By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said yesterday that the Progressive Liberal Party “deserves another term in government” because its members have “better ideas” than the Free National Movement.
During his contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly, Mr Mitchell said he did not “enjoy his time in opposition” and he does not plan to return to it.
He said what the country needs is “continuity” in government and he is “satisfied” that in the hands of the PLP, the country is on the “best course for a stronger, safer Bahamas.”
“The idea is to win again and argue for my constituents and the Bahamian people. What we need is continuity; we should not be changing administrations. This country should have another term with the PLP,” Mr Mitchell said.
“The plain and simple fact is we have better ideas and we execute those ideas. They cannot beat us with better ideas. That is what it is all about, the ideas and execution. This is a tough time for all of us and the fact is there is much work to be done to ensure that working people, middle class families have a safer, stronger Bahamas, giving them the confidence in themselves that this is the place for them and their children. I am satisfied that we are on the best course for a stronger, safer Bahamas.”
Mr Mitchell also defended the government’s new “Stronger Bahamas” initiative, saying the website launched to promote the plan has already been viewed by thousands of Bahamians. He said the website was necessary to deliver “accurate” information to the people without the influence of “biased” reporters.
“There has been some mention about Stronger Bahamas, but we have seen the results by the number of people who have gone on the site and viewed for more than three minutes. So people are interested in the arguments we make and the whole idea is to put the government’s positions into the public domain to understand beyond the biased press. We want them to know what is actually happening in terms of policy.”
FNM Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest said recently that the new “Stronger Bahamas” government initiative is propaganda, adding that the Christie administration is “insulting” Bahamians by suggesting in an advertisement for the plan that the country has become safer.
Mr Turnquest said it appears that public funds are being used to launch the Progressive Liberal Party’s upcoming election campaign.
This week, former Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner questioned if the government practices its campaign slogan of believing in Bahamians, after Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis revealed that a Canadian public relations firm was spearheading the initiative along with several Bahamian companies.
Prime Minister Perry Christie launched the “Stronger Bahamas” initiative during his budget communication last week, presenting it as a “new, non-partisan national policy development, public engagement and communications initiative.”
At the time, he said the government had “consolidated the roughly $4m per year” that is normally spent on public engagement, research and communication to facilitate a “national conversation.”
The funding, $3.8 million, has been allocated to the Office of the Prime Minister for the upcoming fiscal year.
Comments
flamingoman 9 years, 6 months ago
Thank you Mr. Mitchell...I needed a good laugh today!!!
jackbnimble 9 years, 6 months ago
Me too!!
afficianado 9 years, 6 months ago
lmao me three
The_Messenger 9 years, 6 months ago
They all deserve to be thrown in jail for their corruption.
GrassRoot 9 years, 6 months ago
I like the "better ideas" approach. This is not a war of ideas, this is a race for results. go do your job. 5 years is enough.
Honestman 9 years, 6 months ago
Bloggers beware. This site is being hacked.
Honestman 9 years, 6 months ago
Oh Look. I've fabricated six "likes" to make it look like this is a popular post!! Grow up!
Honestman 9 years, 6 months ago
Fred. You shouldn't be blowing your own trumpet like this!! Bankers, Bunker...kind of transparent don't you think??
newcitizen 9 years, 6 months ago
Everytime one of these guys gets an 'idea', it seems to cost us more and more money. I'm going to support the party with the least amount of 'ideas'.
Major_Pain 9 years, 6 months ago
The PLP suck but so does Loretta Butler-Turner and her FNM, none of them believe in Bahamians unless it affects their bank accounts.
duppyVAT 9 years, 6 months ago
Well...... if things remain as is .......... the PLP will have a good chance to win 2016/17 election again ............. Pintard and LBT better do something to get the FNM together
ohdrap4 9 years, 6 months ago
they already had their second term, it is about to end.
flamingoman 9 years, 6 months ago
We are in need of some SERIOUS political reform in this country!!!
duppyVAT 9 years, 6 months ago
Soooooooooooo, who is going to do it???????? It is not in the best interest of the present Bahamian political clique ........ we need a Oliver Cromwell to break the present corrupt and entitled cycle of PLP/FNM leadership
jackbnimble 9 years, 6 months ago
I had to read this headline twice!!! Dude cant be serious.
If he wants to argue for his constituents, he can do it from the Opposition side - and the way things looking he'd be lucky to win his seat to even be on the Opposition side!
Clearly deluded!!!!
ohdrap4 9 years, 6 months ago
there are few deluded people in govt. he is not one of them.
he is intelectually dishonest and has the english language craft to put that in practice.
Alltoomuch 9 years, 6 months ago
The first term isn't totally enough to ruin the Bahamas!!
DillyTree 9 years, 6 months ago
To Mr. Mitchell and the rest of the delusional PLP clowns -- two words: Hell, NO!
This country cannot survive another term of PLP incompetence, theft, greed, disillusionment, and lies.
DillyTree 9 years, 6 months ago
General crazy/FNM Retards -- you think you're pretty smart trying to copy my name by just adding an "S". At least you got that part right in school -- putting an S at the end of something to make it plural. Yay!
In case you missed it, where did I have anything to say about the FNM? The PLP is in power now and they have run this country into the ground. We, the Bahamian people, cannot afford any more of this corrupt government.
FYI, I don't necessarily vote FNM or DNA, and definitely never the PLP, but rather for who I think will do the best job -- be they black, white, pink, or some damn colour in-between. Frankly, I don't see any new leadership so far, but I do know one thing, the PLP has to go!!!
afficianado 9 years, 6 months ago
When we had a "national conversation" i.e. the failed referendum the PLP rejected the opinions of the masses. So what exactly are we conversing about this time? These old timers are expired and need to go. They have no vision or foresight.
birdiestrachan 9 years, 6 months ago
Mr: Mitchell is correct, all of the significant things in the Bahamas came out of the PLP. Free high school education. college of the Bahamas soon to be university of the Bahamas. NIB National Insurance. they were right to make web shops legal, persons who voted no gamble every day. Now I am not going to say I agree with every thing they have done. If I did then they would be God. Perhaps the FNM;s can list some of the things the FNM has done. And I have not listed all that was done. BAMSI is a good idea. and so is Urban renewal. I agree they must account for all of the money that is spent. it is important to keep receipts and good records. I do.
birdiestrachan 9 years, 6 months ago
AS for VAT no matter what the DNA or the FNM says about VAT. VAT will remain,
TalRussell 9 years, 6 months ago
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2015…
TheMadHatter 9 years, 6 months ago
He had a good idea - and that was rounding up illegals and shipping them out - but I guess our foreign masters instructed Cabinet to stop or else they would devalue our currency or reduce our visa time to 48 hours or some other threat.
TheMadHatter
Observer 9 years, 6 months ago
Guys and ladies, lets hear your thoughts on the Auditor General's analysis of the 52-week work programme, or something to that effect
ADMIN 9 years, 6 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
OMG 9 years, 6 months ago
Ideas are one thing but putting them into practice and making them work is quite another. With regard to Fred ,of course he hates opposition when he can't travel and travel and travel at our expense. Perry talks big but its all rhetoric with few actual results.
duppyVAT 9 years, 6 months ago
Fred is pro-homosexual and pro-world and his BIG ideas are coloured by his outlook on life .......... we cannot afford anymore of his BIG ideas
He should be embarraseed that Bahamians have to wait TWELVE weeks to get a passport that should take no more than a week to get ............ try fixing that and then worry about your hapless legacy Fweddy
sansoucireader 9 years, 6 months ago
NO, MP Fred Mitchell, no. Known you for many years but the Bahamas cannot take another 'reign' under the PLP. There is already a cloud of despair hanging over our land and a sense of hopelessness. No, yinna got to go if only so the Bahamian people can see a future ahead. Otherwise we're doomed.
SP 9 years, 6 months ago
......................... PLP And FNM Are Responsible For Where We Are Today ...............
What in GODS name is Fred Mitchell talking about? What "better ideas" have the PLP offered than the FNM?
Both PLP and FNM are 100% responsible for leading our country to being corrupt to the core top to bottom, infiltrated, infested and occupied by flag bearing Haitians, our country now riddled with crime surpassing war zone status, massive unemployment while foreigners live freely off our tax dollars enjoying the fat of the land, were not allowed to have ownership stakes in our own economy, under educated masses, and all the rest of the asinine politically driven dilemmas that brought us to the current very sad state we now find our country.
You politicians are obviouly living somewhere else, because we the people have no clue what your referring to. And frankly are totally insulted you would think after 40 years of your Haitian love affair, asinine stupidity and corruption, we are so stupid not to have noticed our personal regression and that of our country.
We find your assertions totally laughable Mr. Mitchell.
PLP and FNM are 6 of one halh dozen of the other equally dysfunctional, unquestionably anti-Bahamian and totally untrustworthy.
To put things in proper prospective, general consensus of we the people is it is way past time for the PLP, FNM and your Haitians to GO!
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