The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts yesterday criticised the Minnis administration for its failure to complete government board appointments before the start of the fiscal year.

In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Roberts said Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and his administration were not ready to govern and continued to "muddle along" despite the Free National Movement's (FNM) continued criticism when it was in opposition of the former Christie administration.

Meanwhile, FNM Chairman Sidney Collie said it took the PLP at least 100 days to name appointees, adding that it has only taken the new government about half the time to compose the boards.

Asked to respond to criticism that the boards will mainly be populated by party supporters, Mr Collie said there was criteria prescribed by law for appointments. However, he added that party supporters do expect that once their organisation is elected to office, they will be given an opportunity to serve and that the party does whatever is possible to ensure the expectation is accommodated.

In 2012, former Prime Minister Perry Christie had been criticised for failing to appoint people to boards in time for the start of that fiscal year, July 1.

Mr Roberts noted at the time that the former Ingraham administration appointed people to statutory boards on July 8, 2007.

"Do you know how long it took Christie and them to do theirs? It took them almost 100 days," Mr Collie said when he was contacted.

"We had over 6,000 names to go through while we were dealing with setting up a government and going through a budget and all of the other things. Not that this is an excuse, but it gives an explanation."

More than 6,200 people expressed interest in the 108 available boards, Mr Collie said yesterday.

"There is some criteria. There are 32 statutory boards that are government and by legislation it is prescribed that qualification and experience is needed.

"For instance, you can't put anybody off the street as the chairman of the Central Bank of The Bahamas board or the Securities Commission board.

"The legislation prescribes first of all the qualifications, experience and the function of the persons on the board and those legal prescriptions automatically reduces or restricts who can and cannot serve on these boards.

"Now the committees and the advisory councils, any member of society who has a passion for their different areas or who has some kind of experience either voluntary or by virtue of their work or their pastime like the Junkanoo committee or the Clifton Heritage committee or the National Trust. If people have special interests then persons are selected from that group for those particular advisories or committees."

Asked whether party supporters take priority for appointment, Mr Collie said: "I don't know about going for party supporters first, but what I do know because a lot of the statutory boards does not take account of politics it takes account of competence qualifications experience, all political parties have persons that fall in that category.

"Party supporters expect that once you win the government to be given opportunities to serve on boards and as far as possible political parties do all they can to accommodate that expectation," Mr Collie also said.

Some board appointments are expected to be made today.