The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts yesterday fired back at former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham’s claims that the Public Treasury does not have the money to pay police officers overtime, calling his comments “bogus”.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr Roberts labelled the former North Abaco MP a “confused and lost soul” that has emerged from a “nightmare of a dream” to misspeak.

He noted that Mr Ingraham’s claims were a “new low” for the Free National Movement’s campaign as the sentiments could have adverse repercussions for the country’s international reputation.

Speaking at a South Abaco rally Tuesday night, Mr Ingraham told supporters that if the Free National Movement wins the election, one of the first things it will have to do is “borrow tens of millions of dollars to pay bills that the PLP government is now unable to pay.”

He added that no matter which party is elected to office on May 10, the government will be unable to give police officers overtime pay on May 29 as promised by Prime Minister Perry Christie because “the money ain’ there.”

In response, Mr Roberts said that someone needs to touch Mr Ingraham on his shoulder and “educate him” that the Public Treasury under the PLP isn’t out of money.

“We note Ingraham’s apparent vile and deceitful intent was to sow seeds of discord in the minds of our RBDF, RBPF, customs and immigration officers, especially those voting in the advanced polls - he will fail,” he noted.

“I remind Ingraham that the Christie administration successfully negotiated 14 outstanding labour agreements that his government could not see its way to resolve; it was clearly not the workers’ time then. The value of the labour contract with the public service union alone was $200m.

“Scores of teachers were owed about $4.5m in back pay but the Ingraham administration could not see its way to even as much as begin the audit process to determine how much each teacher was owed. It was not the teachers’ time then. The PLP government paid those valued educators.

“It was Ingraham who dashed the hopes of thousands of contract workers when his government refused to transfer them to the permanent and pensionable payroll, leaving them vulnerable, exposed and in a cloud of uncertainty about their future. This PLP government has transferred about half of almost 3,000 contract workers in the public service to the permanent and pensionable payroll. We cannot turn back the clock with the stop, cancel and lies of the FNM,” he added.

“It is no accident that the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB) publicly commended the Christie government for its progressive and labour friendly policies,” he also noted.

Mr Christie, last week announced that the government would finally give police officers overtime pay due for 12-hour shifts worked in 2013 and 2014. He said the first payment would come on May 29 and the second in the next budget cycle.