The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts yesterday slammed the anti-corruption rhetoric recently put forward by FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis, asserting that the Killarney MP has not been able to arrest bad behaviour within his ranks.

At his recent “Roc wit Doc” campaign launch, Dr Minnis criticised the Christie administration several times for its lackluster performance, promising supporters that once elected prime minister he would “rid the country” of the Progressive Liberal Party and its corrupt practices.

In a statement released to the press, Mr Roberts suggested that Dr Minnis did not have the moral backing to fight corruption as the FNM has been riddled with scandals for much of his tenure.

Mr Roberts asked: “Has Hubert Minnis been asleep at the leadership wheel for the last four years and during the period 2007-2012?”

He said as leader of the FNM, Dr Minnis should be the last person to talk about fighting corruption.

“Just check his party’s record of recent events that have played out under the glare of the media and in the court of public opinion,” he said.

Mr Roberts mentioned the recent legal battle between members of the FNM’s Fort Charlotte Constituency Association and the party’s executives to bolster his argument.

Karen Brown, the former chairperson of the FNM Fort Charlotte Constituency Association, brought an application for leave to apply for judicial review before Justice Indra Charles last month over a “tainted and fraudulent” election process in the constituency. A judge later urged both sides to settle the matter amicably and a new election of officers has been ordered.

Among other things, Mr Roberts also referred to the ammunition possession conviction of former FNM Senator John Bostwick II, who was fired from his post by Dr Minnis shortly after being arrested, and former FNM Chairman Michael Pintard’s resignation earlier this year over concerns about his involvement in a private investigation into an alleged murder for hire plot allegedly orchestrated by fashion designer Peter Nygard.

“The specter of shame, scandal and corruption reared its ugly head several more times during the past four years and in each case the leadership of the FNM played the starring role as they stood front and centre,” Mr Roberts’ statement said.

He added: “I can go on and on reminding (Dr) Minnis about the massive finder’s fee and massive giveaway of BTC . . . money paid to BTC executives in the wake of the fire sale of BTC to CWC and the $100m in cost overruns of the NPRIP (New Providence Road Improvement Project) that remains unexplained to this day by Minnis and the FNM but Bahamians get the picture.”

‘(Dr) Minnis and the FNM believe that they are above the law and should not be held accountable for their actions as they pretend to embody integrity by lecturing everybody else on integrity and calling others ill names. That is the worst form of deflection and political bluster – not to mention the personification of being delusional.”