the document in order for Stellar to get approval from Cabinet to conduct several environmental studies, at no cost to the government, for its proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant at the New Providence landfill.