The Tribune

PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts said a recent statement from Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes on job figures and plans to increase employment showed the government has simply adopted Progressive Liberal Party pro-growth policies established by the Christie administration.

Mr Roberts’ comments came a day after Senator Foulkes welcomed a slight decrease in the unemployment figures but added that many of those workers are likely now on the unemployment line because their jobs were temporary.

Senator Foulkes said the Minnis administration is focused on job creation and highlighted the planned expansion of the National Training Agency and discussions with the Inter-American Development Bank to finalise the implementation of the National Apprenticeship Programme as a way to better train young people to enter the job market.

Mr Foulkes also said the opening of more hotels at Baha Mar in Winter 2018, the reopening of the Grand Lucayan Resort in Grand Bahama and an increase in new businesses as a result of government confidence will all increase job opportunities.

In response, Mr Roberts said: “While the Labour Minister Foulkes lists a number of programmes to cause for further job creation. . . his exercise was nothing more than a wholesale adoption of the pro-growth policies of the Christie PLP administration where the heavy lifting established a firm and solid foundation of progress on which to build. The PLP has made this point over and repeatedly and finds it necessary to remind Bahamians of the same once again.”

Mr Roberts claimed after the election campaign “bluster” labelling the PLP as a failure while in office, the FNM has not advanced any new or original policy or programme.

“The use of the National Training Agency (NTA) to respond to the training needs of young Bahamians is a PLP policy,” Mr Roberts said. “Thousands of young Bahamians were trained with job ready skills between 2012 and 2017.

“The apprenticeship programme for young Bahamians is in full swing and the Grand Bahama Shipyard apprenticeship model is one to emulate regionally, thanks to the PLP government.

“The opening of additional hotels at the Baha Mar Resort in the winter of 2018 was negotiated by the Christie administration in August of 2016, but the FNM is just now coming to their senses on Baha Mar after literally years of self-denial and blatant lies which they arrogantly refuse to apologise for now that the truth has seen the light of day.

“The negotiations with the Steve Wynn investment group of Canada for the reopening of the Lucayan hotel (in Grand Bahama) complex were in the advanced stages with a heads of terms already prepared. Quite frankly the FNM government should have closed that deal by now if they were focused on governance.

“The Citizens Security and Justice Programme was another landmark programme that the Christie government developed in partnership with the IDB to address youth truancy and meet the job skills training needs of our young people. This was the last major programme spearheaded by our dearly departed colleague and brother, the late Dr Bernard J Nottage, (former) minister of national security.

“These PLP inspired programmes are in fact ‘bold and innovative policies’ that are ‘designed to provide permanent and sustainable employment for our citizens’ as the labour minister rightly pointed out, vindicating the PLP government yet again. The caveat for success rests with the FNM government’s ability to execute these programmes without dropping the ball and botching these programmes as the Opposition Leader Davis pointed out to House members during the budget debate.

“It is unfortunate that the FNM has started its tenure of governance on a losing wicket by sabotaging the national economy through among other decisions, talking down the economy, massive tax concessions to the rich, unnecessary and excessive borrowing and conducting mass firings while blaming all of their ill-advised actions on the PLP.”